CummingHome

Dear voters,

As you can see, Mr. Laughinghouse gives you the inaccuracies in the 3 opinion letters to the editor of the Forsyth County News.

However, He still DOES NOT specify how and where the money will be spent. His non-answers are vague. Spill it!!! We want to know where the money will be spent.

Unless you see a list of specific projects before Feb 5, 2008, I strongly urge you to vote NO on SPLOST.

$5.2 million reduced to $800,000.00 for the widening of Mary Alice Park Road for Great Wolf Lodge is NOT a minor difference. Does the county still have a committment to Great Wolf Lodge for $5.2 Million?

What about our property taxes?????

What about taxes? They'll go up on them any way!!! I still don't understand HOW the county government can comitt $5.1 MILLION dollars to "attract" a developer to build a PRIVATE water park, at a now PUBLIC space? We, the citizens of Forsyth are giving away one of our parks for private use! WHY??? Also, we all are under complete outdoor watering bans, but the county government is going to allow this HUGE water monger to be built? Water park ??? What water??? Where's the water going to come from? This "resort" is doomed from the beginning. Who do they think is going to stay at a $300++ a night "resort"? Look at the Lake Lanier Island Resort, the hotel was closed due to lack of occupancy. If they want to spend money, then spend it more wisely on park projects & improvements that all residents could use ...not at PRIVATE, county funded $5.1M resort! Give me a break!!! Road improvements??? Where have they spent the money on road improvements with SPLOST funds thus far? The Hwy 20/Ga 400 improvements were STATE projects, therefore funded by the state. Widening of Ga 400, another state project. I think it's interesting now that folks are finally catching on to the "we-can-do-whatever-we-want" mentality of our county government are they all concerned about the upcoming vote. Vote "NO" to SPLOST next month!

Ladies, please!

First, to kate: The list that was promised is now available on the county's website, on ajc.com and will shortly be on the other two newspaper outlets. I told you you'd have it, and you now do. As to why Commissioner Laughinghouse didn't have a list in his article, when you see it, you'll know why. It is long. Very long. It is also why you cannot ever have a ballot question with all that specificity, because it won't pass constitutional muster.

Now to Stacy Lyons. Property taxes are not going to be increased due to SPLOST, or by funding any project listed under SPLOST. In fact, voting for SPLOST keeps property taxes from being raised, as projects that need to be completed get done with sales tax funding.

Now to Great Wolf funding. First, kate, it was $5.1 million, not $5.2 million. Next, reducing the amount by 85% is a pretty big deal. Next, we are only committed to the cost to widen Mary Alice Park Rd. within county limits. That was a not to exceed price of $5.1 million, but it is now reduced to less than $800,000. Next to lisa. You should save your righteous indignation for the Mayor and City of Cumming for this project. They are paying out far more dollars than this county is doing. They courted this firm, they negotiated the deal with the Corps of Engineers. When the city couldn't fund everything they committed to do, they came running to the county to bail them out. I disagreed, but you needed to hear the whole story on Great Wolf resorts.

Finally, to SPLOST projects completed.

Even though you mentioned some state projects, many of those (like SR20) need SPLOST dollars to acquire right of way and other things. So part of those projects were funded by SPLOST. So was SR141, which is being widened right now. McFarland Rd widening and interchange. Ronald Reagan Blvd. Hutchinson Rd widening and signalization. McGinnis Ferry Rd. right of way for widening beginning this year. Mathis Airport Rd. Windermere Pkwy. Market Place Blvd. All of them SPLOST projects. 35 intersection improvement projects either completed (17) under construction (3) ready to begin (6) or moved forward with right of way acquisition. 16 road reclaimation projects completed. 200 miles of road resurfacing completed with SPLOST funds.

And to all of you: This SPLOST has been the most researched, most specific, better commented on by citizens who want specific improvments than any past SPLOST ballot, not only in this county but across the state. There is more information available to the public than any other, if they just take the time to do the research and pay attention to facts, not the shouting of the uninformed.

You need the whole story to decide whether you want to continue the SPLOST, as do the people who read your misinformation.

Do your homework. Know the facts. Then make an informed judgment before voting for or against SPLOST.

Well, you can't blame us for not knowing the facts when the facts were only recently presented. (after this article was written.)

