THE ANSWERS ARE OUT THERE

GE&P attended County Councilman Caldwell Pinckney's 7th District meeting last night. The meeting was well attended by a cross section of District residents.

Mr. Pinckney followed an agenda that addressed various issues that are impacting the taxpayers of Berkeley county. He conducted the meeting very fairly by giving his take on each issue and, then, soliciting questions and comments from the audience.

He began by discussing the recent reassessment and explaining how the process works. Several attendees were concerned that their October tax bills would be higher than last year's bills. Mr. Pinckney explained that property owners could appeal if they disagreed with the reassessed value placed on their property.

Mr. Pinckney encouraged the attendees to actively support the Cross area schools. He stated that, since these schools have been designated Title I, students would be allowed to transfer to other schools in the county if they wished.

Then, Mr. Pinckney brought up the issue of the Cross area's newly installed water lines. As would be expected, the mandatory tap-in ordinance was the main topic of discussion. Also, many attendees said they took offense that they had not been consulted before the water lines were installed.

GE&P asked Mr. Pinckney if he, as Chairman of the Water and Sanitation Committee on County Council at the time these water lines were approved, had received any documents from W&S, such as feasibility studies or community surveys before he recommended approval of the contract to install the waterline on Hwy. 311.

Mr. Pinckney said he hadn't received any such documents simply because all the preliminary work on this particular project had been done during the Rozier administration in 2002, which was before he was Chairman of the W&S Committee. Mr. Pinckney was very sincere and seemed to be totally convinced of the validity of the information contained in his statement.

GE&P was compelled to correct his misconceptions on this issue. We pointed out that, during a W&S committee meeting on Feb. 10, 2003, Council removed the Hwy. 311 water project, along with others, from the W&S approved projects list. This information can be found on the official Berkeley County web site under agendas and minutes. To further support our contention that the Hwy. 311 water line was never approved by Council, we called Mr. Pinckney's attention to the fact that the Hwy. 311 project did not appear on the W&S Capital Improvements list, the Five Year Survey of projects, or the W&S budgets from 2005 to date.

Since these documents are the only sources of information for County Council to know which projects are being proposed by W&S, how would Council know about the Hwy. 311 project if it was never mentioned on any of the documents? Also, when the $2.24 million contract that installed the Hwy. 311 project was proposed to Council in April 2008, it was approved, but, since that time, 6 of the 8 members who were on Council at the time the proposal was made have publicly stated that they were not made aware the contract was for the Hwy. 311 water project before the vote was taken.

Mr. Pinckney said he couldn't discuss any particulars of this issue without the benefit of having these documents in front of him. We assured him we would have copies of these documents for him to review at the next District 7 meeting.

GE&P continues to have several unanswered questions pertaining to this issue:

How could a capital improvement project the size of the Hwy. 311 water line be undertaken without the benefit of a feasibility study or even a community survey?

How would W&S know the Hwy. 311 water project was under consideration if it didn't appear on any of the project lists or even the budget?

Who approved the Hwy. 311 water project if, as they have stated, 6 of the 8 members of the 2008 County Council were unaware that the project existed?

Where did the $2.24 million that paid for the 2008 Hwy. 311 water project come from if the project did not appear on the W&S budget since 2005?

Since the Hwy. 311 water project did not qualify for a CDBG grant, how did W&S plan to fund the "free tap-ins" promised to some residents of Hwy. 311?

GE&P has been asking these questions for a year and a half. So far, we have not been able to get any answers. We have submitted FOIA requests to the Berkeley County Water and Sanitation Authority to no avail. We can only hope that Mr. Pinckney will be able to provide some answers after he reviews our documents at the next community meeting.

CONGRESS FILLED WITH CLUNKERS

GE&P finds it difficult to believe that a majority of the US Congress can be so incredible stupid, but, the "CASH FOR CLUNKERS" program proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt. Let us dissect this debacle.

