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surepip

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Posts posted by surepip

  1. First, remember that the EEC, South America, Australia, et al, pay very, very close attention to our politics.

     

    It determines much of the economic shifts worldwide.

     

    Everyone in all of these countries who do international business are concerned with what the Chinese do. They are basically a 1/3 of the worlds population, and they have to eat. They absolutely cannot feed themselves, or come anywhere close to doing so. They require our meat, and grain in order to survive. They devalue their currency to sell the manufactured junk here, but in the process they make the food they buy from us and the EEC and south america more expensive in the process. And it is a potential bomb whenever the market gets a scare over economic and political policies that could disrupt the flow of products both directions.

     

    We don't HAVE to have their TVs, etc. On the other hand, they MUST be able to get much of their meat and grain from us. If the people can;t eat, they tend to want to overthrow the government.

     

    At the same time, our food producers depend heavily on their markets to accept our grain, poultry, pork, and beef. Which they must have in order to eat.

     

    W Bush fowled [no intended pun] up over and over screwing up the China trade. Obama, with Hillary fixed a whole lot of problems, and this has helped our protien producers to become profitable again. Christmas of 2008, over 50% of our meat producers were in chapter 11 bankruptcy, caused for the most part by the W Bush and Congress setting the absured Ethanol mandates. Obama and the state department was able to get those problems fixed.

     

    Don't sell Hillary short. She knows her stuff and has great respect from the world leadership which is scared cheezeless of Trump. The last thing we need right now is our world markets backing away from our products, which have already gone up in price 20% based on foreign exchange currency rates the past 4-5 years.

     

    The Euro was $1.40 to $1.50 4 years ago, and today it is less than $1.10

     

    That should say it all.

  2. An all out trade war with China would bankrupt most of our meat production industry. The devaluation of their currency has not slowed their purchase of US chicken and pork, let alone grains and other foods. This is one of the largest industries in the USA. The big poultry companies have 100,000 employees/contract workers. Shut downs would cause a domino effect of bankruptcies unprecedented in our history.

     

    Bear in mind these are perishable products that would not find another buyer right off the bat.

    • Like 1
  3.  

     

    You do realize that Hillary's father was also a wealthy businessman right ? ? ?

     

     

    8)

    And Bill C was not from a wealthy or even solid middle class family. His mom got by, and he earned a Rhodes Scholarship. Not too shabby for a poor ass white boy. Yes, he has the womanizer ego, but I credit him, and Hillary for the fact they sought counseling, are still married, and did a pretty good job with Chelsey's education. All 3 of them have some superb educations not attained by many these days,

     

    I just don't understand all the bashing bashing bashing. Did Bill do wrong with Lewinsky? Hell yes, and paid the price from what I understand. And Hillary is still standing beside him. Where is Ivana Trump and Marla Maples Trump today ?

    • Like 1
  4. Even if the system is near perfect as you say, that is no reason to deny the growers access to the courts or intimidate them into silence through contract provision.

     

    In an industry as large as the poultry industry, you can't tell me that there is not some butt hole out there figuring some angle, whether it is to get his brother in law in the business by bankrupting another and plotting to buy that property at auction and a discount ... I think what we see here is the difficulty when you mix a private business (farming) with contract labor in which both parties seek the greatest profit from their venture.

     

    pubby

     

    PS: I think what Oliver really stumbled into is a labor dispute that involves contract labor agreements with people who have a stake in the game - the capital investment in chicken houses who find they can't act like labor and organize because if they went on strike, those who didn't would reap all the rewards.

    No Puibby, you need to look a lot closer at the relationship between the integrator and the growers.

     

    In my 38 years, visiting one hell of a lot of farms, spending a great deal of time with the 4Integrator managers [breeder Manager, Hatchery Manager, and Grow Out Manager, along with the Live Production Manager] they tend to have a very close freindly relationship with their growers. They used to be welcome visitors to the hatcheries, often coming by to eat lunch with the manager, or a beer in the parking lot after work. The BioSecurity issues have pretty much stopped that sort of deal.

     

    But I find many that go out to dinner, visit at birthdays, etc. Remember in a well run operation they are much more of a Partnership than a worker/management situation.

