[TPC] - Tuesday Morning Check-in

~ The Chronicles ~ 

est. 2010

29 December '15 

(Covington, GA) 

G'morn' fine readers. It's another wet one here in the Georgia Piedmont. Oh well, sometimes it's just gotta rain. A fair amount to report since last time we've conversed, let's get straight to the bullet points:

• The biggest news was when Keith Ellis put out a press release the day after Christmas saying that we wasn't going to be running for re-election. I think most folks figured he was either a glutton for punishment or was just simply arrogant enough to try to run again. I think it honestly caught a good number off guard, yours truly included. 
• Trastastrophe 2015 
• Apparently many were shocked and angered that some folks decided to put their trash out in front of the trash centers during the 4-day closing of said centers. I'll just repeat what I put on my FB: 

Empathy, or thy Sister would say, putting your feet in the shoes of another. It's not easy. No, in fact, it's very hard. But it is, in my opinion, the only way for me - to be me.

I'd like to be clear about something for a moment:

The people dumping their trash at the gates of the trash centers. Yeah, I get it. It's some vulgar & base behavior; however, I can also say this - I do have that sense of empathy & an appreciation of the Citizenry's frustrations and grievances. After all, a lot of these folks just simply work their asses off to be able to exist and all they want in this world is to be able to give their children and grandchildren a good Christmas.

Then, in the peak of trash accumulation season, they see that the trash centers are closed for four+ days. They don't get that much time off. Their friends and family members who are first responders don't get that much time off for the Holidays. And then they think about the local news articles and the word on the street that this almost year-long trash abomination is either the fault of Levie and Keith's pissin' match, the Dixie Mafia, or a concerted effort by the power elite to muck things up so that we'll have to sell the landfill to Greenhill PC, and then...they get pissed off! They get that feeling of righteous indignation, and so then a couple of them leave their trash bags by the fences of the trash centers. And then others see that and they do the same.

But now, per four sources and just by virtue of seeing the public reaction of the Commons, we now know that we're going to direct valuable and precious resources to go through these trash bags to find out who these terrible, evil "hoodrats" and "trash" are so we can raise even more revenue to feed the beast & the machine. Glorified Revenuers, everyone! That's what we need, y'all. We need to stick it to the Common men and women even more because they have not yet had ENOUGH!!!

If I was the Chairman of the Board now, this what I'd do:

I'd direct staff to just simply collect the trash and place it in the proper receptacle, and that'd be that.

But that'd be too simple, wouldn't it?

I'll be calling multiple people first thing in the morning. I'm willing to go on a crusade on this thing. Tonto tells me it's a winner. First off, the scores or hundreds of folks who left their trash out will obviously be pulling for me, and the thousands of others who "get it" will be in agreement.

Thanks for your time.

Vox Populi!

Best,

MBM

Too much? Nah, I don't think so. But seriously. What a damn mess!

• And as I found out yesterday, Newton Co. Administration and most departments were closed yesterday, Monday Jan. 28th. What's better than a 4-day weekend? Why a five day one, of course. Jeez...good work if you can get it I suppose... 
• My take - I think this is a sign of desperation by the BOC to try to curry favor with staff and family & close friends of staff. That's how bad things have gotten, the BOC is trying to work real hard to consolidate support of about a 3 to 4% of the county's population. And to that point: 
• I conducted an unofficial survey/poll about the job the Newton Co. BOC is doing vis-a-vis Congress, POTUS, and the GOV. 
• The Newton Co. BOC rates below ALL OF THEM! I'd say the Newton BOC is on the bottom side of a 10% approval rating. That's terrible!

:smh::

Oh well, per usual, lots of moving parts. You know us - ear to the ground and we've got the fires stoked for those smoke signals. And the communications communicaid for today - get ya' that CB radio for your truck or vehicle. Citizens' Band! And having a police/fire scanner is never a bad idea, either. Keep that powder dry and - seriously now - if the creek don't rise, we'll be seeing you again very soon.

Thanks for reading!

`M