After reading the list, I refuse to vote for it. Don't be fooled, you're property tax is already going to increase if you vote for a $100 bond for parks and recreation. Then, increased even further if a bond referendum passing for a jail. Then, increase even more if the county ever learns to put first things first and build a courthouse. So, your property taxes will pay for land purchased for a jail. Land purchased for a courthouse, land purchased for parks and recreation and lord only knows what else. If you vote NO to splost, the county will have to cut back on the wasteful/unneccessary spending. If you vote Yes to splost you give them more money to waste.

VOTE NO TO SPLOST

Lynn, the problem here is that you are under an incorrect assumption that anyone is being "fooled" here. Except for those who believe the lies that the Mayor and his select committee are saying about the SPLOST. If you believe them, then you are being fooled.

Of course your property taxes will go up if the park and rec bond passes. We have been completely up front about that, and by how much.

Your property taxes did NOT go up as a result of the purchase of land for the jail. That comment by you was either a lie or a mistake on your part.

But let's get to the bigger question regarding the comment you made about us putting first things first and building a courthouse. Tell us all, Lynn, what isn't getting done at the courthouse that could get done with a bigger one?

We put first things first by putting roads and public safety at the top of the list for SPLOST projects. You just don't like it because your precious mayor didn't get his usual cut of the take.

Dave, So you are saying that there are NO plans for a new courthouse in the foreseeable future?

Also, what money was used to purchase land for a jail? Was it from property tax or sales tax?

Also Dave, As far as me, this has nothing to do with Ford Gravitt. But, Ford Gravitt has everything to do with the reason you are so spiteful toward the City of Cumming. This is all a big game with you, Laughinghouse & Harrell. You said so yourself in your email to the former county employee.

I'm not forming my decision on SPLOST based on Ford Gravitt, the city cousel, you, charlie or jim. I'm basing my decision on my own ability to reason.

Oh, silly me. I forgot the most important think.

VOTE NO TO SPLOST

VOTE NO TO SPLOST

VOTE NO TO SPLOST

remember that folks.

Sorry Lynn, but there is a new rule for me this year. If you don't answer my question, you don't get an answer in return.

Answer my question first, then we'll see about answering any future questions from you.

Since when is it my job to answer questions? I'm not a commissioner, you are.

Was the question "what can be done in a new courthouse that can't be done in the old one?" I suppose not anything. Except all the records could be kept there. The offices wouldn't be scattered all over the place in other locations. They would have more room. It wouldn't be a fire trap.

Why have we been hearing for years that the county has out grown the present courthouse and we need a new one? Jeff Quesenberry said the new courthouse would be 11 times as large as the present courthouse. Why were the people of Forsyth County being told a pack of lies?

You also say, that it's cheaper to house prisioners in another county than build a new jail. But, you use the logic that SPLOST shouldn't be spend on a jail because it isn't fair to those who spend their money in Forsyth County and likely will never be a guest in the jail. So then tell me, how is it fair for other counties to build jails to hold Forsyth County's prisioners? That is the most convoluted way of thinking that I have ever heard tell of.

But thanks for the info. I will vote NO to a jail. NO to a courthouse. NO to SPLOST. NO to park and recreation bonds. NO to everything!!

Lynn, once again you state an inaccuracy. Par for the course for you.

Your quote: "You also say, that it's cheaper to house prisioners in another county than build a new jail."

Sorry. Never said that. Someone else maybe, but not me. Since your quote is the basis for your argument, the argument fails miserably as usual.

Oh, and answering questions asked of you is called common courtesy. To answer yours, you have never heard from me that the courthouse needs to be replaced. I'm certianly not going to act on something a former county manager said.

Dave, you are dancing The TWIST around my question. Is this present board of commissioners working on plans to bulid a new courthouse?

Sorry, Lynn. It's hard to find one simple question inside all the other stuff you rant about.

The short answer today is no.

We recognize the issue of overcrowding at the courthouse, and have put plans in place to add an outbuilding for them that will reduce their courtroom overcrowding, enhance security for judges and alleiviate traffic court and jury issues.

The longer issue is that we have to find affordable land on which to build a new courthouse and figure out the best place to site one. That is the extent to which we are working on a new courthouse right now. All options are on the table right now. But I do not expect a referendum on this for a long time.

What kind of outbuilding Dave? Where will it be located? Will the county have to buy land for an outbuilding? Will it be a mobile unit? Will it be a real building? What is the estimate on the cost of said building?

Why were the plans for a courthouse being worked on less than 2 years ago trashed? How much money did Forsyth Co. spend on that?

