Wednesday, June 30, 2010

WHO WANTS TO BET

Who wants to bet the "lawmaker" who didn't pay his/her taxes was NOT a Republican? If it was, now THAT would make a headline.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

WHAT A CRYING SHAME

We are certain that most of the old timers out there remember when shark fishing from the Folly Beach pier wasn't against the law. The process was pretty simple. The fisherman dumped "chum", a mixture of blood and guts, into the water and waited for the sharks to arrive. It didn't take very long before the water was alive with the large tooth monsters. Then, the fisherman would bait his large hook with half of a mullet and go to work.

In case no one has noticed, we have a similar feeding frenzy going on in the local media right now. The only difference is, sharks are not the target. This frenzy is aimed at Congressman Henry Brown. Channel 5 News and WTMA radio have aired stories concerning remarks allegedly made by the Congressman on the night of the Republican Primary run-off election. According to these TV news stories and topics of discussion on WTMA talk radio, Henry Brown called the voters of Berkeley County "fools" for reelecting Dan Davis, Supervisor. These stories have been edited for effect and have spread through the county like wildfire. The big problem is THE BASIC STORY IS NOT TRUE.

On the night of June 22nd, we were at the Musicman where Mr. Brown was holding his election night party. When the news came in that Mr. Davis had won the election, the TV news crew approached Mr. Brown for his comments. We were standing directly behind the interviewer and listened to every word that was exchanged. At no time did Mr. Brown refer to the voters of BC as fools. During the lengthy interview, he did say he thought the voters of BC "HAD BEEN FOOLED" by Mr. Davis' false statements during the campaign. As any thinking person knows, there is a wide canyon between saying someone has been fooled and calling someone a fool. But, we have to assume certain members of the media are not numbered among the thinking people. They created a firestorm over something that was never said.

Mr. Brown attempted to correct the misstatements made on WTMA by calling in to set the record straight. It was embarrassing to listen to the disrespect heaped upon Mr. Brown as he tried to correct the false reporting. The host would ask a question of Mr. Brown and, before Mr. Brown had any chance to answer, the host would pepper him with yet another accusatory question. The host of the show even went so far as to allow callers to join the pile-on.

The most egregious misleading report came from Channel 5 news. After the WTMA hatchet job, a reporter from Channel 5 called the Congressman for an interview. Realizing he had been placed in an untenable position, the Congressman refused the interview by saying, "I said what I said and I stick by it". Even after the Congressman said he refused to go on the record, the Channel 5 reporter recorded this remark and included it in the report, giving the false impression that Mr. Brown had admitted saying what he was accused of saying. As we all know, "cut and paste" can create anything you want. This was not the best example of honest reporting.

GE&P has received numerous calls from BC voters who saw the Channel 5 report and are" very angry that the Congressman could say such a thing about them". They believe this story simply because it was on TV news. We tried to correct their wrong impression but failed. The damage is done. People are convinced the story is true. The Congressman will carry this black mark to his grave. No one will ever see the raw footage from the original interview. Why would Channel 4 run this footage? That would prove a really hot story to be a crock and what would that do to viewership?

Congressman Brown, our numbers here at GE&P are, admittedly, small but we would like to offer you our sincere apology for the treatment you have received from the media and some citizens of BC over the last few days. We appreciate your years of service to Berkeley County. It breaks our hearts and shames us that these citizens choose to reward your years of faithful service with this verbal lynching. What a crying shame.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

BORING, BORING, BORING

Received yet another Dan Davis mailing. Since it only contained the same old lies, we will refer you to the posts of June 18th and 19th.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

WHAT WOULD THE FOUNDERS SAY?

During the birth process of this great nation, the Founders realized early on that a "free press" would be essential if this new form of government was to survive. They considered this element so vital to our nation's success that they equaled it in import to "freedom of speech" and "freedom of religion". In the Federalist Papers, the Founders explained that the "press" carried a huge responsibility along with its freedoms. The "press" would be responsible for keeping the masses informed as to the conduct of the government. That was the original plan.

Jump forward to 2010. Today, it seems our newspapers have only one goal in mind, sell large volumes of advertising. Reporting the truth and keeping the public informed has been relegated to a secondary or even non existing goal. Point in fact: The P&C editorial supporting the reelection of Dan Davis, Supervisor of Berkeley County.

