Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Sunday Funnies; Volume 121.
A TRUE STORY FROM NORTH CAROLINA .
At the Saturday night tent revival the preacher announces,
"Anyone with 'needs' to be prayed over, come forward, to the front at the altar."
John gets in line, and when it's his turn, the preacher asks:
"John, what do you want me to pray about for you?"
John replies: "Preacher, I need you to pray for help with my hearing."
The preacher puts one finger in John's ear, and he places the other hand on top of
John's head and prays and prays and prays, he prays a blue streak for John.
After a few minutes, the Preacher removes his hands, stands back and asks,
"John, how is your hearing now?"
John says, "I don't know, Reverend, it ain't 'til next Wednesday."
At the Saturday night tent revival the preacher announces,
"Anyone with 'needs' to be prayed over, come forward, to the front at the altar."
John gets in line, and when it's his turn, the preacher asks:
"John, what do you want me to pray about for you?"
John replies: "Preacher, I need you to pray for help with my hearing."
The preacher puts one finger in John's ear, and he places the other hand on top of
John's head and prays and prays and prays, he prays a blue streak for John.
After a few minutes, the Preacher removes his hands, stands back and asks,
"John, how is your hearing now?"
John says, "I don't know, Reverend, it ain't 'til next Wednesday."
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Sunday Funnies; Volume 120.
INSPIRATION
As we get older we sometimes begin to doubt our ability to "make a difference" in the world. It is at these times that our hopes are boosted by the remarkable achievements of other "seniors" who have found the courage to take on challenges that would make many of us wither.
Harold Schlumberg is such a person. He says -"
“I've often been asked, 'What do you old folks do now that you're retired'?
Well, I'm fortunate to have a chemical engineering background, and one of the things I enjoy most is turning beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages into urine”
Harold should be an inspiration to all of us!
As we get older we sometimes begin to doubt our ability to "make a difference" in the world. It is at these times that our hopes are boosted by the remarkable achievements of other "seniors" who have found the courage to take on challenges that would make many of us wither.
Harold Schlumberg is such a person. He says -"
“I've often been asked, 'What do you old folks do now that you're retired'?
Well, I'm fortunate to have a chemical engineering background, and one of the things I enjoy most is turning beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages into urine”
Harold should be an inspiration to all of us!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
This morning's candidates' forum.
It went on for nearly two hours. All candidates acquited themselves fairly well. Well moderated, well attended. There was some nastiness in the form of flyers passed out, but I'll not dignify that any further. The low-down, dirty perps know who they are - and I have my strong suspicions.
In the state senate race, Carter and Ligon are fairly evenly matched in terms of demonstrated innate intelligence and command of the issues.
In the state house race, in terms demonstrated innate intelligence, the ranking is clearly, from most to least, Spencer, by a wide margin, followed by Howell and then Hill, who are not that far apart. Spencer knows all of the issues well, though his take on some are a little too far right for many voters. Howell is a little deficient on the issues (has no clear idea what either "zero based budgeting" or THE "Fair Tax" are, but is passionate about her pet issues). Cecily Hill came across as a hybridization of Paula Deen and Gracie Allen.
Both of these races are going to be tough decisions: the senate because both candidates are good and fairly evenly matched; the house because I, for one, am not that crazy about any of them, but I'll vote for one.
In the state senate race, Carter and Ligon are fairly evenly matched in terms of demonstrated innate intelligence and command of the issues.
In the state house race, in terms demonstrated innate intelligence, the ranking is clearly, from most to least, Spencer, by a wide margin, followed by Howell and then Hill, who are not that far apart. Spencer knows all of the issues well, though his take on some are a little too far right for many voters. Howell is a little deficient on the issues (has no clear idea what either "zero based budgeting" or THE "Fair Tax" are, but is passionate about her pet issues). Cecily Hill came across as a hybridization of Paula Deen and Gracie Allen.
Both of these races are going to be tough decisions: the senate because both candidates are good and fairly evenly matched; the house because I, for one, am not that crazy about any of them, but I'll vote for one.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
A new boogeyman for Alex and friends.
The oil spill can't go on forever so here's a new obsession-in-waiting. Enjoy.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/our-own-extinction-is-forecast-but-hes-going-by-dead-reckoning/story-e6frfhqf-1225881064383
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/our-own-extinction-is-forecast-but-hes-going-by-dead-reckoning/story-e6frfhqf-1225881064383
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
An egregious legislative nullification of a citizen's property rights!
One of our fellow citizens was on the receiving end of a terrible screwing by the CCBOC last night.
A citizen named Everett Burch owns a mobile home park off of Harriet's Bluff Road down near the river. Specifically, it is at 127 Jay Street. The property is currently zoned R-2. Even though there is this mobile home park and dozens and dozens of other mobile homes on private lots in the area, it turns out that now you can only put a new mobile home in that area with a "special use permit." Planning and Zoning recommended that the man's request be denied, hence the appeal to the CCBOC.
After P&Z Directer, John Perterson, gave the P&Z presentation, the applicant's attorney, Michael Perry, got up and, using the same overhead projector, gave a much more useful and informative presentation of photos he had taken of the property in question and surrounding properties. A 360 degree view from the interior lot in the park where the man wants to put a mobile home shows nothing but other mobile homes.