Wouldn't it make sense to purchase land for a courthouse before land prices and construction costs go up?

(Yawn)

Oh. Sorry. I must have fallen asleep.

Lynn, if you want any of this information, you're just going to have to call me sometime. Better yet, call the county manager. She does this stuff full-time. I am not going to waste my time answering each and every little question you have on cumminghome.com.

It is a shame (and very embarrassing to the county) to see these comments come from Dave Richard, an elected official. This condescending and belittling manner seems to be his mode to intimidate people to back-off when getting under his skin. I saw this kind of behavior in elementary school but never in my life thought I would see it from a public servant. Makes me sick.

I’m sure I will again be the target of his ridicule but one thing for sure… I can sleep at night knowing that I treat folks with respect even when they have a differing opinion.

How right you are Patrick. Dave, you say it's common courtesy to answer questions posed to me by you. But, when I ask questions that you don't want to answer you do a compete 180 and tell me to ask Rhonda O'Connor. Yeah Right!

You are dancing the Fox Trot, the cha cha, the Tango, The Twist, The Jerk and the Jitter Bug around my questions all at the same time.

Mr. Bell, I'd ask you to stick to the facts about SPLOST, but you don't know them.

Reference your letter to the editor two weeks ago to the FCN, in which you added the $160 million bond to the SPLOST tax, rather than using revenues from SPLOST to pay the bond back.

What makes ME sick are individuals that sign up for an anti-SPLOST committee who don't even know what they are against, individuals that don't pay attention to what is going on around them, and individuals that allow themselves to be used by others without doing their due diligence.

Anyone with a shred of decency would have printed a retraction of their obviously false and misleading comments in the following week's paper. You did not.

For anyone who wishes to know just how mistaken Mr. Bell is regarding SPLOST, simply go to www.davidrichard.info/id3.html and scroll down the page to the area titled "How do you know when an anti-SPLOST committee member is lying?" posted 1/7/2008.

You don't like my comments, Mr. Bell? Life's tough - Get a helmet. And get your facts right before you write lies in order to fulfill your committee's purpose.

I don't mind comments at all, what is distasteful is your total lack of respect when someone has a differing opinion.

Had I been wrong I would have owned up to it...I have no problem with that. Unlike you, I do make mistakes.

You can choose to call me a liar, a misinformed bufoon, a pawn or whatever else you desire. You and I both know reality when it comes to SPLOST VI and the Bonds. Never once was there mention of the $160 million bond pre-funding SPLOST. Not until the issue was raised did that become the answer of choice.

I knew what I was signing up for...an opportunity to help educate the citizens about the antics and slippery ways things have been handled. I think your getting sick because at long last a group of people are watching you like a hawk.

For folks that want to know the truth, go on over to www.cummingforsythtaxrelief.com. You may not agree with it 100% but at least you can say we presented our side with courtesy and respect.

Interesting you want to call me a liar but threaten to sue someone that calls you a liar. I think your double standards fit you like a glove. But should I expect anything different?

Dave, I'm not on the commiittee. I don't live in the City. Patrick, don't give Dave's comments to you a first thought, let alone a second thought. Just consider the source from whence they came.

Dave, why did you go to the anti-splost meeting anyway? I seriously doubt if you were invited. The FCN said you were spotted in the crowd and asked to come to the front. They should have known better. The two pictures of you looked pretty silly. In one you were pointing your finger like Bill Clinton.

I wrote a letter too. One of the three letters that this article is written about. I had some of my figures wrong, (like the other two people) but the main content of the letters were still right.

SPLOST isn't being used to take the tax burden off property owners. It's just more money to spend without knowing where it went. Without SPLOST, the county would have to use property tax money for efficently. Mabye, the voter registrar's budget would be less. When the county government stops blowing money, I'll be for splost again.

Vote NO to SPLOST.

AND VOTE NO to $100 million for parks and recreation. SPLOST will not pay for that. I hope people KNOW that. They may get confused and think splost will cover it if they haven't been keeping up with the local news.

Lynn,

Trust me when I say this:

SPLOST IS being used to take the tax burden off of property owners, because I can guarantee you that if SPLOST fails (which it won't), the projects that have been identified for infrastrucure and public safety improvements will get done anyway. And they'll be funded with a property tax increase since SPLOST will not be available.

The problem with you, and the anti-SPLOST committee members, is that you fail to understand that the problems will not go away just because the funding isn't there. They have to be fixed whether SPLOST funds them or not. Without SPLOST, the ONLY mechanism to fund those improvements is an increase in property taxes.