Being as no name was attached to this endorsement, we don't know to whom to address our comments. We would assume you know who you are, unless the P&C simplified this effort and just let Dan Davis write it himself.

The first reason given for this endorsement was all the road improvements BC has experienced due to the new one cent sales tax initiated by Mr. Davis. So far, the only activity we've seen is the decimation of a few score ancient oak trees along Hwy. 17A. The majority of the roads we travel are still in the same deplorable condition as they have been in for years. Several people, including GE&P attempted to get the P&C to report on the $4 MILLION spent on the debacle of a new intersection at Hwy. 6 and Hwy. 311. This wasted money could have been used to pave Hwy. 6 from the old Cross fire tower all the way to Moncks Corner. The P&C reported little to nothing on this subject.

The next justification for reelecting Mr. Davis, according to the P&C, is all the economic development attributable to Mr. Davis' efforts. The article includes Moulton Logistics and Gildan, as examples. They don't mention that neither Mr. Davis nor his crack economic development team knew anything of either of these additions to BC's job market until after both concerns had already established themselves. Since the FILOT agreements were already in place for these locations, there was no need for negotiations with BC government. Neither does this article include the fact that BC, under Mr. Davis' leadership, has lost ten times as many jobs as it has gained. The "industrial park planned near Jedburg" was not the brain child of Mr. Davis. Credit for this project has to go to its creator, John S., whom Mr. Davis fired soon after the plan was underway. And, for the P&C to include the pie in the sky "likely spinoff development from the Boeing expansion" as an accomplishment of Mr. Davis, strains credibility.

The "green energy" bragging point should have included the fact that both these projects are costing the taxpayers money, not saving it.

The P&C is correct in saying Mr. Davis served as city administrator of Hanahan. What they neglected to say is, when Mr. Davis was hired for this position, the city of Hanahan had a surplus of $2 MILLION. When he "left" the job, the city had a $3 MILLION deficit.

Finally, the article says Mr. Davis "provided a steadying hand" on County Council and "dealt capably with budget difficulties". In fact, Mr. Davis formed a coalition of 2 Democrats and 2 RINOs to offset the votes of the 4 Conservatives on Council. This resulted in him casting the tie-breaking vote on many items of wasteful spending during the last 2 years. Several of these votes involved suspicious infrastructure projects that benefitted his supporters. The P&C was made aware of these questionable activities but refused to investigate or report on them. When citizens investigated the issues independently and provided the P&C with documentation of irregularities, the P&C still refused to report on them.

When it comes to financial issues connected to Mr. Davis, the P&C neglected to report on the problems with the FILOT situation with the school system. They didn't think it was important to report that the schools had been short changed over $4 MILLION by Mr. Davis' attempt to "balance" his budget. They didn't think it was important to report that Mr. Davis took $1 MILLION from the BC Economic Development Fund for the same reason. They didn't think it was important to report that Mr. Davis approved, without the knowledge of Council, a $2.24 MILLION water line to the front door of one of Mr. Davis' supporters on Council. They didn't think it was important to report that, for the third year, Mr. Davis is arranging events so he can take 29% of the property tax relief from the citizens of BC. P&C has written several scathing articles about Charleston County Council trying to take a mere 10% from their citizens. The P&C didn't think it was important to mention that Mr. Davis has depleted the fund balance by $5 MILLION. The P&C didn't think it was important to investigate where the $10 MILLION taken from BCW&SA was spent or for that matter, whether the "taking" was even legal. All they said was he "dealt capably with budget difficulties".

The issues included here are only covering those mentioned in the P&C endorsement of Mr. Davis. Credible, documented information on all these issues, and countless others, has been provided to the P&C from several sources over the last two years. Routinely and repeatedly, the P&C has refused to report on them. It has become increasingly apparent that the P&C will not touch a story derogatory of Mr. Davis, with a ten foot ink pen. Now, without even the slightest consideration of any facts, the P&C has chosen to endorse the behavior of Mr. Davis.

We have always thought the goal of journalism was to answer the "who, what, when, where, and why" and to maintain at least a shadow of their original civic responsibility. Isn't it sad that the Tri-County area doesn't have a real newspaper?

