Ridgeland, SC Weather

Clear sky
Clear sky
48.2° |
5 day forecast
Home › Blogs › silverpanther's blog ›
Pay Attention

Pay Attention

Submitted by silverpanther on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 3:35pm.

Please, taxpayers of Jasper County, enough mudslinging.  There is a very important matter that should have your attention.  Four years ago, our county was in excess of 7 million dollars in reserve.  Currently, the County is 25 million dollars in debt and there is no reserve.  According to the last Council meeting, the Council approved an additional 5 million dollars for the day to day operating expenses.  When will our County Council realize Andy Fulghum is responsible for this massive debt.  If you can not attend a meeting, please watch it on TV.  It is time for that taxpayers to speak out.  Enough of O'Quinn and Gregory.

 


Please login or register to contact this user

PAY ATTENTION IS RIGHT

Submitted by donrock852 on Thu, 10/08/2009 - 1:54am.

DON WOODS

    Silverpanther is right. This section of the SUN is important and I am glad to see it. People can write their comments and nobody knows who it is. Decades when I wrote my first letter to the Jasper County News,so many people told me-don't sign your name. That did not make sense. I have an opinion. I have a right to express my opinion. I will express my opinion and people can like it or not like it. Jasper has not changed in one respect-no interest. There is no interest in their government. People will not speak up or out. Only the loud mouth people with special interest will express their views. In World War II German soldiers could round up thousands of people and guard them with five armed soldiers. If that had been Jasper County,they would only have had to use three soldiers. All that is bad about Jasper has been passed down generation to generation and the silence and don't care attitude persist. If you write and sign your name-they can't eat you. If you go to Council and speak your mind-they can't eat you. They can talk about you but who cares.

    It is amazing to me that a moral issue can be talked about and the person can be tried and convicted before a trial. That is easy prey. Of all the comments made in the last two weeks-I offer a challenge. Find out the answers to the following and post the results. (1) Are county employees still allowed to put fake and false odometer readings when they get gas which could result in theft or misuse of gasoline. (2) Over the past seven years what has happened to the hundreds of thousands of dollars of merchandise purchased by the county including computers,tools,supplies. (3) How many auctions has the county, school system and sheriff's department had in the past seven years to get rid of vehicles and other items. Where does all the stuff go. (4) Get a copy from Ronnie at the Administration office of the latest copy of departmental expenses. The copy of 3 of 12 should be available. How many line items have already been spent and which departments are in danger of going over budget. Don't pay as much attention to fixed expense items as variable expenses.

    Take your pick-any one of the four and post the results. Will this be done? I doubt it because this requires facts and not opinions. Will any one of the five Council members do it? Don't wait for it. This is how you can get involved. Elected officials are like children in a candy store. It is best not to leave them by themselves very long without checking up on them. May God Bless. Don Woods

Petition,supplication and request!

Submitted by CALLME on Thu, 10/08/2009 - 3:35pm.

Mr. Woods, and Silverpanther, your absolutely correct in what you say about our County and how it operates. Wouldn't it be something if the people of Jasper county would join together, when I say people that's just a vague description, what I truely mean is "concerned citizens" of Jasper County, come together as an organized group and sit in at a council meeting and request, formally as you address the persons who are authorized to prepare such reports to break down the information that would allow the concerned citizens to view and to question what the members of the council and the sheriffs departments and the local government offices do with the funds that they ask for to operate on? What about the confiscated goods from busts that would normally be auctioned for monies?
While the council is having they're regular meeting and the viewers who are watching on television, those who are able can hear the dollar per dollar spent by our fair elected officials as they explain and open the floor to the concerned citizens? Where the average citizen has to cut back by losing jobs while having they're utility bills and taxes increased because of these monies that are asked for by our local elected officials to operate, why is it that the little people who are the ones who pay the salaries of the big people can't ask more questions and demand more answers? These reports, that's your challenge to anyone, to request and display, can't someone request for them to be read and displayed at a council meeting or published in the newspaper? I'm only asking questions because I am a concerned citizen. I have paid taxes for many years, in business and my residence. I tried to fit in and get involved. There seems to be a wall that is put up to keep some of us out, to avoid making a change because there are those who are extremely comfortable in they're positions and don't want to see anyone rock them out of they're comfort zone as the rest of us try to stabilize ourselves in this unbalanced enviornment. At times I pray for a miracle to happen. A volcanic eruption of fairness to rein down on Jasper County. Until then I guess things will just remain "business as usual" in our small quaint towns of Jasper.
Mr. Woods, I enjoy your writings here. And I look forward to reading more of your opinions. Thanks for showing that there are some out there who really pay attention and really care. Its a shame that more of those who were put in the positions by us to make a difference don't share the same concerns. God Bless

REALITY OF COUNTY COUNCIL

Submitted by donrock852 on Fri, 10/09/2009 - 11:24pm.