The nearest "stick built" home is over 300 yards away and not in line-of-sight of the mobile home park.
Several residents of the park spoke up to say how much cleaner and better maintained the park was since Mr. Burch had purchased it. Significantly, the owner of the nearest "stick built" home also expressed similar appreciation and said that she had absolutely no objection to his adding another mobile home. Both Mr. Perry and the applicant pointed out that building a stick built home on the small lot in the middle of his mobile home park made no economic sense.
Not one soul from the neighborhood - Mrs. Zell's neighborhood - showed up to speak out against the request.
As I watched this unfold, I thought to myself that if ever there were a case needing a special use permit, this was it. I would certainly have voted to overturn the draconian staff recommendation on this one.
The CCBOC, with no discussion whatsoever - at least not in public - voted unanimously to deny the man's request. Their action is tantamount to stealing at the point of a gun the net rental income proceeds from putting a mobile home on that lot for the useful life of the mobile home.
It is my hope that the gentleman will have the wherewithal and the determination to challenge this egregious abuse of power in court.
A citizen named Everett Burch owns a mobile home park off of Harriet's Bluff Road down near the river. Specifically, it is at 127 Jay Street. The property is currently zoned R-2. Even though there is this mobile home park and dozens and dozens of other mobile homes on private lots in the area, it turns out that now you can only put a new mobile home in that area with a "special use permit." Planning and Zoning recommended that the man's request be denied, hence the appeal to the CCBOC.
After P&Z Directer, John Perterson, gave the P&Z presentation, the applicant's attorney, Michael Perry, got up and, using the same overhead projector, gave a much more useful and informative presentation of photos he had taken of the property in question and surrounding properties. A 360 degree view from the interior lot in the park where the man wants to put a mobile home shows nothing but other mobile homes.
The nearest "stick built" home is over 300 yards away and not in line-of-sight of the mobile home park.
Several residents of the park spoke up to say how much cleaner and better maintained the park was since Mr. Burch had purchased it. Significantly, the owner of the nearest "stick built" home also expressed similar appreciation and said that she had absolutely no objection to his adding another mobile home. Both Mr. Perry and the applicant pointed out that building a stick built home on the small lot in the middle of his mobile home park made no economic sense.
Not one soul from the neighborhood - Mrs. Zell's neighborhood - showed up to speak out against the request.
As I watched this unfold, I thought to myself that if ever there were a case needing a special use permit, this was it. I would certainly have voted to overturn the draconian staff recommendation on this one.
The CCBOC, with no discussion whatsoever - at least not in public - voted unanimously to deny the man's request. Their action is tantamount to stealing at the point of a gun the net rental income proceeds from putting a mobile home on that lot for the useful life of the mobile home.
It is my hope that the gentleman will have the wherewithal and the determination to challenge this egregious abuse of power in court.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Here is the CORRECT schedule for local Republican candidates' fora.
Last night, at the St, Marys City Council meeting, someone told me that they were looking forward to seeing my performance in the debate this coming Saturday. I told him that was news to me. My understanding was that it was on the 10th of July.
My understanding was correct. I called local GOP president, Adam Jacobsen, this morning. There will be a forum this Saturday at the ungodly hour of 9:00 at the GOP's "Grit's and Bit's" at the Eagles Aerie back behind the police station off of Pt. Peter Road. Working from memory, I believe breakfast is $7.00.
The candidates at this forum will all be candidates for the state assembly.
The forum for Camden County Commission candidates will be held at the Grit 'n' Bits at 9:00 AM on Saturday, July 10th.
Many people are under the mis-impression that the events are reversed because the local GOP's web master, Mike Harris (a regular at Jason Spencer rallies) published them incorrectly. Now, the local GOP website is down because their renewal fee is overdue and they have not yet had a meeting to authorize the expenditure to renew it.
Please help get the word out.
My understanding was correct. I called local GOP president, Adam Jacobsen, this morning. There will be a forum this Saturday at the ungodly hour of 9:00 at the GOP's "Grit's and Bit's" at the Eagles Aerie back behind the police station off of Pt. Peter Road. Working from memory, I believe breakfast is $7.00.
The candidates at this forum will all be candidates for the state assembly.
The forum for Camden County Commission candidates will be held at the Grit 'n' Bits at 9:00 AM on Saturday, July 10th.
Many people are under the mis-impression that the events are reversed because the local GOP's web master, Mike Harris (a regular at Jason Spencer rallies) published them incorrectly. Now, the local GOP website is down because their renewal fee is overdue and they have not yet had a meeting to authorize the expenditure to renew it.
Please help get the word out.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Has the sneaky leopard really changed his spots?
I had forgotten about this until a supporter reminded me. In 2004, when Gary Blount was a one-term St. Marys city councilman, there was a particularly disturbing episode when Blount recruited two other councilmen, Brian Fewox, and L.J. Williams, and staged a "boycott" of city council meetings.
Here's the story. There was a proposal on the table to make Cumberland Harbor a "special tax district." That is to say that in addition to all of the usual city taxes everyone else pays, they would pay an extra tax to pay for a new fire station and a water tower. Everyone who bought a lot on the property - and remember, many of the lots were bought on spec to flip - would be subject to the tax immediately, whether they built a house on it immediately or not. Blount did not want that. What he wanted was for new residents to "promise" to pay part of their homeowners' association dues to the city, but only once they had actually built a house.