NOTE TO THE P&C: Our puppies thank you.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

HOW MUCH MORE???

Now, Dan Davis is claiming he had the Hwy. 311 water line installed to support industry. We all know just how much industry is located on Hwy. 311. There's Grooms' deer processing, which employs......................uh....................Mr. Grooms. And then, there's the sweet shop just on the other side of Pinckneyville. Oh wait, the Sheriff closed that down because of drug activity. And, of course there's .......uh........uh........uh....... There's nothing else. There's not even large enough tracks of land to support industry, even if someone would agree to part with any of the land, which no one will.

Mr. Davis' lies aren't even any fun any more. Folks are getting very angry.

Friday, June 18, 2010

THIS IS OUR SHOCKED LOOK

We realize this is getting a bit monotonous but we must report and let you decide. We just received yet another Dan Davis mailer literally dripping with endorsements. WHERE DOES HE FIND THESE PEOPLE?????? We spent two hours on the phone this afternoon asking old time residents of BC if they knew any of these folks. The results were astounding: One retired school board member, one fire chief, and one would be stalker. The identity of the others was a complete mystery to everyone we spoke with. Even if these folks are from BC, how can they be so uninformed?

One stated he was very impressed with the number of jobs Davis had brought to the County. Really? We gained 80 jobs and lost 800. Now, that's something to aspire to.

One said Davis had run a totally positive campaign. Why doesn't she mention the puppets Davis has engaged to go around spreading unfounded rumors about his opponent?

One said Davis "never does favors for friends" and "stands up for the taxpayers". Why didn't she mention the $2.24 Million water line to secure Pinckney's support on Council or Davis stealing 29% of our property tax relief while raising the water rates by 30%?

One mentioned that Davis "dedicated 24 hours a day to keeping BC strong". Does this include the hours spent at the flea market and at Geranimo's?

One brought Washington into the conversation, AGAIN.

One said he admired the fact that Mr. Davis "built his own business from scratch". We wonder if this gentleman has ever looked at the incident reports concerning activity at the flea market? PSA: If your lawnmower turns up missing, give us a call and we will be happy to make a suggestion as to where to go look for it. Remember, always record your serial numbers.

One man said he couldn't vote for someone who slings mud. Sir, there is a huge difference between "slinging mud" and itemizing a person's official record of behavior.

Finally, one person claimed Mr. Davis had achieved a budget surplus this year. Mr. Davis took $10 MILLION from the BCW&SA fund balance. He took $1 MILLION from the Economic Development fund. He took $4 MILLION from the FILOT fund that rightly belongs to the School System. He enacted another one cent sales tax. He depleted the BC fund balance by over $5 MILLION. And, he has failed to contribute more than $1 MILLION to the County retirement fund. Even when you include all these ill-gotten gains, this year's proposed budget does NOT contain a surplus.

We would encourage everyone to look at the long list of prominent people who have either endorsed or are supporting Henry Brown for Supervisor. Then look at the list of those who endorse and support Mr. Davis. This alone should send a message.





A LEOPARD DOESN'T CHANGE HIS SPOTS

For the benefit of those of you who weren't around this area for the Republican Primary in 2006, you need to be aware of Dan Davis' campaign style in that election. A flyer from Mr. Davis arrived in the mailboxes of many voter the day before the election. This flyer detailed an accusation that Jim Rozier, the incumbent, had spent taxpayers' money to purchase a stadium box for himself at Clemson. The big problem with this accusation was that it was totally false. The issue had been put to rest by an extensive investigation weeks prior to the mailing. The local newspapers had run articles disproving all the charges. Mr. Rozier had provided a cancelled, personal check with which he had purchased the box. Clemson had provided a certified letter saying the BC check upon which the allegations were based was payment for a legitimate venture between BC and Clemson. These small facts did not deter Mr. Davis. He sent out the flyer anyway. When he was confronted with his actions after he won the election, he said, "The mailing was already in the pipeline and couldn't be stopped". Everyone believed he couldn't stop the mailer with a full three week notice. SURE.

