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Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Is Government Actually Starting To Listen?






In what seemed like yet another local shoe in, the Land Use Bill fell flat on its face value because it was flawed and our Public Officials heard "We The People."

Similar to the Gary Comegys vs Jim Ireton Mayoral election, the Blogs stepped in and put the message out there with our opinions and our elected officials listened.

It started with a Tractorcade. Local Farmers showed they were not going to sit on the Fire Escape any longer and watch the world go by. Instead, they took their Tractors off their Farms and made a visible statement. Voters in Salisbury did the same in the Mayoral Election.

More importantly, We The People are realizing there IS a place where their voices can be heard. There is a place where We The People can make a difference. Not long ago a Tea Party was put together in a matter of days and 500 people showed up in the pouring down rain because We The People will no longer sit on the fire escape and not participate in our government, local or national.

For too many years we sat still taking the punches while our so called government made choices for us and as you can all clearly see, our government has failed us miserably. In the past we had the Main Stream Media telling us what THEY wanted us to hear. Today we have the Blogs telling the other side and or the other story. Even more so, we're telling you things the MSM simply refuses to let you know.

I firmly believe because YOU and I now have a voice, We The People are being heard and our elected officials are starting to listen. WE are holding these elected officials accountable for the choices they make and today was yet another sound victory on a flawed bill that didn't serve ALL of us.

Is there a winner or loser in today's decision, I don't believe so. I believe this bill should have never received the attention it received and before Salisbury News ever came along, this thing would have passed with a very high chance NONE of you would have known about it until it was too late.

Do you know what you're NOT hearing today? Do you know what's far more important right now than this 2009-5 bill? THE COUNTY BUDGET! That's where our elected officials should be spending all of their time. We're in a crisis financially. The County has lost millions of dollars from the State and our elected officials need to sit down and crunch numbers similar to watching Apollo 13 trying to figure out how to make something from nothing and return home safely.

Now, will this bill go away, absolutely not. However, when it comes back to the table a lot of the pressure of other major topics will be behind the Council and cooler and calmer heads will work together to resolve this matter. As we pointed out in another Post yesterday, there just aren't enough cases in Wicomico County in the past 10+ years to warrant such a bill. It may come in time but today's vote should never have been so dramatic and pressing, dividing families and neighbors.

I watched County Council Members acting very similar to the Salisbury City Council and you know what Folks, it's time for more CHANGE on the County Council. Agree to disagree, that's one thing. However, it's another to start throwing out personal attacks and dividing those people in which we elected and trusted to speak for We The People. Don't go backwards. Respect one and other. Rather than winning or losing, remember that there are ways to make things work where all parties are happy and satisfied. We do it every single day in our marriages, why should you be any different.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

John, thanks for listening!

Anonymous said...

Joe:

I absolutely agree with you when you said this proposed Bill should have never made it this far.

The budget is of such enormous magnitude that this Bill proposal was nothing more than a major distraction.

It should have never been allowed to proceed this far and I would reprimand the parties responsible for bringing this subject to the table.

It would be different if this was Silicon Valley and there were ample opportunities of employment. But with the sad state of our local economy it would have been a death blow to say the least if this legislation had passed.

Anonymous said...

Too many conflicts of interest on the council is also a good reson not to touch it. Hands caught in the cookie jar sort-to-speak.

racemom said...

So many of the farmers in favor of the Bill passing, have their land tied up in land preservation, the tree and grass programs and government subsidies already. When a farmer has already dipped into the government funding and then wants to tell the other farmers what they need/have to do with their land, thank goodness our council listened and voted against the bill. They can stand up in public all they want saying they are protecting the farm land, but their pockets have already been lined.

Anonymous said...

Racemom, every single farmer who grows corn dips into government subsidies every year they do it. Thats their profit margin. Its like welfare and welfare must stop. And at least the other farmers that got their land tied up from "government funding" programs don't have it tied up in developer funded programs.
You all are wrong to not support this bill. NOw what happens is all the big city liberals move down here to fill these new developments and we'll never get anything we want. So short sighted, all of you.

joealbero said...

anonymous 8:44, wake up you crybaby liberal. Maybe you should read our Post from yesterday AGAIN and reaslize it's not happening at all anyway and hasn't been done in 11 years.

On top of that, I believe Wicomico County is somewhere near 80% undeveloped, perhaps even higher. Until you bring in a major airport and about 50 massive companies offering thousands of jobs each, then and only then will you see that kind of development.

So quit your bellyaching about the sky is falling and get a grip on reality.

Anonymous said...

Officials listening? Not the three bozos of the city council.

They have already spit in the face of the people many times since the election.

They should be recalled.

Anonymous said...

Joe, who the hell do you think you are with your half truths and biased data presentations. You haven't lived here all your life. You haven't seen this place change like I have. This goes back way further than 11 years. Most development happened more than 11 years ago. If you had been here twenty years ago you wouldn't even recognize this place now. And now you won't recognize it in another 20 years. But what do you care, you live in delaware anyway and all yo are interested in is self promotion, when are you going to run for office? AND... you would be the first to call me a liberal.

Bob said...

9:17

It doesn't matter how long he's lived here. This type of legislation tears at the very fabric of our nation. It erodes the very values on which this country was built - personal rights and freedom. Everyone, regardless of what city, county, or state they live in, has a vested interest in overbearing government that carries out the will of special interest groups at the cost of individual freedoms.
Remember when the first "Urban Sprawl" legislation was passed? I can't help but wonder if that legislation would have passed if the Blogs had been around then. Probably not. The blogs have become a hub of communication that has linked people together. It is proving to be a valuable tool for the sharing of information and is absolutely devastating overbearing government. Many in political positions can't stand the idea that their power is literally being stripped from them by We the People. It is starting at the bottom (the way any grass roots effort should) and is putting politicians back in their places - as public servants. The primary responsibility of the Government is to protect the rights of the people. This legislation should have been recognized by our representatives as an infringement of personal property rights when it was just an initiative put forth by special interest groups. It should have been laid to rest immediately without all of this hoopla. It doesn't matter if the majority at meetings supported it or not. To pass this legislation would have been mob rule - NOT the rule of law based on our Constitution and the values upon which our country was built.
Yes, blogs have become more important than anyone could have ever imagined because now, more than ever, it is of utmost importance that we educate ourselves to what is going on around us and to organize a unified front against any government that moves to create legislation that erodes any of the rights that have been endowed upon us by our creator. What more appropriate forum can there be than one that connects people living miles apart?

Anonymous said...

8:44 - Seriously. Why would big city liberals move here? Why would ANYONE move here. There is nothing here, there has been nothing here, there will be nothing here.

Ooh! We are getting a Checkers!
OOh! Another Applebee's!

Uugh.

Anonymous said...

Hey. Is there another Applebee's coming? Where will that be? And, are you sure? Maybe they'll want to put up a sign and it won't suit the powers-that-be, like the Cracker Barrel. This has got to be the most backward government east of the Mississippi. They're afraid of changes...it might mean that there is some appeal to more come-heres.