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We cannot afford to fund pork
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Economists are predicting the economy will get much worse and that there will be a credit card crisis that will dwarf the mortgage and oil price crises. South Carolinians rank near the bottom in income, but 37th in state and local taxes. Unemployment is going up while incomes go down. We cannot afford more taxes, especially to fund pork.
Every dollar spent on sales tax will be a dollar less spent on goods and services and going to help businesses grow.
Why should all the people of the county pay additional sales taxes to build a recreation facility for Belton, when that town already has a lucrative hospitality tax for that purpose? Because two of the six tax commissioners are from Belton? Did the Belton City Council even authorize the building?
Why should people already paying double water rates pay an additional tax to pay for water lines for people who chose to live outside water service areas? The increasing cost of asphalt will cause the list to be reduced. Which gets eliminated, the roads and bridges or the pork? Almost every city and school district and the county have raised property taxes recently and taxes may go up again once reassessment is complete in a few months.
Cancel the current proposal and appoint new commissioners, one from each district and none employed by county, municipal or school district or serving in an elected capacity.
Vote “no” on the Capital Project Sales Tax. Your quality of life depends on it.
Robert C. Tugwell, Belton
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Here is the real shame. One of the biggest if not the biggest needs in Anderson County right now is a jail that can handle the growing inmate population of a growing county. Last reports I saw was that it was around double its rated capacity. This one cent tax could have paid for it along with many other needed projects but the board felt like we would not vote for it and removed it from the agenda. Well guess what, we are still going to have to pay for it, but instead of some of the money being paid by out of county folks who shop/buy here in Anderson, we are going to have to pay it all now.
Again it has everything to do wth the quality of the candidates and the informed voter. Our future is in the voters hands. Get information from all sources and make an informed vote. I will be voting AGAINST any new tax of any kind for any purpose. With the right people in charge we can make excellent use of the taxes we already force from the citizens.
I think theflash might just be right....rick is wrong....I'm proud to be in Anderson -- If I needed to complain all the time like most of the rick is wrong crowd, I would move out of Anderson. They have been complaining a lot longer than Joey Preston has been here. They were complaining when Bob Waldrip was a democrat and they were praising the new administrator (JP) when he was hired to replace the administrator that they did not like at that time. They will never be happy. They must always remain controversial.....
In response to theflash...
I believe waim operates under what is called the 1st amendment of the u.s. constitution. Sounds like you must listen to Rick often. Like the show myself.
in response to theflash
I believe it is all about the money. Without controversy there would be no rick is wrong show. I refuse to do business with any local advertisers on his show. I know I am not the only one.
in response to sophievoter
Isn't that a coincidence, we don't want your business anyway.
in response to quy
good....glad to hear it....
If you choose who you do business with based on their political views you are a communist and we don't need your kind anyway.
in response to quy
It is not based on political views, it is based on lying , exagerations, slander, and stupidity by a few. I am sure you are not one of them. When I go back and read your previous posts, it seems that you are always on the defense and very, very angry. I am sorry you are so sad.
in response to sophievoter
Funny, but I could say the same about you. You and the few on here, who defend Joey Preston and his way of doing business, act as though you know everything going on. Maybe you aren't as smart as you think you are or you are one of the one's right along side of him slurping up from the public trough. Reading your posts tells me you are misguided, on the defense, starry eyed, and angry. I am not sorry you are sad. I hope you get the boot with Preston since you love him so much.
You and many like you need the blinders removed and the line between right and wrong reiterated. Just because someone accomplishes a few good things, what do you think we are paying him $190,000 a year for. That is his frickin' job. It is the HOW he does it that is the problem. Secrecy of his actions, keeping public information from the voters, being an all around arrogant jerk, wasting our money on his and his friends high living, stroking his ego with all these stupid lawsuits we are having to pay for. Yep, I am angry about all of that. As any taxpayer that is not on the teat beside Joey should be. You and the half dozen on here that are constantly singing Preston's praises are all probably county employees sitting at your desks, using county computers, your time on the clock, and other resources that we, the tax and fee payers of Anderson County have paid for, to defend Joey Preston. Of course all the people he has given jobs and contracts and bought a drink are going to defend him. They (and you) want more of the same and to make points with Joey. That is how the patronage/crony system works. I will send a note to Preston and point out you are doing your duty, maybe he will take you on his next trip somewhere.