Well, Mr. Davis seems to have decided to repeat his successful activities of 2006 in his reelection campaign against Henry Brown. He is hoping that just enough voters are gullible enough not to look beyond the misleading headlines of the P&C. We would like to start with the issue of Mr. Brown's stock purchases in 2009 as reported in the WSJ. GE&P has read the entire article and, to begin with, we are baffled as to why the Journal would have published this piece of questionable journalism in the first place. After reading the piece in its entirety, we could find no there there. The article admits that Congressmen are allowed by law to buy and sell stock. The Journal said there were no violations found, either legal or ethical. So, exactly what was the point of this article? Mr. Brown and others legally bought and sold some stock. ???????????WHATS YOUR POINT?

One of Mr. Davis' unfortunate puppets, however, opted to edit the article and make it appear that the Congressman had done something wrong. The redacted email points to the passage of the Stimulus Bill as proof there was misconduct on the part of Henry Brown. HELLO, Mr. Brown voted AGAINST the Stimulus Bill. And, as no small point of interest, has anyone asked exactly WHO was the puppet who disseminated this contrived story? We would suggest everyone focus their attention on the Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce. Does anyone know of any "special" friend Mr. Davis might have over at the Chamber? Does anyone care that this deliberately misleading story was sent out from the Chamber's email list? Were there any taxpayers' dollars involved in this activity? Follow the lead of the P&C and don't bother to ask Mr. Davis any of these questions. We are positive he had nothing to do with this. We would even go so far as to imagine he wasn't even aware this was happening. Just ask his and see.

Now, GE&P would like to give you a heads up on, possibly, the next fabricated issue. We aren't sure Mr. Davis will have the time to pull this one off, but there is a chance. We wouldn't put anything past him. We digress, on to the issue. Through third parties, GE&P has learned that Congressman Brown's staff members have received a few casual calls from the press inquiring as to how they separate their time between staff work and campaign work. Being veterans of Mr. Davis' campaign style, GE&P smells a rat. Could it be that we will all receive a mailer on Monday accusing Mr. Brown of using his Congressional staff for campaign reasons? No, not even Mr. Davis could be THAT obvious.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

THE MAN HAS NO SHAME

GE&P, along with countless others in attendance, felt sympathy for Supervisor Dan Davis last Monday at the Council meeting, when it was announced that Mr. Davis would not attend the meeting because of a death in his family.

This morning on the Kelly Golden radio talk show on 94.3, WSC, Mr. Davis stated that he, for the first time, had missed the Council meeting Monday night. In way of explanation, he went on to say, that night he was "PREPARING FOR A CAMPAIGN MEETING."

WE ARE SPEECHLESS.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

FREE BUBBLE UP AND RAINBOW STEW

GE&P is happy to announce that no one in BC will be expected to go to work next week. Your full paycheck will be in the mail. All the grocery stores will be giving away free food and drinks for the next month. All the gas stations in Moncks Corner will have their pumps open 24 hours a day with no payment expected.

Please pardon us but we just got our "Dan Davis for Supervisor" mailer and we decided to continue in the same vane. If Mr. Davis' claims were not so absolutely outrageous they would have become boring by now. How many times do we have to prove his rhetoric to be completely fabricated before he will no longer have the unadulterated gall to repeat it?

LOW TAXES: Dan Davis has stolen 29% of our property tax relief for the third year in a row, increasing our tax burden. Dan Davis has raised our water rates by 30%. Dan Davis has initiated a second one cent sales tax. Dan Davis has stolen $4 MILLION from the school system, leaving us to make up the difference. Then Dan Davis has the nerve to try to connect Henry Brown to the Obama administration.

ECONOMY: How can Dan Davis brag about a 12% unemployment rate? At least he had the good sense to edit his "Supervisor's Blog" and remove the claim that he created 1500+ new jobs in 2009. That lie was too easy to debunk. On this issue, again he foolishly tries to tie Henry Brown to the Obama administration.

BALANCED BUDGET: We imagine the whopper about the first balanced budget in 14, uhh 16, uhh 18 years must have drawn Mr. Davis too much flack to repeat so it's not included in this mailer. In fact, during the 3 1/2 years that Mr. Davis has been in office, he has depleted the BC fund balance by $5 MILLION. He has added another one cent sales tax. He has taken $1 MILLION from the Economic Development Fund. He has raided $10 MILLION from BCW&S's fund balance. He has cheated the BC school system out of $4 MILLION from the FILOT from Google. With all these ill gotten gains, what fool couldn't balance a budget? Once again, according to Dan Davis, Henry is responsible for Obama.

