WE LOVE IT

Sign in old man's front yard:


DUE TO THE PRICE OF AMMUNITION, DON'T EXPECT A WARNING SHOT

PATHETIC

Well, it looks like it's "game on" with the new Berkeley County Council saga.  But, does it have to be so disappointingly predictable and sad? We must admit the Liberal's first salvo is more than a bit anemic.

All they can come up with is:

"You made all the Rules without our input." (just like we did)

"You didn't let us read the Rules before we passed them. (just like we did)

"You won't let us choose our seats." (just like we did)

"You've shut us out of the process." (just like we did)

"You're taking advantage of your majority." (just like we did)

Lesson to be learned:

IT AIN'T NO FUN WHEN YOU'RE NOT IN CHARGE.

WHAT A CROCK

Just when you start to think the news reporting can't get any more fictitious, you are proven WRONG. Sometimes, it's a real challenge to be aware of the truth and have to endure reading this garbage in our local papers.  Where do we start?

1.  DD via Jack Schurlknight, not "Council",  proposed the bonuses.
2.  DD knew he did not qualify for the bonus from the 2011 discussions of the same matter.
3.  Councilman Callanan initially pointed out DD's disqualification.
4.  Considering the facts, it MUST be "about the money".

"Council" did NOT come up with the idea of giving this "Christmas bonus", either this year or last year.  The bright idea was presented by the mouth of Jack Schurlknight, Chairman of the Finance Committee, no doubt directed by our esteemed Supervisor.  It would appear DD couldn't resist dipping into the taxpayers' pockets just one more time before he loses exclusive control of the money pot in January.

Either DD is suffering from some kind of memory disorder or he thinks the taxpayers are.  Last December, when the "bonus" issue was raised, he learned that, by law, he did not qualify to receive any such bonuses.  There was a huge discussion of this issue reported in the newspaper.  Only after it became a political issue, did he announce that, if he should receive any bonus, he would donate it to charity.

The P&C reported today that the Berkeley County attorney was the one who brought up the subject of DD not being allowed to accept any bonuses.  This statement is factually incorrect.  The truth is that, both last year and this, Councilman Callanan reminded everyone that SC law forbids DD from receiving any bonuses.  Again this year, the attorney "checked" the law to verify Mr. Callanan's contention. Again this year, she found it to be true.  (Maybe we could suggest she make a note for next December.)

One elected official is quoted as saying the issue of bonuses "is not about the money".  Yea, right.

Some people think it's always a great idea to give our loyal county workers and officials a raise or a bonus.  Well, it would be if we didn't have to factor in the issue of the big picture.  The fact is that we are facing a potential economic disaster, not just locally but nationally.  WHEN, not IF the bottom falls out, these same people supporting the extra spending will be left standing there with a surprised look on their faces.

Since the last reassessment five years ago, real property values have DECREASED by as much as 30%.  Property assessments for tax purposes are supposed to reflect  market values.  We have seen this happen countless times in the past.  When market values of property go up, so do property taxes.  To a sane mind, it would naturally follow that property taxes SHOULD decrease in a depressed market.  BUT, we have it on good authority that the Assessor's office has been given instructions that this eventuality is not to happen.  That 30% of revenue is to be retained at all cost.  Undoubtedly, that goal will be achieved.

So, in the 2014 tax cycle, here stands the taxpayer facing the same high County property tax bill he faced in each of the last five years.  In addition to this burden, we know the School District is imposing a new backbreaking tax bite to support its spendthrift bond issue. Thus, we see insult piled on top of injury. None of these bandits have given any consideration as to where the beleaguered taxpayer is supposed to get all this extra money. Simply put, we have a formula for disaster.  Has anyone ever heard about 1929? The economy collapsed; folks lost their jobs; these same folks had no money with which to pay property taxes; and, consequently, countless people lost their homes. Considering the economic atmosphere of today, this history has a distinct possibility, if not probability, of repeating itself.

The County employees and the elected officials receive their paychecks with money paid by the taxpayers of BC.  The majority of these folks have tunnel vision and can only see today.  All they think about is, Oh Goodie, we're getting a Christmas bonus.  If the employees of today could see beyond the end of their noses, they would be more concerned that BC government is MILLIONS of dollars in arrears in payments to the state retirement fund.  This effects not only their retirement money but also their medical insurance.  If that fund goes broke, where will the present and future retirees be then?

If the economic ship hits the sand, who will think the $2.4 MILLION waterline to serve less than 10 families, the purchase of the $1.6 MILLION swampland..excuse me, Fairground, the MILLIONS of DOLLARS spent on Economic Development that's not developing, or all these gifts from Santa were a good idea?  Oh, wait a minute, being as DD's leadership is responsible for all this spending and debt, if push comes to shove, we all know he will step up to the plate and donate  to the support of the County all that he has accrued over the last 6 years, to assure you that your homes will be safe.  And, least we forget, pigs can fly.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

      From bondage to spiritual faith;

      From spiritual faith to great courage;

      From courage to liberty;

      From liberty to abundance;

      From abundance to complacency;

     From complacency to apathy;

      From apathy to dependence;

      From dependency back into bondage.”

THE FAT LADY SANG

Betty Davis said it best, "Fasten your seat belts; you are in for a bumpy ride."

After his election in 2008, Barack Obama warned everyone by saying, "Tomorrow we will begin the basic transformation of America."  He was honest enough to tell everyone what was coming.  The majority did not pay attention.  We can all see the results of his first term.