     

    Also, when thinking "Strike Threats", it is the integrator who take 95% of the risks, and still covers the grower for the other 5%.

     

    The problems, when they occur is generally more directed at a newish grower family who did not realize how much work it would be. It is very much like a paper route, expect 24-7 when they have birds on the farm. Wven with all the automated equipment, basically someone needs to be there all the time. Power outage that doesn't kick in a stand by generator, well pump burn out, etc. mush be addressed at once. In the summer all the birds could die in a matter of minutes.

     

    Literally, if mom and dad are out to Red Lobster for dinner, and none of the kids are home when a thunderstorm comes through, they have to leave and go check the birds.

     

    Every upgrade I have ever had to deal with, when the integrator insists the grower add equipment, or a new something, they work with them as to how it will be paid for, and what the payback for them will be.

     

    When we first started placing our egg santizers at the breeder farms where the hatching eggs come from in the mid 1990s, there was grumbling about have to buy this $10,000 machine to clean and sanitize the eggs. Next visit to that farm, Mrs.Brown gave my associate Uri a great big kiss, and thanked him profusely for pushing the issue with the sanitizer. They had eaten dinner before dark every night since installing the machine, saving them 3-4 hours of work per day. Her husband has since died, but she is still running that farm with 2 breeder houses with some of her grand children's help.

     

    The unfortunate part as i pointed out before is if the grower wants to quit, he basically has to either sell the farm, or find someone to run the houses the integrator approves of. The bank note for the houses won't allow him to just say I Quit.

  5. No Pubby it does not work that way.

     

    Our integrators are very much ISO divided into areas of responsibility.

     

    The Live production side is who the grower works for.

     

    The killing plant/processor is who determines the growers success, or lack there of.

     

    The top management of each group might ride upstairs on the elevator together, but don't know each other's first name.

     

    The system show tonnage of feed, number of chicks delivered, early mortality of chicks, late mortality of chicks, and any other unusual or normal problems.

     

    When the catch the birds and take them to the processing plant, they are weighed on their way in. We are talking 10,000 to 50,000 chickens at 7-8 pounds each livewieght. Some extremely large numbers.

     

    The formulas then come down to a cost per ton, not per pound; and how they stack up against the guys who got birds from the same hatchery, same breeder farm, same everything that same day.

     

    To game this system as you suggest would be hard.

     

    From my experience, it is either the JOB ended up being alot more work that that specific farm family expected, or they burned out, or, hey.....it happens,.....they just are not that good at growing chickens. Bad Judgement, bad Luck, bad flip of the coin. It all can add up to bad results.

     

    They really have to get horrible to be fired. To the point of costing the integrator more than they can afford to lose on one flock after another. Or flocks that come in so conatminated with Salnmonella they have to be destroyed. The integrators work with the growers as much as they can, plus some, trying to make them successful. A happy grower brings in good results.

     

    A typical complex has 175 to 200 growers. Andother 10 pullet houses for the breeder hens to live in for 20 weeks, and another 20 breeder houses to product the ferticle eggs.

     

    With a list of 10-20 more who would like to grow for them.

     

    Some are better than others.....some worse, and some, just depending on where they are who come in with the Average. I know of Pilgrim growers in Virginia who HATE them......and others here and in Alabama who LOVE them. Yet 5 miles down the road is a Tyson complex where everyone is best buddies. Each complex is stand alone. I really thing it is a people ....management-labor situation, but the contracts are written to provide lots of outs for the grower.

  6. This is a very, very poorly done segement, even if done as a satire skit.

     

    The Growers can opt out of their contract if they find the work does not suit them. It is my experience some growers burn out after awhile and should, if they can, walk away from it. That will generally mean selling the chicken houses.

     

    I do know virtually every chicken complex in the county has "growers to be" lined up waiting in the wings.

     

    I know there are a lot of 2nd, and even 3rd generation growers.

     

    Tournament challenges are common at many businesses. Sales Call Centers often pit the employees against each other with various incintives.

     

    Botton line for the grower-integrator relationships, is the integrators takes the chances and gambles rolling the dice a particular grower will bring in a good flock they can make money on, and that the price of the chicken meat stays at a sufficient level to offset any increases in feed prices.

