Getting It Right - The Libertarian Belief 04/17/08

"Absolute Minimum of Government in Our Lives and Our Pocketbooks"

This column presents a non-partisan, conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:

"After much study and consideration, I have decided that I am a Libertarian rather than being a traditional Republican or a Democrat."

Libertarians believe in staunchly defending our basic liberties and rights. They believe that government should provide only the most essential of services, and that government has no place in decisions involving our personal lives. Government size and control should be held to an absolute minimum.

Now, I realize that some government is necessary in order to provide protection to the citizens from lawless villains, and provision of common public services such as roads, electricity, and in cities water and sewage is a requirement. However, in today’s society in the United States our governments are assuming that they are needed to fill every need for every citizen and in conjunction with providing this broad range of services they have the right to make every decision for you. There is no longer any personal responsibility for anything that happens. And, oh yes, the government believes it has the right to tax and take almost all you earn and spend it for you in your best interest. Government is our "Big Brother" in today’s society.

I believe there are millions of citizens across the nation that are disillusioned with the Republican and the Democratic parties, since both have helped create our big government, over regulated, over taxed, wasteful system of government. They would welcome a fresh, new party with conservative motives, but the existing legislators have created a system that makes it almost impossible for a third party to form and place candidates on all ballots in all states. It will take a tremendous, emotional groundswell of resentment to ever allow a third party to form and overcome these intentional barriers.

The front page contains a story about a local author, Richard Folsom, who has written a book expounding his personal philosophies, in some cases expressing these beliefs through poems. I want to quote one of the poems from his book "Was I a Poet, and Didn’t Know It?". This poem expresses some of the Libertarian philosophy in very direct terms.

"A Redneck Anthem"
by Richard Folsom
Don’t count on me to cooperate
With everything you legislate
Don’t assume my path will deviate
At every whim of some magistrate
Whose main objective is to regulate
My ability to communicate
With the energies that dominate
My consciousness in the waking state
I would rather have you concentrate
On first the issues of good and hate
And find a way to appropriate
The means to start to educate
All those who bother and aggravate
The important conditions that seal our fate
Don’t act as if there is time to wait
Change is coming at a ferocious rate
It may already be too late
We have already begun to deteriorate
Our status quo is not that great
It is time to cultivate
Brotherly love and alleviate
The pressures that we accumulate
By the way, we continue to operate while we still continue to mutilate
Until we finally annihilate
This planet that we populate
And there is no place to emigrate
If our whole world does disintegrate
But what if we could just fabricate
A really good way to negotiate
So that everyone could participate
And maybe that would eliminate
Some jerk from wanting to administrate
And we could all help to officiate
Without the need for a thirty-eight

RUDIMENTS: ODDS AND ENDS WORTH MENTIONING
♦ I want to congratulate all organizations and individuals who helped create the "Paint and Pork" spring festival that was such a success this weekend. It has become a meaningful and significant event for our area.
What we need to do now is concentrate on forming a similar fall festival event of equal significance. I would suggest that it be built around a downtown, on site reenactment of the Battle of Marianna, to be held at the closest weekend to the date of the battle in September. This could be done in conjunction with an arts and crafts exhibition, a jazz festival, and a chili cook-off.
♦ The County Commissioners have dropped all consideration of any expenditures on a new county administration building until next year, due to fears of future revenue reductions. Although I understand this approach, I still feel that they should investigate the advisability of purchasing and using the old Wall Mart Building while it is available. To delay and lose the opportunity to buy the building may be a "penny wise and a dollar foolish".
♦ On the national scene, the FAA demonstrated some bureaucratic foolishness as they unnecessarily tortured the hundreds of thousands of travelers and financially crippled American Air Lines. They forced immediate shut down in order to bundle some wiring in the wheel wells of their aircraft. Then, after the airline had complied they stated that they had used the wrong kind of plastic ties to hold the bundles of wires and then forced the job to be redone. They were flexing their bureaucratic muscles to show congress their power over the air lines, but instead demonstrated their bureaucratic lunacy.
♦ The Marianna City Commission has scheduled a public workshop to discuss the existing city sign ordinance on May 7. I encourage every car dealer, real estate agent, restaurant owner, and business operator to attend and help correct a bad ordinance. If you do not take time to attend, then you will have no right to complain about the restrictions in the future. This is an opportunity…use it.
♦ I also applaud the Marianna City Commission for working to accomplish the purchase of the Old National Bank Building at Confederate Park in downtown Marianna. A well conceived museum would be a great new downtown visitor attraction.
Get involved, speak your mind, and work for the betterment of our area, state, and nation…..and you will be "Getting It Right".

Getting It Right - Work Vs. Prison – Prison May Not Be So Bad

Suprisingly, for some people life in prison may be a better life.

I recently received one of those anonymously written essays on the internet that demonstrated some of the fallacies of our lifestyle in these modern days of the early 2000’s. I decided to use it as part of this week’s column.

Work Vs. Prison
Working Conditions
♦ In Prison you spend most of the day in a 10 X 10 cell.
♦ At Work you spend most of the day in a 8 X 8 cubicle.
Food
♦ In Prison you get three meals fully paid for by the government.
♦ At Work you get a break for one meal and you have to pay for it.
Rewards
♦ In Prison you get time off for good behavior.
♦ At Work you get more work for good behavior.
Protection
♦ In Prison the guard locks and unlocks all the doors for you.
♦ At Work you must often carry a security card and open all the doors yourself.
Television
♦ In Prison you can watch TV and play games.
♦ At Work you could get fired for watching TV and playing games.
Bathroom
♦ In Prison you get your own toilet.
♦ At Work you must share a bathroom with others, some of whom often do not raise the seat.
Visitors
♦ In Prison they allow your family and friends to visit.
♦ At Work you aren’t supposed to even make personal calls.
Transportation
♦ In Prison all expenses are paid by the taxpayers with no work required on your part.
♦ At Work you pay all of your travel costs to come to work, and they deduct taxes from your check to pay for the cost of prisons
Bars
♦ In Prison you spend most of your life inside bars wanting to get out.
♦ At Work you spend most of your time wanting to get out to go inside bars.
Supervision
♦ In Prison they are called Wardens.
♦ At Work they are called Managers.
Religion
♦ In Prison you can talk about God, and even participate in Bible Studies.
♦ At Work you had better not mention religion or bring a Bible to work if you want to keep your job.

There is something seriously wrong with this situation

This type of thinking and the unfairness of the situation in many instances was first brought home to me when I took a tour of Marianna’s Federal Prison just prior to its opening. We first toured the fine library where inmates could study and even use law books to work on their appeals, then the racquetball courts, the gymnasium, weight lifting area, music room, and cafeteria.

In the cafeteria I asked our tour guide what the meals consisted of and he said that one day a week they have fried chicken, then fish, pasta, beef, vegetables, and other delicious sounding food. We toured their quarters where in a central building with a TV and lounge area in the center of small, neat, surrounding rooms each with a locker and single bed. It was better than my college dorm.

Finally we went to the dental care area. This is where I almost lost control of my emotions. The Dentist proudly displayed his gleaming, new equipment and bragged that while incarcerated the inmates received the finest possible, state of the art, dental care. I immediately thought of all of those hard working young wives I had seen through the years toiling in factories, trying to help her family survive in this difficult world. I remembered several occasions where a beautiful girl’s face was marred when she smiled because she had an ugly, dark hole in one of her teeth. She could not afford to go to the dentist, yet her check was being taxed to provide funds so that these prisoners could get state of the art dental care!!! FAIR?

Just to make you feel relevant to all of this, did you know that I have been told that FCI has numerous cable connections in the complex with HBO and Showtime? That they receive specially installed Spanish cable stations? How many citizens of our county can not afford HBO and Showtime? It is nothing but the best for our poor, mistreated prisoners.

These are examples of liberal, misguided, wasteful bureaucratic and political leadership.

RUDIMENTS – ODDS AND ENDS WORTH MENTIONING:
♦ I saw a feature this morning on TV concerning an audit that was performed on use of Federal credit cards. They found where millions of dollars had been illegally spent through these cards. These instances included one woman who had kept a boyfriend living in a nearby condo for years, spending over $600,000, one who regularly took groups of friends to Ruth Crist Steak Houses for lavish dinners, purchase of expensive clothing and lingerie, unauthorized personal travel to exotic locations, and on and on. It all makes paying your taxes worthwhile, doesn’t it.

♦ I congratulate Hayes Baggett for becoming the new Marianna Police Chief. It was a well run, ethical campaign. Virgil Watson and Don Bland deserve our respect for the manner in which they conducted their campaigns.

♦ My son’s house in Dogwood Heights was robbed this week. (see story) I am thankful that my grandson did not walk in on the robber when he came home from school a couple of hours later. I am also thankful to the Sheriff’s Department for the good work they did in quickly catching the thief. Folks, there are more bad guys floating through our area than ever before. The days of not being alert and security conscious at all times is regretfully over for us….even here in this heaven we call Jackson County.

♦ Did you know that a mocking bird can change its tune 37 times in only five minutes? This is a feat that can only be matched by the most experienced of politicians.

