elbertcounty.net

"Just the facts M'am, Just the facts." -- Sgt. Joe Friday

You are here: Home / Archives for Politics

ignoring indicates ignorance

By

“I’m up to the challenge and look forward to bringing honesty, integrity and transparency back to Elbert County government.”

Robert Thomasson at http://vote4robert.net/index.html

Except when it comes to issues presented to Mr. Thomasson on this website which, as he told me last Saturday, he doesn’t want to “legitimize” with debate. Four months before the election and Mr. Thomasson has already mastered a key technique of Elbert County public agency leadership — just ignore what you don’t want to answer.

And here I thought having the Democrats take a more active role in this campaign would actually lead to meaningful public debates on policy issues. 

democracy isn’t about making law

By

Posner on Faith Based Morality and Public Policy

“Modern representative democracy isn’t about making law the outcome of discussion. It is not about modeling politics on the academic seminar. It is about forcing officials to stand for election at short intervals, and about letting ordinary people express their political preferences without having to defend them in debate with their intellectual superiors.” Link

smart growth is neither

By

Claire Levy – Urban sprawl drives up the cost of living

Smart Growth: Retarding the Quality of Life

Americans have moved to the suburbs:
The air is cleaner, but road expansion has lagged behind population growth:
A strong anti-suburban movement has developed.
The anti-sprawl movement suggests so-called “smart growth:”

The anti-sprawl diagnosis is flawed:

  • Urbanization does not threaten agricultural land:
  • Most suburban growth is not from the cities:
  • “Walkable” cities are an illusion:
  • Open space is expanding more rapidly than urbanization:

Smart growth would intensify the very problems it is supposed to solve.

  • Smart growth increases traffic intensity:
  • Smart growth increases air pollution intensity:
  • Smart growth reduces housing affordability:

From Social Engineering to Freedom:.

  • Sufficient road capacity should be provided to accommodate growth:
  • People should be allowed to live and work where and how they like:

4th Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey: 2008

Once again, the Demographia survey leads inevitably to one clear conclusion: the affordability of housing is overwhelmingly a function of just one thing, the extent to which governments place artificial restrictions on the supply of residential land.

Myth No. 1: Smart Growth is good.

In reality, it’s not. Portland and San Jose, the two top “Smart Growth” cities in the U.S., have more unaffordable housing, higher job losses, higher urban unemployment and greater congestion, with much higher confiscatory tax and fee levels, than before they adopted their “Smart Growth” policies. Yet their leaders proclaim “success” from their policies. Hypocrisy has become the norm – lies and deceitfulness their standard operating procedure for government. Only their union employees and congestion management consultants are profiting – and the bankruptcy attorneys.

an empty set

By

No More Mr. Nice Guy

“Vote for the person who you think is creative enough to solve the dilemmas that have unfolded in Elbert County in the recent past.”

That pretty much rules out everyone Mr. Thomasson. Even if you reduced the problem set to the domain of government originally intended by the Founders, not a man alive could be smart enough to solve that set of problems. In the present, where government has expanded its control into myriads of areas of our lives it cannot possibly understand let alone resolve, the proposition is even more absurd. Any candidate sufficiently delusional to believe in the myth that one person could possess such capacity should be allowed nowhere near a controlling office.

A commissioner should be elected not for what they promise they will do, but for what they promise they won’t do. Here are some examples:

  • I promise to not support tax increases.
  • I promise to not grow government.
  • I promise to not increase regulations on the private sector through planning and zoning.
  • I promise to not impede economic growth in the private sector.

We have enough 1) taxation, 2) government, and 3) regulation, and not enough 4) economic activity. What are the odds that there is an inverse correlation between the first three and the last one?  I’d say bet on it.

The prescription for the success of Elbert County is a simple one. Limit government, expand the private sector. It is the philosophy that built this country. It works. People know what is in their own best interest. All they need is the freedom to act on that knowledge. Government does not, and cannot know, what is in each of our own best interests. Life is tough enough without having to carry the dead weight of an oppressive bureaucracy on our backs.

