November 1, 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:
When 2037 rolls around in another thirty years, I will be long gone and forgotten, but hopefully by then some other disgruntled tax payer will have taken up the mantle of public awareness, and will be writing another column similar in nature and intent to this one. If the growth of governments and erosion of personal incomes and personal rights continues at the current pace, that writer will have plenty of ammunition for his/her articles.
If the existing lunacy continues unabated, this is what I see as the probable situation in 2037:
♦ Tallahassee has just approved the "Double Drop" program for retired state employees. Under this program, retired state employees who have been rehired after initial retirement under the "Drop" program while continuing to draw 80% of their original pay in retirement benefits, can now retire from the second "Drop Program" job after seven years at 75% of that second job’s pay rate and can then be rehired for a third job in state employment in a "Double Drop" position. This means that many local retired, rehired, reretired, and rerehired state executives will be earning over $450,000 per year in combined payments from the State.
♦ The Jackson County Commission has approved April Fools Day, (April 1) as a paid holiday for all county employees. This additional benefit raises the total number of paid holidays for county workers to 23 per year.
♦ The County Commission has approved the hiring of an Assistant County Manager to help the County Manager in his job of administering the needs of our 2,027 county employees. The addition of 50,000 sq. ft. to the County Administration Building which is needed to house the massive group of county employees is nearing completion.
♦ The Tallahassee legislature has mandated that there now be four county deputies in the court house for each judge on staff. This means that there will now be sixteen deputies in the court house at all times.
♦ The lobbying group for the constitutional officers in Tallahassee has obtained approval from the legislature to mandate new salary schedules for the position of Supervisor of Elections. In Jackson County that position will now pay a minimum salary of $287,000 per year. "This is justified by the staff of 38 that I have to supervise", stated the Supervisor when questioned about this raise. "After all, the county population has risen to 52,000 citizens now."
♦ The sheriff’s department has obtained approval for eight new deputy positions, raising the total on staff to 212.
♦ The Jackson County Property Appraiser has announced that the total property appraisals for 2037 will be just over $15 billion dollars. However, the Commissioners have proudly stated that they have "rolled back" the millage to 22.3, thus yielding total tax revenues for the county of $334,500,000.
♦ The number of tax foreclosures on properties has increased to 12% of all property owners in the county. Foreclosure sales are now being held weekly on the steps of the court house.
♦ Numerous residents recently attended the meeting of the Marianna City Commissioners in protest of the city’s new licensing requirements for lawn mowers, and lawn mowers certification requirements for those wishing to mow their own lawns within the city limits. The mayor responded to these protests by stating that there are plenty of licensed and certified lawn mowing companies available for property owners to use instead of trying to mow their own lawns, which has proven to be a potentially dangerous thing to do. Graceville, Malone, and Sneads are planning to enact similar ordinances.
♦ The City of Marianna has hired a Lawn Mower Code Enforcement Inspector, as an addition to the existing Code Enforcement Department, this brings that department’s total employment to 67 code enforcers.
♦ Gasoline prices have passed $10.00 per gallon. The federal government promises to increase research for alternate fuels. Meanwhile, more and more American cities resemble Hong Kong streets as most citizens ride bicycles and small motorcycles to work.
♦ The county real estate association announced that home ownership in Jackson County has fallen by 20% over the past ten years.
♦ The last oak tree on Lafayette Street was cut down this week to make room for the expansion of the County Administration Building.
♦ FDLE announces that the State Legislature has approved fines of $750 per ticket minimum, plus $25 for each MPH over the posted speed limit. The FDLE Director states that his action is being taken for the purpose of improving public safety and has nothing to do with revenue generation.
♦ The Marianna City Manager today announced that the 30 year water line replacement project for the city has now been completed. They plan to soon begin a major repaving project on Kelson Avenue.
♦ The State Legislature has mandated that the office of County Director of Emergency Management be expanded to include five deputy emergency management positions. These new positions include The Deputy Emergency Management Director for Hurricanes, The Deputy Emergency Management Director for Wildfires, The Deputy Emergency Management Director for Floods, the Deputy Emergency Management Director for Earth Quakes, and The Deputy Emergency Management Director for Civil Unrest. The existing Emergency Management Director states that these additions with their support staffs will necessitate an immediate expansion of the Emergency Operations Building.
♦ The city of Marianna announces that there are still twelve non government retail businesses operating within the downtown area. Meanwhile, Malloyville located at the I-10 interchange complex, has announced plans to incorporate and form a new city government.
♦ The state has released statistics showing that within Jackson County, Federal, State, County, and City government jobs now constitute 82% of the county labor force.
♦ The old Marianna High School buildings have reached such a state of decay that the state has ordered the county school system to demolish the buildings, stating that they constitute a public hazard.
♦ The West Nile Epidemic of last summer that killed 38 county citizens has forced the Florida EPA to order that all of the 6,342 water retention ponds within the county be immediately filled in and leveled. They apologize to the grieving families for their error. However, they remind everyone that they had previously encouraged everyone to wear mosquito repellent at all times when outdoors.
As far fetched and ridiculous as these items may seem to us today, if you had described the conditions as they exist today to someone in 1977, they would have had the same reaction. If you do not want to have your children and grandchildren living in a world as described in this writing, with over taxation, over regulation, reduced rights, and reduced standards of living, then elect only those who promise to not become part of the process and philosophy that allows the continued unnecessary growth and intrusion of governments. Be aware of the future dangers that our system is evolving towards, and you will be "Getting It Right".
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