The Big Link

Another week and another Big Link.

Good Ol' Boys

After receiving my property tax bill in the mail today, I just had to get one more post in, bitching about the budget recently passed by our "fiscally responsible stewards of taxpayer money", the Guilford County Commissioners.

I wonder why Skip Alston thinks everyone should play by the rules except him?

Earlier this year, he declared that employees of Greensboro's housing department were racist because he didn't like the way a black- owned apartment management company was treated.
He accused Jenks Crayton of "special tax favors" (on hearsay from one of the Tax Dept. employees) to Commissioners Steve Arnold and Billy Yow. Even after the State Bureau of Investigation and the North Carolina Department of Revenue cleared Crayton of any wrongdoing, he is still not satisfied.

Yet he managed $250,000 dollars in this budget for his Civil Rights Museum, with a pledge of $250,000 over the next three years, for a total of $1 million dollars.

The county's rules say grant applications must be filed by March 11 and contain enough information so that officials can evaluate how the money would be used. The Civil Rights Museum "did not apply for funds during the stated application process," say county budget documents. Nor did it meet the requirement of providing tax-exempt documentation and an annual certified audit and management letter in advance.

Although future boards are not required to fund the $250,000 pledge the next three years, with this bunch in power, do you really think it won't happen??

You got to have the "power."

Then there's the 40% raise for the County Commissioners, making them, on average, the highest paid board of County Commissioners in the state. At a time when jobs are leaving the state by the thousands leaving people un-employed, housing needs, and health insurance needs, this is nothing but a slap in the face to the taxpayers of this county.

So Skip, Bruce. You claim to represent the maligned, downtrodden, and the poorest of poor in this county. Hope you've already picked out your charity or food banks to send that $500 a month too. Show 'em you really care.

Nearly $800,000 is going to local corporations to fulfill economic incentives commitments. Save your incentive money. Get off your asses, stop partisan bickering, back room politics and trying to "get one up" on the other party. Work together to make Guilford County a model county and you won't have to pay anyone to come and create jobs and contribute to the tax base. Make them "want" to come here and be a part of this county. The way it is now I don't see how anybody wants to live here anymore. (This advice meant for both parties. Not just the one responsible for the budget.)

This budget leaves the county's operating reserves at the bare minimum suggested by the NC Local Government Commission. The three top finance officials in Guilford County, Budget Director J. D. Rowland, Guilford County Manager Willie Best, and Finance Director Brenda Jones-Fox, all warned the commissioners not to take money from one-time sources to pay for operating costs.

Alston said budget officials wouldn't have let the commissioners use one-time money and money from a bond repayment fund if it were problematic. What he didn't say is they have no vote on the matter. So $3.4 million from one-time sales tax revenue, $1 million from the county's reserves, and $2 million from a fund meant to pay off school bond debt and other bond debt, has been included in the budget. That is one-time money that will not be available next year initially.

Right after the meeting where the budget was passed, Commissioner Kay Cashion was already starting to distance herself from it. When asked about the budget she said, "Well, I don't agree with everything that's in there."

Well Kay, when are you going to start doing the job you were elected to do? The people that voted for you didn't send you up there to be a "yes" lady for your party. They sent you up there to do what's right for the people of this county. If you don't "agree with what's in there", don't vote for it or at least try to change it. I don't remember reading about anything you were promised in the budget. To be a rubber stamp is unbelievable.

Commissioner Kirk Perkins. "I'm sure they're good projects. I just don't know anything about 'em."(In reference to some High Point programs funded.)

Kirk, isn't part of your job to find out about these things you are spending the taxpayer's money on? TAXPAYER money. Not yours. Seems like you would have a little more desire and ambition to at least "try" to be informed on what you're voting on. That's the "budget process."

Commissioner Carolyn Coleman, who voted for the budget, when asked how the county will be able to pay for this budget and address future debt, said that maybe the county economy will improve this year, and the Commissioners may be able to find some places to cut in the future to help pay for things.

I doubt it Mrs. Coleman. You didn't try to find any cuts this year so why should we expect any difference in years to come?

I will keep my fingers crossed and hope the economy improves though. Then I might be able to find a job, pay my taxes, and keep my home, unless the county is willing to "forgive" my tax burden this year.

Commissioner Bruce Davis got $20,000 into the budget again this year for a youth league football program. It bought uniforms last year anjd those are good for several years. What are we gonna get this year?

Other sports spending includes $5,000 for the High Point Golf Swingers Youth Program, and $5,000 for the Macedonia Baseball Little League Program.

Hell, I need golf lessons. Wonder if they'll teach me?

Commissioner Paul Gibson has to be my favorite.

Gibson said he supports the civil rights museum but has no idea how the $250,000 will be used. That wasn't discussed, he said.

