This column presents a 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.
Local Items:
40 Years of Steady Growth and Intrusion of Government-
When I first moved to Jackson County thirty-eight years ago, the entire county budget was just under six million dollars, and almost every county function was housed inside the space provided by the existing county court house. Our county population was around 40,000 non-inmate residents, as compared to the 46,000 estimated population of today. (+15%)
Since that time, programs, functions, requirements, regulations, more programs, more requirements, and on and on and on, have been added through those years as the county bureaucracy steady swelled and the system dug deeper and deeper into the public pocket book. Add to this a steady barrage of new fees, fines, permits, and licenses requirements with steadily increasing costs….and you have our impossible situation of today. Much of this was caused by the State Legislature, and much was also caused by local officials.
And more looms on the horizon as the bureaucracy seeks more “revenue streams”, with impact fees, and a state mandated system which is steadily being put into place cleverly named, “County Comprehensive Plan”. This program will take away many, many of the few property rights we have left. When fully enacted and enforced, I predict a huge public uproar from property owners, but by then the noose will have already been tied by our officials.
County Fire and Rescue….Could Better Approaches Be Used?
When we first moved to Jackson Co in 1971, Jackson County Fire and Rescue did not exist. If someone needed help you called the neighbors, loaded them into a vehicle, and rushed them to the emergency room. Additionally, every community had a proud, well trained volunteer fire group.
I realize I am attacking what has become a “sacred cow” when I make any statements which might diminish the condition of our fine fire and rescue personnel. In my opinion, however good and professional they are, their presence in our budget structure must be justified by necessity and cost justification.
This leads to two questions. (1) Could these services be provided to the citizens of Jackson County by private services more cost effectively? (2) Can the population of Jackson County continue to support the $2,800,000 budgeted cost of these functions in today’s strained economic environment?
This issue was brought to the forefront at last weeks meeting of the County Commission when Fire Chief Wesley complained before the Board about the fact that Jackson Hospital had entered into a contract to use a private ambulance service from Alabama to perform patient transfers, instead of using Jackson County Fire and Rescue.
“This is taking money away from our Fire and Rescue Budget”, Wesley stated. “We are supposed to have exclusive rights over any ambulance deliveries within a hundred miles, and they are violating that rule.”
This leads to several obvious questions. Why has the hospital chosen to use another means of transferring patients to Dothan, or other locations, instead of using the Jackson County Fire and Rescue. Is it convenience? Is it because our county services cost the patient more? Are the citizens of Jackson County being forced to pay more than they should for these services, just to support the function and its budget?
It is my understanding that there is more administration and bookkeeping involved under the existing system. It appears that the County Fire and Rescue bills Jackson Hospital, who in turn bills the patient and any involved insurance providers. Each month Fire and Rescue gets approval from the Commissioners to “write off” many thousands of dollars for uncollectable charges. If a private system is used, that company merely bills the insurance companies and the patient, with no involvement for collection or administration on the part of the hospital.
As to costs, that is a matter which warrants more investigation. I plan to examine this matter and will report in a later writing. Meanwhile, the Commission is preparing a new ordinance to enact a monopolistic advantage for our Fire and Rescue, which may cost the citizens of Jackson County more money than other available options.
The basic question remains….Would it be better if local ambulance services were provided by a private firm and paid for by those who use the service instead of having all county property owners pay for the system each year, even if they do not use the service?
In my opinion, if Fire and Rescue isn’t competitive in its charges, other options should be considered.
National Issues:
Years ago I was a huge NFL football fan. However, when all of the players joined a union, and eventually went on strike and ruined an entire season, including the Super Bowl, and thus destroying the meaning of many career records….I quit watching. I decided that if belonging to the union and making money meant more to the players than the game and the competition, then it wasn’t worth my time to follow the sport. I have since turned my total attention to College and local football.
They have confirmed the wisdom of my initial decision this week when they used their union, led by oratory from Al Sharpton, to pressure the NFL owners into disallowing Russ Limbaugh the right to participate in partial ownership of one of the teams. This means the union is now deciding who can and who can not own a franchise. It has added the ugly truth that the union is now making these decisions based on racial acceptance and political philosophy. These issues have nothing to do with the sport, and in my opinion, the personal liberties and rights of Limbaugh have been violated.
The primary reason stated in his omission was that he was a “controversial individual” and should not be considered. This is coming from a group which welcomes participation by player felons such as Michael Vick and many others. In baseball, I guess Ted Turner and Jane Fonda, who are traitors as far as I am concerned, are acceptable as owners. Political ideologies and personal philosophies should not prohibit a person from purchasing a business.
This is another example of the distorted, sick, liberal led society we have allowed to form in our precious nation. I vow to never watch another NFL football game. If you do the same I think you will be “Getting It Right”.
Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning
• We are neck deep in two wars, our unemployment is at 10%, the economy is crumbling as more and more businesses fail, the banking system remains frozen due to recently imposed over-regulation and unreasonably stringent rules, …..and we are wasting our time arguing over the “Health Care” system. Nero fiddled while Rome burned.
• I encourage everyone to get a flu shot as early as possible. This may be an exceptionally bad year since we are apparently going to get a “double whammy” from two strains at once.
• We are in the middle of “Breast Cancer Awareness Month”. If you know a lady who has suffered from this terrible problem, please take time to give her an affectionate hug. If you do this, you will be “Getting It Right” for sure!
• The Breast Cancer Symposium is scheduled for Thursday, October 22. Two nationally recognized experts involved in “cutting edge” research (no pun intended), are scheduled to speak. I encourage every woman to attend.
• “If you consider that there has been an average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq theater of operations during the past 22 months, and a total of 2112 deaths, that gives a firearm death rate of 60 per 100,000 soldiers.
The firearm death rate in Washington, DC is 80.6 per 100,000 for the same period. That means you’re about 25 per cent more likely to be shot and killed in the US capital, which has some of the strictest gun control laws in the US, than you are in Iraq.
Conclusion: “The US should pull out of Washington.”
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hatcher Publications.
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