And Lynn, I can go to any meeting I darn well please, as long as it is a public meeting. I went to poke a big, fat pin in their little balloon, and I busted it with facts.

And Patrick, stop compunding your mistake (or lie) by continuing it. We (the BOC) always talked about a bond to pay for the improvements today and pay it back with future SPLOST revenues. Just because you didn't pay attention until the Mayor said jump, doesn't mean we haven't been up front about everything.

Everything.

And that website of yours is a joke. Check out my website tomorrow to see how each and every point your committee has made can be picked apart with facts.

Your committee complains about projects not being completed, yet the city has failed to complete a higher percentage of their SPLOST 5 projects than the county has, yet not a peep out of you. Your committee relies on the 2008 committee list of projects, but doesn't complain about the fact that Pilgrim Mill Road was supposed to be widened from 2 lanes to FOUR lanes, and from the intersection of SR 9 to the city limits, yet we now have a THREE lane road that stops short of SR 9, and it couldn't be completed at 3 lanes due to cost overruns without extorting another $8.3 million from the county under threat of lawsuit. Yet your committee is silent on this point. No widening of Buford Dam Rd. No aquatic center. The city has even backed away from a full aquatic center, and has promised "Phase 1" of the aquatic center. There was no "Phase 1" or "Phase 2" on the 2008 committee list your committee leans so heavily upon, yet not a single mention of the facts that the city has mismanaged SPLOST funds far, far worse than the county could ever imagine, and we don't have another entity to sue when we come short of money like the Mayor had (emphasis on HAD).

You want the jail and courthouse paid for by the people who visit this county through SPLOST taxes, yet the people who visit this county never use the jail or courthouse. They DO, however, use and put wear and tear on our roads, parks and public safety, yet by your logic they shouldn't have to pay for that wear and tear. Great thinking!

Check out my website. Watch your flimsy arguments being torn to shreds by facts. The hypocrisy of your group is simply stunning, and will be exposed for each and every falsehood you proclaim. You can back up nothing. We can back up everything.

You lose.

I don't believe this for a minute. If this BOC raises property tax to build road projects for a new upscale mall, (it looks to me like that is where most of the money will go) there will be a public outcry like you wouldn't believe. We might even do like California and refuse to pay it. Then, you can crowd us in the antiquated jail or ship us off to some other county.

Some people in this county are impressed with the way you point your finger and puff your chest out and raise your head high. They think that is courage. I AM NOT.

Also Dave, didn't you lead the opposition to SPLOST V? Didn't you lead the opposition to school SPLOST in 2006?

VOTE NO TO SPLOST

VOTE NO TO SPLOST

VOTE NO TO SPLOT

Lynn...thank you for your comments. I appreciate them and appreciate your support as it relates to the SPLOST issue.

When I was asked to help the anti-SPLOST Committee I had no idea I would be DR's scapegoat. When this began, I told myself I would not stoop to his level and join in on the very thing I dislike about him. I do not personally know DR, do not know his motivations and do not claim to even understand his position. I do know he is far away from representing the citizens. Furthermore, I do not like the way he treats people that disagree with him. So this is the end of the banter, end of the poking back and forth and end of wasting my time. It is not the end of my presenting facts to the citizens of Cumming/Forsyth County. So be on the lookout for those. You never know where they may pop up!

It will take a few days but early next week anyone can take a look at www.cummingforsythtaxrelief.com and see the facts. Facts in a straight forward and understandable manner.

If they want to see how DR treats people and responds to opposition...not just me, but anyone that opposes his point of view...just go to his website at www.davidrichard.info and look back at the history of how things are done. That int itself will speak volumes.

Thanks again!

Patrick

I simply cannot tolerate the arrogance of Forsyth County's board of commissioners any longer.

Support Glenn Richardson's "Great Tax Plan." No more ad valorum tax. Vote for the consitutional amendment.

Glenn Richardson:

Local officials seem not to understand that citizens are fed up and ready for a change. Maybe the real problem with property taxes is not just the tax, but the rate of spending increases by local governments. Since 1996, inflation has risen 28 percent. When adjusted for per capita spending, the state of Georgia’s spending has risen 26 percent. County spending has risen 40 percent, city spending 79 percent, and school board spending an astonishing 98 percent. That is why citizens are frustrated. Their incomes simply cannot keep up with local taxing and spending.