I hope everyone that had an opportunity to vote this week, exercised that right. Remember, the really important votes are looming ahead in August and November. Voter, Prepare Thyself. Do this and you will be "Getting It Right!"

I recently received one of those anonymously written essays on the internet that demonstrated some of the fallacies of our lifestyle in these modern days of the early 2000’s. I decided to use it as part of this week’s column.

Work Vs. Prison
Working Conditions
♦ In Prison you spend most of the day in a 10 X 10 cell.
♦ At Work you spend most of the day in a 8 X 8 cubicle.
Food
♦ In Prison you get three meals fully paid for by the government.
♦ At Work you get a break for one meal and you have to pay for it.
Rewards
♦ In Prison you get time off for good behavior.
♦ At Work you get more work for good behavior.
Protection
♦ In Prison the guard locks and unlocks all the doors for you.
♦ At Work you must often carry a security card and open all the doors yourself.
Television
♦ In Prison you can watch TV and play games.
♦ At Work you could get fired for watching TV and playing games.
Bathroom
♦ In Prison you get your own toilet.
♦ At Work you must share a bathroom with others, some of whom often do not raise the seat.
Visitors
♦ In Prison they allow your family and friends to visit.
♦ At Work you aren’t supposed to even make personal calls.
Transportation
♦ In Prison all expenses are paid by the taxpayers with no work required on your part.
♦ At Work you pay all of your travel costs to come to work, and they deduct taxes from your check to pay for the cost of prisons
Bars
♦ In Prison you spend most of your life inside bars wanting to get out.
♦ At Work you spend most of your time wanting to get out to go inside bars.
Supervision
♦ In Prison they are called Wardens.
♦ At Work they are called Managers.
Religion
♦ In Prison you can talk about God, and even participate in Bible Studies.
♦ At Work you had better not mention religion or bring a Bible to work if you want to keep your job.

There is something seriously wrong with this situation

This type of thinking and the unfairness of the situation in many instances was first brought home to me when I took a tour of Marianna’s Federal Prison just prior to its opening. We first toured the fine library where inmates could study and even use law books to work on their appeals, then the racquetball courts, the gymnasium, weight lifting area, music room, and cafeteria.

In the cafeteria I asked our tour guide what the meals consisted of and he said that one day a week they have fried chicken, then fish, pasta, beef, vegetables, and other delicious sounding food. We toured their quarters where in a central building with a TV and lounge area in the center of small, neat, surrounding rooms each with a locker and single bed. It was better than my college dorm.

Finally we went to the dental care area. This is where I almost lost control of my emotions. The Dentist proudly displayed his gleaming, new equipment and bragged that while incarcerated the inmates received the finest possible, state of the art, dental care. I immediately thought of all of those hard working young wives I had seen through the years toiling in factories, trying to help her family survive in this difficult world. I remembered several occasions where a beautiful girl’s face was marred when she smiled because she had an ugly, dark hole in one of her teeth. She could not afford to go to the dentist, yet her check was being taxed to provide funds so that these prisoners could get state of the art dental care!!! FAIR?

Just to make you feel relevant to all of this, did you know that I have been told that FCI has numerous cable connections in the complex with HBO and Showtime? That they receive specially installed Spanish cable stations? How many citizens of our county can not afford HBO and Showtime? It is nothing but the best for our poor, mistreated prisoners.

These are examples of liberal, misguided, wasteful bureaucratic and political leadership.

RUDIMENTS – ODDS AND ENDS WORTH MENTIONING:
♦ I saw a feature this morning on TV concerning an audit that was performed on use of Federal credit cards. They found where millions of dollars had been illegally spent through these cards. These instances included one woman who had kept a boyfriend living in a nearby condo for years, spending over $600,000, one who regularly took groups of friends to Ruth Crist Steak Houses for lavish dinners, purchase of expensive clothing and lingerie, unauthorized personal travel to exotic locations, and on and on. It all makes paying your taxes worthwhile, doesn’t it.

♦ I congratulate Hayes Baggett for becoming the new Marianna Police Chief. It was a well run, ethical campaign. Virgil Watson and Don Bland deserve our respect for the manner in which they conducted their campaigns.

♦ My son’s house in Dogwood Heights was robbed this week. (see story) I am thankful that my grandson did not walk in on the robber when he came home from school a couple of hours later. I am also thankful to the Sheriff’s Department for the good work they did in quickly catching the thief. Folks, there are more bad guys floating through our area than ever before. The days of not being alert and security conscious at all times is regretfully over for us….even here in this heaven we call Jackson County.

♦ Did you know that a mocking bird can change its tune 37 times in only five minutes? This is a feat that can only be matched by the most experienced of politicians.

I hope everyone that had an opportunity to vote this week, exercised that right. Remember, the really important votes are looming ahead in August and November. Voter, Prepare Thyself. Do this and you will be "Getting It Right!"

Getting It Right- Why Does The "Servant" Earn More Than The "Boss"

February 7, 2008

By: Sid Riley

This column presents a non-partisan, conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items which are impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and that it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
"Just Who Is The Server and Who Is The Servee In Our System of Government?"
We often hear our beloved politicians and assorted varieties of "crats" brag about how many years of devoted "public service" they have given in their careers. Their statements once impressed me and built an emotion of gratitude for what they were doing.
Those feelings have long since evaporated as I aged and came to realize what was really going on.
This past Friday the usually liberal sided USA Today newspaper had a front page feature titled "Public Jobs See Pay Gains" written by their staff writer Dennis Cauchon. I found this article to contain some revealing information worthy of presentation in this column.
Their article described how state and local government workers nation wide are enjoying tremendous gains in compensation and benefits, while the private sector struggles and lags far behind. They stated that the bureaucrats now earn an average of $39.50 per hour of combined wages and lucrative benefits, as compared to only $26.09 for workers in the public sector. They stated that benefits are the biggest portion of the growing differential.
Companies have been forced to ask their workers to trim pension benefits and to pay an increased share of medical benefits cost due to increased international competition, government regulation, and taxation. No reductions ever occur for government workers. The 2.7 million federal workers are not included in the data. The unfairness of the overall situation would be shown to be even more significant had the data included the federal "fat crats".
In my opinion, the same unfair situation exists here in Jackson County. The figures might be somewhat different, but the condition presented is essentially the same. Our State and Local Government workers total compensation would be significantly higher than that of our local workers, and the gap is growing.
Folks, that’s just not the way it was intended to be. They have enacted laws, regulations, and rules that protect their interest at the expense of the public. They have access to our pocket books and continue to dig deeper and deeper as they expand their numbers, activities, and influence on our lives……It is wrong!
In this case the "servant" has become the "overlord", living high and well while the public is exploited. It has evolved into a situation not unlike that of the poor, exploited sharecropper who does all the work and then sees the rewards go to someone else. We are expected to just pay our assortment of taxes, hundreds of assorted fees, licenses, fines, penalties, and surcharges and keep our mouths shut.
Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worthy of Mention-
♦ The front page story about the eighteen month struggle by James Grant trying to get bureaucratic approval to build on four lots he owns is revealing. What is truly ironic is that he was one of the initial building inspector "code-a-crats" and is today struggling because he has been forced to relinquish his property rights to the whims of the bureaucracy. I would imagine he feels he initially sponsored a program which was intended to provide protection to the public from unscrupulous builders, a program has since turned into a bureaucratic monster.
♦ It would appear the maze of "codalistic" terminology which contradicts and counter-contradicts itself has allowed the "crats" in charge to engage in individual interpretations and self directed actions in some instances. Our building codes and comprehensive plans and Florida statutes are overlapping and combining to create a situation similar to the tax code used by our most benevolent IRS.
♦ Many citizens are getting involved with the issue of our Commissioners spending $18 million tax dollars on a new county administrative building while suitable and much less expensive space is available. I agree that some action should be taken to accomplish the needed consolidation of the various functions in order to improve efficiency, eliminate lease costs, and to improve accessibility and service to the public as they pay their fees, taxes, and purchase the many licenses and other requirements placed on them by county government. For the commissioners to do nothing and merely hide their heads in the sand would also be a demonstration of poor judgment and lack of ability to make decisions. It would appear to me that they should get serious about the vacant facilities at hand, such as the Wal-Mart/Sallie Mae building.
♦ At the chamber’s First Friday breakfast Rep. Coley and Rep Brown eased the concerns of our local bureaucracy by stating the net reduction in Jackson County’s funding levels because of Amendment One would be very slight. Government just refuses to consider tightening its belt and cleaning up its waste the way industry does when recessions and slow downs occur. Please reread the portion of this article on the growth in wages for the bureaucracy and then consider the bureaucratic approach to tough economic times.
♦ Well, we are moving closer and closer to electing a new president. The choices we make will have potential for moving our nation deeper into socialism if we do not evaluate the candidates very closely. Vote wisely this year, it is critical. Do this, stay involved in local issues…..and you will be "Getting It Right!"

