.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Just what would YOU do if a homeless person came into your meeting and started crying, saying she's homeless and hadn't eaten all day, in front of a packed house?
Well, if it were Barrie Tilghman she'd say, We'll get back to you on that one. John, (Pick) take her name and address and send her a letter.
Actually, I was very proud of Rick Pollitt last night. He stood the entire time fielding questions from the audience. Some good, some bad and some heartbreaking. The woman in the wheelchair wasn't the only sad story there.
Nevertheless, most had their hands out pleading for more and or continued support and I'm just going to be very frank here Ladies & Gentlemen. If YOU haven't put two and two together recognizing we're in probably the most difficult economy 95 % of us have ever experienced, go see a doctor because you've got issues.
I personally thought it was a sad display of department heads, (for the most part) wanting more, mainly the Board of Education. Cut back, quit acting like we're in Rockville and cut the BS!
The County Executive will probably reach into the County's pocket first for the homeless woman because you know what, it hit her first and it hit her the hardest. Now if any of the rest of you crybabies finally hit ROCK BOTTOM, then is the time to plead your case. Till then, Wah, Wah, Wah!
40 comments:
This has got to be the worst economy I have seen in my lifetime. Even though personally I'm doing better, and my career area is growing as the early baby boomers age, this is still an uncomfortable time.
Joe the HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD AT THE FRIGGING JAIL IS ASKING FOR MORE MONEY. WTF. He has Immigration Prisoners that make the jail self supporting I thought or he is just another head wasting taxpayers monies. Check it out.The programs the DT is posting is not costing the county. Federal/State programs are paying for that. The county employees recieved a good raise last year including some of the Pet Dept. Heads.This has got to stop NOW!NO RAISES.
It's no coincidence that the wonderful homeless shelter on church street in Salisbury used to be a shirt factory. The two situations are related.
If a Democrat President had dismantled the manufacturing sector, tripled oil prices, caused huge deficits,started a war, etc., us so called conservatives would be calling for blood.
As for the dear soul at the county meeting, I had better count my blessings. There are no quick solutions or blame. But, is anyone in power even TRYING?
bob pinto
Way to go Joe, tell it like it is. I am so fed up with people's heads in the sand, WAKE UP folks, you better tighten the belts of government, it's going to be a long rough road.
When "Linens of the Week" shuts down their Salisbury plant on Anne Street and move to their new warehouse in Delmar, there will me even more people from that Church Street area that don't have the transportation, will now be facing no jobs.
The city wanted the company to pay a $2.5 million water hookup fee because they were going to cut their water consumption by filtering and reusing some of their water.
Like being punished for trying to help save a much needed resource.
I have no problem with department heads asking for more money. Its up to Rick and the County Council to make some smart decisions. Jeesh, can we do this without calling every body names and using the F word in comments?
My first vote...cut Gary Mackes budget...recoop the millions lost at the landfill, and make some difficult decisions. Even the 50,000 community chest fund needs to go.
Someone on the County Council needs to tell the Board of Ed. to cut back some of the directors, coordinators, project managers and community liasions. Teachers and administrators give hundreds of uncompensated hours, but not the people at the central office. They just take comp time and hire tons of new people. Also, that 10% bonus to say when you might retire should be investigated. How can people be paid the bonus this year for retiring when they've already said they're not leaving? Then asking for 85% of health care to be paid by the county when they don't pay anything into their retirement system. Talk about spoiled.
I was at the meeting at the Civic Center. With the current tax cap in place its harder for all depts. to do more with less. All prices are going up except for housing it seems. As far as the Dept. of Corrections they are not self supporting. They have a budget of 13.4 million. 3.4 million is given back to the county from housing federal detainees and fees paid by work release inmates. The work release unit supplies workers for public works for trash and ditch bank maintance along our roads. Also workers for park and rec., civic center, grounds maintance for public buildings. Communinty Service workers work to get time off their sentences.