     

    2007 to 2014 we had about 50% of the industry in bankrupty because of the ethanol industry driving the price of corn from $3.50 to $8.50+. The integrator takes all the risks for the feed and pricing.

     

    And diseases. And any medications for diseases.

     

    And last I heard all the growers are guarranteed a mininum that will cover their bank notes and put food on the table. Most families do have 1 of the parents working an 8 to 5 to have that secure income with health insurance, etc.

     

    Here are comments from "The Meating Place", an industry blog.....

     

     

    John Oliver is a British political satirist, writer, producer, television host, actor, voice actor, media critic, and stand-up comedian. He might also be someone for the chicken industry to reckon with.

    In his weekly show “Last Week Tonight” he delivered an 18-minute monologue about the chicken industry tournament system relationship with its contract growers.

    “Chicken farming can be almost as brutal for the farmers as it is for the chickens. Here's our piece from last night. ” was the message the show posted on Twitter promoting the segment, which aired Sunday night.

    Though technically a satire, the report was formatted like a news story, replete with video clips of congressional hearings, industry events and chicken farmers talking about their financial difficulties. It ended with a call to action, encouraging viewers to push their legislators to support failed legislation offered by Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) that aimed to protect farmers who speak out against the current system, if the legislation is reintroduced.

    The report has already been picked up by a number of media and blog outlets, including Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, Time, The Wall Street Journal and Slate, among others.

    Industry response

    “This segment, unfortunately, presents a completely one-sided view of U.S. poultry production and is not an accurate reflection of the overwhelming majority of the 25,000 farm families who partner with chicken companies,” according to a statement issued by the National Chicken Council. The NCC has also pointed to its own document explaining the tournament system.

    The NCC cited a University of Delaware survey stating that 75 percent of farmers were satisfied in their relationship with the chicken company, and 73 percent were satisfied with business overall. Most companies have contracted with farmers for 12+ years on average, if not several generations, and maintain waiting lists of farmers who want to raise chickens for them.

    According to NCC, the system insulates farmers from the risk of changing market prices for chicken and feed ingredients such as corn and soybean meal, which represent the vast majority of the cost of growing a chicken.

     

     

    http://www.chickenroost.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/NCC_Issue-Brief_Tournament-System.pdf

  7.  

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    Published on May 11, 2015

    Remember the days when Ebola was the scariest thing on earth? As it turns out, it was just scare tactics after all. The World Health Organization has officially announced the outbreak of Ebola in Liberia is OVER! It has been 42 days since the last Ebola victim was buried which is twice the incubation period. Cenk Uygur gives you the details on today's Final Judgment.

     

     

     

    Click for RECENT TOPICS click for RECENT TOPICS click for RECENT TOPICS

     

    I would not refer to an outbreak of Ebola on this sort of scale to be any sort of scare tactics. At least not for the thousands who died and their families.

     

    And the other base reason is the WHO, along with our help as provided by Obama and military assistance, as well as Emory's role helped stem the tide and knock it out. Had we done nothing this would have been much, much more wide spread around the globe, which is the primary reasons for containment BEFORE it becomes a Pandemic.

     

    Not a scare tactic by any means.

    • Like 1
  8. Iowa's numbers are approaching half the layers in the state. This variety of AI, H5N2 I think is showing itself to be 100% lethal/fatal in 96 hours or less.

     

    The Breeders with hatching egg production run from Oklahoma/East Texas across the soybean belt east back up to Pennsylviania and Delmarva. The Primary Breeders are from NW Arkansas back through the Smokles and up the Blue Ridge. Fewer disease problems over 1500 feet in elevation so they tend to the high altitudes in typically secluded area.

  9. The scientific community is beyond perplexed.

     

    We have generally felt for many years that AI is fecally transmitted from the gut of systemically infected waterfowl, to an intermediete host, and then [by means of a lapse in BioSecurity Protocol] into a chicken or turkey facility.

     

    We know, again generally, waterfowl such as ducks and geese are typically systemic carriers of low path and high parth, but typically our North American waterfowl did not actually catch the disease. This variety they are catching.....and being found dead around lakes and waterways in the Mississippi and Pacific flyways.