Now, I don't know for a fact that Gary personally owned lots there at the time, but I suspect that his major client, Stan Smith, the then owner of Underground Contractors who put in the major underground utilities and did the paving and excavating there most certainly did. No telling how many of Gary's accounting clients and real estate and developer pals also did.
When Blount realized that the "other side" had four votes (counting the mayor's tie breaker) and would vote in the tax district at the next meeting, he literally walked out of the meeting then organized the boycott to deny them a quorum. Well, not only did that prevent council's voting on the tax district, it caused a crippling cessation of ALL CITY BUSINESS! The stoppage went on for a month!
There were a couple of more called meetings immediately thereafter. The three, led by Blount, still refused to show up, creating a crisis of governance in St. Marys all because the vote was not going to go Mr. Blount's way.
There was so much strife and public outcry that Mr. Fewox ended up resigning and causing the need of a special election at considerable cost to the taxpayers.
After several weeks of city governmental paralysis, the crisis ended only when the then mayor, Mayor
Hase, sent police out to simulatnaeously hand-deliver letters from her to Blount and Williams telling them that, IAW the city charter, if they did not show at the next meeting, their seats would be declared vacant and they too would be replaced in a special election. They caved and came back.
It gets worse. Somehow - I don't remember, but I'll look it up - in the end, Blount prevailed. His pals got their sweetheart deal wherein they got their fire station and water tower with a promise to pay from the HOA dues rather than from binding tax obligations.
The rest is history. The city was left holding the bag for the fire station and water tower.
Do we really want to give Gary Blount the opportunity to pull that kind of crap in another public office in Camden County?
This is but one more example of Blount seeking public office to do private favors. There is no reason whatsoever to believe that this sneaky leopard has changed his spots.
Here's the story. There was a proposal on the table to make Cumberland Harbor a "special tax district." That is to say that in addition to all of the usual city taxes everyone else pays, they would pay an extra tax to pay for a new fire station and a water tower. Everyone who bought a lot on the property - and remember, many of the lots were bought on spec to flip - would be subject to the tax immediately, whether they built a house on it immediately or not. Blount did not want that. What he wanted was for new residents to "promise" to pay part of their homeowners' association dues to the city, but only once they had actually built a house.
Now, I don't know for a fact that Gary personally owned lots there at the time, but I suspect that his major client, Stan Smith, the then owner of Underground Contractors who put in the major underground utilities and did the paving and excavating there most certainly did. No telling how many of Gary's accounting clients and real estate and developer pals also did.
When Blount realized that the "other side" had four votes (counting the mayor's tie breaker) and would vote in the tax district at the next meeting, he literally walked out of the meeting then organized the boycott to deny them a quorum. Well, not only did that prevent council's voting on the tax district, it caused a crippling cessation of ALL CITY BUSINESS! The stoppage went on for a month!
There were a couple of more called meetings immediately thereafter. The three, led by Blount, still refused to show up, creating a crisis of governance in St. Marys all because the vote was not going to go Mr. Blount's way.
There was so much strife and public outcry that Mr. Fewox ended up resigning and causing the need of a special election at considerable cost to the taxpayers.
After several weeks of city governmental paralysis, the crisis ended only when the then mayor, Mayor
Hase, sent police out to simulatnaeously hand-deliver letters from her to Blount and Williams telling them that, IAW the city charter, if they did not show at the next meeting, their seats would be declared vacant and they too would be replaced in a special election. They caved and came back.
It gets worse. Somehow - I don't remember, but I'll look it up - in the end, Blount prevailed. His pals got their sweetheart deal wherein they got their fire station and water tower with a promise to pay from the HOA dues rather than from binding tax obligations.
The rest is history. The city was left holding the bag for the fire station and water tower.
Do we really want to give Gary Blount the opportunity to pull that kind of crap in another public office in Camden County?
This is but one more example of Blount seeking public office to do private favors. There is no reason whatsoever to believe that this sneaky leopard has changed his spots.
JDA / Chamber of Commerce / College of Coastal georgia press release:
Business Pulse of Camden
Study and Outreach Program
Commences this Week
Camden County, Georgia - June 14, 2010
A new resource for the business community commences this week. The "Business Pulse of Camden" program will be delivered to all licensed businesses in Camden County, Georgia. The program is designed to help local businesses understand how their perceptions and needs compare with the market as a whole, identify critical trends, and provide a link to resources available to help. The "Pulse" is being administered by the College of Coastal Georgia in partnership with the Camden County Joint Development Authority, the Camden County Chamber of Commerce, and the Cities of Kingsland, St. Marys, and Woodbine.
"Our local business community has suffered during this great recession," stated David Keating, Executive Director of the Camden County Joint Development Authority. "It is important to assess the current condition of the business community and track its health by taking a "pulse" over time. The program will help target various resources of support and assistance to benefit area businesses."
The program commences with a brief research instrument that local businesses can easily complete in ten to fifteen minutes and then return to the college in an enclosed self-addressed and postage paid envelope. The instrument is also available on-line at www.surveymonkey.com/s/pulseofcamden.
