When I look at the Georgia's governor’s office, I see an encapsulation of the entire knotted mess that is our government.

Roy Barnes, our previous governor, was a lawyer turned politician, so he was a walking, talking double-whammy. He couldn't be trusted, basically lied to the people of the state on numerous occasions and was voted out of office as a result.

Along comes Sonny Perdue, a veterinarian turned politician. I guess at least half of that equation is good (and it ain't the politician). He courted teachers and the common folks of the state and became the first Republican governor here since Reconstruction. He talked a good talk and sounded like a trustworthy Georgian, making many of feel comfortable.

Unfortunately, that was when he was either a) trying get elected, or b) trying to get re-elected.

Now, in his most recent fender bender, Perdue has asked the teachers of the state to take three days unpaid leave to help the state save money. There are more coming, maybe many more. He is doing this after the state has cut education funding to the bone and is still sitting on tax refund checks, apparently some of which won’t be delivered until this month.

I'm not real fond of someone holding on to our money without our permission, but I suppose that's where we are today with our government and our “leaders.”

Anyway, I know as a teacher I should just be quiet since I already get paid vacation to the tropics three months out of the year. I also never have to spend any money out of my own pocket on school-related stuff and have some lovely beachfront property in Pavo that I'd love to sell you if you believe a word of any of that.

But I find it odd that now he's in his second term and can't be elected again, Perdue has chosen this route to “save the state's money." Odd because I haven't heard a word about the $20-plus million fish hatchery in Perdue's hometown getting cut.

Now why would that be the case?

OK. I better stop. I was taught a long time ago when you just aren’t sure what to say about someone you need to just step back and say, “Bless their heart.” Let's just say, “Bless our governor's heart,” and be done with it.

The thing is this — the days that teachers have been cut will still find most of them at work. See, those days are the ones spent getting little inconvenient things like report cards done.

Teachers are danged if they do and durned if they don't. But as a teacher, I dare not complain, so bless teachers’ hearts, too.

Basically, talking out of both sides of their mouth at one time is an ability that must be listed somewhere in the job requirements of a politician because, almost right down the line, that's what each and every one of them do.

They tell you what they think you want to hear and then forget every word of it after they are elected. Technically, doesn’t that make those kinds of politicians liars? Isn’t that supposed to be a bad thing?

I’ve always heard you will go to hell for lying as soon as you will stealing. Heck, I don’t know what it says when you are having free reign on doing both.

At the recent town meeting featuring several of our gubernatorial candidates, I have to admit I was much more interested in which ones did or didn’t sound like a politician as much as I was what they were saying. I guess I still have faith that someone somewhere who just wants to be involved in the political arena because they can do the right thing will come along sooner than later.

I could be wrong, but I really feel most people — especially here in Georgia — are ready for politicians who are going to approach their jobs with a healthy dose of common sense. Of course, common sense is more uncommon than common, so I guess I am ready for someone that is sadly rarer than any of us want to admit.

Why is that? Because when you get right down to it, our politicians are supposed to be a reflection of the people they represent, and I just don’t think any of us want that to be the reality of the situation.

I mean “petty,” “self-centered,” “egotistical,” “power-monging,” “underhanded,” “lazy,” “corrupt” and “what’s in it for me?” aren’t words that could be used to describe American society today — are they? Maybe that’s a question too few of us want to answer honestly in regard to our politicians — or ourselves.

Let’s just say, “Bless all of our hearts.”