     

    It can be as simple a lapse in protocol as a duck pooping while flying overhead, grazing nearby, etc.

     

    A chicken farmer/working stepping in it, and then entering a facility without changing his boots or putting on booties. There is also a foot bath of powerful disinfectant at all of the entry/exit doors.

     

    A concensus now is agreeing this is moving to rapidly to be such an innocuous transmission, and unfortunately the finger points to general airborne transmissions is letting the inlet fan suck contaminated air into the houses and infecting them. If this is the case, we have a rough spring ahead.

     

    Take note that the industry wrote up rules and protocol for handling AI years ago, to protect themselves. Each state is a little different, but basically we have much miore strict protolcol for biosecurity, containment, and destroying the birds than the USDA does. Most of these have been in place for going on to 2 decades.

     

    Every confined flock is random tested weekly with a quick 30 minute blood test that shows positive or negative for exposure to an AI virus, no specific variety. If it comes back positive, a more specific testing protocol goes into effect to identify H2N2, etc., and how pathenogenic it is.

     

    Every bird facility registered with the state will show up on a GPS map, and every bird within 6 miles of that farm will be specific tested.

     

    The largest problem the industry is dealing with now is how to dispose of 20,000,000 4-4-1/2 pound birds in a 40 mile circle without moving any carcasses off the farm and/or having them outside exposed to the elements for any time.

     

    Cage layer houses have concrete bottoms, manure pits with scraper conveyors for pulling the manure out. Between the rows of cages are sidewalks about 30" wide, barely wide enough to walk, and you have to turn sideways to pass each other. I don't see how it will be possible to compost on site in the houses like we do with a broiler or meat flock house if they were to get a similar disease. Broiler houses have concrete side foundations and piers, but other than that are dirt floors.

     

    I assume any and all proprietors of incinerators of sufficient size are hauling them towards NW Iowa.

     

    But 20million, and increasing ....

     

    .....Dayam thats a gigantic number to wrap your brain around.

  10.  

    And who determines whether or not a board is successful? Who is to say there aren't folks who believe the board has been successful?

     

    As you point out, Thompson has been on the board for a while, so he's been appointed and reappointed a few times (and by a number of iterations of the Board of Commissioners, I'm guessing). Why don't you ask them if they think he has been successful, since they appointed him?

     

     

     

    You're calling Thompson a mouthpiece, which denotes that he doesn't make the final decision, so if the decision-makers decide to make the airport commercial, then it wasn't really his call.

     

    I don't know why you and other folks keep quoting his one soundbite. It's moot now. As I've said before, Gov. George Wallace stood up for segregation, but he ultimately had to back down. Now, I'm sure some of his supporters didn't like his backing down, but in the end, it was the right thing to do.

     

    Sorry if you don't like this "chit." (By the way, really? Can't you make an argument without the veiled cursing?)

    No sir.

    Comparing Calvin and his Airport statements, and their later lies,......and George Wallace standing in front of the University of Alabama, declaring to uphold the Alabama laws that prohibited blacks from the school are night and day, apples and lemons.

     

    Calvin was the mouthpiece and spokesman for the AA. No laws were changed. No county regulations, stipulation, or any other LAWS concerning the airport were changed.

     

    Calvin was responsible to see to it the AA provided and did what he, and they said they would. And he did not. He changed his tune, and basically told the people of Paulding, Touch Chit. I am the boss, and I now want commercial and we are going to make it commerical.

     

    Wrong, wrong. wrong.

     

    These guys.....Calvin Thompson, Blake Swafford, David Austin, Boykin Austin, Doris Deveny, Carolyn Delamontte or whatever her name is now, all should be required to reach into their personal pockets to pay the shortages that they are instead hanging on the tax payers. Their mis-management and absolute ridiculous waste of tax payer money should be hung on them, and they should be prosecuted for causing those losses.

     

    How long will Blake hang around if he has to pay for his errors in judgement, errors on basic desicion making, and just plain down right screwing up. In the private sector he would have been fired years ago. Instead, the Austin administration, like the Shearin administration protects him, and seeing the handwriting on the wall, has now given him a gold parachute bail out should the new commissioners find a legal means to just fire his ass, as it should be,

     

    Have you guys looked at the Golden Parachutes given to Shearins county manager Pat Crook ? $50 grand plus.