TRANSPARENCY: How can Dan Davis allow the word "transparency" to escape his lips? Has anyone heard about the "rebranding" issue? Has anyone heard about the Hwy. 311 water line debacle? Has anyone heard about Mr. Davis' $20,000 raise while BC employees were facing unpaid furlough days? And just this week, has anyone heard that even members of County Council can't gain access to a contract for the (in progress without Council approval) Wassamassaw water project? Now, Mr. Davis is blaming Henry Brown for the Obama healthcare bill that Mr. Brown actively opposed.

BAILOUTS: Mr. Dan Davis "pulled together to lower spending" by furloughing BC employees while giving himself a hefty raise. He "built up our reserves" by squandering the fund balance to a level low enough to endanger our credit rating. He "helped small businesses" by witnessing the closure of numerous businesses in BC, resulting in almost 800 lost jobs. Here we go again, Mr. Davis blames Henry Brown for the actions of the Democrat majority in Washington.

PROFESSIONALISM VS. POLITICS: Here Dan Davis accidentally tells part of the truth. He is indeed a professional, a professional flea market operator and he has brought all the talents associated with that calling to the Supervisor's office. He knows all there is to know about shady, back door deals, operating with a total lack of integrity, conjuring fabricated accomplishments out of whole cloth and, quite frankly, dealing in junk. His only criticism of Henry Brown's accomplishments is that the people of SC expressed their confidence in Henry's ethics, professionalism, talents,and integrity by repeatedly reelecting him to office. And, Mr. Davis faults Henry for offering to, once again, serve the people of BC.

For any misguided individual out there who intends to vote for Dan Davis next Tuesday, might we suggest that you remember to go by the Pig and pick up your free groceries afterwards but, whatever you do, don't quit your day job.


PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

GE&P ENCOURAGES EVERYONE TO COME TO THE POLLS NEXT TUESDAY AND SUPPORT HONEST, OPEN, AND PROFESSIONAL GOVERNMENT IN BERKELEY COUNTY. IF YOU STAY HOME AND DON'T VOTE, DON'Y COMPLAIN ABOUT HIGH TAXES AND CORRUPTION IN COUNTY GOVERNMENT.

VOTE HENRY BROWN, SUPERVISOR

VOTE SHARON SHULER, CORONER

DAVIS DOES IT AGAIN

BC taxpayers were very upset when they learned that Dan Davis had approved a $2.24 MILLION water line to Caldwell Pinckney's house on Hwy. 311. Being as this pipe was already in the ground, there was nothing that could be done to get our taxpayers' money back. With this Hwy. 311 water line in place, Davis had secured Pinckney's support on Council. With 2 Democrats and 2 RINOs voting in unison with Davis, our 4 Conservatives' hands were tied. Remember, Davis gets to cast the tie breaking vote.

Well, this unholy alliance has struck again. On June 14th, there was supposed to be a Council meeting. The committees were supposed to meet, also. By breaking all the rules of Council and parliamentary procedure, Dan Davis had placed the budget on the agenda. As it turned out, one of Mr. Davis' fellow RINOs, Jack Schurlknight, was unable to attend the meeting that night. Without his coalition intact, Mr. Davis knew he would not have the votes to pass his budget so he cancelled the meeting. The committee meetings remained on the schedule.

All went well until it came to the Committee on Public Works And Purchasing, Item C. (2.). Mr. Micah Miley very casually presented the Wassamassaw CDBG Water Project for approval. This approval of Council is a MAJOR step in getting any project done. As it turned out, Mr. Miley wasn't seeking approval for the project itself. He was seeking approval of the contract to commence work on the project. Unbeknownst to Mr. Miley, or anyone else at BCW&SA, the four Conservatives on Council had been informed of a few facts concerning this project.

Mr. Callanan, the Chairman of the Water and Sanitation Committee, asked Mr. Miley a list questions about the procedure in getting any project approved. After about the fourth question, Mr. Miley looked concerned. Then Mr. Callanan asked the "killer" question, "Mr. Miley, if all these steps are legally necessary to get a project approved, could you please tell me why this project is already almost 40% completed?" We could see the blood drain from Mr. Miley's face. He began to stammer.