Getting It Right- Katrina The Real Disaster

January 31, 2008

By: Sid Riley

This column presents a non-partisan, conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
Katrina will undoubtedly be the costliest hurricane the U.S. will ever experience….but not because of the damages from winds and flooding.
The real cost of Katrina will be the social impact created by the fiasco which occurred in New Orleans. The net result of the unfortunate experience will be another giant step for the U. S. as it moves towards socialism.
Prior to Katrina the responsibility of government, in times of national disasters, was to provide early warnings to the public, to create orderly evacuations as people were moved out of harms way and into safe havens, and after the event had transpired to provide easy and inexpensive funding of loans to help people rebuild and restore their lives.
With Katrina, that concept dramatically changed.
It doesn’t matter that the City Government in New Orleans allowed tens of thousands of people to remain in the eye of the storm, it doesn’t matter that the Mayor allowed hundreds of buses that could have been used for emergency evacuations to sit unused to eventually be covered by flood water, it doesn’t matter that the city had ignored for years the repeated warnings stating the protective dikes and flood walls were inadequate for a city with a major portion of the land below sea level, it doesn’t matter that the Mayor ignored offers from the rail companies to provide rail evacuation, it doesn’t matter that the conflicting ego’s of the bureaucracies allowed the Governor to prohibit the officials from FEMA from reacting for almost twenty four hours……all of this bureaucratic incompetence doesn’t matter (as attested by the subsequent reelection of the Mayor).
Instead, the storm became a social- political issue. And as usual, our politicians responded to the pressure by shoveling tons of public money into the pit Katrina dug. By the example they have established in the Katrina disaster, the Federal Government (Big, Big Brother) is now responsible for all future storms including taking all of those people who are impacted and providing housing, food, and income for years and years after the event. If they wish, they become eligible to become permanent social "wards" of the state.
The individuals themselves have no personal responsibility in the matter. The blame for the storm and the cost of total correction now lies with Big Brother Government. And thus, another giant step for Socialism has been made, along with a giant leap for the potential demise of our nation. And this has all occurred because the politicians feared losing some votes.
From Katrina forward, each President will be judged on how much and how quickly federal money can be dished out to the poor victims for all future national disasters. We might all hope another storm comes along and hits our homes, so we can quit working, quit paying bills, and can become eligible to get free housing, food and a big juicy check from our protective government every month. It is like suddenly becoming eligible for disability. Katrina will continue to cost our nation billions as bad events occur in the coming decades. Unquestionably, Katrina is the most expensive hurricane we will ever experience.
RUDAMENTS: Odds and Ends Worthy of Mention –
♦ Bogus Information: We are constantly being presented government produced data about unemployment and new jobs creation. These are designed to sooth any concerns we may have about the good job our various governments are doing on our behalf. For instance they tout that the Jackson County unemployment rate is very low, around 4.7%. The problem is they do not really include the total unemployed people in those computations.
For example, I personally know several former employees of Russell that were laid off, drew their unemployment until it ran out, and then stayed at home and hoped for another job to come along. They are still unemployed, but the statistics do not include them as part of the unemployed labor force. They fell through the system. This is true of the hundreds of textile and other factories that closed across our nation as we lost our industrial base.
The same is true for the new jobs created statistics. To really show the picture on new jobs, they need to show how many of those jobs are government created jobs as the various governments at all levels continue their exponential growth. How many are good, private sector jobs vs. how many are tax sucking government jobs? Also, the scale should demonstrate the quality of the job. How many good, high paying industrial jobs were lost and replaced by some low paying service job? They say numbers don’t lie….however they sure can misrepresent the truth.
♦ Folks, if we do not get the Commissioners to take action on the Wal-Mart building and make some binding offer (perhaps $2,000,000), the building will be sold and we will be faced with the cost of building an expensive structure in a bad location. Talk to your commissioner and have your friends and neighbors do the same. Do this and you will be "Getting It right"!

Getting It Right- Sometimes Bad Things Create Good Results

January 24, 2008

By: Sid Riley

This column presents a non-partisan, conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items that are impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope that you will read the column regularly and that it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
The old phrase "No Pain - No Gain" Also Applies to Government Operations
In the U. S. economy, the recurring cycles of recessions and "good" times unquestionably have a beneficial, though painful, side effect on the structure of the thousands of businesses that comprise our economic system. When business is booming and factories and business organizations are working diligently to meet the demands for their goods or services, they often choose the easiest and quickest solution to situations in order to maximize their position in the market place. This is often not the most efficient, cost effective solution…but it gets the problems solved.
Then when periods of business "slow downs" occur, these areas of extra cost and waste become more apparent to company management. They now find that they have time to deal with these known problem areas. During these times astute managers begin to look inside of the corporate structure for ways to reduce costs and trim unneeded services, organizational elements, procedures, and staffing. The company trims itself down to only essential, productive elements and becomes much leaner, cleaner, and more efficient. It is the only way they have to assure surviving the recessionary period. When good times finally return, the company emerges as an efficient element of its respective industry, ready to again enjoy maximum profitability and growth.
This positive aspect of economic downturns on organizational structure unfortunately does not occur in Government. When the Federal, State, or Local governments begin to feel a threat to their flow of funding from the public, the usual reaction is to not reduce or eliminate waste and unnecessary services and costs. Instead of doing what should be done, they cleverly cut in some area that will generate the most media attention and public reaction. They do things such as close national parks, eliminate youth programs, or quit buying blackboard chalk for use in class rooms.
The taxpayers of Florida are currently suffering under a heavy burden of costs created by huge government overheads, heavy taxation, and government allowing out of control costs for insurance and utilities. Additionally it appears over regulation of the market by Alan Greenspan (before he skipped town) and the Federal Reserve has killed the housing market, threatened banking institutions, and perhaps has thrust our nation into a recession.
As these things occur, I want you to watch the reaction of government at all levels.
The words "Cut, Reduction, Elimination, Lay Off, Trim, and Unnecessary" are not in the bureaucratic or political vocabulary. Instead of attempting to minimize the cost of government for the common good during these times of economic difficulty, they become defensive and strive to "hold on" to what they have. They will retain this posture as the public suffers through loss of usable income, foreclosures, bankruptcies and reduced standards of living.
The Property Tax Amendment has them scared to death at the moment. They are all bemoaning the fact that critical services will have to be cut if the inflow of tax money is cut to projected levels. They never mention the "unnecessary, unneeded" services that could be cut. They are trying to play the usual "close the parks and don’t buy blackboard chalk" routine as they sense a threat to their "wellspring" of tax monies.
During the years from 2000 to 2006 the state and local governments suddenly found their inflow of money surging upward as sale after sale of property yielded higher and higher assessments. Since all tax money must be spent and never given back to the public, the bureaucracies quickly devised new services, hired new employees, and increased salaries and benefits for everyone in order to get rid of this new money. The size and scope of government spread outward.
Then, when the housing bubble burst, and the revenue levels suddenly became endangered, they began to scream and yell about cutting vital services. BULL MALARKEY! Everything they do is not essential.
It is not essential that they all get a 3-4% raise every year. It is not essential that they get a big end of year bonus. It is not essential that they have eleven holidays each year. Every county employee does not have to get a county car to drive. And most importantly, they do not need to waste money on building a new building when other suitable buildings exist in the community.
In my opinion, it would ultimately be beneficial to our community if our county, city, and even Chipola’s budgets were cut and the bureaucratic management within was forced to perform real management actions like managers in industry are often forced to perform.
I have studied the proposed property tax amendment in detail, and I plan to vote in favor of it. I do not feel that it eases the excess property tax burden enough….but it is a start in the right direction.
RUDAMENTS: ODDS AND ENDS WORTHY OF MENTION
♦ I heard that when those fifty four cars collided into each other on I-4 in central Florida due to an ill-advised controlled burn and unusual atmospheric conditions creating a blinding cover over the busy interstate, the Florida Highway Patrol reacted quickly to the situation. They showed up en masse at the scene and helped the unfortunate drivers at the scene by giving most of them a hefty citation for unsafe driving. Good solution FHP!
♦ A recent editorial in another paper promoted the hiring of a Tourism Director using the TDC regulated bed tax funds. Just what we need, another bureaucrat to spend that pool of tax money that the TDC has been using to do other things such as support local tourist attracting events, festivals, and even helping build the new stage at Citizens Park. When the bed tax was first passed (against my best efforts), I told my wife, Judy, that before it was over, most of the money would be spent creating more bureaucratic jobs. That is just what the chamber and some supporters are trying to do.
♦ I understand the city is purchasing one of those portable traffic signals that flash your speed at you as you approach. Isn’t this distracting to drivers and in direct violation of Marianna’s strict sign ordinance?
♦ The city of Marianna has decided to demolish the remains of the Sykes building. They must feel that they have sat by long enough and let it deteriorate to a point where restoring it would not be practical. They are using that same management approach to the old high school facilities. I view demolishing the Sykes building as another example of bureaucratic failure to properly manage our tax monies. They should have obtained grants for it’s restoration and use as an Emergency Operations Center instead of building the 8.4 million dollar building they are currently constructing out of wasted tax dollars.
♦ Next week I will have some interesting facts about what other counties have done when they needed a new consolidated county administration facility. I can guarantee you that they did not rush to build a $15 million dollar structure in an already crowded area.
Well, I guess I have fired enough volleys for this issue. I hope you will vote wisely on the 29th. The big elections are yet to come. Participate and you will be "Getting It Right"!