     

    Then Beverly Cochran......Austin couldn't fire her [why not....? does she knows too much like others ?]...she gets another $50,000 severance package.

     

    And now Blake's contractural parachute package. Why ? What Chit does he have on who ?

     

    Instead, he is financially rewarded for poor decisions and even worse management.

     

    Fraud. That is what it is, plain and simple. Fraud from day one, and then the full force of the county checkbook with their lawyers to break anyone who goes against them.

     

    Hey David....Hows that McKnight suit going ?

     

    And the others ?

     

    How many millions are you going to waste on this fiasco ?

    • Like 2
  11.  

    You, I think, are the first person I've seen criticize the IBA/AA board members for not "doing their job." What, exactly, have they been doing or not been doing?

     

    Boards like these are designed to have a staggered schedule for replacing board members. That setup allows each iteration of the organization tasked with naming board members to have the ability to name at least one board member during their time in office. The setup also allows the board to have a mostly consistent and knowledgeable makeup, meaning you don't have a majority of your board members with experience leaving all at once.

     

    The latter reason is the problem with a proposal to replace several board members at once. In doing so, you're kicking out members with several years of experience, likely replacing them with individuals with little to no experience. Even if the proposed replacements have experience in aviation, business or other related fields, there's a definite learning curve that will have to be overcome when you add that many new faces — they have to be taught procedures, the history of the organization and its dealings, and overall brought up to speed. There may also be a need for training.

     

    Now, if there were some actual malfeasance that could be proved, as in some criminal activity, then there is a reason to replace so many members at once. Your compatriots whine that the voters had spoken when they elected the three anti-airport commissioners last spring, but replacing board members named during the previous administration undermines the will of the voters who elected the commissioners who named those board members.

     

    You can't have every new administration "clean house" on every board, especially when the terms of each board member are already spelled out in a charter or some other document.

     

    ===

     

    And as far as Jamie Gilbert being "chased away," don't you think the anti-airport group had something to do with it? When you have individuals and potentially businesses funding billboards in your county that speak out against a certain development in your community, don't you think that would scare off someone tasked with actually developing the community? Seeing anti- people swarm county meetings and speak out against those tasked with promoting the county, from the Chamber to most government leaders, also definitely indicates that you're working in a less-than-supportive community.

    Sorry, you are way off base with your analogies.

     

    It might be a mistake to clean house and totally replace a sitting long term SUCCESSFUL Board, but that's not what we are dealing with is it?

     

    Calvin Thompson has been on the board, and/or chairman since when? 2002? Let Calvin pay to cover the losses. If he was running a business as he has run the AA, it would have been bankrupt and gone a long, long time ago.

    And please explain to me the background successes and batting averages of the various members. None have a knowledgeable background with any kind of airport except I guess Blake and the airforce. But what does that have to do with a private commercial entity?

     

    1] Airport is not going to cost paulding county one dime.

    Wrong. It has cost us millions and millions not reimbursed by the feds, state, or FAA. We are talking $25,000,000 to $50,000,000 or more.

     

    We don't know exactly how much because this board you think is doing such a FINE job, cannot freaking tell us how much has been spent, how much over budget, why, or anything else. According to Mr Tom Cable of the illustrious THE FIRM answers freedom of information requests to the AA concerning money with a terse reply that they don't have the necessary records to be able to provide that information. Again, Where is the business plan ?

     

    Say WHAT?!?!?

    2] This airport will never, ever, never be commercial.

    Wrong, the same mouthpiece is now heading the program to go commercial. Chit on me once, shame on you. Chit on me twice, and again and again,.....shame on me.

     

    3] We need commercial to make MRO money and attract other businesses.

    Wrong. No reason for a 139 certificate except to handle scheduled commercial flights.

    Spending $40Million more to do this will never break even. We can have all the MRO and other such businesses as a General Aviation Airport.

     

    4] It willl bring jobs.