As Mr. Callanan asked for dates and particulars about the project, the story became more and more convoluted. Finally, Mr. Colin Martin came forward to save the day and began to apologize for the "oversight" on the part of W&S. He said they had realized only last week that they had "neglected" to get the approval of Council so they came forward immediately to correct the error. GE&P couldn't help but notice that Mr. Miley hadn't said a word about this "mistake" before Mr. Callanan pointed it out.

Mr. Miley said twice that BC was at no risk because he had only given verbal permission for Green Construction to begin the work. He said no contract had been signed. Mr. Martin repeated this statement. Anyone who believes that any company is going to buy materials and begin work on a MILLION DOLLAR PLUS project without a signed contract, we have some prime swampland we would like to sell you.

During Mr. Martin's apology, he said, "Something like this has never happened since I have been at W&S". He must have forgotten about the Hwy. 311 Project. And the Alvin Project. And the Miracle Academy (Gants Road) Project. Not one of these water projects followed the established track for approval by County Council required by law.

The Wassamassaw Water Project is being partially funded by a CDBG Grant of $500,000. This grant money cannot be awarded until a contract is signed and a construction conference is held by COG. By law, all contracts MUST be approved by the County Supervisor. It would be virtually impossible for the project to have gotten to this point without BCW&SA and the Supervisor noticing that County Council had not given its approval. Our four Conservative members of Council are investigating this situation as we speak.

There is one more small wrinkle to this story. The Queenie Road area, where this water line is being installed, just happens to be in Mr. Caldwell Pinckney's District. The work commenced three weeks before the Primary, without the knowledge or consent of Council. Since it is a given that Supervisor Davis MUST approve all contracts, are we dealing with yet another POLITICALLY based expenditure?

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

NOTICE TO THE INSATIABLE

GE&P is very flattered that so many of you are reading our humble offerings. Many have complained that we do not post often enough. Please allow us to explain a bit.

The facts and accounts presented here don't come knocking at our door. We have to get out and beat the bushes, dig through County records, and interview experts and the folks involved in every issue. All this takes an inordinate amount of time and effort. Sometimes it takes, literally, weeks to gather enough information to present an accurate, factual account of a situation. Unlike some of our critics who shoot from the hip and spout rumor, innuendo, and opinion, we insist on relaying only factual information. We, too, hear a lot of rumors. When we hear one that catches our attention, we go to work to either verify or debunk it.

As you all know, since the Primary, the air has been thick with all kind of stories. That means we have been extra busy. We will attempt to bring you up to date on the biggest issues.

Unless you have been hiding under a bushel, you know there will be a run-off for County Supervisor. Henry Brown and Dan Davis were tied in the number of votes each received on June 8th. But, there is a wild card, Minnie Blackwell, the third candidate. She received about 20% of the vote and she has thrown her support and these votes behind Brown. She is giving interviews in support of Henry and actively participating with the Brown campaign for the run-off. Minnie Blackwell is a prime example of a person whose first priority is the welfare of BC. She is to be commended for her efforts.

True to form, the Davis campaign is attempting to create a straw dog in its attempt to discredit the Brown campaign. Davis contends Henry Brown is dishonest because he chose not to run, again, for the 1st District seat and chose, instead, to run for County Supervisor. Also, Mr. Davis is attempting to tie Mr. Brown to the activities of the present (Obama) administration in Washington. The final straw added to this dog is Mr. Davis' contention that, if elected Supervisor, Mr. Brown will reinstate the Rozier administration.

We interviewed Henry at length on these subjects. Henry said he had tired of the traveling and "felt the need to come back home". When his intention to leave Washington became public, he was approached by scores of BC citizens, each imploring him to consider a run for Supervisor. Each voiced the opinion that four more years of the Davis administration would be disastrous for BC. Each sited Mr. Davis' questionable handling of BC's finances and his dubious ethics and integrity. Mr. Brown loves BC and could not ignore the loud calls for him to continue to serve.

Mr. Brown pointed out what all informed people already know; the leadership and both houses in Washington are controlled by Democrats. The Republican minority, of which Mr. Brown is an active part, has virtually nothing to say about policy these days. For Mr. Davis to attempt to hang "Washington" around Mr. Brown's neck, depicts one of two things, ignorance or deceit. Considering Mr. Davis' record for veracity, GE&P opts for the later.