Getting It Right- No Shortage Of Subjects... Just A Shortage Of $$$

January 17, 2008

By: Sid Riley

This column presents a non-partisan, conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items that are impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope that you will read the column regularly and that it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
There Is No Shortage Of Subjects Deserving Attention …Only a Shortage of How To Cope With Paying For It All !!
As we are continually bombarded with factors which reduce our ability to enjoy the money we work so hard to earn, I find no shortage in subjects for this column. However, I fear we all are experiencing an increasing difficulty in coping with the net effect of these increasing costs. The final result will most probably be a reduction in our standard of living.
This weekend I was watching a film on television which showed vivid scenes from the depression era of the 1930’s. It showed families struggling to survive while living in tent cities, and long lines of men sitting on street curbs waiting for a possible day’s work. I remember my mother and father telling of living in a tent with a dirt floor, in a friend’s back yard during those years.
Banks aggressively foreclosed on properties and took homes as the economy fell apart. It was the era of criminal heroes such as Bonnie and Clyde, Machine Gun Kelly, and John Dillinger. The public sided with these bandits as they robbed the evil banks that had taken all they owned.
Those circumstances occurred not too many years ago….and could return. We have been "brainwashed" into a sense of economic security, but there are no guarantees in life. Enough foolish decisions and poor leadership could lead this nation back into that pit of economic despair.
That danger is the reason we should all diligently resist those factors which cause companies to lose their profitability and individuals to lose their net disposable income.
This is why negative elements such as government waste, unnecessary spending, over regulation, over taxation, abuse by insurance companies, abuse from financial institutions, abuse from utilities, and many other areas of cost should not be tolerated by us. And in today’s world, the economic health of our citizens and subsequently our nation is severely impacted from international influences such as gasoline prices, out-sourcing of jobs, international balance of payments, foreign debt and ownership. All of these constitute potential dangers which could cause our wonderful world to suddenly collapse around us.
To remain passive and inattentive is foolish.
Now, with this preamble completed, I will address some of the issues of the moment which contribute to these growing dangers:
-A FOOLISH NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY
To allow a situation which endangers our national economic structure because of political fear of the environmental loonies in our society is dangerous and foolhardy. We need to build atomic energy plants, build new refineries, and drill anywhere we can find oil reserves. This should be done with a maximum of regard for protection of the environment…but it should be done at once! We can not remain at the mercy of the Sheiks and Sultans of the Mid-East!
- A FOOLISH INTERNATIONAL TRADE POLICY
To allow China and numerous other nations free, open access to our markets while they continue to engage in restrictive trade practices, poor human rights practices and provide economic assistance to those who would destroy the United States is foolish. We need to choose our friends more carefully and to remember that friendship is a two way relationship. We can not economically survive with an unimaginable negative balance of trade which erodes the value of the dollar on the international market.
- A FOOLISH MOVE INTO LIBERAL SOCIALISM
Our society is becoming more and more dependent on a liberal, amoral, and socialistic system of government. Individual responsibilities for actions and choices are being overtaken by attitudes that "big brother" government will take care of all of our needs. This moves us away from the free, capitalistic system that has made our nation so great. Socialism does not work. It leads to certain economic collapse as the unproductive "free loaders" become so numerous they overburden the system.
I feel our nation has entered an era of change that threatens us all. We must all be involved and diligent in our resolve to keep our nation strong and to only allow honest, astute leadership which is dedicated to our common good. Do this and you will be sure our nation is "Getting It Right".

Getting It Right- The State Has Turned A Demon Loose In Our Woods!

January 10, 2008

By: Sid Riley

This column presents a non-partisan, conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on factors that are impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
In A Frenzied Rush To Be "Politically Correct" and Get Pro-Environmental Votes On Their Records, Our State Legislators Ended Up Turning A Demon Loose In Our Woods!
Over the past fifteen or twenty years one of the "in" things for national and state politicians has been to brag about how they have voted positively on environmental legislation. Many of the steps they took to ensure that abusive, rampant disregard of our beautiful and bountiful planet was not allowed were needed and beneficial. But alas, as with most of the "band wagon" moves that the politicians rush to support, they allowed the pendulum of change to swing far past the range of reason….and into the zone of lunacy.
The name of the monster they created and then loosened to prey upon the public and unfortunate property owners of our state is the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). This agency was created in response to Federal mandates based on the logical need that existed for elimination of wanton abuses of our shared environment. The problem is that in the process they created a bureaucracy with unfettered, unregulated powers with little or no oversight. In the face of the unilateral decisions made by this bureaucratic beast, the property owner has little protection or recourse.
To many activists, the environmental movement became a sacred cult, and to say or do anything that might be considered resistance or disagreeable to the movement was treated as blasphemy. As the movement gained in power and size it spawned sub-movements with supporting legislation such as the North Florida Water Management District, the Endangered Species Act, and many, many others. Each of these then spawned a body of rules, codes, and edicts that eager "environo-crats" rushed out to aggressively enforce.
As a result of this zealous environmental overreaction, the hapless property owner suddenly awoke and discovered that he no longer had any vestige of remaining property rights. They were all taken away in the name of environmental protection!
It should be remembered that these are the same breed of all-knowing scholars that decided it would be a good idea to bring kudzu to the United States environment!
Working in a situation where these environmental lunatics have absolute power has led to costly, damaging, and unnecessary requirements that have unfortunately come to be regarded as "just the way it has to be" by a nonresistant local political establishment and general public. Examples of this conditioned "yielding" to their abusive, autocratic authority are not hard to find.
Perhaps the most apparent in our immediate environment is the beloved "mosquito breeding ponds" that I frequently lament over. The environmentalists refer to them as "water retention ponds". Due to rigorously enforced EPA codes, these ponds have become a requirement for virtually every new project in the state of Florida. These costly ponds have to be built, regardless of whether a reasonable need exists or not. And the wishes of the property owner has absolutely no influence on the decision, his rights are completely gone. If you were building a building in the center of a sand pit where no water could ever be retained….you would still have to build one of these ugly, land consuming, expensive, and potentially hazardous ponds.
I strongly believe that in a significant percentage of instances where property owners are forced to build one of these man-made swamps the pond has absolutely no impact on the quality of the water migrating to the ocean as it has for eons. The legislators have allowed this requirement to be thrust upon the property owners with no consideration of the potential health hazards the in-town ponds may have on public health from increased mosquito density, or what impact may be caused by these retaining ponds due to the reduced natural flow of water into streams and rivers. Resulting lower river levels may harm the habitats of the animals and plants that need that flow.
What logic promotes rules that cause beautiful oak trees to be cut down in order to create room on a property for an ugly retention pond? Blind bureaucratic logic is the answer.
This same unreasonable application of environmental muscle led to the stoppage of the construction of a $100 million dollar Telleco Dam that was 85% complete in Tennessee, the loss of thousands of lumber industry jobs in the Northwest due to the environmentalist killing the lumber industry in order to protect the Northern Spotted Owl, and severe restrictions on development on Marco Island and other beach areas in South Florida have been put into effect by the EPA in order to protect the poor little beach mouse.
If I was an owner of a piece of land that I thought I might want to develop some time in the future, I would build a one foot high chicken wire fence around it. The reason would be to keep all gofer terrapins OFF OF THE PROPERTY! If one of these land turtles is found on a piece of land you want to develop, the EPA will stop the project and subject you to a multitude of costly requirements in order to be sure the tortoise has a place to sleep.
Now I love nature and wild animals deeply, but I also realize that various creatures have been becoming endangered and extinct as evolution occurred over millions of years of natural development of our planet. It is a normal part of nature for weather, earth changes, and events to occur that cause certain species to cease to exist. The dinosaurs are perhaps the most vivid example. Man should not interfere in that process. Just try to tell that to some tree hugging environmental nutcase fanatic. He will tell you that it is all man’s fault.
These extremist feel that the rights of all property owners, wasted resources, economic concerns, national well being, and even public safety are secondary to the environmental considerations. That is why they have used their political power to create a world in which the very future of the United States is threatened ….in order to assure no chance exists of harming the environment. That is why no refineries have been built in the US for forty years, no nuclear plants have been built, and we are restricted from getting oil out of the Alaska wilderness or from known vast reserves off shore. All needed safeguards for the environment could be installed as these desperately needed steps are taken…..but no politician dares incur the wrath of the environmental cultist. We fiddle while our Rome burns!
RUDAMENTS: Odds and Ends Worthy of Mention -
♦ Please read the front page article in this paper concerning the proposed construction of a costly new building to house a centralized county government. If we do not immediately exert a maximum effort, the commissioners will follow the wishes of those with vested interest in the matter….and will unnecessarily spend millions of our tax dollars.
♦ We need to all study the pros and cons relating to the property tax initiative vote that we will be faced with in a few more days. I need to do more research before I voice an opinion on this matter.
♦ Another year has passed with no hurricane claims for the poor, suffering insurance companies. Meanwhile they continue to collect those premiums from us that they greedily multiplied two years ago. Why are our regulators allowing them to continue to charge these restrictive rates?
♦ Work continues at a hectic pace in Marianna on Water Street. (Kelson Avenue) I think of where the funding for that job is coming from every month when I pay my city Water and Sewer bill.
♦ The City of Marianna is preparing to tear down the remnants of the Sykes building. If our county and city politicians had been on the ball, that building could have been salvaged for use by the Emergency Operations Department instead of spending the $8.4 million they are spending unnecessarily on a new building. Bad vision and effort, fellows.
♦ It is 2008 now, within a few months the Public Service Commission will surely approve Florida Public Utilities requested 43% rate increase.
♦ Don’t forget…this is an election year. We can begin to move things in the right direction if we force our candidates to listen to us and to make some commitments to us before they are elected.
This is a year for us to quit merely griping about the many things we perceive as being wrong for us and for our nation, and instead to become active. Financially and personally support those candidates that will pledge to stop the wasteful spending and continual growth. Elect only those that promise to protect our rights and our pocketbooks in these trying times. Do this and you will be "Getting It Right"!