    Wrong. Show me. We are paying $250,000+ a year for the 2 jobs. That does not compute with black ink. Only losing more and more money. The only jobs lost by NOT going commercial is for whatever fly by night commercial airline the AA is going to try to partner with using Propeller.

     

    I worked closely with Jamie Gilbert. Have refered many potential businesses looking to North Georgia.

     

    Why does Blake Swafford, the AA, and the IBA have to be involved in every move the Economic Development Group did ?

     

    Why us the Economic Development Office waiting for the contracts to be done by Tom Cable and THE FIRM to hire a real estate firm to market the land in the industrial parks and at the airport ?

     

    Who is running the search for potential tennants and industrial developers now that Jamie bailed ? And yes, they gave Jamie a job to do and then tied both his hands behind his back. He was doing quite well.

     

    Do you suppose Blake and his fiefdom were feeling a bit threatened by Jamie's success ? Why else would they keep throwing up roadblocks to obviously good deals.

     

    Who does Blake have lined up to sell the lots ? Mark Taglieber, his buddy and David Austin's daughter's [real estate partner?] who got paid the real estate commission for the acreage bought for the water tank at the airport !!!!?!?

     

    Why was an agent needed at all? One seller, one buyer who could use Emminent Domain, and no other property had the elevation required. Why pay a $5000+ fee?

     

    Because the AA looks after those it feels are in need?

     

    Pull the wool off of your eyes, youv'e been drinking entirely too much Kool Aid. The croneyism is just going to keep on until a way is found to replace them all. And the Paulding tax payers will keep paying out millions and millions in litigation, overspending for needless equipment at the airport, while Parks and Rec can't seem to get enough funding to cut the grass.

    • Like 2
  12. What I also know is that the driving attitude in the community seems to be vindictiveness. I see that, for instance, when I hear folks saying so and so is corrupt, crooked, ignorant, or what ever especially when there is absolutely no proof of such corruption. I also see it when people in institutions seem obsessed with extracting revenge on those who have challenged them. Obsessing on revenge destroys trust and community and to me that is like slicing off one's nose to spite their face.

     

    pubby

    No, I disagree.

     

    The current administration has shown clearly they will continue to work for their agenda in secrecy, and do what ever it takes to push that agenda.

     

    Pubby, how can you critizise the 3 votes to replace obviously inept board members on the IBA and AA, who clearly have NOT been doing their job, ..... and then at the same time, support the Austin administration which has gotten us into the mess we find ourselves in ?

     

    And it is NOT and automatic, "If you don't support the commerialization of the airport, THEN you are against all industrial development in the county." That is plain and simply not true.

     

    I know several of the owners/managers of the larger manufacturers in Paulding, and most, if not ALL, are against spending another penny at the airport. But ALL are 100% behind more industrial development such as Interroll. But they see how foolish this administration is, and how they react, when you consider they chased Jamie Gilbert away and basically have shut down the Economic Developemtn plans for the future. These guys are all successful, and have 12, 15, 25, etc. employees, who are very well paid by Paulding standards.

     

    Who is marketing the land in the industrial park around Interroll ?

    I know Jamie had researched this in depth, and had a handshake deal with a very, very reputable nationwide firm and only needed THE FIRM to finalize the contracts.....over a year ago.

    Why wasn't this accomplished, and these guys turned loose to sell or lease that industrial park ?

     

    Can you say because of the totally inept leadership of the IBA and the Boc, and depending on THE FIRM to take care of the contracts?

    Its obvious THE FIRM is far more interested in litigation against McKnight and the others suing the country over various airport topics. They can really suck hard on that county teat running up those litigation hours. More than enought to make up for their drop in real estate closing fees.

     

    But why is nothing taking place to market our potentially successful industrial parks, and the development of the property around the airport ?

     

    Why ? Because our leadership under the Austin administration insists on continuing to do the same thing the same way over and over and over again, all the while expecting different results. Trun INSANITY according to Dr Einstien.

    • Like 2
  13.  

     

    The one exception to this being the formal elements of the planning and zoning function where the future use of a piece of land is at question and the comments of the land owner and residents surrounding the proposed land development are relevant and part of a specific public hearing. Other events where a public hearing with comments are formally called for to be part of the public record are also circumstances where the comments should be captured and be part of the video record.