According to Dr. Craig Fleisher, chair of the business school at the College of Coastal Georgia and lead architect of the project, "all data collected will be treated as strictly confidential, and we will not be requesting any proprietary information. The study's results will be analyzed and reported in an aggregated format to prevent the identification of any specific organization. The goal is to identify and begin tracking market-wide conditions, not information associated with any particular business."
Christine Daniel, President of the Camden County Chamber of Commerce added, "this program will give us a better sense of the resources and services needed by the business community. With an understanding of this information, we will be better able to tailor programs and seminars to meet these needs and aid in their successes."
The "Business Pulse of Camden" study results will be released in late summer/early fall in an open-to-the-public presentation sponsored by the Partners at the Camden Campus of the College of Coastal Georgia. It will also be posted as a community resource on the Partner webpages.
Coastal Lifestyle...Metro Advantages
Camden County, Georgia
# # #
Study and Outreach Program
Commences this Week
Camden County, Georgia - June 14, 2010
A new resource for the business community commences this week. The "Business Pulse of Camden" program will be delivered to all licensed businesses in Camden County, Georgia. The program is designed to help local businesses understand how their perceptions and needs compare with the market as a whole, identify critical trends, and provide a link to resources available to help. The "Pulse" is being administered by the College of Coastal Georgia in partnership with the Camden County Joint Development Authority, the Camden County Chamber of Commerce, and the Cities of Kingsland, St. Marys, and Woodbine.
"Our local business community has suffered during this great recession," stated David Keating, Executive Director of the Camden County Joint Development Authority. "It is important to assess the current condition of the business community and track its health by taking a "pulse" over time. The program will help target various resources of support and assistance to benefit area businesses."
The program commences with a brief research instrument that local businesses can easily complete in ten to fifteen minutes and then return to the college in an enclosed self-addressed and postage paid envelope. The instrument is also available on-line at www.surveymonkey.com/s/pulseofcamden.
According to Dr. Craig Fleisher, chair of the business school at the College of Coastal Georgia and lead architect of the project, "all data collected will be treated as strictly confidential, and we will not be requesting any proprietary information. The study's results will be analyzed and reported in an aggregated format to prevent the identification of any specific organization. The goal is to identify and begin tracking market-wide conditions, not information associated with any particular business."
Christine Daniel, President of the Camden County Chamber of Commerce added, "this program will give us a better sense of the resources and services needed by the business community. With an understanding of this information, we will be better able to tailor programs and seminars to meet these needs and aid in their successes."
The "Business Pulse of Camden" study results will be released in late summer/early fall in an open-to-the-public presentation sponsored by the Partners at the Camden Campus of the College of Coastal Georgia. It will also be posted as a community resource on the Partner webpages.
Coastal Lifestyle...Metro Advantages
Camden County, Georgia
# # #
CCBOC meeting tomorrow night.
Agenda:
http://www.co.camden.ga.us/Archive.aspx?AMID=&Type=&ADID=675
Board packet: Click on respective PDFs on regular agenda.
http://www.co.camden.ga.us/Archive.aspx?AMID=&Type=&ADID=675
Board packet: Click on respective PDFs on regular agenda.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Sunday Funnies; Volume 119.
KIDS IN CHURCH
3-year-old Reese :
'Our Father, Who does art in heaven,
Harold is His name.
Amen.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A little boy was overheard praying:
'Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it.
I'm having a real good time like I am.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After the christening of his baby brother in church,
Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car.
His father asked him three times what was wrong.
Finally, the boy replied,
'That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home,
and I wanted to stay with you guys.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One particular four-year-old prayed,
'And forgive us our trash baskets
as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Sunday school teacher asked her children as they
were on the way to church service,
'And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?'
One bright little girl replied,
'Because people are sleeping.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5, and Ryan 3.
The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake.
Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson.
'If Jesus were sitting here, He would say,
'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.'
Kevin turned to his younger brother and said,
' Ryan , you be Jesus !'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A father was at the beach with his children
when the four-year-old son ran up to him,
grabbed his hand, and led him to the shore
where a seagull lay dead in the sand.
'Daddy, what happened to him?' the son asked.
'He died and went to Heaven,' the Dad replied.
The boy thought a moment and then said,
'Did God throw him back down?'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A wife invited some people to dinner.
At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said,
'Would you like to say the blessing?'
'I wouldn't know what to say,' the girl replied.
'Just say what you hear Mommy say,' the wife answered.
The daughter bowed her head and said,
'Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3-year-old Reese :
'Our Father, Who does art in heaven,
Harold is His name.
Amen.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A little boy was overheard praying:
'Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it.
I'm having a real good time like I am.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After the christening of his baby brother in church,
Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car.
His father asked him three times what was wrong.
Finally, the boy replied,
'That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home,
and I wanted to stay with you guys.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One particular four-year-old prayed,
'And forgive us our trash baskets
as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Sunday school teacher asked her children as they
were on the way to church service,
'And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?'
One bright little girl replied,
'Because people are sleeping.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5, and Ryan 3.
The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake.
Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson.
'If Jesus were sitting here, He would say,
'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.'
