Your Name Is Mud

I have discussed Georgia's affinity for "official" titles before. So I guess I should report that a new bill in the Georgia General Assembly, by a Republican from conservative Cobb County, seeks to have red clay named the Official Dirt of Georgia.

Said the conservative representative:

Franklin's measure, which was co-sponsored by a few dozen House members, he said, proclaims the historic greatness of Georgia's native terra firma.

"Georgia red clay has been celebrated in verse, song and prose, including Margaret Mitchell's 'Gone With the Wind,' and lamented by generations of struggling Georgia dirt farmers growing their crops and by diligent mothers attempting to keep their children's play clothes clean," the resolution reads.

Franklin, famous for voting "no" even on bills pushed by his Republican leadership, said a constituent changed his mind about the importance of official symbols to Georgia.

Keep in mind that Rep. Franklin describes himself this way on the legislative website:

Rep. Franklin has built his professional experience in the private sector as a corporate controller, CFO, and business analyst. This career knowledge has well-equipped him to apply sound business and fiscal principles, insisting that government be efficient and fiscally responsible.

How I long for someone insisting on "efficient and fiscally responsible" government.