If you want to cut into the budget of the Detention Center, get rid of work release and community service workers. Do his and see the quality of life and county services decrease. Bottom line is we all have to do more with less.
If anybody disagrees with these statements, speakup.
Rick looks serious. Maybe these Grants to Non-Profit organizations can go for the homeless instead of for the outrageous salaries of their Directors and other salaries, who are responsible for their own fund raising instead of Tax Payer Grants. Probably 25% of these Grants are used for useful non-profit activity.
so the answer is to take $400,000.00 revenue, (a user tax, not on everyone remember) from the liquor board and, and the three amigos on the council trying to do this,( who want to own liquor stores), figuring out how to, and where to make it up in taxes. stupid is as stupid does..
anonymous 12:43,
That's a complete lie! NO Council Member wants to open one of their own Liquor Store! Rumors like that belong back in 5th Grade!
How did the "homeless" woman get a vera bradley pocketbook? Those overpriced things are $80. and up.
1:08 the dollar store has look-alike Vera's for like $5. Also keep in mind that homeless doesn't mean that you don't have a job, or friends. It just means you don't have a home.
Throughout my life and even today people tell me I'm foolish in my thinking. My thinking has me debt free. Can you say that? My father taught us if you can't pay for it, you don't need it. That advise has kept me from falling into the credit card fiasco that so many find themselves in today. When I pay cash the item belongs to me. When you put it on a card, it belongs to you and the credit card company and you are paying more to possess the same item. Is this such a smart thing? I don't need a credit card for emergencies, that's what savings is used for. If I need a roof I wouldn't put it on a card, I'd go to my friendly banker and borrow from them for a short term and repay it ahead of time to reduce the interest. We're all going to have house payments for a period of our lives, car payments for a period of our lives but to go out and finance a pair of shoes? That's just plain stupid. Stupid keeps you so broke you can't pay attention then you find yourself in a jam juggling bills and living on a steady diet of aspirin and maalox. Not me. I might not have all the grandeur those with huge credit debt have but what I do have is mine.
Lesson to the city and county. IF YOU CAN'T PAY FOR IT, YOU DON'T NEED IT.
it wasnt the lack of education that made her homeless, nor the drug problems, and it certainly wasn't the mental illness. you can trace all homeless people to one of those three things.
It won't be long before all of us are homeless and for me it won't be credit cards...its the damn taxes!! I too am sick of the teachers who make a damn good living and a hefty salary. I wish I was sitting on the beach all summer and off every holiday. Also, when there is a fog delay it was meant for the children. If I can get to work in the fog or snow...so can they.
I agree with managing debt being a husband and father I owe it to my family to model the debt free ideals. I owe about 30% of the value of my house and can make the payment picking up cans along the roadside. Other than that I don't owe anyone a penny!Now there is that April !5th date we all have and the annual payment to the "Ray Lewis Landfill Fund". My challenge to the local government is to operate with no waste and debt free!
ANON 12:22 PM You leave a lot of openings in that statement.When u ride these county roads you see nothing but trash.What ditches need maintaining in the county?THE HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD has cut the acceptance of federal prisoers.What does he do with all the profits from the vending machines, clothes washers/dryers,telephone revenues from at&t. Dont come on here until he adds everything in.Those little odds and ends need to totaled and explained in your next post if he gives you the ok.
4:44
AMEN to your thoughts from me. Do you know any other job where you can get a 10% bonus every year for up to three years just for telling the boss when you are retiring? Then you can keep the bonus money and not retire when you said you would. All of that paid by the poor taxpayers to boot. The Wicomico Board of Eds ENP program stands for Extra Not-Earned Pay.
Anonymous 1:33: Depends on how cute the shoes are ;)
6:20
The School Board has always been a thorn in my side. They say it is all about our kids..bullshit!!!