Citizens currently have no control over what they pay in property taxes. Under the GREAT plan, they control what they spend and therefore they control the taxes they pay. It is time for GMA, GSBA and others to stop going around the state misrepresenting the facts and instead to come to the table and be a part of the process as they are elected to do.

You deserve a voice. If you don’t like the plan, then by all means, vote against it. If you do, vote for it. It does not get any more local than that.

The greatest part about this plan, is that county commissioners cannot threaten people. They can't cause you fear that they will raise your property tax so high that some people will lose their homes.

It's been reported that Forsyth County is the 13th wealthest county in the nation. The median income is $83,000 or so, of course that means that some people earn much above that and some people earn much below that. An increase in property tax could cause a foreclosure on their homes.

Vote against SPLOST until we can seat a board of commissioners who care about people on every level of income in Forsyth County. Don't vote for a $100 million bond for parks and recreation. It will increase your property tax.

Lynn,

I argued against SPLOST 5 because I didn't believe the 75% matching road funds the committee was selling everybody, and the BOC didn't provide any list of completed projects before the vote, and they couldn't justify their projects.

A. I was right on the lack of state funds, wasn't I? B. This BOC has provided a completed and on-going project list C. We have justified all our projects and had a citizen's committee to help in choosing them

I opposed every school SPLOST because the school system has yet to properly justify their spending and has never shown fiscal responsibility.

This BOC has. Not as much as I would have liked it to do, but they are far better than previous boards.

And Patrick, since you don't have any facts to present that can help your cause, here's one that helps my cause.

The county has completed or started 80% of 140 proposed projects in SPLOST 5. The city has completed or started only 30% of their 5 total SPLOST 5 projects. Their Pilgrim Mill Rd. project (which has cost overruns of $8.3 million) is one lane too narrow than what was promised, and about 1/4 mile shorter than promised.

And yet, for some strange reason, you people are complaining about the county's performance.

When you know the real facts, we have done pretty darned well with SPLOST, and the city (which you glorify) has performed very, very poorly.

The biggest asset most people have is their home; it’s the American dream. Yet if they can’t pay their property taxes, they lose their home. Under the current system, you can never own your home. Even if you pay off the mortgage, you will still get a bill from the government each and every year. It is the twenty-first century. It is time to go to a system that taxes the receipt and exchange of money, not the ownership of property. It is time to eliminate property taxes.

The GREAT Plan is a constitutional amendment, which means that if two-thirds of the General Assembly support it, the citizens of Georgia will have the chance to go to the polls and vote in November of 2008. Please call your state representative and state senator and tell them you want the chance to vote to change the system and eliminate property taxes in Georgia.

Speaker - Georgia House of Representatives

Today I will be writing letters to every single member of the GA legislature begging them to vote for the GREAT tax plan.

I will include copies of what is written here on this website, as well as copies of David Richard's website and the Anti-SPLOST website. I want them to see how citizens of Forsyth County are being treated by their commissioners. I hope they will agree that people should not be intimidated by their elected officials. I hope they will see that people are concerned about ever-increasing property tax. It was increased last year and there will be a whopping increase this year if the $100 million parks and recreation bond is passed as well as a jail bond. Not everyone in Forsyth County is Wealthy.

Update: The mission is accomplished.

Georgia is divided into 159 counties, each with the power to tax their residents. 180 school districts also each have the power to tax. But that power goes beyond simply collecting taxes. Rather than determining the amount of money they have and then creating a budget, a county can simply determine how much money it needs and then decide how much to charge their residents.

If a county or school district decides they need $50 million, all they have to do is determine where to place the millage rate and their property values in order to raise $50 million. If times get tough, they simply raise the millage rate or increase property values rather than tighten their belts like working families must do. The system is completely backward.

The biggest part of the problem is that property taxes are increasing faster than personal income. Since 1990, personal income has increased 146 percent and property taxes have increased 176 percent. Even though people are not earning more income, the government is requiring that they pay more taxes.

Because of this phenomenon, a family can live in a home for 30 years and suddenly find they cannot afford it anymore because their property taxes have increased so much. This same family is not requiring any more services from their local government, and yet that government keeps taking more and more money from them. The biggest asset most people have is their home; it’s the American dream. Yet if they can’t keep up with increased taxes, they lose their home. Even after the home is paid for, they realize they only have a land lease. Refuse to pay the tax and see how long you keep it.