    Pubby

    I have to question your comment.

     

    Unless it has changed, the Planning and Zoning Meetings are NOT video taped at all. And good luck finding any minutes other than the paragraph in the formal zoning proposal saying recommended or not recommended, and 4-3-2, such numbers to describe the vote of the P&Z Board without reference as to who voted how.

     

    See, our first mistake was believing Jerry Shearin and his band of RBMDs would be truthful and above board, many of whom we considered friends. They gave us what we asked for in the way of stipulations at the P&Z meeting, and then changed the stipulations on the official minutes the next day. As we trusted them, we did not make a big deal out of making them read, out loud, the stipulations at the BoC meeting when they voted to approve, with X stipulations. It took us over a month to get a written copy of the stipulations, and we were then informed it was too late for us to protest or challenge them.

     

    Our lawyers was there representing the Hardys, and he made them read those stipulations, which were full of errors, which they they spent 30 minutes or so correcting.

     

    When they REOPENED the zoning 14 months later to AMEND many of the stipulations to save Womble/Contour money, the law saws they reopended it for us to challenge them as well.....which we did, filing 2 constitutional challenges with the P&Z commission. Lani Skipper, bless her heart, refused to allow our challenge at the meeting, stating we were just adjacent land owners [surrounded on all 4 sides by the PRD under going the zoning.].

     

    Bottom line is Austin and company make it the same sham and fiasco it was under Shearin, bending the rules to help their clients and campaign donors, and making certain the records for posterity only show what they want the public to see and remember.

  14. I agree with you on this Greatma. Most other members of county, city, state governments have a college education. Anyone who doesn't is viewed as uneducated and will not be viewed by others as being able to play on a level playing field. They are instantly viewed as inferior.

     

    Sorry guys, but that's the truth of it. Leaders should have accomplishments. Like a degree.

    You might want to check on how many of your political leadership failed to get thier degrees. You know, state representatives, Lt Governors, judges, etc.

     

    Many times, although I would prefer those in charge at least have demonstrated they could do what it takes to finish and get a degree, having dome down home seat of the pants common sense is a whole lot better.

  15. I disagree Pubby!

     

    The 4th Tuesday meeting, May of 2006 was orchestrated and choreogrpahed per King Jerry to make his boy Mickey Womble look good, and to beat up on Melissa and I, and the manner in which they edited the footage is how they set out to accomplish just this.

     

    We spoke, and laid out how Womble and Contour were totally ignoring the zoning board's stipulations. Not to mention how they just ignored obtaining the correct permits for the work they were doing and having it inspected.

    How they paid no attention to the silt fences, unless the state EPD was going to be coming to inspect.....that would get action, until the EPD guys left, then it all went back to business as usual. Develope to maintain and protect the Morrison road frontage right of way......so they bull doze EVERYTHING, lower the elevation 3-5 feet and leave us with a driveway entrance a long trailer, like my Uncle'c RV trailer, cannot enter without bottoming out.

     

    Why give us stipulation at all if the powers that be are not going to enforce them.

     

    We complained about the mud, and dust storms for lack of eroision control. King Jerry cuts part of that and interjects how in his whole entire life he could not recall a time we had 40-50 mph wind storms, and they were sorry it got so bad we had to vacate our home.

     

    We complained about Womble and Contour bull dozing some of our trees, and wiping out 50' of buffer entirely. Womble is allowed to speak of how the Morrisons have 1600' of buffer, so we should not be upset about losing only 50'.

     

