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"!
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