The current property tax system was created when we were an agricultural society and people made a living off of their land. The last overhaul of the system was 70 years ago, and since that time our economy has changed significantly. Home ownership has increased from 30 percent to 70 percent. We have moved from an agricultural society to a service-based society, as has the rest of the nation, and yet, we do not tax services at all.

It is the twenty-first century. It is time to go to a system that taxes the receipt and exchange of money, not the ownership of property. It is time to eliminate property taxes.

Our proposal is called the GREAT Plan, which stands for Georgia’s repeal of every ad valorem tax.

The GREAT Plan calls for a sales, use, and service tax of 4 percent. It also calls for an elimination of many sales tax exemptions that special interests have accumulated over the years. By taxing services and eliminating most exemptions, we can generate the same amount of money being generated from the property tax, and we can eliminate all property taxes in Georgia.

Local counties, cities and school districts will be guaranteed to receive no less than the amount they are currently receiving. If local control is what a community wants, they may continue local option sales taxes such as the SPLOST and ELOST, all of which will continue to be determined by the vote of the citizens.

And if you believe that last paragraph, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I want to sell you.

NO MORE REPUBLICANS FOR ME.

The next President of the United States: Barak Obama!

AlterNet: The New York Times made it official. The Economy is a problem!

So, now, at last we can discuss it.

Not just discuss it, in rapid order "recession" became the word of the day, from White House, Congress, the Fed and the media.

It's blamed, mostly, on the subprime crisis.

But that's not the problem. It's a symptom. It is the logical, and probably one of the necessary results, of Bushenomics.

Along with low, or no, job growth. Little or no business growth. Depressed wages. And the crashing dollar. (The president has a different vision of the economy. In his vision it's booming! And the number of jobs is growing! Though there is this little blip.)

The idea under which Bushenomics was sold is this:

The rich are the investor class. If the rich have more money, they will invest more. Their investments will create more business. Those businesses will create more wealth, thus improving everyone's lives and making the nation stronger. They will also create new and better jobs.

Whether or not the people who say such things truly believe them, I cannot say. But that's their pitch, and the media certainly seems to buy it, as do most of the establishment economists.

A more realistic -- and less idealistic -- view of Bushenomics is that the Bush administration and its cronies came at the economy with the attitude of oilmen.

They inherited a vastly wealth country. They looked at it like the oil under the Alaskan wilderness. They craved to pump it out, turn it into cash and grab as much of that cash as possible.

Wherever possible, they literally sold off the assets. This was called privatization. Our biggest asset -- in terms of size -- is, of course, our defense establishment. With privatization, one dollar out of every three for direct military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan goes to private contractors like Halliburton and Blackwater. So when someone says, "Support the troops!" with budget appropriations, they should really yell, "Two-thirds support to the troops! One third support to Halliburton, et al.!"

This is just an estimate. The degree of privatization is unknown. Presumably, that's deliberate. Nor does it count the amount of money the military spends with private purveyors to supply the troops and their operations. It is only the amount that goes directly to private contractors.

But for the most part, the assets of the United States, our collective wealth, could not be sold off in such a direct manner.

In order to turn them into cash, what the administration did was borrow against them.

That is, they cut taxes while continuing to spend lavishly, creating debt.

The debt is owed by all of us, the collective people of the United States.

The tax cuts hugely favored rich people. They also favored unearned income (dividends, capital gains, inherited money) as opposed to the kind of money people have to work for. The very richest got richer.

The spending was -- to the degree possible -- directed to themselves, their friends and their supporters: Big Pharma, the medical industry, insurance, banking and financial, among others. And, of course, Big Oil, from whom they have spent close to a trillion dollars of our money to conquer a big oil field for private exploitation.

Now let's take a look at some numbers.

The numbers will tell us if their idealistic tale about unleashing the capitalists to create a better world for us all is correct. Or if it's a fairy story that masks uncaring greed.

The big number is that the economy has grown.

As measured by the GDP it has. From 2001 to 2007 it went by 35 percent.

GDP stands for Gross Domestic Product. It could more accurately be called Gross Domestic Transactions, because it is the sum of all the financial transactions in the country.

Now let us look at job creation.

In the first six years of the Clinton administration, 13.7 million jobs were created. In the same period, under Bush, only 3.7 million jobs were created. Barely keeping up with population growth, if that. (Source: Fox News)

Now let us look at median income. That's as opposed to average income (If Bill Gates walks into a bar with 10 people, the average income of everyone in the room goes up by $17,5000,000. But the median income just moves up half a notch, from between the fifth and sixth person, to the sixth person's income). From 2001 to 2005, median income, for people under 65, went down $2,000.