    Then much to our surprise, King Jerry Shearin invited Mickey Womble out of the audience to rebut us, and goes throught this big charade deal of polling all the commissioners to make sure they are all on board with Mickey speaking........but NONE of that is in the video. Want to see it.....I've got a copy.
    Our issues were basically 2 fold:
    Womble and Contour had 2 separate zonings up for approval at this meeting, for land in the SAME PRD.
    One was to amend the various stipulations as granted at the march 22, 2005 P&Z meetings and subsequent BoC meetings to approve. ALL the amendments were to save Mickey money.
    NO longer a grey water reuse PRD, as we had been promised from the get go, based on protecting our ground water level in our old bored well that supplied water to our vegetable garden and Melissa's 5 Koi ponds.
    Saved Womble a million or so, ..... and cost us all of melissa's Koi, some of which were 10-12 year old pets that ate out of her hand. These were some big beautiful fish. Womble's blasting collapsed the bottom of the well, burned up the pump, after allowing it to pump muddy water into the ponds all night, killing most of the fish.
    And King Jerry's editing of the meeting tape was all done to hide what he was doing to let Womble rebut us, even though by their own rules which Beverely Cochran read at the beginning of the meetings prohibited Womble from being able to speak.
    The other zoning issues was bringing another 40+ acres into the PRD since I had taken the initiative to let Mark Haney at WellStar know he had an option to buy the 40 acres on the south and west side of the 30 acres Wellstar already had at 278 & 120. He exercised that option, which he only learned about after I informed him the first week of January 2006, and the option expired March 22, 2006. Womble had that zoning request to bring in another 40 acres on the other side of the PRD so he could fufill his obligations to D.R.Horton for "X" number of lots.
    But according to State law, you CANNOT have 2 separate zoning requests for the same PRD back to back at the same meeting. One of the zonings should have been tabled until the next meeting the following month.
    But hey, like Prince Black Swafford told me a few months earlier when I asked how come we were not getting to review the PRD blue prints and sign off on them as promised at the P&Z meetings????? And he replied because Mickey has a sort time table on this project and has to get if finished earlier.
    Liars all!!!! Liar, Liar, pants on FIRE!!!!
  16. I believe the correlation would be to the fact those in power who have to censor the videos of the meetings they chair, might just be more that a bit on the Paranoid - schizophrenia side. That is, their poor brains are so fogged over by their paranoia [like Pubby's Strip Search in order for a citizen to enter the commission building or meeting] that they lose the ability to think clearly.

     

    And it often will exhibit the "If you're not with me, then you are against me......paranoia".

     

    To quote Einstien, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over again.......and expect different results. David Austin can no longer see the forest, for all the trees in the way.

     

    And don't expect any nice informative Town Hall Meetings with David in the Chairman's seat.....he'd flip out first. From where I sit, he is down right delusional, and so is Bobble Head Carmichael.

  17. Instead of assuming something, why don't you contact whoever it is at Comcast that handles the public access channel and find out if they limit each program to a specified amount of time for scheduling purposes?

    Because I already knew the answer to that question. The county controls 100% what is broadcast.

     

    When Debra Winger was doing the video taping in 2005-2006, we specifically asked about the editing on the 4th Tuesday meeting, May 2006....and she told us Beverly Cochran told her what to take out, and to make certain THE MASTERS WERE DESTROYED!!!!! On open records requests the BoC was unable to produce any of the MASTERS. Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!??????

     

    We were on the agenda. Mickey Womble from Contour Development was not on the agenda. But he was invited out of the audience to provide him an opportunity to rebutt us, but all of the dancing prior to his comments at the micraphone were edited out. As was part of Ben Skipper's comments.

     

    It is a sham, but allowed to happen because the voters foolishly keep electing the lying bastards.

  18. Don't they edit video from these meetings to meet time restraints on the public access channel? If they only have an hour slotted for time on public access for the meeting, then I can see why they edit out 30 minutes.

    Ummm....No. Comcast has to air X hours of public service video, and is really rather desperate for content. If you recall, in the past we've actually had other locally produced and shot "Shows". Jeff Israel, RIP, did one for Jerry Shearin for years, that really was quite well done.

     

    Of course Jerry is who started censoring the videos also. December 2005 and May 2006 were heavily edited, and poorly executed as well by Debra Wingers when she was contracted to do the video work. You can see King Jerry's lips moving with no sound coming out. Kind of cute.

     

    They are edited because we have a paranoid pyschoid sitting in the commission chair. Same for the strip search on the way into the meetings. He has screwed over so many people he has to keep an eye out for behind himself.

     

    How would you like your political speeches, committee meetings in the Senate and House, and maybe the opinions from SCOTUS all censored and edited as well......by the opposition of course.

     

    NEVER should a public servant have the opportunity to edit his own stuff after the fact. Let the chips fall where they may.

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