Kevin turned to his younger brother and said,
' Ryan , you be Jesus !'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A father was at the beach with his children
when the four-year-old son ran up to him,
grabbed his hand, and led him to the shore
where a seagull lay dead in the sand.
'Daddy, what happened to him?' the son asked.
'He died and went to Heaven,' the Dad replied.
The boy thought a moment and then said,
'Did God throw him back down?'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A wife invited some people to dinner.
At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said,
'Would you like to say the blessing?'
'I wouldn't know what to say,' the girl replied.
'Just say what you hear Mommy say,' the wife answered.
The daughter bowed her head and said,
'Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
To be blunt, candidate Blount is simply lying.
Click on the letter to enlarge. When it pops up, click on it again if it has not enlarged.
Above is a copy of the campaign letter that Camden County Commission District 4 candidate Gary Blount mailed out this week. My appreciation to the supporter who sent it to me.
I regret to say that the letter is filled with half-truths and downright lies - not errors.
Let's start the debunking process with the very first sentence of the second paragraph. Of the three issues which Mr. Blount says "have dominated our community in recent months,", the last one, the airport issue, has, as he well knows but hopes you do not, absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the county or the county commission. Mr. Blount is well aware of this but hopes to use the non-issue to trick some gullible voters into believing that he can influence the airport decision as a commissioner. He can't. Yet, he cites it as one of the reasons he decided to run for county commission.
Still in that first sentence, Mr. Blount is clearly hoping that some of the voters will not know that the appraisals and assessments are done by the Camden County Board of Tax Assessors, their hired chief appraiser and the appraisers working under him, and fall for his implication that he can bring them under his control. By state law, they work quite independently of any control by the Camden County Board of Commissioners. I have stated that I will argue in favor of funding for a sufficient number of in-house appraisers so that we never again have to farm the job out with disastrous results like we had last year. I will also make every effort to have the entire county, begining with St.Marys, appraised again to take advantage of the new state law which says that appraisers "SHALL" include foreclosure sales and short sales in their comparables for doing an appraisal.
Still in the first sentence, he brings up the need for a new county jail. Clearly, he is conveying the impression that if elected he would continue, in the Rainer tradition, to simply, as my friend Sheriff Gregory says, "just kick the can down the road." Well, Mr. Blount, perhaps you could get away with that advice as the comptroller of the now defunct Underground Contractors knowing that your major accounting client could use the bankruptcy laws to walk away from millions in debt and start anew but the county can't do that. The incontrovertible fact is that we do need a new jail. While you promise to irresponsibly kick the can down the road beyond your sought after term in office and let future generations deal with it at higher costs, I propose to exhibit the responsible, political courage to come up with a solution sooner at lower costs and start allocating future SPLOST funds to a more timely and ultimately less costly solution.
In the third paragraph, Mr. Blount asserts that I (for it is transparently obvious he is not talking about Royal Weaver) have asserted that my IQ is 140, the recognized threshold for genius. In fact, as anyone who has read my campaign blog knows, I have never made any such assertion. I have gingerly alluded to being of above average intelligence, which I think is germane in that all things being otherwise equal, the more intelligent candidate would obviously be the better choice for voters. Now that Mr. Blount has floated a false figure, let me clarify the issue by stating that my tested IQ is actually 136. If you read my campaign blog, I did not state that I am always the most intelligent homo sapien in the room, though I'm sure there have been many occasions when that was the case. It is statistically unavoidable in that an IQ of 136 puts me in the lower end of the top 2% of the distribution of human intelligence.
Also in the third paragraph, Mr. Blount's lying ways continue unabated when he claims that I proclaimed in a county commission meeting that "I agree. We're going to have to raise taxes." For openers, Mr. Blount was not there. In point of fact, in the nearly 17 years that I have been attending county commission meetings, I have NEVER SEEN Mr. Blount at a single one! Here is what actually transpired. The commissioners had been presented several options for making up a $390,000 budget shortfall in the severely trimmed FY 2011 budget. The first option was to raise taxes by one quarter of a mil ( that's $10.00 in taxes per $100,000 of appraised value, assuming no exemptions - or $20 bucks on a $200,000 house.) The last option was to once again invade the ever shrinking fund balance. Naturally, David Rainer was quick to pounce upon that irresponsible position and that's what they did. Now, after the vote, Commissioner Sears, freed of the need to protect herself from adverse political consequences, said what needed to be said - that we could not continue to raid the fund balance ad infinitum. During the public comments section, I said that I agreed with her.
Now, once again, this is a case of Blount hoping to play upon the ignorance of some voters. Here is what he is hoping you don't know.
The fund balance is what is left over at the end of the fiscal year when all of the allocated, budgeted tax revenues collected during that year have been spent. That is the money that the county has left to operate on between the beginning of the new fiscal year and when the revenues from that new fiscal year's tax revenues actually sart to come in. If you do not maintain the recommended fund balance (minimally three months operating funds, optimally four), you may end up having to borrow operating funds at interest. When David Rainer was elected, the county had an adequate fund balance. Every year since, at Rainer's insistence, the county, in a highly deceitful ruse of fiscal responsibility and false efficiency, has raided the fund balance to either artificially lower or artificially maintain an artificially low millage rate. As a result, we are now down to below two months of operating funds in the fund balance. Unless we find commissioners with the guts to deal honestly with the voters, we will soon be borrowing to pay the bills. This will come way sooner if we have a natural disaster such as a hurricane, particularly given that we do not have a separate contingency fund at all! I will be such a commissioner.