Getting It Right- Getting It Right's Predictions For 2008

January 3, 2008

By: Sid Riley

This column presents a non-partisan, conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items that are impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
This week’s column will offer some likely predictions related to local government activities for the coming year.
Prediction – In order to help county voters decide between all of the eleven candidates for the job as county sheriff, the Republican Committee and the Democratic Committee for Jackson County will sponsor a special competition between the candidates. The event will involve making a paint ball war field out of a two block section of Marianna near the court house. The candidate who wins the paint ball shoot out competition will be deemed the most qualified to be sheriff.
Prediction – West Nile Virus will strike in Jackson County, killing six horses and two young children. When in-town water retention ponds are blamed for mosquito population increases, the Florida EPA denies any responsibility.
Prediction – A new mandate from the Tallahassee legislature will require all counties to have three (3) bailiffs present in the court house per each judge on premises.
Prediction – The water retention pond known as "Lake Kindelspire" at the Kindel Amusement Center will finally reach completion at a cost of over $700,000.
Prediction – State and local governments will approve a new retirement program titled "Double Dipping With A Bigger Spoon". Under this new program employees will be allowed to retire at 130% of their existing salary, and then be rehired for another government job at 100% of that job’s pay rate.
Prediction – A local man will gain notoriety for being the first man to walk across Meritt’s Mill Pond. Feat was enabled by record hydrilla growth on lake’s surface.
Prediction – Near the end of the year, City of Marianna will announce the Kelson Avenue paving project has reached 50% completion.
Prediction – Chipola College will be awarded grants for four new buildings on campus. Administrators admit they have no present use for the buildings, but they feel that if they build, the students will come! When accused of accepting unneeded grant monies, the administration states "If we don’t take it, some other college will!"
Prediction - County Commissioners will approve paid holiday’s # 12 and #13 for county employees. The new holidays are "April Fools Day" and "Ground Hog Day".
Prediction – The County Bed Tax will be increased to 22.5 %. Funds are needed to hire a new Tourism Director. The average occupancy in local hotels falls to an average of 18%.
Prediction – A move will be initiated to incorporate the new county town of "Malloyville" at interchange of I-10 and Highway 71.
Prediction – The 2000th church will be formed in Jackson County. New church group is called "Church of What’s Happening Now".
Prediction – Florida Public Utilities will petition the Public Service Commission for right to demand six months paid deposit from all customers. The utility will also request another rate hike of 74%. They argue the funds are needed due to increased cost of copper wire and to provide more stock options for Directors and Executives.
Prediction – Gas prices will rise to over $4.00 per gallon, and milk costs will soar to over $6.00 per gallon. Meanwhile, environmental groups will continue to exert their influence over legislators to prohibit off shore drilling, Alaska drilling, construction of nuclear power plants, and construction of additional refineries. "The Public should learn to walk and ride bicycles", leaders proclaim.
Prediction – A "Liquor by the Drink" referendum will fail for Jackson County. Opposition group states they next plan to move to make drinking coffee and tea illegal in the county.
Prediction – The new Florida Homestead Exemption laws significantly reduce county revenues from property taxes. Administrators are busy reviewing over thirty new tax programs to make up for the revenue short fall. "We will not reduce any services or cut any county jobs", administrators avow.
Prediction – The Florida EPA will force a halt to the construction of the new $17 Million dollar County Administration Building. The work is stopped when it is discovered the endangered Purple Tipped, Cross Eyed Grub Worm inhabits the old jail site.
Anyway, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!! If you want a suggestion for a great New Year resolution….resolve to get involved during this election year. If you keep that promise, you will be "Getting It Right!!"

Getting It Right- Year 2007 Is Over... Let 2008 Begin!

December 27, 2007

By: Sid Riley

This column presents a non-partisan, conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items that are impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
"I would have to claim that 2007 has been a year mixed with blessings and tragedies, gains and losses, good and bad!"
Blessings:
♦ Continuing good health for all of my family.
♦ Seeing my children and grandchildren grow and develop.
♦ Enjoying life and friends in this wonderful land.
♦ Seeing our military effort in Iraq begin to succeed.
♦ Having the right to speak out on perceived wrongs.
♦ Loving my wife.

Tragedies:
♦ Seeing people I care for suffer the pain of grief from losing a loved one.
♦ Seeing costs dramatically escalate for gasoline, milk, electricity, and government.
♦ Seeing our great nation slip further into socialism and liberalism.
♦ Seeing our industrial strength fade and international status falter.
♦ The great divisions that exist within our society.
♦ Seeing more and more people relying on Big Brother Government for everything in their lives.
Now, let us look ahead towards the coming year of 2008. This year will be a year of opportunities. It is an election year. It will be a year in which we will be afforded the right to elect a new president of our struggling nation, as well as many local government representatives. It will be an opportunity to begin to change some of the negatives I complain about almost every week in this column.
This is the 75th column I have written for this newspaper. It is my prayer that through this dialogue I have made some of our local citizens more aware of what is happening in our local governments, state and national governments, our economy, and our society. It is also my hope that from this reading more people will vote for those candidates which promise to not follow the usual path of continual growth, increased spending, and increased burden on the taxpayers.
County Administration Building
One issue moving to the forefront during the first few months of 2008 is the planned construction of another government building to enable the county to consolidate all activities into a County Administration Building. I agree with moving out of the costly leased space and fragmented arrangement which now exists. However, I disagree with spending fifteen to twenty million tax dollars to accomplish this consolidation when there is existing space available which would cost a fraction of the planned amount for unnecessary new construction. To not choose the option that accomplishes the consolidation at the least cost to the taxpayer…..would be arrogant waste.
If our Commissioners and administrators do choose the most costly approach, they should be held to accountability by the voters. This will be a hot topic of discussion during the first months of 2008.
Choosing A New Sheriff
A dynasty is about to end as our High Sheriff, "Johnny Mac" steps down. I have personally interviewed almost all of the eleven candidates who have thus far announced their intent to run for the position. I consider the citizens of Jackson County to be very fortunate in this matter.
In my opinion we will be given the opportunity to choose between five or six candidates who are well qualified for the job. We are fortunate to have so many devoted and capable men at hand and wanting to do the job. The county can not lose in this situation.
Lake Kindelspire
Every time I drive by Kindel Lanes and look at the mess our county officials have forced this unfortunate property owner to create in front of their new attractions, at a cost of nearly a half million dollars, I am saddened. During the coming years this elaborate mosquito pond will stand as a tribute to the lunacy of overzealous environmentalism, inept legislation, and autocratic enforcement. I am just sorry it has happened here in our community.
Responding To Remark About Seat Belt Column
Because the Florida Legislature is about to consider increasing the severity of fines for forgetting to fasten seat belts, I wrote a column last week, voicing my opinion on the law.
In the "I Just Wanted To Say" feature of this paper (page A3) a comment was made that driving was a privilege and Big Brother was justified in forcing citizens to buckle up.
Well, I personally feel we already pay enough for this "privilege" in the form of the myriad of driving related taxes, fees, fines, and licenses we already pay to the government. I do not think I should also be forced to give up my freedom of choice about buckling up for this "privilege".
I can not understand Big Brother’s logic when he feels we should be severely fined for deciding not to "buckle in", while he allows thousands of school busses, each loaded with thirty to forty innocent children to drive the roads without one of the children being belted. Also what logic enables the bare headed motor cycle rider to pass by as the cop happily writes the auto driver a hefty fine for his exposed, unbelted condition. I still say the proposed legislation in Tallahassee only has to do with the added millions in fines they hope to reap in order to support the FDLE bureaucracy.
This issue will be decided during the early months of 2008.
Conclusion:
As we enter a new year in which we will all have the opportunity to cast our vote, I hope you will register and vote…..and vote wisely! Voter, Prepare Thyself! Do this and you will be "Getting It Right"!

Getting It Right- You Are About To Lose Another One Of Your Personal Rights!

