I'm very pleased and excited to finally have launched the new ColumBUZZ section of ColumbusNewMexico.com!

My hope is for the readers to have fun, to get informed, and to be entertained. As the months roll on, we'll be adding new content, and new contributors with their opinions, editorials, and columns. This is a grand experiment, and I invite everyone to join in.

I know many of you will be happy to see the ColumBust Blog return to the website. In fact, before you read any further you should go read the special update I wrote explaining (among other issues), why I took a 90 day hiatus. Here's the new link to the page.

                
Go ahead on over there, I'll wait for you to come back!

You're back? Okay, so now you now the skinny on what I've been doing for the past 90 days, what the plan is looking forward, and how genuinely disappointed I am with our new village administration, with the State and local officials, and even the U.S. Government.  So what else is new right?

As you've undoubtedly figured out by now, the theme to this premiere issue of ColumBUZZ is "How do we, the citizens of Columbus, save our Village from complete ruin and isolation?"

One thing is for sure, we can survive without a village government and municipality. The county or the State could take over the administration, and better guarantee we'll all continue to have water, sewer, and a garbage dump. But for Columbus to ever flourish, it has to start with new money coming into town. And I don't mean into the black-hole of the Village coffers, Oh hell No! I'm talking about money coming into our businesses, rent monies, home buyers monies, I'm talking about new money being spent in Columbus on a daily basis. But how do we make this happen? Let me tell ya....

When I was 18 years old I went to work selling Kirby Vacuums door-to-door in the streets and suburbs of Los Angeles. I got a crash course in how to sell those vacuums, and one little technique that was taught me I'll never forget. You have to learn to sell your products weakness. For example: If you're selling a house with a small kitchen, you tell the prospective buyer "The best thing about this house is the new high-tech kitchen. It was specially designed so you can actually stand in one spot and reach every appliance, cabinet, and drawer!"

Folks, we have got to find the way to sell Columbus. As I see it, the only possible solution is TOURISM. Since we don't have a pot-to-piss-in financially, we have to figure a way to exploit our natural resources to attract tourists and daily traffic into the village.

Okay, I'll admit this is not a sudden new revelation of mine. I've been thinking about tourism dollars since I arrived to Columbus and started helping Martha at Martha's Place hotel. Hotels and tourist go hand in hand.

I've been saying for nearly four years now that what Columbus needs is a "Thing". You know what "The Thing" is right? If you're heading east or west on the I-10 corridor through Arizona, you're bombarded with billboards announcing that "The Thing" is getting closer. Heaven help you if your traveling with kids, because you're going to have to stop and pay a dollar for each of them to see "The Thing". I know this because I saw it when I was 4 or 5 years old driving back and forth from California to visit my grandmother in Texas, and driving my parents crazy every time we approached "The Thing". That darn "Thing" has been there for at least 50 years, raking in the dough. Yep, Columbus needs its THING!

The thing is....we're 30 miles away from the I-10 highway. While "The Thing" has it's own exit, and sits right smack dab next to the highway. So what kind of THING do we need to make people drive 30 miles out of their way? And I don't mean one or two people, No Siree, if we're going to turn our economic situation around, we'll need 1000's of people every day driving through Columbus, and buying gas, buying meals, staying the night, visiting the museums, etcetera, etcetera, ETCETERA!

Guess what Columbians....We already have just THE THING to make this happen. It's been with us for years, and it's been staring us in the face, jumping up and down, and screaming at the top of its lungs to get our attention....Do you want to know what our "THING" is?....if you want to see it, you'll have to veer of this web page by clicking on this.......
   EXIT NOW TO SEE THE THING!