If you read Wednesday’s paper, you likely saw the letter from longtime Midway critic Len Calderone comparing that city to Pooler.

The gist of it seems to be that had Midway more business-savvy leadership it would be more like Pooler. That evidently would be a good thing in Calderone’s estimation and he is entitled to his opinion. I applaud him for having the gumption to share it.

Now let me share mine.

My hope, and I write this in all sincerity, is that Midway never becomes anything at all like Pooler, or, for that matter, Richmond Hill.

Pooler is residential and commercial growth gone wild, and has morphed from a once small enclave in west Chatham County to one overrun with residential and commercial development and people who don’t drawl when they say y’all.

As a result, Pooler is a place where small local businesses struggle while the masses swarm to the Pooler Triangle, which is what the cops call that stretch on I-95 around the Pooler Parkway where Walmart meets Sam’s Club meets Tanger Outlets, etc, and so on. Of course, if a regional shopping destination reeking of fried food is what those folks want, more power to them.

But, whoever thought up cramming all that shiny commercialism next to a six-lane interstate should be put in jail for endangering people’s lives. I don’t care how much business acumen they have. I-95 is an interstate, not a boulevard.

Besides, if you think Hinesville traffic stinks, go try Pooler just about anytime of the week. Just be warned it can get ugly. In fact on June 14 the city’s police department appealed to Facebook for drivers to calm the heck down.

That plea for saner driving occurred after, and I quote verbatim from the post on the Pooler PPD’s page, "several recent incidents involving Aggressive Driving aka ‘ROAD RAGE’ in Pooler. These incidents have led to a stabbing and a shooting and at least 6 arrests."

It then urged drivers to take a deep breath, relax and go somewhere else (Just kidding about that last part).

Bottom line: The grass isn’t always greener, folks, and everything isn’t cooler in Pooler.

But if life is poorer because you don’t have a Walmart within a 15-minute drive, maybe you should consider moving closer to Walmart. There are plenty to choose from.

Speaking of driving:

A few complaints.

What’s up with people passing on curves on Highway 144 on Fort Stewart? And when did the speed limit turn into a starting point?

What about the retina-frying halogen stadium laser-beam headlights. Are they even legal on automobiles? It’s like every other driver is riding around with their high beams on.

And, advice from some Liberty Regional paramedics I knew many years ago: Never approach it faster than you want to hit it. That "it" includes the back bumper of the car in front of you.

Sorry. I spend a lot of time behind the wheel.

New gun laws:

Readers, please weigh in.

What are your thoughts on the new gun laws impacting Georgia, especially campus carry? Shoot me an email at editor@coastalcourier.com if you’d like to be interviewed on the subject. Put "gun laws" in the subject line.

Two more notes:

1. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is about to roll back protections on the environment, though it’s being dressed up as more a business-friendly, common sense approach that will grow jobs while it still protects the environment.

That approach mirrors one used in Georgia under a series of Republican governors dating back to Sonny Perdue. Through budget cuts the state’s Environmental Protection Division - which also has the mission of job creation - was pretty much reduced to rubble in terms of staffing and funding.

Then a travesty like the Ogeechee River fish kill happens because the EPD didn’t have the manpower to adequately check up on a polluter, and everybody blames the EPD. That’s how it works, you know. Starve government until it can’t do its job, then say it can’t do its job because it’s bad. Of course, regulation is always bad until you need regulation.

2. Just so you know, we’re working on the story of why Hinesville City Manager Billy Edwards was suspended. Sometimes, reporting takes time.