As noted in the companion piece on Delmarva Dealings, Wicomico county councilman Bill McCain hosted an excellent town hall forum last night. Sadly for the local “tax and spend” crowd, the meeting wasn’t exactly as advertised.
Originally promoted as a forum to discuss alternatives to Wicomico County’s evil revenue cap, the OVERWHELMING majority of those in attendance wanted more spending cuts – NOT a repeal of the cap. The only person to speak in favor of repeal and more spending was one of the local left’s usual suspects – Mike Pretl acolyte and local Bolshevik tree hugger, John Groutt. While all there were civil towards one another, Groutt had a little hissy fit over AFP co-chair Joe Collins and called the fiscally responsible crowd “simplistic” and “a bunch of Tea Partiers”. My feelings are still crushed.
In summary the meeting was productive, not overly long, and Mr. Groutt provide some comic relief at just the right moment.
Thanks again Bill.
16 comments:
Wow GA! Great assessment. You are one of the only fiscal conservatives to come up with well researched and very doable solutions to the tax and spend mentality! Great job!
REPEAL THE CAP!!!!! Of course, you probably won't post this...
What was accomplish?
A volunteer could do this PIO job. Send out press releases etc. Whats so difficult about that?
I hear many departments have been told to "cut expenses" by a minimum of 10%.
Let the PIO go and take away the two county council positions which are at large. That would save money. Dont purchase the parking lot and DONT build a library. We are in a depression...act like it.
1:34pm Some of the council members have already come forward with some solutions. When they were making cuts to this current budget there were two or three members suggesting scaling back government. The rest of the council didn't want to hear it. I attended this meeting when this was debated.
Anonymous said...
Let the PIO go and take away the two county council positions which are at large. That would save money. Dont purchase the parking lot and DONT build a library. We are in a depression...act like it.
7:28 PM
I agree with this 100%
There is also no need for an Assistant County administrator. Why do you have a County Executive, a County Administrator and an assistant County Administrator. The assistant County Administrator was just a secretary and Rick Pollitt made her the Assistant County Administrator, a position she isn't qualified to handle. I guess it's his way of showing thanks to the NAACP community for helping a Democrat get elected.
There is definitely no need for 7 county council positions and a County executive. Get rid of the 2 at large positions and we would be better off.
8:53 all noble and worthwhile suggestions---HOWEVER, that will only take care of a couple of hundreds of thousands of dollars. How are you going to cut the other $15.8 MILLION dollars they need to cut to balance the budget? And guess what? next year will be hell compared to this upcoming budget.
"local Bolshevik tree hugger"?
Good lord Harrison, could you be any more of an ignorant troglodyte?
8:53pm Why would we be better off by getting rid of the 2 at large positions? Just asking?
9:21 it looks like they have to cut services. Hard reality is hard.
repeal the cap, it's about time the rich get what's coming to them and they pay their fair share!!! They don't want it repealed cuz it would just cut into their pockets. Stop taking from the middle and low man, make these people pay!!!! The tax cap is what got us into this place so get rid of it and watch some of these problems disappear!
Anon 1250 -
Thanks for the compliment; however, I want to note that most of these ideas weren't mine. Most of these ideas came from the folks at the meeting.
Anon 1413 -
I wasn't a VOICE member that brought up an elected school board. No one was shouting "Don't touch the cap!". There were ideas that can be enacted immediately, others that have to wait until the FY2011 budget, and others that are more long term. You are very short sighted if you only want to focus on something that can be implemented today.
Anon 2228 -
Sorry guy. When people like Mr. Groutt advocate the local government stealing from our farmers and attacking all of our property rights then I call 'em like I see 'em. John Groutt is a tree hugger and "Bolshevik" is a fair description.
The two at large C/C members are needed as much as the P.I.O. It is funny went the knife hits the bone just who pops out of the wood work. I see a lot people with the "Me" syndrome that has ruined this country.
Those three people we call for their blood. How can any of us that can afford a computer sit here and demand the livelyhood of another person. Look at what we have become. A bit of adversity and we want people to walk the plank. Hell someone has to pay right. Who cares about the families of these people in hard economic times.
I find it funny that McCain is not running this term. Who paid for the room at the Civic Center ?? Bill can you answer this.
If we wnt to throw people under the bus. Lets start with the perfect storm that has been brewing in this county for twenty years. We are seeing the cold hard facts of the Peterson & Craemer debacle and past councils. The recent crew inherited a mess, but have really done nothing to improve the quailty of life for anyone other than themselves.
The Landfill theft ring going on for years. Who was the watch. This county will surely be laying off people this July. Start with those who litterly stole from the county that are still employed. Start with the obvious crooks then go after the elected ones that created it.
Americans are tired of Politicians force feeding us bullshit with a sprinkle sugar hoping it goes down o.k.
On a side note I guess the passing of judgement on Jen Foxwell paid off. I hear through the grapevine she has suffered a major breakdown. Instead of attacking the beast that committed the crime we let our anger go far and wide. If this women kills herself have we garnered a victory. I do not think so. I would not want that on my hands.
As Easter approaches I know my heart is heavy with the state of the country and county.
Remember ones life is worth more then a hand full of coin.
The Wicomican
anon 6:52 slow down on that kool-aid your going to choke .First all people whoown land pay the tax not the rich only. Second the so called rich pay over TWO THIRDS the taxes (not a talking point a fact look it up on the IRS web pages)while 15 percent pay nothing.Third my boss is a "rich man " and he hires over 200 people to good paying jobs as well as health insurance and retirement and profit sharing.(Which is why if people have jobs they have insurance).And last the county is in the state it is in because of ARE YOU READY ? OVER SPENDING and a lack of physical responsability on the part of our goverment who use tax money as a piggy bank .Its a easy problem to fix CUT ! CUT ! CUT and CUT some more.
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