That's worth restating. From 2001 to 2005, the income of the average working person declined by $2,000.

Now, let's look at the value of America's businesses.

A good rough measure of the market value of America's best businesses is the stock market. Under Clinton, the Dow Jones went up 324 percent. Wall-to-wall, after the dot.com bubble burst, it more than tripled in value.

Bush arrived in 2001. Since then the Dow Jones is up just 10 percent. Adjusted for inflation, that's absolutely flat. (It was briefly up 23 percent. It is now below the 10 percent mark, and tumbling down as this is written). Just pain, no gain.

Oh Dave, I know that last sentence isn't accurate. I really don't care. In fact, I'm glad. I'm sick and tired of having tyrants trying to push the elderly and less fortunate out of their life-long homes with higher taxes to placate certain groups of people. I've had it up the HERE!! I want the money and the taxing power taken out of the hands of local politicians.

I've already received an email from one of the GA reps. He is disgusted with the unfunded Washington mandates for the schools that the local BOEs must comply with.

OK, take away the local federal mandates and put then at the state level that takes the burden off us. Also, let Perdue be responsible for his "truth in classroom size" stupid mandate.

Lynn,

You really should credit the people who wrote the post before your last one. Clearly, it was copied from another source, and failure to give credit where credit is due is at the very least plagarism, and possibly illegal.

I did Dave, it came off AlterNet. Go back and look at the beginning where I showed that.

It just so happens that I believe and agree every last word it says.

Here it is: http://www.alternet.org/workplace/74262/?page=2

Furthermore Dave, this forum does not activate links posted from another website. I stated that the article came from AlterNet at the very beginning. Yet you accuse me of doing something illegal. "Do your homework." "Get your facts straight," before making accusations.

HI Dave,

Did you read the letters to the editor in the Forsyth County News online today?

Quote: Let's see ... Mayor Gravitt and his supporters, in his objections to SPLOST VI, want the commissioners to disregard what voters have said "no" to in three elections, (the courthouse, jail, and justice center). End quote

The commissioners have done a great job on selling the county on a new jail. NOT!

Just last year, there was a big debate going on about whether to trade water and sewer for 30 acres of land at the landfill in North Forsyth, Or build the jail on the present site, including the old fire station property. Then, out of the clear blue sky, land became available on Market Place Blvd. 33 acres to be exact. The county decided to buy it for a jail. Why are the commissioners now seemingly trying their best to get the jail referendum defeated? (when and if it ever comes up for a vote).

I made a mistake...I meant to say "Veteran's Memorial Blvd., not Market Place Blvd.

I'd answer your questions if I could make any sense out of them.

Hi Dave,

This has dropped so far down the list, that I doubt if anyone is reading it but you and I.

I'm all for dropping property tax. It's the most hated tax that I know of.

I've received serveral comments from legislators throughout the state. Most of them are still thinking about it. Some say, they will definitely vote for it.

Here is my response from Mark Hamilton:

Dear Ms. Pruitt,

Thank you for your participation in the legislative process and for your thoughts on HR 900. As you are probably aware, HR 900 has been discussed and vetted since the last session and it has changed substantially during this process. It is currently being heard and debated in the House Ways and Means committee, where it is likely to change even more. I moved to Forsyth County 15 years ago and I was attracted by the reasonable taxes, a great quality of life and quality schools. Please know that those remain very important to me still today. I am watching this legislation as it goes through the committee process and will be able to determine a position once I see the final legislation, if and when it comes out of that committee. Thank you again for your participation.

Sincerely,

Representative Mark Hamilton District 23 Coverdell Legislative Office Building Suite 504 Atlanta, GA 30334 404-656-0188

Dave Richard Jan 23, 2008 9:01pm [ 16 ] (Yawn)

"""""Oh. Sorry. I must have fallen asleep.

Lynn, if you want any of this information, you're just going to have to call me sometime. Better yet, call the county manager. She does this stuff full-time. I am not going to waste my time answering each and every little question you have on cumminghome.com.""""""

This is a County Commissioner?? I do't know much about the SPLOST issue but I can tell you this much - with this display of a County Commissioner's unprofessionalism in handling a taxpayer's complaints and concerns, I'd vote against it today.

What a waste of salary this guy seems to be -