In the fifth paragraph, Mr. Blount asserts that "As in life where I've learned that 'less is more,' the same is true in government." Really? Tax records indicate that Mr. Blount's primary residence in Osprey Cove and his second one in Marsh Bluff have a combined appraised value of well over $600,000. Perhaps this represents a step down from a prior higher lifestyle for this millionaire accountant and real estate developer who no doubt "feels your pain."
At one point, Mr. Blount refers to himself as an "active...businessman." In what was no doubt a slip in memory, he forgot to mention than he is also a real estate developer and builder from time-to-time, as are many of his accounting clients. I'm sure his builder and developer clients appreciate that when he became a one-term city councilman in St.Marys, he promptly set about working in their interests. He promptly convinced fellow councilmen to vote for his idea of not requiring that any building fees be paid to the city until after construction was completed. I shudder to think what he has promised to do for them if he weasels his way into county government. Thankfully, as soon as the voters booted Mr. Blount out by a 3-to-1 margin, council came back to its senses and reversed the decision back to the status quo ante where they paid up-front. Regretably, while Mr. Blount held the back door open for them, developers beat feet to city hall and secured the more favorable terms on some 7,000 lots which sit vacant today - lot's for which Mr. Blount then successfully pushed to have a new sewage treatment plant built - the one we just got a 35% water-sewer rate increase to pay for.
My campaign contributions to date from anywhere but my personal bank account: ZERO.
Clients whose business interests I might look out for as a county commissioner: ZERO.
My potential conflicts of interest: ZERO.
Chances that I, unlike Mr. Blount, will always tell you the truth and let the chips fall where they may: 100%.
The choice is yours.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
What happened to the nascent Woodbine blog?
When I went there just now, I got a message that it has been "removed" and that that blog address is not available for further use.
What happened? Anyone know?
What happened? Anyone know?
Monday, June 7, 2010
Geogia Senate Bill 346, signed by the governor on 6/4/10, may bring sanity back to ad valorem taxation.
Here is the section which should be most welcome news to Camden County taxpayers:
PART V
SECTION 5-1.
Said title is further amended in Code Section 48-5-2, relating to definitions, by adding new paragraphs to read as follows:"(.1) 'Arm's length, bona fide sale' means a transaction which has occured in good faith without fraud or deceit carried out by unrelated or unaffiliated parties, as by a willing buyer and a willing seller, each acting in his or her own self-interest, including but not limited to a distress sale, short sale, bank sale, or sale at public auction."
SECTION 5-2.Said title is further amended in Code Section 48-5-2, relating to definitions regarding ad valorem taxation of property, by revising the introductory language of paragraph (3) preceding subparagraph (A) as follows:"(3) 'Fair market value of property' means the amount a knowledgeable buyer would pay for the property and a willing seller would accept for the property at an arm's length, bona fide sale. The income approach, if data is available, shall be considered in determining the fair market value of income-producing property. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter to the contrary, the transaction amount of the most recent arm's length, bona fide sale in any year shall be the maximum allowable fair market value for the next taxable year. With respect to the valuation of equipment, machinery, and fixtures when no ready market exists for the sale of the equipment, machinery, and fixtures, fair market value may be determined by resorting to any reasonable, relevant, and useful information available, including, but not limited to, the original cost of the property, any depreciation or obsolescence, and any increase in value by reason of inflation. Each tax assessor shall have access to any public records of the taxpayer for the purpose of discovering such information."
SECTION 5-3.Said Code section is further amended in paragraph (3) by revising subparagraph (B) as follows:"(B) The tax assessor shallconsider apply the following criteria in determining the fair market value of real property:(i) Existing zoning of property;(ii) Existing use of property, including any restrictions or limitations on the use of property resulting from state or federal law or rules or regulations adopted pursuant to the authority of state or federal law;(iii) Existing covenants or restrictions in deed dedicating the property to a particular use;(iv) Foreclosure sales, bank Bank sales, other financial institution owned sales, or distressed sales, or any combination thereof, of comparable real property;(v) Decreased value of the property based on limitations and restrictions resulting from the property being in a conservation easement; and(vi) Any other existing factors provided by law or by rule and regulation of the commissioner deemed pertinent in arriving at fair market value."
Had "B (iv)" been in existence this past year, there is no doubt some increases hereabouts would not have been so shockingly large. Note that last year's "shall consider" has been replaced with the imperative "shall apply."
Here is the link to the entire bill.
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/fulltext/sb346.htm
If elected, during the deliberations on the first budget I will vote on - FY2012 - I will advocate for funding for a reappraisal of ALL St. Marys properties that fiscal year, followed by Kingsland the next year, and Woodbine and the remainder of the county the third year, using the new rules as to what SHALL be included in the comparables when making an appraisal. Moreover, I will advocate for sufficient funding so that we may have enough highly qualified, in-house appraisers to NEVER, EVER, farm the work out again!