Last night, he warned us, again.  He said, "We are the American family and we will rise or FALL together."  Being as, concerning this issue, the man was telling the truth, don't be surprised at the results of the next four years.  Pack your bag; we're on the road to Babylon.  How long the enslavement endures depends entirely upon the grace of God.


In our humble opinion de Tocqueville (1805) should be required reading for all potential voters:

Alexis de Tocqueville > Quotes

“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.”
― Alexis de Tocqueville

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years.”
― Alexis de Tocqueville

“America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”
― Alexis de Tocqueville

“Americans are so enamored of equality, they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom.”
― Alexis de Tocqueville

“When the taste for physical gratifications among them has grown more rapidly than their education . . . the time will come when men are carried away and lose all self-restraint . . . . It is not necessary to do violence to such a people in order to strip them of the rights they enjoy; they themselves willingly loosen their hold. . . . they neglect their chief business which is to remain their own masters.”
― Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America Volume 2

“Democracy extends the sphere of individual freedom, socialism restricts it. Democracy attaches all possible value to each man; socialism makes each man a mere agent, a mere number. Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word: equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.”
― Alexis de Tocqueville

“There are many men of principle in both parties in America, but there is no party of principle.”
― Alexis de Tocqueville

Enough said.

HARD LESSONS FOR THE NORTHEAST

Having lived the nightmare that is the major hurricane, our heart breaks for all the people assaulted by Sandy. We know what it is like to suffer through the fear during the darkness of the storm.  We know the shock of walking outside the morning after to view the unbelievably total devastation.  We have endured the aftermath; no power, roads blocked, houses damaged or destroyed, and life disrupted.  These experiences are truly life-changing. BUT, there are lessons that many folks up north are learning the hard way.  Folks down south learned these lessons long ago.

First and foremost: When the authorities issue a mandatory evacuation for the coastal and low elevation areas, GET THE HELL OUT.  Go to higher ground.  Go inland. No possessions are worth the loss of your life.

Next in importance:  Don't depend on anyone else to see to your needs.  Prepare for your own survival.  

• 1.  If you must evacuate, pack a bag.  If the storm is severe, chances are you will need clothing for several days.  You will need your medication.  If your home is in an area in danger of destruction, take along your important papers. (deed, insurance papers, etc.)

• 2.  If your home is in a relatively safe non-evacuation area and you intend to ride out the storm there, assemble provisions. (a generator, food that doesn't require cooking, cash, water, ice, gasoline for the generator, and anything else you, personally, require for survival. It is, also, a good idea to fill the gas tanks of all your cars)

• 3.  Understand that the government is NOT going to be all things to all people in a major disaster.  In the moments and days post hurricane, the cavalry is NOT right over the hill, waiting to ride to your rescue.  After Hugo, many folks in our area were without power for a MONTH.  We had to fend for ourselves and look out for one another.  No government agency was anywhere to be seen.

Relatively few people died in Hugo.  Without exception, those who did die were doing things they were told NOT to do; riding out the storm on a boat, staying in a trailer, going outside during the storm, or staying in evacuation zones. 

In this latest disaster, we, once again, see that human beings refuse to learn from history.  Granted, the northeast doesn't experience a large volume of tropical storms BUT these occurrences are NOT unprecedented. AND, the weather officials issued a plethora of warnings, advisories, and instructions during a full week before the storm actually hit.  Now, predictably, the same folks who ignored these warnings, advisories, and instructions are in a tizzy because their needs are not being met.  Unfortunately, we know from experience that this situation is bound to get worse before it gets better.  Our prayers go out to all.

 

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

During heated campaigns, candidates make all kinds of assertions.  Some of these comments are true.  Some are not.  It is incumbent upon the candidate to be savvy enough to know the difference between a comment ( if untrue) he can get away with and one that will come back to bite him.

A candidate can say, "My opponent is a liar."  Nothing usually happens.  A candidate can say, "Since my opponent called me a RINO, I have received overwhelming support."  Nothing usually happens.  BUT, when a candidate gets very specific with questionable assertions, he may create a problem for himself. This kind of comment MAY have unintended consequences.  Case in point:

In the County Council District 3 race, the newly organized group called 'The RINO Hunters' got actively  involved.  The group's stated mission is to educate the public as to which candidate in the various races is deemed a "true Conservatives" and which is not.  They initiated their local efforts during the District 3 race. The group concluded the challenger was the "true Conservative".  But, because of past affiliation with the more Liberal party and his recent voting record which sided with the Liberal Democrats on Council, the group labeled the professed "Republican" incumbent, Bob Call, as a RINO (Republican In Name Only).

When the press asked Mr. Call what effect the RINO signs was having on his campaign, the gist of his reply was,  'I'm not worried about the RINO signs.  As a matter of fact, "since they went up, I have received five thousand dollars in campaign contributions"'.  This is one of those potentially problematic situations referred to earlier.

All candidates in all races are obliged by law to file financial reports to the Ethics Commission on an established schedule, declaring all contributions and expenditures of their campaigns.  Mr. Call did not declare this supposed 5 thousand dollars in donations on any of his financial statements to the Ethics Commission.  This fact leaves this incumbent in a conundrum.  Was his statement to the press untrue or was his financial statement to the Ethics Commission untrue?  Logic dictates it has to be one or the other.

It seems the Ethics Commission agrees.  There is a hearing scheduled in November to get to the bottom of this situation.  It will be very interesting to hear Mr. Call's explanation.

NOTE:

Mr. Call may have problems on yet another front.  There are rumblings that not all of those responsible for oversight of legal proceedings are entirely satisfied that protocol was followed concerning Mr. Call's court challenge after he lost the election.  Since this issue is still being officially investigated, we will save that story for a later date.