Here's the plan:

If John Q Citizen trades in his existing vehicle and purchases a new vehicle built by certain manufacturers, the dealer will give him a $4,500 rebate for his trade-in. This rebate is subtracted directly from the purchase price of the new vehicle. Good deal. Added to this, the "government" will match the dealers' rebate by giving him another $4,500 for his trade-in, totaling $9000. Wow, he's going to get $9000 for his trade-in, no matter what it's condition!!!! John Q citizen is elated at this windfall and thinks he's getting a GREAT deal. Well, let's look a bit closer at this gift horse.

Unfortunately, a huge number of Americans have become so conditioned that they think the "government" is some autonomous, independently wealthy sugar daddy, with an inexhaustible source of it's own funds at it's disposal. NEWS FLASH, FOLKS. The "government" doesn't have a red cent of it's own. The only money the "government" has is that which it steals from the American producers by way of taxation.

As you all know, earlier in the year the "government" gave BILLIONS of dollars to the same car companies that are now offering these $4,500 rebates. The car companies are using the funds given to them by the "government" to back these wonderful offers. Then, to add insult to injury, the "government" is offering an additional $4,500 to match the car companies' rebate. How hard is it to connect the dots? The "government" has taken money from John Q Citizen by way of taxes. The "government" bailed out the failing car companies by giving them BILLIONS of John Q Citizens money. The car companies and the "government" gives John Q $9000 of his own money as a rebate on his car purchase. If it sounds like John Q has come out even, don't cheer to quickly. Old John Q still has to pay more taxes to make up for the money the "government" has given the car companies (and John Q) in the first place. And Bernie Madoff is in jail why??

As if this program is not bad enough at this point, we need to consider a few more indirect repercussions. Historically, when a car is traded in on a new purchase, it can follow any one of several routes. If the trade-in is still in all around good shape, it heads for the used car lot. If the engine is no good but the body is in good shape, the car is sold to a junk yard for parts and the engine goes for scrap metal. If the engine is still good but the body is shot, it heads for the salvage yard where the engine is removed for recycling and the body is crushed for scrap metal.

With the "CASH FOR CLUNKERS" program, the entire car is supposedly crushed. This deprives the used car lots and the junk yards of potential business. According to experts in these businesses, this program will not only deplete the number of available used cars, thus depriving a large portion of the populace of the ability to purchase an affordable car, (everyone cannot afford a new car) it will cause the loss of jobs in the car parts industry.

As the final unforeseen and inevitable outcome of this merry-go-round of folly, there is no oversight to assure that these "clunkers" will actually be crushed in their entirety. But, we don't have to worry about compliance with the rules and regulations of this program, now do we? We all know that car dealers are the most honest and trustworthy folks on the planet.

I'M SO IMPRESSED

In case you haven't noticed, the US Congress is taking it's August recess. Historically, the members of the House and the Senate hold town hall meetings in their perspective districts during August to "inform their constituents about current legislation and to field question about the concerns of their voters." In fact these meetings serve only to encourage their constituents into believing the voters' opinions are valuable to and desired by the politician. The truth be told, the majority of politicians could not care less what we think.

This last month has been very problematic for the new Health Care Reform Act, Mr. Obama and the Democrats. Since so many of the details of the bill have accidentally become public knowledge, the groundswell of opposition is quite dramatic. But, have no fear, these politicians are not all stupid. It is a matter of record that a full 2/3 of these Congressmen and Senators have decided to NOT hold any town hall meetings this year. We suppose they think it is wiser to hide in the bushes until this whole thing blows over. Maybe they don't want to be on YouTube.

GE&P watched with interest yesterday as the network and cable media covered many of the town hall meetings on health care that were being held around this great nation. They covered meetings in Florida, Missouri, and Minnesota, just to mention a few of the larger ones. These meetings were supposed to be open to the public. We noticed a few oddities about some of these meetings and made a few observations.

At the meetings where the general public was admitted, it was obvious, from the questions asked, that the majority was strongly opposed to the health care plan. At some meetings, only selected people were allowed to enter the venue. At these meetings, there were literally hundreds of opponents to the plan left standing in the parking lot.

