it’s Talking Points with the Founding Fathers.
Sometimes I just hate technology. I just had a draft all ready to post when “poof”! Gone. It’s probably a good thing. I am on a roll with this paring knife fiasco.
Well, hello patriots! Did you happen to see the Constitution being read on the House floor yesterday? If not, and even if you did let me recap the show. The Dems hated it. Nasty tone in their voices. And some didn’t even show up. They disrespected our Founding Fathers and America. I wonder if the Quran was being read if they would have sat there, hands in lap, eyes focused, and ears open? I believe so. It was probably the first time some of them had even heard the Constitution. This was a significant move by the GOP. Kudos.
I wonder if we can get the Constitution read at the next Board of Commissioners’ meeting? Ha. Ha. Maybe at the next school board meeting we should read the Zero tolerance rule that explains, so notably pointed out by a reporter, that a paring knife is not considered a weapon. Who is up to the task? Certainly not Jeff Moss. Certainly not Shawn Williams who vehemently accused the media of “false reporting” instead of addressing the issue: an overzealous Superintendent and company!
Can somebody explain why the girl was served with a court summons? And weeks after the “incident”? Is there a cover-up of stupidity here? That’s what it looks like to outsiders. Wonder how many businesses and families said “screw Lee County” after we gained national attention? I think Moss and company should be investigated. Seems some of us can dig up his past (see previous posting).
Why can’t we trust our leaders to hire ethical people? Oh no, don’t be talking about ethics again, Patrick, or that other blogger will come back from hiding and attempt to hijack the commissioners and put his spell on them! You know, as well as I do, he was behind the ethics crap before! Unfortunately for him and good for the taxpayers, he doesn’t have as many puppets now. Good.
But don’t worry too much. When Bob Heuts faces the board, I’m sure he’ll bat his eyes and smile just right to convince them that another incentive is needed. Why do I say that? Let’s look at the track record so far: bonus and housing incentive for a county manager, property reevaluation in 2013 (they generally don’t benefit taxpayers like you and me, no matter how they are billed to us!), yada, etc, so on, whatever.
Did the memo get lost? What memo, you say? The memo that was sent November 2 and must have disappeared in cyberspace was: STOP THE SPENDING. We asked for change. When will we get it?
What’s the cliche`? How about we’ll see change when “it snows in hell”. Or when on that other blog, Tamara realizes partisan politics is exactly what government needs!
Who will be up to the task to prove me wrong? I can hardly wait to eat my words. But I’m not holding my breath. I have plenty of other stuff to talk about as the weeks unfold and decisions are made.
Patrick
“Give me liberty, not liability.”
The Founding Fathers' Political Blog 
Patrick; Sorry to see you still don’t buy in to the one-time bonus and allowance the commissioners gave to the County Manager to keep him focused on near and present dangers with the Lewe County budget. Looks like the investment has already paid nice dividends.
Fresh on the heels of receiving the bonus, the Manager re-doubled his scrutiny on Pfizer/Wyeth’s requested tax rebate for what they claimed to be an over-payment for 2010. He could have refunded the more than $100K that Pfizer was requesting. But our County Manager wasn’t having any of that. Suspecting it would benefit the county, Crumpton ordered an audit of the company’s inventories. His intuition paid off and the audit turned up errors in the county’s favor, to the tune of more than $500K including penalties and interest. The check has just been received from the company.
This is a classic example of how a small investment in a key program or personality can yield great returns. Had the county manager simply ordered the refund, the county would have suffered a net loss of over $600K (what we would have refunded plus what we were entitled to in underpayments). No one would have known the difference. So, why don’t we give that decision a rest until the County Manager gives us cause to complain?
And while we’re at it, what’s the beef with a 2013 revaluation? You like having the commercial landowners underpaying by 25% on their taxes? All that does is add to your residential tax burden. Correcting the disproportion could reduce everyone’s tax rates by about 3 cents on each $100 of valuation if total tax revenues remain neutral. Postponing the revaluation to 2015 means you’re giving the commercial landowners an additonal 2-year reprieve on their tax burdens. Is that what you want? Little old ladies who own their own homes having to pay a special subsidy every year so Coty and Caterpillar can catch a break on their tax burdens?
Truly, if we want the county’s tax system to be as equitable and as fairly administered as possible, we need to be a little more open-minded on the timing of these revaluations. If your beef is a trust issue, then couch it that way. Simply tell the BOC you want the revaluation to be timed to benefit all citizens and tell them you don’t want any additional revenues to be generated from the process. I.e., make the process revenue neutral.