"We spent less time talking about the budget than I spend with my home budget," Gibson added. He didn't like everything in it but,"I held my nose and voted for it."

So much for the budget process.

A day or so after the budget vote Mr. Gibson had second thoughts about the Commissioners raise in the budget. He said he wasn't upset about the raise but the process in which it was achieved. (No discussion)

Playing both sides of the fence??

Must be. The raise still stands as of today. With the Republicans in the minority it will probably stay that way.

Republican Trudy Wade said she wasn't planning on taking the raise. Republican Mike Winstead said he'd turned it down already. Kudos to them.

I have to agree with Skip Alston on one thing.

There is a "Good Ol' Boy" network alive and kicking in Guilford County.

It's just not the people he thinks it is.

Lady On The Move

Patrick's first pole in only her eighth career start, giving Team Rahal the first three starting positions.

"I know a lot of this started because I'm a chick in a race car," Patrick said. "Now it's turning into, "Look what this rookie can do."

Indeed.

A win in the near future??

Floyd Back?

Watching the Live 8 broadcast today and saw the much anticipated reunion of Pink Floyd, rumored to be just this one time gig.

Awesome set if you ask me.

Roger Waters says that a Pink Floyd reunion "is highly unlikely, but I'll never say never".

I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope these guys get their differences worked out. Of all the group reunions and reunion tours going on lately, this is one I'd really like to see happen.

It's Friday....

and time for this week's Big Link.

Unbelievable!

The Supreme Court aren't the only ones handing down stupid decisions.

Racism or Stupidity

It looks like Oprah's playing the race card now.

While in Paris, doing a little after hours shopping, Oprah and some friends stopped by Hermes boutique to buy a watch, minutes after the boutique closed. They saw shoppers inside but neither the sales clerk nor manager would let them in.

No S*#T! What is it that you don't understand about being CLOSED? That means no, not, nada, on coming in to shop. We're CLOSED!!

Do you expect everybody in the world to kowtow to you just because you are a celebrity and made $225 million dollars last year? Hell, go buy your own store and make it a 24/7 one stop shop.

Hermes said that a "private public relations event was being prepared inside". Maybe, maybe not, but they don't have to have an excuse. They were CLOSED.

"If it can happen to Oprah, it could happen to anyone".

I can vouch for that. I can't count the times I've been to the grocery, drug store, gas station, post office etc., minutes after they closed, and have not been let in. Yea it pissed me off, but it was my stupidity not getting there before they closed---not the sales clerk or managers fault for not letting me in after they had closed. Of course I didn't make $225 million last year and I didn't expect them to.

I've also been in stores picking up a few things when they closed, locked the doors, and had to get someone to open the door to let me out. So much for seeing shoppers inside the boutique. They were probably finishing their shopping because they got there minutes before they closed.

What Oprah needs to do is get it through her head that bad things happen and sometimes they're not racially motivated.

You want to shop? Fine.

Shop when the store is OPEN!!

Blame yourself, not everybody else.

The Big Link

This week's Big Link.

Robin Hood in Reverse

In a party line vote the Guilford County Commissioners approved a budget giving the taxpayers a 2.44 cents per $100 valuation tax increase.

The 6 Democrats voted for and the 5 Republicans voted against.

Included in the budget:

A 41% ($6000) pay raise for the Commissioners from $14,700 to $20,700 per year.(Some may have needed more spending money for their Hawaii trip next month)

Doubled the school board's salary from $6000 to $12,000 per year.

A $250,000 dollar donation to Commissioner Skip Alstons pet project, The International Civil Rights Center & Museum. (I guess this passed to keep the "race card" factor out)

Cut 5 patrol positions for Sheriff B. J. Barnes while increasing the number of positions in the jail by 8. (Looks like we should be more concerned with getting the criminals off the street, not baby sitting them after we do)

Looks like a screwing to me.

Wish you'd have kissed me first..

What Do You Do When There's No Help?

I have been unemployed since April 7 of this year and have been beating the bushes trying to find another job.

My printing job of the last 24 years has, like so many manufacturing jobs in North Carolina, moved overseas.

The Trade Act of 1974, amended 2002, created a program of Trade Adjustment Assistance to provide assistance to individuals who became unemployed as a result of increased foreign competition, return to suitable employment. Part of that assistance is payment of tuition, books, and fees if you enroll in approved training.

Since I have not been able to find employment in this area I decided to go back to school and try another profession. This will be an experience for me as my son who just graduated from high school will be attending also.

Maybe more of an experience for him.

If I ever get in!

I went to the unemployment office on Monday to talk to my TRA "specialist" and she told me I would have to talk to their counselor. She set me an appointment for 9:45 am on Wednesday, which was today.

She gave me an appointment card with explicit instructions to call if I couldn't keep the appointment.