All of the major polls indicate the majority of Americans oppose this plan and the number in opposition is growing daily. Now we come to the part of this report that will really impress you all.

Our Dear Leader, Mr. Obama, also, held a town hall meeting yesterday and it was well covered by all factions of the media. The venue was packed.......with folks who received an invitation from the White House( but that's beside the point). AND, bless Pat, would you believe it, ALL the folks in attendance were in favor of the Health Care Reform Act. Is that not amazing? Mr. Obama didn't have one person questioning his single payer plan. He was not annoyed by one senior citizen asking why he planned to cut $500,000,000 from Medicare to finance the plan. No one wanted details on the "end of life" counseling provision in his plan. No one seemed concerned that, if this plan is adopted, the federal government will have access to their bank accounts. Mr. Obama was not embarrassed by any opposition questions posed by one dissenter.

In all fairness, we have to report that about 500 folks in opposition to the plan were standing in the street outside the venue, securely cordoned off behind police barriers.

Now, what you have to do is simple. You have to accept the fact that all those town hall meetings you saw on TV and YouTube where thousands of dissenters voiced their opposition to the health care plan were obviously demonstrations staged by "Angry Mobs" organized by "unAmerican troublemakers". These dissenters were not there voicing their own beliefs. They were paid to come to the town hall meetings and cause trouble for Mr. Obama. You must accept that, in fact, Mr. Obama's meeting proves that, not only the majority, but, virtually everyone in the nation, agrees with and are in favor of the Health Care Reform Plan. His meeting and the folks who attended proves this fact beyond argument.

That settled, would you please stop just holding that cup and drink your KoolAid?

TRIBUTE

We would like to thank Nancy Corbin for sending us this link. No words can describe this.

Go to youtube.com

Search "Staff Sergeant First Class John C. Beale"

Prepare yourself to be proud to be an American.

AT LONG LAST, COMMON SENSE

Three cheers for the Chairman of the Water and Sanitation Committee, Councilman Tim Callanan. He is our newest hero.

Mr. David Jennings addressed Council tonight and explained how the ordinance on mandatory tap in to the water lines works. This presentation was very informative as every citizen over the age of five is aware of the contents of this ordinance and, after all, is the core of the present controversy. Thanks anyway, Mr. Jennings.

Then, Mr. Ed Rogers spent an inordinate amount of time poor mouthing as to the amount of money BCW&S would lose if the mandatory tap in ordinance should be changed. Mr. Rogers displayed his magnanimous side when he offered his solution to the controversy. He said he would be willing to cut the tap in fee by $1000. Voicing this offer seemed to pain him greatly but he was willing to make the sacrifice.

At this point, there was a feeble attempt by the ever opportunistic Chairman of the Finance Committee, Mr. Schurlknight, to plagiarize a few comments. This unsuccessful endeavor produced quite a few snickers from those "in the know".

Alas, Mr. Callanan took the stage. He acknowledged that Mr. Rogers' offer to reduce the tap in fees was a move in the right direction but did not fully address the issue. He pointed out that the tap in fees were but a small part of the financial burden being thrust upon taxpayers faced with the mandatory tap in ordinance. He explained that the situation would require people to pay for the cost of the lines from their houses to the curb along with the cost of any upgrades to the plumbing systems in their houses necessitated by the increased pressure from the water line. Additionally, he said that folks would be faced with a monthly water bill after they had already invested in deep wells and filtration systems. Mr. Callanan was on a roll.

Then, our newest hero instructed Mr. Jennings to draft verbiage to be included in the existing ordinance that would "grandfather in" those living along water lines who have existing wells, exempting them from the mandatory tap in. It seems there is a precedent for such a "grandfather clause" in Dorchester County's ordinance.

Upon observation of Mr. Rogers, Mr. Jennings, Mr. Dan Davis, and Mr. Pinckney, it would be impossible to determine whose nickers were in a tighter bunch.

NOTE: BCW&S could have saved $2.24 million if they had not installed the misguided Hwy. 311 water line in the first place. This advice could apply equally to the Alvin Community and the Bethel Road water lines. These issues are waiting in the wings to be addressed.