While you are on the subject why don't you tell us all the lies, exaggerations, slander etc. you claim everyone is stating. You probably can't name oh let's see...three things. But that is the party line to defend Preston, so that is what you repeat over and over. If there are indeed any of those lies etc., the ONLY reason they MIGHT exist is because Preston has hidden the truth from everyone with his legal maneuvering and stonewalling. Those are not the actions of someone on the up and up. ALL of this can be laid to rest with a forensic audit (that you few loyalists to Joey are trying so hard to fight... if he is so righteous and all those lies, slandering and exaggerations could be disproven I would think it would be the first thing you want to do. But Joey is against it so YOU are against it.)
Are you so desparate for Anderson County to succeed that we will accept it at any price and with any method to achieve it. People like you are helping us earn the reputation of being a bunch of hoodlums in this County and I for one, am tired of it.
Mr. Tugwell,
I agree fully with voting "NO" on the "Capital Projects Tax" on Nov. 4th. My bride and I will both be voting "NO" on that one.
I have no problem with the projects themselves, but I feel that there are better ways to fund those projects without increasing the sales tax.
The only reason I would agree with raising the sales tax in any manner, whatsoever, would be if we were to increase the sales tax in order to ELIMINATE... not reduce... not give 'relief'... property taxes. I did my homework in 1996 and back then, I introduced an innovative idea whereby we could increase sales taxes from 5% to 7%, eliminate sales taxes on groceries, and totally eliminate property taxes (Spartanburg Herald, Oct. 1996). The SC Budget & Control Board said it could be done back then. In 2004, I checked with the SC Budget & Control Board again, and they again told me that it could still be done without any losses in revenues.
I strongly believe in government because the alternative would be anarchy, and that would translate to chaos. And, in order for government to run and government services to be provided to citizens, we have to have some form of taxation. And, I believe in paying my fair share of taxes.
But I also believe that taxes should be fair for all, and that all should benefit from taxation... in some manner.
When taxation is for the benefit of just a few, then all the citizens should not be paying for those special purpose taxes, and if a certain area really wants to have something to benefit those folks in that area, then we should look into alternative means of funding those projects, such as 'fees for services', first looking into the project as a business and figuring out whether the venture will be worthwhile or not.
To summarize, I, too, shall be voting "NO" on the "Capital Projects Tax". My reasons may differ from your reasons, but the end result equals in "NO" votes, anyway.
Plain.
Simple.
Common Sense.
Capt. Leonardo Ortiz (USMM)
www.ortizforsenate.org
in response to andersonian
Posted by andersonian on September 1, 2008 at 9:38 a.m.
"Here is the real shame. One of the biggest if not the biggest needs in Anderson County right now is a jail that can handle the growing inmate population of a growing county...."
Yes, though I agree the jail is way overcrowded, I disagree with the only solution being the building of a new jail simply based on that premise.
There are other, reasonable, and viable solutions to the problem of overcrowded jails throughout the State of SC, including Anderson Co., rather than just constantly building more and bigger jails.
The majority of inmates populating the jails throughout the State of SC and many other states in the US are non-violent offenders which could be punished by alternative means other than simply locking them up. And I have an idea which would not only drastically reduce jail populations, but it would be productive punishments, as well.
Take, for instance, deadbeats who don't pay their child support. Throwing them in jail is counter-productive. More productive, still, would be to make them work off their back child support payments, being sentenced to work on their time off until they have caught up their back child support and paid for their supervision, as well.
This could also go for the bad check writers, DUI's, etc. whereby they would be sentenced to work community projects, such as cutting grass (with sling blades and not riding mowers), picking up trash along the roads, cleaning government buildings, etc. until they have paid off their fines, indemnified their victims, and paid for their supervision.
For those who have been convicted of higher crimes whereby it is necessary to remove them from society, they can still be made to work to pay for their own room and board, pay for their fines, indemnify their victims through restitution, and pay for their supervision while incarcerated.
The old-fashioned chain gangs and prison farms were not done away with because of their being anything wrong with making inmates work. They were done away with because of the abuses and corruption that was inherently built into those systems.