December 20, 2007

By: Sid Riley

This column presents a non-partisan, conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items that are impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
State Legislature Is Planning A
"Nip & Tuck" on Another One of Your Personal Rights!
Bureaucrats from the FDLE are currently pressuring our State Legislators to pass legislation that would make forgetting to fasten your seat belt a "primary violation" instead of a "secondary violation". This would then allow the troopers to stop vehicles and execute heavy fines solely for this violation. They would also be able to pin another citation and big fine onto your chest as they load you into an ambulance at the scene of a wreck. This should help things a lot!
They say this law is needed to enhance public safety, I say it is needed to further enrich the millions of dollars they already reap from the public each year in the form of fines. Remember, "fine" and "citation" are just other ways to say "tax".
I certainly agree belting is a wise practice for us all. However, as I have stated in this column before, I strongly believe the duty of Government should be to inform. They should assure I am made aware of the potential dangers which exist if I do not "buckle up". However, the decision to strap in or to not strap in is one of my personal rights. I reserve the right to be stupid if I want to be stupid!
The increased danger for neglecting to use this safety device only impacts me and me alone. No other person is affected if I have a wreck and fly through the wind shield because I was not secured to my seat. Some proponents of this law argue that the resulting increased deaths and injuries impact others through increased insurance premiums. If this is the justification for legislation forcing us to wear the restraint, then the same logic must also hold true if we do not take our blood pressure medication or other prescribed medications as directed.
Failure to take our daily doses as prescribed undeniably increases our risk of dying from the malady the medication is preventing. In the case of blood pressure medicines, failure to take medication will increase the occasion of deaths or injuries from heart attacks and strokes. These increases in occurrences will also cause premiums to go up on insurance for others.
Thus, following the philosophy of continued intrusion into our lives and elimination of our personal rights as Big Brother grows, the next step must logically be the creation of a body of law forcing us to take our medicines as prescribed or be subject to heavy fines. These added revenues can then be used to create a new herd of bureaucratic enforcers who we could call the "Pill Police". They would have the authority to raid your bathroom at will and count your pills to assure for the benefit of the public "good" that you are not skipping your doses. Also, pharmacies would be forced to send instant notification to the authorities if a prescription for these medications is not filled on schedule. Failure to fill a prescription on time proves you have missed some doses, thus making you subject to instant citation and fines from the Florida State Pill Police Bureau.
Now, let’s get back to the seat belt law and their current push for the income such rigorous enforcement will offer to the bureaucracy. What logical person would enact such a harsh measure of penalty on you for failure to strap yourself into a vehicle while at the same time allowing other risk takers to ride exposed and vulnerable down that same highway at the same speeds on a motorcycle without wearing a helmet to at least protect their stupid head? Could it be because the cycling group has a vocal, active lobby group opposing Big Brother’s intrusion into their right of choice?
Again, let me make my position clear. I agree a person should always wear a seat belt while traveling in a car. I agree when anyone fails to properly protect any child traveling with them, they should be subject to penalty. However, I feel that the role of Big Brother should be to run advertising and public awareness programs to demonstrate the dangers of failing to use the belt. He has no right to make that final binding decision for me.
I apologize for bringing up this subject again after previously dealing with it in this column only a few months ago. However, I felt I had to sound the warning trumpet again since the Tallahassee "Crats" are about to snatch this right to make our own decision away from us. Ultimately it is all about money for the bureaucracy and their need for continued growth and intrusion into our lives. If you do not want to give away this personal right, you must get involved now. Please contact your Tallahassee legislators and let them know that you want to protect your right of choice in this matter. Feel free to clip out this column and send it to them if you feel it would help make your point to them. Speak out, and you will be "Getting It right"!
Individuals to contact would include:
Governor Charlie Crist
PL-05
Tallahassee, FL 32399

Rep Marti Coley
319 The Capitol
402 S. Monroe St.
Tallahassee, Fl 32399
Sen. Al Lawson
Senate Office Bldg.
Room 210
404 S. Monroe St.
Tallahassee, Fl 32399
Rep Don Brown
313 House Office Bldg
402 S. Monroe St.
Tallahassee, FL 32399


Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worthy Of Mention-
1. I extend a hearty congratulation to Steve Meadows, Lou Roberts, and all of the local law enforcement folks who participated in tracking every lead, working every clue, and diligently building a body of proof that finally led to an arrest in the gruesome Baker murders that occurred in our county.
2. At the county commission meeting on Tuesday the architects and builders presented preliminary plans for the new "castle" they are planning to build for themselves and other county functions. It appears the price tag for this 60,000 sq. ft. newly constructed building might be well over $15,000,000 before it is done. For a fraction of that cost they can obtain over 150,000 square feet for their needs by purchasing the old Wal-Mart facility in the Crossroads Shopping Center. They say they need to be near the Court House as justification for building the new facility instead of considering that approach. It appears to me that with the communication and video conferencing systems of today their argument is unsubstantiated. I would suggest the commissioners should consider the costs involved and reconsider this purchasing option. I will be writing more on this issue in the coming weeks.
3. The State has discontinued its use of our county jail for housing their inmates. As a result, the jail income will be reduced by almost a half million dollars per year. Guess who will end up providing these funds…….?
4. I was grocery shopping this week and saw that a gallon of milk has finally reached $4.00 per gallon!! How are families to survive?
And finally, to all of my readers……..

Getting It Right- I'm Glad I Live In The South

December 13, 2007

By: Sid Riley

This column presents a non-partisan, conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items that are impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope that you will read the column regularly and that it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
"I’m Thankful That I Live In the South. It May Be Called the "Bible Belt" by Some of the Yankees But I Had Rather Live Among "Bible Thumpers" Instead of "Liberal Loonies!"
I have often stated that after the Civil War the Yankees demonstrated how unaware they were when they went back home instead of "occupying" the southlands they had conquered. It was only during the past forty or fifty years they realized their error and began to leave the terrible North and move to our sunny South.
The first thing wrong with the North is---IT"S COLD UP THERE!
My poor, fragile body can endure heat much better than cold. Cold hurts, hot is uncomfortable. I had rather be occasionally a little uncomfortable than be in pain.
Another thing wrong in the North is the fact they have gone even further than we’re in the South have gone in allowing the Big Brother bureaucracy to take away almost all of their property rights, and have created an even larger bureaucratic burden by allowing it to swell to even greater proportions during the past forty years. The local taxes there are 50% higher than in most of the South. This may have been caused by their closer proximity to the magic kingdom of Washington DC, where bureaucracy reigns supreme and tax monies rain from the sky every day. We have Disneyland South…Washington is Disneyland North!
A third negative about living in the North is the percentage of "Liberal Loonies" that reside there. These LL’s are a segment of society that have lost contact with reality, and have become dedicated to social and /or environmental causes of such extreme doctrines that their ultimate effect would eventually be to destroy our nation. Most of these "LL’s " live and work in cloistered environments such as college campuses, hospitals, huge bureaucratic societies, or huge, isolated Northern cities such as New York City. It is in these abodes that liberal organizations such as the Civil Liberties Union and many others fester and swirl out their poisoned propaganda.
Another negative about the frozen North and its Yankees is that THEY USE THEIR HORNS! They will blow you away for the smallest of delay or hesitation. In the South it is considered a fighting level insult to have someone blast their horn at you. They are only to be used in extreme emergencies or for gentle "toots" as a greeting. I was once standing uncomfortably on a street corner in New York City when the light turned green and a poor vehicle in front of me had it’s motor die. Before the desperate driver could accomplish a restart, twenty five taxicabs brutally "honked" it to death! It was horrible to watch.
I had much rather try to reason with a gun totin’, tobacco spittin’, joke tellin’ Southern "good ole boy" redneck, than deal with a poison spewing, mindless, misdirected, speed talking Liberal Loonie.
I tend to divide those Yankees that move to our South into two groups, the "refugees" and the "converters". Of the two, I am much more tolerant of the enlightened refugees.
The enlightened refugee group are those unfortunate Yankees who came to realize they had created a horrible society up there and fled to the peaceful South to escape the lifestyle and conditions that existed in their North. A good slogan for this group would be "I wasn’t born in the South, but I got here as quick as I could!" This is the type of Yankee that tries to learn how to properly say "Y’aall".
I dislike most of the "converter" group. These are those Yankees that came to our South with a pocket full of Yankee money and who an arrogant attitude. They came down here feeling they could use their superior intellect to "instill change" and recreate the lifestyle of the North in some Southern area. In some parts of the Miami area, and a few other spots they have made significant inroads in this effort.
So, If you will help in the effort to keep the South as Southern as possible, you will be "Getting It Right’!
RUDAMENTS – Odds and Ends Worthy of Mention
- I especially enjoyed one part of this week’s County Commission meeting. The highlight for me was when what in my opinion was a rather nerdy, overbearing, and seemingly unreasonable "Code-a-crat" from the State EPA addressed the Commissioners. He proudly told them that the solutions to severe drainage problems that the county had installed several years ago at Compass Lake were in violation of EPA codes and the culverts and pipes must be taken up immediately or the county will be fined by the EPA.
I could feel temperatures rise as the Commissioners squirmed uneasily in their plush chairs. How dare some State Code guy come in and tell them they couldn’t fix the severe drainage problems in the manner they had decided upon!! I couldn’t help but compare the situation to the plight of many, many local property owners and business owners that had to deal with the same type of treatment from the local County and City "code-a-crats". The only difference is the Commissioners will solve the problem by merely spending a few hundred thousand dollars of our tax money to satisfy the situation, while the private citizens are forced to dig into their pockets.
- The Public Service Commission has gone back to Tallahassee. In a few months they will make the decision to allow Florida Public Utilities to raise their rates in Jackson County 43%. There is a slight chance if they receive enough public complaints they might reduce this ridiculous increase by some degree. Please contact them at :
Florida Public Service Commission
Office of Commission Clerk
2540 Shumard Oak Blvd
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0850
Refer in your comments to Docket # 070304-EI