Note: If you've come here from my campaign blog, click here to go back:
www.jayforfourforfourormore.blogspot.com
PART V
SECTION 5-1.
Said title is further amended in Code Section 48-5-2, relating to definitions, by adding new paragraphs to read as follows:"(.1) 'Arm's length, bona fide sale' means a transaction which has occured in good faith without fraud or deceit carried out by unrelated or unaffiliated parties, as by a willing buyer and a willing seller, each acting in his or her own self-interest, including but not limited to a distress sale, short sale, bank sale, or sale at public auction."
SECTION 5-2.Said title is further amended in Code Section 48-5-2, relating to definitions regarding ad valorem taxation of property, by revising the introductory language of paragraph (3) preceding subparagraph (A) as follows:"(3) 'Fair market value of property' means the amount a knowledgeable buyer would pay for the property and a willing seller would accept for the property at an arm's length, bona fide sale. The income approach, if data is available, shall be considered in determining the fair market value of income-producing property. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter to the contrary, the transaction amount of the most recent arm's length, bona fide sale in any year shall be the maximum allowable fair market value for the next taxable year. With respect to the valuation of equipment, machinery, and fixtures when no ready market exists for the sale of the equipment, machinery, and fixtures, fair market value may be determined by resorting to any reasonable, relevant, and useful information available, including, but not limited to, the original cost of the property, any depreciation or obsolescence, and any increase in value by reason of inflation. Each tax assessor shall have access to any public records of the taxpayer for the purpose of discovering such information."
SECTION 5-3.Said Code section is further amended in paragraph (3) by revising subparagraph (B) as follows:"(B) The tax assessor shall
Had "B (iv)" been in existence this past year, there is no doubt some increases hereabouts would not have been so shockingly large. Note that last year's "shall consider" has been replaced with the imperative "shall apply."
Here is the link to the entire bill.
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/fulltext/sb346.htm
If elected, during the deliberations on the first budget I will vote on - FY2012 - I will advocate for funding for a reappraisal of ALL St. Marys properties that fiscal year, followed by Kingsland the next year, and Woodbine and the remainder of the county the third year, using the new rules as to what SHALL be included in the comparables when making an appraisal. Moreover, I will advocate for sufficient funding so that we may have enough highly qualified, in-house appraisers to NEVER, EVER, farm the work out again!
Note: If you've come here from my campaign blog, click here to go back:
www.jayforfourforfourormore.blogspot.com
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Sunday Funnies; Volume 118.
One year, I decided to buy my mother-in-law a cemetery plot as a Christmas gift...
The next year, I didn't buy her a gift.
When she asked me why, I replied,
"Well, you still haven't used the gift I bought you last year!"
And that's how the fight started.....
________________________________________
I asked my wife,
'Where do you want to go for our anniversary?'
It warmed my heart to see her face melt in sweet appreciation.
'Somewhere I haven't been in a long time!'
she said.
So I suggested,
'How about the kitchen?'
And that's when the fight started...
________________________________________
My wife and I are watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire while we were in bed.
I turned to her and said,
'Do you want to have Sex?'
'No,'
she answered. I then said,
'Is that your final answer?'
She didn't even look at me this time, simply saying
'Yes..'
So I said, 'Then I'd like to phone a friend.'
And that's when the fight started...
________________________________________
I took my wife to a restaurant.
The waiter, for some reason, took my order first.
'I'll have the rump steak, medium rare, please.'
He said, 'Aren't you worried about the mad cow?'
'Nah, she can order for herself.'
And that's when the fight started.....
________________________________________
My wife sat down on the couch next to me as I was flipping the channels.
She asked, 'What's on TV?'
I said, 'Dust'
And then the fight started..
________________________________________
My wife was hinting about what she wanted for our upcoming anniversary.
She said, 'I want something shiny that goes from 0 to 200 in about 3 seconds.'
I bought her a set of bathroom scales.
And then the fight started...
________________________________________
My wife and I were sitting at a table at her high school reunion, and she kept staring at a drunken man swigging his drink as he sat alone at a nearby table.
I asked her, 'Do you know him?'
'Yes,' she sighed,
'He's my old boyfriend.... I understand he took to drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear he hasn't been sober since.'
'My God!' I said,
'Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?'
And then the fight started...
________________________________________
I rear-ended a car this morning.. So, there we were alongside the road and slowly the other driver got out of his car.
You know how sometimes you just get soooo stressed and little things just seem funny?
Yeah, well I couldn't believe it... he was a DWARF!!!
He stormed over to my car, looked up at me, and shouted,
'I AM NOT HAPPY!'
So, I looked down at him and said, 'Well, then which one are you?'
And then the fight started∑
________________________________________
THE BROKEN LAWN MOWER:
When our lawn mower broke and wouldn't run, my wife kept hinting to me that I should get it fixed..
But, somehow I always had something else to take care of first, the shed, the football, making beer.. Always something more important to me.
Finally she thought of a clever way to make her point.
When I arrived home one day, I found her seated in the tall grass, busily snipping away with a tiny pair of sewing scissors. I watched silently for a short time and then went into the house.. I was gone only a minute, and when I came out again I handed her a toothbrush.