I arrived at the unemployment office this morning at 9:30 (I like to be prompt), and the light in the counselors office was off. The receptionist told me to have a seat and wait.

At 10:00 am I got up and left having never seen the counselor. She never showed and I haven't had one phone call explaining why.

I wonder why their time is so valuable that you must call them if you can't make it but they don't have the decency to call you if they can't.

Maybe they consider me a second class citizen because I don't have a job. Hell, if everybody had a job what would we need the unemployment office for. I'm giving her job security. Maybe she thinks I can just come and sit and wait on her all day. I can't and I won't.

I've worked for 36 years and have never, ever, been on unemployment until this year.

I think I deserve a little better than that---------------

or at least a reason as to why you can't do your job.

The Big Link

This week's Big Link.

Words Words

Sue's Place has a post about the quandary the editorial board at GSO101 was put in over a word in a post on the site.

Seems Gate took offense to a slang word describing a female body part.

Calvin Williams, the coordinator of the blog, edited the blog and all is well, although he did bring up some valid questions that need answering.

Like Sue, I have read f**k, a**, a**holes etc. on several blogs that I read, and have even used a**holes on mine in describing my former employer.
I do have a disclaimer saying that I may use "strong language depending on my mood". Will that keep someone underage from reading it? My posting might but I doubt a disclaimer will.

The problem I see on the horizon is that as the blogosphere, Triad Blogs, and 101 continue to grow, sooner or later you're going to have someone that is "offended" by these words too.

Whatcha' gonna do then?

Are we just going to ban things like this when 1 or 2 people complain?

I say either ban it all or let it stand.

Is F**K really that much different than P***Y???

Verdict In

Michael Jackson was found "not guilty" on all charges today.

In the juror interviews they kept talking about the "beyond reasonable doubt" factor and how they did not think of MJ as a celebrity.

I can't help but wonder that if it had been any other black man with the same charges, without the notoriety and celebrity status of MJ, would he have ended up with the same verdict??

The Big Link

This weeks Big Link.

Hawaii

It looks as if the Guilford County taxpayers aren't the only ones up in arms about Commissioners taking a tax paid vacation in Hawaii.

From Fury to Forgiveness

On June 7, Jamestown resident Zach Osborne was awarded a $5,000 scholarship from an unlikely source.

Death Row inmates from across the country have raised money through their bimonthly publication "Compassion". The publication was started in 2001, to raise money to send murdered victims' family members to college.

Zach's scholarship was the seventh awarded so far. It will be used to help the 19 yr. old rising sophomore pursue a Criminal Justice Degree at East Carolina University.

Zach's 4 yr. old sister, Natalie, was raped and murdered in April 1992 when Zach was 6 yrs. old.

Jeff Kandies, his mother's then-boyfriend, was arrested, tried, and convicted of the crime. He was sentenced to death and is now on Death Row at Central Prison in Raleigh.

"Kandies is moving closer to an execution date," said Matt Stiegler, an attorney at the Center for Death Penalty Litigation in Durham. He has no more legal challenges in the state court and one pending with the U.S. Supreme Court.

"He's one of only a handful of prisoners for whom an execution date could be imminent," Stiegler said.

Zach submitted an essay on the effect Natalies murder had on his family, his life, how he came to forgive Jeff, and how the experience will make him a better law enforcement officer.

"I think it will motivate me more to solve cases or to put more effort in them," Osborne said. "It will motivate me to try to prevent events like what happened to my family from happening to others."

At the time of the tragedy the family was worried about what effect the murder would have on Zach. He's had his problems and his "demons" to fight. He rose above them, "exorcised" them and has grown into a fine, respectable, responsible young man, who is intent on helping others.

He has forgiven Jeff Kandies.

Being a family member, and one who helped carry Natalie to her final resting place----------------I wish I could.

More Fodder For Our "Non-Blogging" Greensboro and County Politicians

in this article.

"Blogs can boost your career".

"A strategy for career enhancement".

"Shows you are up to date on latest ideas and news"

"Having an on-line presence is an important part of managing your career".

Will they be anyone joining, other than the ones already blogging, to indulge us with their views and ideas and let us know where they stand on the issues, and in turn find out what we think?--------------

or will it be not so easy to "backtrack" on something you have already stated in print?---------------

or do you think its just none of our business where you stand on anything?

BIG LINK

Here's the new BIG LINK!

Twin Oaks Sold

The deal is 95% complete and the par three golf course will be turned into condos and townhouses.

If you like par three night golf, you'll have to October.

Alabama Teen Missing

On a trip to Aruba, from Mountain Brook High School in Alabama with 124 seniors and 40 chaperones, the 18 yr. old has been missing for 5 days. Searchers are still looking for her.

Maybe it's just me, but the end of the article is no place to be advertising Luxury Aruba Vacations, Aruba Accomodations, and the Aruba Ocean Club.