Not one of them are willing to give up one penny for our kids. They are always complaining about not making enough money. As far as I am concerned they make too much money for working only 9 months a year if that. God knows when they have those proffesional days for those meetings, alot of them don't even attend. And by the way..have you ever seen some of those salaries at the Board of Education? NONE of them are worth that kind of money.
Well this is a fairly heavy slow down in our economy, but those who lived through the 1930's certainly don't think this is a bad recession, by comparison. In fact, I can remember me and my brother going to the back of the A & P store and picking up as many of the wooden boxes we could carry and take them home for the fires in our homes stove, after breaking them appart. Times were really tough then, a lot tougher than now.
A. Goetz
Why in the world would Gail or Stevie want to open a liquor store? Gail's husband is a surgeon, I doubt either Gail or Stevie would want to deal with drunks and pan-handlers bumming money from real customers or sleeping on the benches down at the Giant?
Ask any bar or restaurant owner what they as customers, forced to buy an over priced product from a middleman think if you want honest answers.
You have no argument here, ask the people that it impacts the most. The people spending the most money are especially ready to dump that system even if it means their liquor licence fee goes up.
As for Joe Holloway, I know for a fact that he was against government competing with retailers for years before he decided to run for county council. When the county liquor store #1 at Giant expanded way back in 2000 he was against them selling cigarettes, snacks, candy and gum to hide that liquor smell while driving. They were becoming more of a convenience store than a county liquor dispensary. Abuse of power is a possibility with an entity with no real oversight or accountability. Nice try Ronnie.
You need to get a new shtick cause I ain't buyin' that one. Call and ask if you can sit in on a liquor board meeting. "If" they invite you I can assure you the real meeting will be held before you arrive.
How do you know that the homeless lady paid $80 for a pocketbook? Ever heard of someone giving another a gift? Birthday present, Christmas presnt? I guess not. Boy that's pretty low when all you can do is bash a homeless handicapped person.
You need to walk, or I should say wheel yourself a mile in her shoes.
Hey Art:
And I walked to the one-room school barefoot -- in the snow!
my question is to why is she homeless? The poor and handicapped can get section 8 housing. She is disable so she can get disability. With these things come food stamps, medical card, shore up for fuel if needed and other benefits that she can get that most of us can't get. We work so we make to much. That lady can get most program offerings out there. So whats the problem here? Are the crackheads or illegals getting all of those benefits? Or is it that she isnt talking to the right people? (if she isnt getting these things). There are so many scammers you dont know who to believe and who is trying to get over. Some of these people need to get up off their lazy azzzs and get a job.
The county and state budgets have alot of fat and these fats need to be cut. I personally am tired of being taxed to death, just to hear people making a good living complain. As in teachers. Some of these teachers make 50,000.00 or more a year and still complain and dont even do their jobs that great. Pass the kids along so that they dont have to deal with them. There a a few good teachers that actually care about their jobs and the kids however most of them dont they are just there for the payecheck and our kids pay the price and the teachers come out like fat rats. The tax caps needs to stay in place, that is the only protection that we the tax payers have to keep us from paying more taxes. We pay to much now and with the rising costs its hard enough for some of us to make it. we dont need more of a burden with higher taxes. As far as my concern there are alot of social programs that need to be cut. I'm sick and tired of my money paying welfare to those that just to damn lazy to work. I have been working just about my whole life and pay out the butt in taxes and Godforbid that i ever need help i would almost quarantee you that i wouldnt get jacks*&t. Leave my money in my pocket as to where it would do the most good. Let me manage my own money and take care of my family. CUT TAXES AND THE FAT! chop chop chop I really dont mean to sound cold and uncaring buttttttt enough is enough the working class needs a damn break.
bystander
Obviously she is handicapped, there is no question about that. Maybe, just maybe the slumlords in this town, in an effort to gain even more wealth have increased her rent to the point she can't afford to pay it with whatever she gets in a disability check.
Maybe, she being truly disabled has been denied by those professionals down at Social Services. It seems the only ones getting help are the crackheads and the baby factories.