I said,
'When you finish cutting the grass, you might as well sweep the driveway.'
The doctors say I will walk again, but I will always have a limp.
The next year, I didn't buy her a gift.
When she asked me why, I replied,
"Well, you still haven't used the gift I bought you last year!"
And that's how the fight started.....
________________________________________
I asked my wife,
'Where do you want to go for our anniversary?'
It warmed my heart to see her face melt in sweet appreciation.
'Somewhere I haven't been in a long time!'
she said.
So I suggested,
'How about the kitchen?'
And that's when the fight started...
________________________________________
My wife and I are watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire while we were in bed.
I turned to her and said,
'Do you want to have Sex?'
'No,'
she answered. I then said,
'Is that your final answer?'
She didn't even look at me this time, simply saying
'Yes..'
So I said, 'Then I'd like to phone a friend.'
And that's when the fight started...
________________________________________
I took my wife to a restaurant.
The waiter, for some reason, took my order first.
'I'll have the rump steak, medium rare, please.'
He said, 'Aren't you worried about the mad cow?'
'Nah, she can order for herself.'
And that's when the fight started.....
________________________________________
My wife sat down on the couch next to me as I was flipping the channels.
She asked, 'What's on TV?'
I said, 'Dust'
And then the fight started..
________________________________________
My wife was hinting about what she wanted for our upcoming anniversary.
She said, 'I want something shiny that goes from 0 to 200 in about 3 seconds.'
I bought her a set of bathroom scales.
And then the fight started...
________________________________________
My wife and I were sitting at a table at her high school reunion, and she kept staring at a drunken man swigging his drink as he sat alone at a nearby table.
I asked her, 'Do you know him?'
'Yes,' she sighed,
'He's my old boyfriend.... I understand he took to drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear he hasn't been sober since.'
'My God!' I said,
'Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?'
And then the fight started...
________________________________________
I rear-ended a car this morning.. So, there we were alongside the road and slowly the other driver got out of his car.
You know how sometimes you just get soooo stressed and little things just seem funny?
Yeah, well I couldn't believe it... he was a DWARF!!!
He stormed over to my car, looked up at me, and shouted,
'I AM NOT HAPPY!'
So, I looked down at him and said, 'Well, then which one are you?'
And then the fight started∑
________________________________________
THE BROKEN LAWN MOWER:
When our lawn mower broke and wouldn't run, my wife kept hinting to me that I should get it fixed..
But, somehow I always had something else to take care of first, the shed, the football, making beer.. Always something more important to me.
Finally she thought of a clever way to make her point.
When I arrived home one day, I found her seated in the tall grass, busily snipping away with a tiny pair of sewing scissors. I watched silently for a short time and then went into the house.. I was gone only a minute, and when I came out again I handed her a toothbrush.
I said,
'When you finish cutting the grass, you might as well sweep the driveway.'
The doctors say I will walk again, but I will always have a limp.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Country In The Park again this Sunday.
There will be some good country music in the Howard Gilman Memorial Park tomorrow from 3:00 to 5:00 PM (at least). I enjoyed it last month. I highly recommend it.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Dr. Ben Jenkins has died.
"Watch Dog" reported an hour ago on TOPIX Kingsland that Dr.Jenkins has died. I've not confirmed this, but "Watch Dog" has been reliable in the past.
NOW CONFIRMED:
http://jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2010-06-03/story/ben-jenkins-dies-st-marys-hospital
NOW CONFIRMED:
http://jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2010-06-03/story/ben-jenkins-dies-st-marys-hospital
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
JDA will market 325 acre PRIVATELY OWNED tract adjacent to industrial park.
http://jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2010-06-01/story/camden-authority-considers-industrial-park-expansion
Once again, the TOPIX conspiracy theorists got it all wrong.
Once again, the TOPIX conspiracy theorists got it all wrong.
Yes, but I'll bet they got her a lot cheaper than Mike Fender.
This one is for all you experts who tell me we should fire all of our present, competent and fairly compensated county department heads and replace them with folks worth half their salaries.
http://jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2010-06-01/story/mcintosh-county-mistakenly-spends-15-million-sales-tax-revenue
http://jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2010-06-01/story/mcintosh-county-mistakenly-spends-15-million-sales-tax-revenue
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
12 year-old shot and killed while burglarizing home.
Mother characterizes the burglarly as "kid stuff."
http://www.news4jax.com/news4georgia/23745268/detail.html
http://www.news4jax.com/news4georgia/23745268/detail.html
I will be speaking at the Tea Party meeting tonight.
I have accepted an invitation to speak at tonight's regular meeting of the Camden County Tea Party.
The meeting will be from 6:00 to 8:00 PM in the county annex next tot he county library at Hwy 40 and Gross Rd.
All of the usual crazies on Topix are of course threatening to come there and heckle me.
http://www.topix.com/forum/city/kingsland-ga/TVUBSHQDHU01QDDI0
This should be interesting.
The meeting will be from 6:00 to 8:00 PM in the county annex next tot he county library at Hwy 40 and Gross Rd.
All of the usual crazies on Topix are of course threatening to come there and heckle me.
http://www.topix.com/forum/city/kingsland-ga/TVUBSHQDHU01QDDI0
This should be interesting.
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