As to Mr. Rozier coming back to office in BC, we can assure everyone that is something that is not going to happen. Since leaving office almost four years ago, Mr. Rozier has operated his own consulting business. He works maybe two days a week and makes more money than he can count. He takes regular trips to destinations around the world. His time is his own and he doesn't have to contend with the stress and responsibility of running BC. Use your good sense and tell us, if you were in Mr. Rozier's position in the cat bird's seat, would you want to go back to a 9 to 5? Neither would we and neither does he. He is very happy where he is.

Mr. Davis is desperate. He will do anything and say anything to try to keep his position. It is up to you to do your homework and verify the validity of the words you read here. You will find they are all true. Then you will go to the polls on June 22nd and elect Henry Brown, Supervisor.









Monday, June 7, 2010

WE HAVE ARRIVED

Well Folks, we have finally arrived at D Day 2010. The Republican Primary is tomorrow.

All the promises have been made.
All the lies have been told.
All the mud has been slung.

Now, the outcome is up to us, the voters. We get to write the end of this story. We get to decide who leads our government for the next four years. Take the time tonight to call just one neighbor and remind them how important the election tomorrow is to them. If someone needs a ride to the polls, offer one. We have all seen first hand what happens when apathy controls elections. Don't let that happen again. Go out tomorrow and VOTE. Let your voice be heard.

While we're on the subject, allow us to make these suggestions:

VOTE HENRY BROWN, SUPERVISOR

VOTE DENNIS FISH, COUNCIL DISTRICT 5

VOTE CATHY DAVIS, COUNCIL DISTRICT 4

VOTE TERRY HARDESTY, COUNCIL DISTRICT 6

VOTE SHARON SHULER, CORONER

We have thoroughly vetted these candidates and we can assure you their elections will be beneficial to Berkeley County. All will bring integrity, honesty, and professionalism to their offices.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

WE HOPE WE'RE WRONG

How much wishful thinking does it take to believe that the girl from Peru is the first girl Joran Van der Sloot has murdered since killing the Holloway girl five years ago?

SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO OWN IT

During this primary season, Supervisor Dan Davis has been running hard......away from his record. During his campaign speeches, he has fabricated accomplishments, attempted to rationalize shortfalls, and brazenly lied about tax burdens he has inflicted upon the citizens of BC. If it weren't for pesky little details like County records and County Council minutes, possibly no one would have been the wiser. Unfortunately for his reelection efforts, he is finding there is no way to avoid these facts. He has established a record over the last 3 1/2 years as BC Supervisor and now he is forced to own it.

The issue that has drawn the most attention this election cycle is the infamous 29% of the proceeds from the Local Option Sales Tax that Mr. Davis pilfered from property tax relief. This seems to have become a very sore subject with the voters. It's funny how testy folks can get when you make a formal deal with them and then break your word. It appears Mr. Davis is learning this lesson in spades.

At a debate sponsored by the Lion's Club, Mr. Davis was confronted by his challenger, Henry Brown, about the taking of the 29%. Mr. Davis made every attempt to justify the taking of the tax relief but it was obvious the audience wasn't buying any of it. (NOTE: When basically the entire gathering displays a negative head shake, you've lost your point. ) A casual poll after the event indicated little support for Mr. Davis' positions. At a candidate forum held by Trident hospital, the results for Mr. Davis were pretty much the same.

At the Supervisor's debate sponsored by the BCRP, Mr. Davis was met with major criticism of many of his policies. Again, Mr. Henry Brown addressed the issue of the 29%. Mr. Brown asked Mr. Davis how he could justify taking the property tax relief, especially from senior citizens who may have to forgo purchases of food or medicine in order to pay the additional taxes. Mr. Davis had no reply. Seriously, he didn't open his mouth to respond.

Later at this same event, Mr. Davis claimed he was not responsible for the inclusion of the 29% in the budget. He falsely placed the responsibility for this decision squarely at the doorstep of County Council. But, when Mr. Brown pointed out that it was he, Mr. Davis, who cast the tie-breaking vote to include the tax relief in the budget, Mr. Davis had no comment. Really, he didn't deny that he cast the vote. He didn't dispute anything Mr. Brown said. He just sat there. Once again, those pesky County Council minutes proved problematic for Mr. Davis.