If I, by some strange chance, do get elected, I will introduce legislation that will give the Judges the necessary innovative tools to return to work-based sentencing without the corruption and abuses included.
And that would bring about a rapid decline in the jailhouse populations throughout the State of SC.
Plain.
Simple.
Common Sense.
Capt. Leonardo Ortiz (USMM)
in response to Capt_Leo
"The old-fashioned chain gangs and prison farms were not done away with because of their being anything wrong with making inmates work."
Correction:
There, not their.
in response to Capt_Leo
Well, you were paying attention! Leadership is about good ideas from the people being made to happen. If you are elected and that is all you accomplish in your career, you will have done a good thing. Alternative, treatment oriented programs, with a goal to reduce recidivism through education and treatment in a minimum security environment. Work camps, where you can house ten times the numbers of offenders for dollars spent is the key element. Bigger, maximum security high tech jails and prisons are not the solution! Oddly consultants advise towards bigger prisons. I have to believe that is commission driven advice. The best and cheapest solution to any problem, is avoidance.
Search,
Something we agree on. LOL
I strongly believe in revamping the current "lock-em up and throw away the key" mentality, since it is very counter-productive. As long as we don't take innovative steps to truly "rehabilitate" the majority of offenders, who can, de facto, be rehabilitated through work and education programs, we shall continue to have a revolving door syndrome associated with our prison systems... and that merely translates to more tax money being wasted in the long run.
In our current system, it seems that the majority of prison inmates are incarcerated for non-violent offenders which could be corrected and rehabilitated, while the ones who really should be removed from society are turned back loose on society.
The State of AZ Dept. of Corrections instituted a Prison Industries system whereby Correction in AZ is not only self-sufficient, but it actually generates profits which then translate into additional State revenues. So, my idea is not totally new, but rather, borrowed.
And I aim to spearhead efforts to turn SC's Criminal Justice system around so that it can become productive rather than it continuing as a huge liability program to taxpayers.
Plain.
Simple.
Common Sense.
Capt. Leonardo Ortiz (USMM)
(BTW, when I had my website created, back in the Fall, 2007, I gave some attention to this very topic on my main page.)
in response to Capt_Leo
Well that is where we part ways. I don't believe the Arizona Dept. of Corrections approach is worth two cents. It may accomplish revenue production as a means to be self sufficient and get the backing of taxpayers so they don't have to pay for prisons. The problem lies in that it is a system built on shaming and punishing people through utilizing clothing and living condition methodologies as it core components. It is not designed to build people up but to beat them down by making them wear silly clothes and live in minimalist conditions. Would being made to look foolish and eating baloney sandwiches work on you to change your lifestyle and goals? Why would it work on them? This results in diminishing self image and self esteem. Those things do not build people up. That is not conducive to diminishing recidivism. No matter what kind of clothes they were made to wear or cot they slept on, if they get desperate enough they will go right back out and commit the same offenses without the education and direction to have other options. Don't get me wrong, I am a strong believer in the "boot camp" approach, for short periods of time, as a part of a overall treatment program. Some people need 30-90 days of programmed self improvement to kick start their life back to health. But that "boot camp" approach being the whole prison program is counterproductive in the big picture. It is kind of liking raising and teaching a child, some people believe you beat it into them, others believe you teach it into them. Beating it into them has been outlawed for the damage it has been shown to cause. The Arizona approach tastes like it is trying to beat rehabilitation into them. The public may love it, but in the long run it does not work. Just like beating your children into submission creates more problems in the long run than it cures.
Prison industries have been around for awhile. Competition to businesses of taxpayers is always a big stumbling block.
Despite whether you like the Arizona prison programs or not, we have to think more proactive and keep people from getting that far into the system. Crime Prevention, non-violent offender treatment, drug treatment programs and overall education of offenders will take us down that least costly path. Make a GED a requirement for release from any sentence of more than a year. You want to turn things around, education is the best way. This idea of taking everything down to treating prisoners like dogs in a cage is outmoded and probably the reactions of a public that know nothing about turning people's lives around and are more interested in extracting a societal "pound of flesh". Everyone keeps forgetting, the punishment stops at the gate. Incarceration IS the punishment. Not, let's see how miserable we can make you while we have you. That only breeds bitter more violent offenders, and perpetuates the ignorance that put them there to start with.
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