DON WOODS

    CALLME has some ideas. An organized group is a good idea and should have been done a long time ago. Going to Council meetings means nothing.  The best idea is to organize,request public information, inspect and put the results in the SUN. Council is not set up for the public. They don't mind opinions. Those go away. When citizens were concerned about burglaries and the front door of the Administration Building-people vented their frustration and then grew quiet. They know that things will blow over. You have to formerly request the information you want and print the results because those results are facts and they don't like facts.

    Nobody knows for sure what happens to all the merchandise that you and fellow citizens paid for. It has either been lost,thrown away,disappeared in thin air or stolen. You will not see one Councilmember open that can of worms. Again,nothing can be requested and read at Council meetings. They are there to nod their head,get the check and benefits and adjourn for the night. Remember,Council would never entertain the idea of a countywide inventory system but they gave a "lobbyist" part of $30,000 and for what-NOTHING. Just free money going in a friend of a friend of a friends pocket. If you think any Councilmember is there to shed the light on the hidden government-YOU ARE WRONG. You have to get the information yourself and have it printed. They know you will not do that.

    LILLADY wants to know why the newspaper does nto print these facts. You have to remember that our SUN is a small paper and they don't have the staff or probably the desire to do any investigative reporting. A lot of people just like the ball scores.

    It will take a group of concerned citizens. County employees get free food money when they go on the road. Probably about $75.00 a day now. I caught one individual that had steak and lobster for dinner and their food bill was more than $75.00 a day. When I asked,the County said,oh they have to pay the difference. So I asked,show me the receipt where they paid the difference. As they replied,oh,we don't have it. If you want to see waste,fraud and in some cases-theft ,organize a group and get involved. God Bless.  Don Woods

WHY

Submitted by lillady on Thu, 10/08/2009 - 6:55pm.

  Why can't the newspaper publish these expenses and information to keep the community informed of what is going on?  Sometimes, you have to spoon-feed people.  They might be interested but don't want to take time to look up the facts!  I have watched the state waste money.  Example, good computers that less fortunate people could use.  They couldn't donate them or sell them due to title 1 funds.  They sit in a room wasting away.  I know there are many other things also get wasted.  You are so right about the attitude and interest level of the people.  It is like a generational curse on this county. 

publish this; organize that,

Submitted by applicant on Sat, 10/10/2009 - 11:31pm.

publish this; organize that, document whatever, and so on; but the voters of Jasper County will elect the same phony incompetent people come election time yet again; you can bet on that!

APPLICANT MAY OR MAY NOT BE RIGHT

Submitted by donrock852 on Sun, 10/11/2009 - 9:45pm.

DON WOODS

    I have to disagree with APPLICANT. The reasons for publishing,organizing and documention is twofold. (1) To bring the truth forward and (2) make a concerted effort to back good people that are seeking office. People in office don't like the truth coming out. They don't mind if you talk among yourselves or one on one but they don't like to see their name in the office. A concerted effort by good people can win elections. All you have to do is look at the number of eligible people that can vote,unregistered voters and the number of drones that elect whoever their reverend tells them to vote for and of course absentee ballots on demand. Has such an effort ever been made-no. The good people of Jasper County can take the attitude-lead me to the concenetration camp-nothing can be done or they can take the attitude that-I don't want my children and grandchildren to grow up in a rotten County. The cycle of non-involvement can be broken. The cycle of hiding behind fictional names must be broken. Good people have to be pushed and supported to run for office. Until the people grow a backbone and stand up against those that use and abuse them-nothing will change. Simply saying things will be the same-will never lead to change and I will bet on that. Don Woods. God Bless.