You make some good points in your column, but let’s give these new BOC conservatives some time and support as they navigate their way to cutting spending and taxes for all of us.
Publius
No need to apologize. I have very deep convictions and will stand my ground. But when we said cut the spending, we meant it. To be frank,those teachers Mr. Moss is claiming he will have to fire if he doesn’t get the blank check are far more valuable than anyone who counts the beans! They hold our future in their classrooms. They sacrifice far more than rent on a second house. Again your argument doesn’t hold water with me.
Get real! Fair and equitable? Then let’s go to a flat tax rate, cut spending and taxes across the board, get rid of incentives and tell the state to kiss it and to quit mandating us with programs that are unfunded.
Now when that happens, well let’s just say it might be a cold day down under.
PH
Maybe I should not be so pessimistic. You have to point out the obvious sometimes, though. No matter who gets ticked off.
Thanks Publius for commenting.
You have a sympathetizer on the flat tax notion. However, I’m also a realist. Getting a flat tax implemented nationally, or even within the state, is virtually impossible. Problem is, we made the mistake of letting more than 50% of working-age Americans get off the hook on paying federal or state taxes– zero, zilch, nada. They have no interest in the flat tax ‘caue it means they would have to participate in sharing the tax burden.
The only way we might shift to the flat tax is if the economy tanks and we go into full depression for a protracted period. Only then will there be enough despair and disgust with the current system to compel the Congress to fire the IRS and install a flat tax mechanism.
I think we’re stuck with this disproportionate burden of taxes for awhile.
Publius
The way to make a radical change is to stop taking money out of paychecks and requiring the citizen to write a check each month for their payroll taxes. I would be wiling to give up the sacred cow “mortgage deduction” if EIC, childcare and other credits were eliminated too and replaced with a flat tax.
Although I will admit I believe when the citizens actually took note of how much the fed, state, and local taxes are removed before they even get their earnings, it would cause violence like we’ve never seen before.
PH
Hey PH don’t you get a check stub or don’t bother to read it? Mine while I still had a job, always told me the gross, all the deductions and finally the net that was printed on the check. It kept me angry for a day or two every pay period. What got my blood boiling the most was that I had no say in the withholding unless I was willing to commit fraud. Both the state and the feds would take more than I would end up owing them so that they had an interest free loan until I could get my taxes filed and finally get the refund. You never knew when they would actually get around to issuing the refund. NC in recent years have taken a darn long time on some years because they spent the money when it came in and would have to wait until more withheld money came in so they could issue a refund check.
Publius it isn’t just the income tax free citizens you are going to have to fight for a flat tax, this old goose is going to be fighting you every step of the way too! I paid tax on what I have saved over the years, and I paid tax on the interest on that money as it grew slowly as I saved it. Now you expect me to pay again as I liquate my holdings as I spend it to try to stay alive? As the young folks say NO WAY! If I was a gosling again I would be right there with you. But I am not going to let you tax my nest egg when I am way too old to lay another golden egg. I have read a fair amount on the “Fair Tax Proposal’ and nowhere is there any mention of how they are going to make it fair for the people who actually managed to save a few dollars over their lifetime. In fact just as I suspected they are going to hedge on the Social Security that I paid into and the healthcare scheme that was forced upon me.
I am a realist too and I am fairly sure that the GOP is going to be forced to accept some of the poop that the Democrats pushed thru the system while they had control since both Social Security and Healthcare depend on a growing population with a growing income that is just not going to happen, classic Ponzi schemes both of them.
Goose: I hear ya! But I do read my pay stubs. Then I want to throw up! I could hire several illegals with the taxes that are “voluntarily” forced from me each month. That would keep them off the welfare roles!
Most citizens just disregard the info or believe it is a savings account. They don’t understand all they are doing is lending their money to the IRS interest free in hopes of getting some back. I say a citizen who pays on April 15 is a good citizen that has been using THEIR money all year! Oh well.
At least our local lame ducks didn’t do massive damage like 111th congress did. Still doesn’t make it easy to swallow.
PH
Goose;
As an aging retiree, I echo that sentiment. And as much as Patrick would hate to admit it, he too isn’t a spring chicken. I believe there’s a way to grandfather our senior citizens and incrementally implement the fair tax, though. I still think the basic problem is we simply don’t have the votes across America at present to compel the change. We can wish all day long, but until 51% of wage earning America is in favor of the change, it simply isn’t gonna happen. Sad, but true. Limbaugh has already accepted this fact, as has Beck. I love Neil Boortz, but the notion is dead in the water for the moment.
Publius
Geez I need no reminders of my age. It’s really tough to still be upright and on this side of the grass after couple of hundred of years!