Getting It Right- Learning From History's Lessons

December 6, 2007

By: Sid Riley

This column presents a non-partisan, conservative viewpoint concerning items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items that are impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and that it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
What Happened In Russia During the Fifty Years Of Communist Rule Should Show Us What NOT to Do in the USA.
A few days ago I heard an expert on Russian Economics give an explanation of the reasons why Russia is having such a hard time transitioning into a capitalistic, free enterprise system. The reasons for their economic difficulties can teach us a lesson if we are willing to learn.
For over fifty years, after the fall of the tsars, Russia was ruled by the Communist Party. It was a "one party" political system, where elections were held and only party members could vote….but only for party candidates. Thus, for fifty years the Communist Politicians and their associated Communist Party Bureaucrats controlled the government, the political system, the economic system, and all of the money. The first thing they did after they gained power was greatly reduce personal rights, attack family values and religion, remove all property rights, and create a system where the public was totally dependent on the government and it’s allied bureaucracy for everything.
The politicians and bureaucrats were free to enact laws, rules, and policies which were designed to enhance their power, influence, and personal wealth. Corruption was rampant. You had to a make bribery tribute to obtain a service from any bureaucrat. Due to the lack of any reason for attempting to succeed in business, eventually the public began to play the system, do a minimum of work, and get as much as they possibly could from the government (sound familiar?). Eventually, these practices and concepts caused the system to self destruct into national bankruptcy.
However, during this fifty years of domination, the families of the key politicians and bureaucrats amassed huge personal fortunes. Family cartels exercised total control over the various key businesses in Russia, such as oil, mining, heavy industry, shipping, etc. As a result, today these same powerful family cartels control a major portion of the national economic system.
These powerful economic monopolies created by a corrupt bureaucracy are today doing all they can to resist a free market, free enterprise, capitalistic system in Russia. They would rather return to a one party rule political system, or even to a dictatorship that is friendly to their interests. This was evident this week as the Russian elections expressed a movement away from a democratic, capitalistic system. The party of President Putin, The United Russia Party, repressed all of the small, new parties and took total control of the Russian government.
This is the result when a government with powerful politicians and bureaucrats becomes totally dominant over the citizens, provides every need including housing, jobs, health care, social insurance, child care, education, and entertainment. We DO NOT want this to happen in our fine nation.
You don’t have to look back too many years and compare it to what we have in our relationship with the government and it’s bureaucracy to see what direction we are heading! We may not call it Communism…but a rose if known by another name smells as sweet, and a social-economic system can smell as foul!

Here are some things that we absolutely should NOT want for the USA:
- A one party political system.
- Loss of our property rights.
- Reduction of family values and religious beliefs.
- Erosion of our personal rights.
- A growing bureaucracy with ever increasing powers.
- A system replete with corruption and waste.
I fear that if you compare where we have come as a society and as an economic system over the past fifty years, you will discover a disturbing trend towards several of the "don’t want" listed above.
It is only through diligent resistance to the continuing growth and intrusion of government and bureaucracy into our lives and the corresponding reduction of our rights and freedoms that we can prevent the USA from eventually repeating the social and economic disasters that occurred in Russia. Vote wisely and join the fight! Do these things and you will be GETTING IT RIGHT!!
RUDAMENTS: ODDS AND ENDS WORTHY OF NOTE-
State and Federal Grants - As a result of my arguments against taking the State grants and building a 1.5 million dollar unnecessary facility for our new Jackson County Emergency Operations function, I received a call from a well known bureaucrat that wanted to know why I felt all grants were bad and he used the usual argument "If we don’t take it someone else will".
I told him that I was not against all grants. I was only against those grants that were taken only because the money was there, especially if it was to be spent on something wasteful and unneeded. Many grants are beneficial, facilitating needed projects that fill social and civic needs and enhance the public condition.
However, I strongly related to him that I felt our commissioners and officials should have gone to Tallahassee and argued for the right to use about half the grant and restore the Sykes building (40,000 sq ft) instead of taking the grant and building another new building for $1.5 million and only 8,000 sq. ft.
FPU Electric Rate Hikes -I want to encourage everyone who is forced to buy electricity from our friendly monopoly, Florida Pubic Utilities, to attend the December 5 hearing on their proposed 43% electric rate increase they want to give their customers as a Christmas present. In my opinion, the effort probably won’t do any good since the Public Service Commission, which is the regulating agency conducting the public hearings, never does anything but listen respectfully and then go back to Tallahassee and give the utility whatever it wants. At least you will have an opportunity to vent your frustration and to see the villains who are doing this to you face to face.
If you did not get to go to the hearing, you can still write an opinion or complaint and send it to the Tallahassee address shown in our front page story on the hearing.

Getting It Right- Over Protected and Over Taxed

November 29, 2007

By: Sid Riley

This column presents a non-partisan, conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items that are impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope that you will read the column regularly and that it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
The primary focus of this week’s column is the new bureaucracy being created as the county creates an emergency response function, and the future costs we will have to bear because of it.
Before I begin, let me first state that through this dissertation I in no manner intend to be critical of the Emergency Operations Director, Rodney Andreason. I feel that he has approached his new role with energy, eagerness, and a sense of devotion to the job he has been given.
However, I do direct criticism at the manner in which our state politicians and bureaucracies have dealt with the state wide emergency response system they have forced upon counties, and to some extent I am critical of the manner in which our local officials, elected and unelected, have responded to state demands.
The rush to create a statewide bureaucracy dedicated to controlling emergency (primarily hurricane related) situations was born from the political and social disasters created in New Orleans by hurricane Katrina. The lack of performance by the City, Local, State, and Federal bureaucracies in dealing with that situation struck fear in the heart of every politician and bureaucrat in the nation. Thus was born the concept of a state wide emergency response system, and the new bureaucracy that bears its name.
A state wide, coordinated approach with well trained directors for dealing with wide area emergencies and evacuations is a good idea. Also, increasing the awareness of the public and increased training of those responders that would be involved in dealing with the problem is also a good idea. Even having a designated and well trained Emergency Response Director within each county bureaucracy is also reasonable.
What the state has done wrong is, as usual, they have failed to recognize the differences between the exposed, heavily populated counties of central and southern Florida from an inland, sparsely populated county like ours. In my opinion, implementing an organizational approach that fills the needs of South Florida will result in a costly "overkill" for Jackson County – and ultimately it will result in wasted additional tax dollars being sucked from our pockets.
In order to get the new organization in place, the State created a big pot of "grant" money (please do not forget that "grant" is another clever name for "tax") to pay for the initial set-up costs, including most of the costs associated with creating a facility for the new "cane-a-crats". This easy money was dangled before the local authorities to quickly quiet any resistance they might have to begin the new system.
In my opinion, if the need for assuring public safety during hurricane threats in our area had been approached from a frugal, well thought out approach, the state would have left enough flexibility in their demands for counties to properly match the areas need to the associated costs.
First , I do not feel that our situation justifies a separate, costly function housed in a new, shiny building, working as a new organizational element separate from the other parts of the county organization. As I understand the rules at this time, if a state of emergency is ever declared for Jackson County, the Emergency Operations Director would assume full control over all of the Sheriff’s deputies and organization, all municipal police departments, and all EMT functions. He in effect would become the "Dictator of Jackson County", and would have absolute control and authority of all county functions.
Now this concept may sound good in a Tallahassee bureaucratic presentation, but in my opinion it creates a potential situation ripe with conflict, confusion and resentment between county functions. I can not picture a strong sheriff stepping back and letting someone else come in, sit at his desk and begin to issue orders to his deputies.
For our county, I believe that the new director position should have been created within the existing organization for the County Sheriff. He should work immediately under the Sheriff, and would implement the additional measures, training, and planning that are justified to assure our citizens are properly directed during such an emergency. This approach would have filled our needs and would have held the associated costs to a minimum.
As to the need for building a new two million dollar building for this Director and his future staff to roost in while they wait for a storm to come, I feel is a total waste of tax money. First, as previously stated, I feel the function should have been integrated into the Sheriff’s department, but if it is set apart in a separate structure we certainly have enough empty building space available without building something additional with public money.
I feel a good option would have been to repair the damaged Sykes building at the Marianna Airpark. It appears that approximately 70% of this structure could be salvaged by constructing a new building wall on the west side, and repairing the remainder. This would result in a building that is much larger than the one being built, at a cost that I would estimate at half of the cost of the new, small building they are putting up, and would eliminate an existing eyesore and problem at the airpark.
But NO! The state dangled construction grant money in front of our planners and commissioners, and they quickly took the bait. They should have gone to Tallahassee with a presentation of what the Sykes building could offer and the reduced costs figure, and perhaps they could have found a State official willing to save some money.
"If we don’t get the grant money…someone else will!", or "We get it free. It is being paid for by the State through grants" was the response I got from our county leaders. They were insensitive to any other approach or attempting to make wiser use of tax funds…local or state.
So we are about to get a new, expensive building built to house our Emergency Operations Director and his staff. They will create their own world of requirements and paper shuffling exercises…but in reality most of what they will be doing is a waste of time. They will sit and wait and hope for a hurricane to come by, and be in a role similar to that of the Maytag repair man.
Now, I promise to not rave on this subject again ……..for several months.
RUDAMENTS: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning-
1. I congratulate our Commissioners and Chuck Hatcher, who is in charge of the recycling department for their decision to create a procedure for citizens of Jackson County to dispose of old appliances without waiting for the Waste Management crew to allow it on a twice a year basis. This convenience will help prevent a lot of back yard eyesores and illegal disposals in sink holes.
2. I encourage all customers of our friendly local utility, Florida Public Utilities, to voice their opposition to the outlandish 43% rate hike they are lobbying to push through their buddies at the Public Services Commission. Go to the meeting and express your outrage at this greedy utility taking an added $5,000,000 away from it’s customers next year.
3. The severe water shortage has caused me to raise another question about those beautiful, expensive "mosquito breeding ponds" (water retention) that the EPA has created and our code-a-crats gleefully enforce. The question is this – If we build ponds so that during a rain the water is "held" and allowed to percolate into the ground and enter the underground water system after being filtered in its downward migration, …..doesn’t this reduce the amount of surface run off water that would normally fill our streams and rivers and worsen the situation?
4. I want to express my congratulations to Louie Harris for his new role at Chipola, and to express my gratitude for the fine job he did while filling the role of City Manager for Marianna. At the rate Chipola is grabbing grant money and throwing up buildings, his involvement in grants and project management will undoubtedly save some money that would otherwise be wasted. Good Luck, Louie!
Well, that is enough for this week. Remember, election time is approaching. This is an opportunity for us to consolidate our voting power and to begin to get some people elected that will dedicate themselves to saving money instead of just playing the same ole spending games. Do this, and you will be "Getting It Right!!"