During this campaign, Mr. Davis has falsely claimed to have balanced the budget for the first time in 18 years. (16 years if you read his mail-out) In fact, a balanced budget is mandatory. He has falsely claimed to have lowered taxes. In fact, he has taken 29% of our property tax relief, raised the millage by one mill, raised water rates by 30%, and initiated ANOTHER one cent Local Option Sales Tax, all resulting in higher taxpayer obligations. He has falsely claimed he has lowered debt. In fact he has floated a $150 MILLION bond issue for the 17-A project, floated a $10 MILLION general obligation bond, borrowed $10 MILLION from BCW&SA, and took $4 MILLION from the BC School System. He has done all this while depleting the fund balance to below 4%. On these issues, County records let the cat out of the bag.

Mr. Davis' M O is very interesting. He makes whatever statements, true or not, that serve his purposes. If no one notices a falsehood, fantastic. If someone does notice, he just ignores it and goes on to the next subject.

It is time for the voters of BC to admit that a mistake was made when Supervisor Dan Davis was elected 3 1/2 years ago. It has turned out, as many contended at the time, that Mr. Davis' resume did not indicate the expertise required to lead BC successfully. Ultimately, he was not qualified for the job. Additionally, his actions since election have not reflected the level of integrity and good character the voters expected.

A large majority of the voters in BC are to blame for this blunder. There are 111,177 eligible voters in BC. There are only 75,000 registered voters. In the 2006 BC Republican Primary, of the 75,000 registered voters, only 12,000 (17%) turned out to the polls. Of those, only 6,096 or 8% of the total, voted for Mr. Davis. Think about that statistic. 8% of the registered voters made the decision to hire Mr. Davis to run our County. (Source: BC Election Commission) Considering these facts, is it not possible that we got exactly the kind of wake-up call we deserved?

One of the greatest things about our form of government is that no election, however disastrous, is the last one. There will always be another chance to correct a bad decision. For a couple of years, our County government has been hogtied by an inept Supervisor leading a coalition of tax and spend Democrats and RINOs. Next Tuesday we will all have the opportunity to correct our mistakes. GE&P urges every registered voter to go to the polls and have his/her voice heard.

Support the folks who have fought to save our tax dollars by voting to reelect DENNIS FISH, DISTRICT 5 AND CATHY DAVIS, DISTRICT 4

Vote to REPLACE a RINO with a TRUE CONSERVATIVE by electing TERRY HARDESTY, DISTRICT 6

GUARANTEE EXPERIENCE, HONESTY and INTEGRITY in OUR LEADERSHIP by electing HENRY BROWN, SUPERVISOR.

RECOGNIZE a QUALIFIED, COMPASSIONATE PROFESSIONAL by electing SHARON SHULER, CORONER.

BERKELEY COUNTY DESERVES ELECTED OFFICIALS WHO HAVE EARNED OUR ADMIRATION AND RESPECT. CHARACTER DOES MATTER.











Saturday, June 5, 2010

ANNOUNCEMENT

GE&P would like to thank our contributors for all the great tips submitted. Also, we would like to suggest that anyone who wishes to discuss any further information, please include your email address along with your comments and we will respond. We never publish any personal information or addresses. Remember, we could not provide this service without your help.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

WORDS MEAN THINGS

GE&P read with interest a Letter To The Editor in the June 2, 2010 edition of the Berkeley Independent. The writer began the letter with what appeared to be the best of intentions. Voters were encouraged to educate themselves as to the issues and as to the qualifications of the candidates. This was all good.

Then the writer seemed to veer off course a bit. He said, " That is why voting is so important to have a true democracy." Well, Mr. Writer, you have hit upon one of our pet peeves. Here in America, we do not live in a "true democracy". We live in a Representative Republic.

He went on to say, "A voter has to know the difference to make a difference. The voter has the knowledge and ability to guard against dictatorial practices that lead to bureaucracy." "Bureaucracy" is a nice sounding $10 word but it certainly doesn't fit here.

Let's play the old grammar school game: A is to B, as C is to ?

Dictatorial practices lead to bureaucracy as a 40 foot tsunami leads to sand in your shoes.

Sorry, if we're being picky.