BAD DECISION

Well, we have to partially correct ourselves. We have been very critical of Mr. Davis' hiring of so many professional consultants. In this case, he obviously needed some help with a decision.

Anyone who has visited the County office building has seen the uniformed guard posted in the entry lobby. I don't think anyone would question the need and for such a presence in this day and time. One never knows what kind of nut case might walk through the door. Yes, even good old Berkeley County has its share of nut cases.

The uniformed guards at the County office building stood three 8 hour shifts to secure the building and its personnel 24/7. At least that's the way it was once upon a time. Mr. Davis, in all his infinite wisdom, has decided to change this routine. From now on, there will be no security guard in the building during business hours. The guard will arrive there at 4 PM and stay around to lock the building at 5:10 PM. Then, he will get into his car and cruise the parking lots of the Administration building, the N. Live Oak Drive facility, and the Water & Sanitation office site. He will continue to make these rounds until the morning, at which time he knocks off and goes home.

We all know that the County is short of money but making cuts that put our County employees in jeopardy is unacceptable. Does anyone know where we can hire a common sense consultant for Mr. Davis?

TAXPAYER ALERT

Grab onto your wallets; Dan Davis is at it again. As you all know, last year Mr. Davis convinced County Council that he absolutely, positively had to steal 29% of our tax rebate (from the Local Option Sales Tax ---LOST) that was applied to our property tax bills. Council agreed to steal the money, but, for only one year. They promised the entire 100% would be credited to our tax bills this year.

Well, the new budget is being considered by Council as we speak and guess what? Mr. Davis has included OUR 29% in his budget again this year. He insists he absolutely, positively has to steal our money again to balance his budget. He says he has to reduce the county's debt. Both Mr. Davis and one of his enablers, that pinnacle of financial intelligence, Jack Schurlknight, insist stealing the 29% will not constitute a tax increase.

For those of you who were schooled in Rio Linda, allow us to explain. The dollar amount of the rebate originally listed on your tax bill represented 100% of your rebate. State law mandates that 71% of that amount has to remain as a tax rebate. That leaves 29% that the counties, should their councils agree, can steal from the taxpayer and add to the county coffers . Know that, if the county government takes the 29%, that portion of your tax bill still has to be paid. If only 71% of the rebate is applied to your tax bill and the full amount still has to be paid, would anyone like to venture a guess as to who will be expected to make up the difference? Daaaaaaah. Presto, this equals a TAX INCREASE.

We will attempt to explain this to Mr. Davis and Mr. Schurlknight one more time. Sirs, when our tax bills are higher this year than last and there has been no reassessment, we have experienced a tax increase. Just using round numbers, if our tax bill is $1000 and 100% of our rebate is applied, say $500, our tax bill would be $500. If the county takes 29% of our rebate and only 71% is applied to our tax bill of $1000, we could only deduct 71% of the $500 rebate or $355. That would mean our tax bill would be $1000 minus $355 or $645. When we went to school $645 was more than $500. Who in their right mind would try to convince people that paying $500 one year and $645 the next would not constitute a tax increase?

The "Flea Market Guy" and "The Brain" both insist we have to swallow this tax increase to lower the county's debt. Could we make a few suggestions as to how to lower the debt without saddling the good folks of Berkeley County with another tax increase?

First, we could reverse the policy on all those "take home" cars driven by certain county employees who live as far away from their job as Holly Hill, Summerville, Hwy. 171, and Goose Creek. In case all of you aren't aware, driving these county cars includes all expenses paid such as gas, repairs, tires, maintenance, insurance, etc. How would your family budget improve if you didn't have to foot the bills for your transportation needs? This adjustment to county policy would save the county a pile of money due to the fact that the county's gasoline bill alone tops $150,000 a MONTH. This figure does not take into consideration the cost of the cars or any of the associated costs of operation. You do the math.