Getting It Right- Parents, Prepare Your Children For Tomorrow's Society

November 22, 2007

By: Sid Riley

This column presents a non-partisan, conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items that are impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope that you will read the column regularly and that it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
"Discourage any foolish ideas your children may have about being entrepreneurs, working for themselves, or starting new, job creating businesses. Instead, have your children prepare themselves for working for some form of government activity….that is the only occupation that assures their future."
It is time for us to face the reality of where this nation is going, what the future will hold, and what steps we can take to assure that our children and grandchildren are properly prepared to survive in the society of the future. Forget capitalism, entrepreneurship, free enterprise, freedom of choice, and the American Dream. Have the youth in your family focus on preparing for a government job of some type. Federal jobs are the most desirable, since they offer benefit packages that exceed those of other levels of government. Next most desirable would be some State job, then County, and finally Municipal. Never, never enter the private sector.
Listed below are some of the reasons that forming a new, job creating business or working in the private sector for one of these types of businesses is foolish and ill conceived.
♦ If you own a business and employ others you expose yourself to added tax liability. If there are conceived errors in any of the hundreds of tax deposits (withholding, social security, Medicare, sales tax, bed tax, unemployment tax, intangible taxes, property taxes, workman’s compensation, corporate income tax, and others), you expose yourself to perpetual harassment from the revenue bureaucracies and potential personal liability for their exorbitant charges, penalties, and interest. They will take your house, car, seize your bank accounts, and kidnap your youngest child to collect from you.
Why expose yourself to this terrifying situation when you could just perform some government function and safely draw a check each month?
♦ If you work for yourself you have very, very limited benefits. You do not get overtime pay for the 60-70 hours per week you will work, you have no health insurance, you have no unemployment compensation benefits if your business fails and you end up with no job, you have very few holidays and if you do take a holiday it is unpaid, you very seldom get to take a vacation and of course it is unpaid, and at the end of your career (if you are able to stay in business that long), you end up with no pension, no retirement benefits. The only check you will get upon retirement is your social security check. Because of this, the chances are good that you will be forced to continue to work in order to survive until you finally die.
Isn’t it smarter to get a government job where you can eventually get six or seven weeks of paid vacation, accumulate days of sick leave, have eleven or more paid holidays, be assured of a nice raise and bonus each year, have a great health benefit plan paid for with dental, vision, and other great features, have unemployment compensation if you should somehow need it, get paid for every hour you work or comp time if you want it, and when you retire after only twenty years, you can be rehired at full pay while you draw a pension check that is almost your original full salary? What a deal!!
♦ If you are in business for yourself you will have to continually closely monitor all expenditures to be sure that you are able to meet your obligations each week, especially the payroll and payroll taxes for your employees. You will have to be sure that the inflow of money from your sales is enough to cover your current expenses or your business will be forced into failure very quickly.
However, if you work in a government position, profit is not a consideration to worry about. You have an assured inflow of money every year, regardless of how good or bad the function is operated. You have almost no decisions to make since virtually every conceivable situation has been covered in your departmental operations manual. No thinking or wondering is ever necessary, If a mistake is made, is won’t be your responsibility.
♦ If you are in business for yourself you expose yourself to being sued and taken to court for violation of a multitude of potential reasons. You might be prosecuted for racial discrimination, sexual discrimination, disabilities violations, safety violations, environmental violations, sign violations, product performance violations, having a customer claim they spilt hot coffee in their lap and it was your fault, and a million other frivolous and foolish faults. You will find yourself continually harassed as a herd of bureaucratic inspectors come into your business site and check your water pipes, alarms, extinguishers, ice box, stove, beds, back flow inspection, soaps, bath rooms, payroll calculations, safety records, electrical appliances and connections, aisle markings, lighting, government notices bulletin boards, proper licenses display, and on and on. And each one of them will usually find some small violation in order to justify their existence, and then you will have forms, reports, possible fines and re-inspections to deal with. And you must never, never make one of them mad at you or it gets worse.
Isn’t it wiser to just have a government job, and enjoy the fact that governments exempt themselves from all of these requirements. I once read that the printing department at the capital in Washington was guilty of over fifty OSHA safety violations…..but was exempt from the requirements.
♦ If you are in business for yourself or work for some private sector business, there is no job security. Every type of business is subject to failure due to shifts in government policies on exports/imports, safety rules, environmental rules, market shifts, poor management, and bad luck. If the business that you are involved with fails, you usually end up with nothing. You can devote a lifetime to working somewhere and if it fails just as you reach your retirement age….you end up getting the shaft.
♦ Isn’t it wiser to work for government where job security and continuation is assured. Market shifts and bad management will not have any impact on the success and continuation of the business of government. And since governments make the rules….they will never enact a rule that causes them to lay off or fire an employee.
So parents, discourage your children from taking business management courses, industrial management, industrial engineering, carpentry, plumbing, auto repair, electrical courses, air conditioning, retail management, cosmetics, sales, human relations, transportation, or any other business related studies. Instead, have them focus on government administration, city planning, public administration, law, civil engineering, code enforcement, and any other course of study that might help them qualify for a juicy federal, state, county, or city government job.
Sadly, there is too much truth to the picture I have presented. Capitalism is on it’s way out in our American society. We are quickly evolving into a semi-communistic, socialistic Democracy.


RUDAMENTS – Odds and Ends Worthy Of Mention
♦ I was recently given this description of how our federal taxation system works. It is the best definition I have ever seen of the system:
Taxation Vs Drinking
Ten men met once a week after work for a few libations. Each time the bill came out to $100 for their drinks. Since their income levels were greatly varied they decided to pay the bar bill in the same manner they paid their taxes.
The first four paid nothing
The fifth paid $1
The sixth paid $3
The seventh paid $7
The eighth paid $12
The ninth paid $18
And the tenth (the richest) paid $59
All was well until one day the bar owner decided that since they were such good customers that he would cut their bar bill by $20.
Keeping the same system, the first four continued to drink free and were unaffected. However, if they split the $20 equally each of the remaining six would get $3.33 taken off their payment, but this would mean that the fifth and sixth men would actually be getting paid to drink their beer. So, it was suggested that each man’s bill would be reduced by the same amount. So,
The fifth man would begin to pay nothing (100% savings)
The sixth man now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings)
The seventh man now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% saving)
The eighth man now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% saving)
The ninth man now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% saving)
And the tenth man now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% saving)
Everyone was better off than before and the first four continued to drink free. But then they began to compare their savings. I only got a dollar out of the $20 declared the fifth man, It is unfair, he got 10 TIMES what I got! That’s true shouted the seventh man, why should he get $10 back when I only got $2! Wait a minute, shouted the first four in unison, we didn’t get anything! This system exploits us poor folks!
So, they surrounded the tenth man and beat him up.
The next time they met for drinks the tenth man didn’t show up. When it came time to pay the bill they found that between them they didn’t have enough money to pay the bar bill. They couldn’t even pay half of the bill!
And that journalists, bureaucrats and college professors is how the tax system works. The people who pay the most taxes should get the biggest dollar reduction in a tax decrease. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy and they just might not show up any more. They might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving Holiday and continue to "Get It Right"!