Maybe she struck a nerve with some folks in this town that make the decisions on how money is spent.
Cut Gary Mackes budget. That idiot would spend his grandmothers last nickle to get what he wants, as long as it doesn't cost him anything.
Cut the liquor board out completely, collect the taxes and license fees and be done with it.
Cut back on all the fluff. What you WANT and what you NEED are polar opposites. Make do and quit acting like a bunch of spoiled brats crying at budget time.
Cut the BOE. Cut out those top salaries over at the BOE and save some of that money for necessities like BOOKS. Who over there, deserves the salaries they are paid? Cut out all of these ENP's and other programs that cost us money.
Most of all people need to stop acting like it is the governments responsibility to provide for them. I'm not referring to those that are truly in need, I'm referring to those to lazy to get out of bed in the morning to do an honest days work. If you don't work, you don't eat. Simple as that. Nobody said life was easy or fair.
Rick Pollitt and the county council needs to get a grip on spending.
Barrie Tilghman and the city council...they just need to be replaced before any progress is made there.
Teachers and administrators give hundreds of uncompensated hours, but not the people at the central office. They just take comp time and hire tons of new people. Also, that 10% bonus to say when you might retire {3 yr.]should be investigated. How can people be paid the bonus this year for retiring when they've already said they're not leaving? What say Thou Mr. Charlie Bounds? Have you returned the $ 10,000? You were retiring and were begged to stay one more year. Bullshit. Everyone is replaceable and at a cheaper salary. Oh well, life goes on and the Bd. Of Educ empire grows.Visit your schools. Is discipline getting any better? GREAT IDEA Get rid of half of the Central Office supervisors,etc. and all the gravy jobs many teachers have. THEN give each educator 10 or 12 students to teach. Less problems, more individual attention,better enable the teacher to assess strengths and weaknesses and then capitalize on these. More to come later.
Purses mean nothing-I have a Coach bag and a 9 West bag and my FOUR year old has a Vera Bradley-all gifts from my Aunt, cuz I am broke as sh*t!
As far as condemning homeless heres my take-there but for the grace of God,goes any of us if we fall on hard times.Who are any of us to judge?It isnt always poor lifestyle choices that lead to poverty.Our income is 40k and there are weeks when we do not know if we will cover all the expenses what with $300 electric bills, and unexpected auto repairs that pop up-which is why I took a PT job to help out.
More social programs are NOT the answer.I know people who are severely impaired by disease and just so frustrated by SSI turning them away that they gave up trying to get it yet I see alkies in front of grocery stores "selling" their food stamp benefits so they can get a cheap pint of booze.I see able-bodied young girls in nice clothes who are rewarded with government goodies just because they can reproduce and spit out 4 or 5 kids by 22.Instead of spending MORE money on social services,they need to be more selective in who they give it to and how they spend it.Welfare to work is a joke-they give them taxi vouchers or help them buy cars, meanwhile, at this very moment I am trying to figure out how to pull a grand outta my ass to replace the transmission that just blew out in my van just so I can spend $50 a week on gas to keep driving to my low paying PT job!Times are hard for those of us living on the edge!
I am related to the women in the wheelchair. She is married to a man that is capable of working. But he doesn't work if he does not for long. She gets monthly check from the taxpayers. They have been kicked out their apartments for not paying their rent. They would rather use the money for drugs. I have known them for the past fifteen years, and they have not changed, always take take take. Her family has always helped them out. Not with money anymore but with food, clothing. The used the money for drugs. She lost one foot, she didn't do what the doctors said, they had to operate again and take more of the leg, then the other. I myself do not feel compassion for her anymore, I always felt you must help yourself before someone else needs to.
Why does everyone expect the government to take care of them? What is this about? The government is the group of people who pretend to take care of us while extorting our money. If we don't give it to them they come after with guns in hand. We are living in a very weird society. Take care of yourselves - people. Then, fear the government and run when you see them coming. That is my advice.