Next, Mr. Davis could account for the monies connected to the Santee Cooper pay off. Again, allow us to explain. Santee Cooper loaned Berkeley County a portion of the money to pay for the creation of the Mount Holly industrial park. The former administration struck a deal with Santee Cooper to accept yearly payments on the loan. The money for these payments came, in part, from the fees in lieu of taxes paid to the county by industries within the park. Mr. Davis decided to borrow $5 MILLION from BCW&S to pay off the loan from Santee Cooper. He explained that this early pay off would save the county big bucks in interest. OK.....We have exchanged one legitimate loan for another nebulous loan (?). What are the pay back arrangements with BCW&S. How much interest is involved? Now, all we have to do is account for the somewhat over a million dollars still being paid yearly to the county by the industries located in the park. Where are these previously committed dollars being spent now that the Santee Cooper loan is paid off?

As a sidebar, GE&P can't seem to get anyone to say exactly which pot of money at BCW&S the money for this loan to the county came from. We understand the total loan was for $10 million with only half being utilized immediately. We can be certain that Mr. Davis and BCW&S would be very careful not to take the money for this loan from any account containing impact fees, as this action would be illegal. But, this transaction could explain what happened to the largest part of BCW&S's $17 million "rainy day fund" which was in place when Mr. Davis took office.

The third way that we could suggest that Mr. Davis trim the budget would be by not hiring so many professional consultants to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The expense connected with this practice has ballooned out of control partly due to the fact that most of these contracts do not require a RFPs ( request for proposal) and therefore do not require the approval of County Council. From the number of these contracts, it would appear that Mr. Davis requires the opinion of a professional consultant at every turn. If Mr. Davis is so incapable of making decisions on his own, what in the world is he doing sitting in the center chair?

When Mr. Davis ran for Supervisor, there was really only one plank in his platform. He promised to do away with the supervisor form of county government. He promised real CHANGE. Well, the little man kept his word.......almost. He had to be forced by County Council to put the question of changing the form of government on a ballot referendum. Then, he did get busy addressing the promised CHANGE.

He was instrumental in raising water and sewer rates by 30%.

He stole 29% of our tax rebate from the LOST I (first local option sales tax) which resulted in a surreptitious tax increase.

He has removed most of the attractions from Cypress Gardens resulting in the loss of much of its allure and educational value.

He fired or forced out the majority of Berkeley county's most valuable and loyal top level employees and replaced them with Dorchester County's rejects.

He introduced and supported the LOST II and, when it was agreed upon by referendum, secured a $150 million bond issue to pay for the same road improvements that were used as the reason for LOST II. He justified this action by saying the improvements needed to be done sooner than the LOST II money could be collected. There's only one very large fly in this ointment. Even if LOST II brings in as much money as LOST I historically has, it will only net about $90 million before the sunset clause comes into effect in 7 years. It's "guess who will be called upon to pay the difference" time again.

He has allowed the Fund Balance to diminish to the point that Berkeley County is threatened with having its credit rating reduced.

The financial condition of the county is so bad that county employees are being forced to take (unpaid) furlough days. And, if you ask Mr. Davis why the county is in such dire straights, he will be more than happy to tell you, "It's all Jim Rozier's fault."

GE&P can swear to the veracity of at least one of Mr. Davis's statements to date. He promised change and he has truly brought CHANGE to Berkeley County. If the next year and a half provides more of the same, we can expect to live in a different county when he completes his term of office. We will be singing the same dirge, only on a much larger scale, as the city of Hanahan sang when Mr. Davis completed his term as administrator and had dissolved a $2 million surplus into a $3 million deficit. In Berkeley County, success will have been replaced by failure; Prosperity will have been overcome by need; A rising star will have spiraled into a financial nose dive. At present, it will take a decade to recover what has been lost. By 2010, it's anybody's guess.

We could go on but, by now, I suspect you readers are in information overload. Please, don't take our word for any of these statements. Check it out for yourself. All the records are readily available to verify our facts. All that is required is some effort on your part. If you don't get involved and informed, you have no one to blame for the outcome but the face in the mirror.