So today President Obama is visiting Columbus to recognize 25 new officers graduating from the police academy. It’s great news for the city…the 25 jobs that is

. The jobs were made possible through federal stimulus money and in a state with 8+ % unemployment and rising, people with income are a good thing. (from what I’ve heard, by the way, unfortunately this job growth is not sustainable as the academy won’t have a class next year due to budget constraints)

What’s not good news for the city is the fact that we (Columbus – a city operating at a deficit and making cuts) have to foot the bill for logistics and security for this visit. And Oh, by the way, the president of the United States has one of the biggest carbon footprints on the planet. Any time he moves, he’s got an entourage to move. Any time he flies, he flies an Airliner. Any time he rides in a car, add 10+ because it’s a motorcade.

This president is championing change. He’s also got one helluva situation relating to the economy and a society/culture with a spending/lack-of-saving problem and entitlement complex.

He’s missing a HUGE opportunity today

. You want to champion change?  Lead by example. Take advantage of technology and visit Columbus via teleconference! Hell, visit 4 cities today. Interact with the reporters, answer questions, give your speech uniquely to the audience, but do it remotely. Make a point of the fact that you are paying specific attention to the city and it’s residents, but that you are doing so through innovative technology and you’re saving money in the process

. You’re not incurring security costs. You’re not fueling AF1 and the accompanying fighter escorts.

Create efficiencies, Mr. President. Show the American public that you’re not just leaning on businesses to rethink the way they do things, but that you are really changing the way DC does things. Take a half day to do this a couple of times with the cities who are being positively impacted by stimulus money, and then get some work done on Penn Ave. Then, do it again next week.

I understand politics are politics, but if we really REALLY want to change things, we can’t keep telling people that everything will be OK and continue to do things the way we’ve done them.