Teachers work hard and put up with a lot of crap. Some of the unnecessary pressures are caused by the administration and Central Office.There are forms to fill out repeatedly and attend meetings when we should be in our classrooms teaching. We send discipline problems to the office for some help and support. What happens? They are back in class later after being talked to which goes in one ear and out the other.The other option is they spend a day isolated in a room with a special teacher hired to supervise. Hardly any students are suspended because it doesn't look good on the reports that the Central Office sends into the state. The administration is afraid to suspend minority students because the NAACP and State Agencies are all over them for picking on minorities. They want to know what proactive things have been done to help the student follow the rules. They question the high percent of minorities that are suspended . The answer is very simple. They are the ones that misbehave. Very easy to understand . Nothing complicated about it.The discouraged teachers take early retirement, experience unnecessary health issues and really don't have the job satisfaction that they are due.The favorite question asked in the faculty lounge is how many more years do you have before you can retire? When will the parents, PTA's and interested council members come to the teachers' rescue? A big act is put on for American Education Week and special programs for parents . This way the parents think all is well in the schools. No serious problems. The disturbing stories never get out of the school.If a teacher is wise they had better not breath a word of them in public. A teacher's working conditions can be made miserable if the administration so chooses.Tomorrow is another teaching day for me.
I think the old firehouse should be set up for the homeless people. It's large enough to hold several cots. More bathrooms could be added and a small kitchen are for meal preparation.Salisbury could be the lead city for such an endeavor.
If you are replacing a transmission in a van for only a grand,it must be a "junkyard dog".Be very careful with those.Voice of experience.
Well put Totmom. If you look at that picture that lady has no legs at all. It is a shame that the people that need it the most just aren't informed enough about milking the system, as some others that shouldn't be getting a dime.
Anonymous 1:33 When I made my post the last comment was 1:21 so didn't see your post. If what you say is true, then I must agree.
I would recommend counciling at the Joesph House.
12:19 AM
you have very good ideas about the Board of Education. can taxpayers do anything about the 10% bonus for retiring going to people who intend to keep the money and stay on the job any way? big surprise he was asked to stay to work on the Benett projects, big surprise being asked back is a loop hole in the ENP program. how about never intending to retire in the first place? as long as the Board members fell for it, some body really knew how to work the system which is not hard when you are near the top of the system. Mr. Field sent an email to all of us explaining that he and Mr. Bounds were not retiring and he wanted to clear up the confusion. Mr. Field didn't take the bonus money and no one around here ever thought he was retiring. he was just covering for Mr. Bounds who did take the bonus and we were wondering how he gets to do that and not retire. Mr. Field is staying and did not take the money and Mr. Brown took the money and he is leaving. they did not take advantage of the taxpayers. only one took the money and is not leaving but that is no surprise.
Since Supt. Tom Fields is not retiring, what unnecessary job are they creating for him at the tax payers expense? Joe, you never have much info on the Bd of Educ.waste of money. Why? Do you still have children in school? If so I understand.
What new job is the Bd. Of Education creating for Supt. Tom Fields since he is not retiring? Maybe he could be the mentor for principals instead of the two retiring principal.(creating 2 more jobs) What a waste. They used to hire educators to be principals that would know how to do the job. It amuses me how it takes 3 people now to do what one person used to be able to do . I guess todays educators do not have the stamina like the old timers. Maybe one-a-day vitamins would help! Joe, you seldom have any info on the waste from the Bd. of Educ. Do you still have children in school? If so, I uderstand.
Mr. Field will return to his former job as assistant supt. for instruction, and Mr. Bounds will keep his retirement bonus and his position as the second assistant supt. I think Mr. Brown's job as the third assistant supt. is being eliminated since that department was given a new position paying over $100,000 was created for Mr. Brewer this year in the same department where Mr. Walker is paid over $100,000.
Post a Comment