The visions of the left are attractive and alluring, but they’ve never become reality anywhere they have been tried. Moreover, the more power vested in the state in the various social experiments of the past several hundred years, the worse the outcomes have been. This is not an arguable or close call. Mountains of evidence of human misery caused by leftism exist. The death toll runs in the 100’s of millions. There’s just no point in going down that road any further.

re: “A Word From Ben Dover”

By

A Word From Ben Dover

A Word From Ben Dover – Audio

Presumably in response to criticism of both political parties and all of the commissioner candidates that they’re all too busy kowtowing to the Country-in-County, no-growth, managed-growth, smart-growth, economic-growth-compatible-with-a-rural-life-style, (basically all those who like dictating what their neighbors can do with their property) crowd, to do anything about real economic growth, the above satire appeared on Abe21. (Use the above links to access content if no longer available on Abe21.)

I maintain that most native residents of Elbert County would love nothing better than to have a vibrant, job-providing economy, right here and right now. I maintain that the various growth regulatory schemes pushed by commissioner candidates are primarily favored by relative newcomer elites.

In response (presumably), Democratic Candidate Thomasson provided the above satire. From the patently offensive reference to sodomy in the name of his character, to the simpleton’s delivery and content of speech, Mr. Thomasson crossed a line completely unbecoming of civil discourse. Though it’s not unusual for elite grow-government types to regard minion taxpayers as stupid, it is an extremely poor campaign strategy to come right out and say as much.

If he had undertook to prove my point that he speaks from an on-high perspective of elite governmental control, he could hardly have done a better job. Moreover, his mention of several consequences of economic growth without any mention of the economic growth that would necessarily precede such public works in order to pay for them, betrays his own approach of taxing citizens to provide public works while providing no additional tax base. He stands ready to grow government, but would only allow the private sector to grow in a manner compatible with a “rural lifestyle.” Whatever that is, it’s probably not a basis for a thriving economy.

Brooks Imperial

 

Who speaks for those with no voice?

By

How often have you heard those born and raised in Elbert County promote a “no growth” or a “preserve the quality of life” position about this place? Like me, I bet not often.

The ability to hold these views is a luxury largely reserved for those who brought wealth into the county, who didn’t need to rely on the local economy for their sustenance. These views are for the elite, the ones who have the time to appreciate beauty, the ones with the capacity to appreciate unspoiled nature, the ones who have the option to care about others.

What about those who aren’t so gifted? So fortunate? The ones who didn’t bring wealth to this place from somewhere else? The ones scratching in the dry dirt of Elbert County trying to make a living? The ones who don’t own land? The ones who don’t own livestock? The ones who must buy expensive gas and travel long miles and long times each day to earn a paycheck somewhere else? The ones who leave home before the sun comes up, and return home after it sets, who rarely see the beauty of this place in sunlight?

You don’t hear them talking about “preserving the quality of life” here. You don’t see them at planning meetings clamoring to shut down economic growth. You don’t read their words in the blogs and in the newspapers railing to preserve the status quo. You don’t see them trying to become commissioners in order to make laws to make sure Elbert County remains a special place.

Who speaks for the people who need an economy here? Who speaks for those who need opportunities here? Who speaks for those who need jobs here?

Not the Democrats. Not the Republicans. Not any of the commissioner candidates. They’re all too busy promising to preserve the quality of life here. They would never think to actually improve it.

IBD: vote on drilling

By

This month, an IBD/TIPP Poll of 920 adults found that by more than 3-to-1 Americans believe gas prices to be a bigger problem than global warming. A broad-based 64% of respondents favor offshore drilling, and 65% want oil shale development in the Western states.A Rasmussen survey in June found 67% of voters in favor of drilling off the coasts of California, Florida and other states, and 64% believing gas prices would drop as a result. A Zogby poll last month found that 74% want offshore drilling in U.S. waters.This is a potential political gusher, if only Republicans would fully tap into it. Bush has the opportunity to do so before this hot, cash-guzzling summer ends. Like Truman, he can use his constitutional authority to call this negligent Congress back once it embarks on its long August recess to campaign for re-election.In so doing, he can demand that instead of nonsolutions like its failed attempt to release more oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve [SPR], Congress carry out the will of the vast majority of Americans by passing laws that authorize drilling.

Call Congress Back to Vote on Drilling

The French Revolution

By

When you least expect it, the most interesting revelations surface. I was discussing some fundamental differences between my positions and positions of the left with some Democrats yesterday. As usually happens in these situations, they grew increasingly impatient with me as I defended my position from compromise. As we parted, they made a reference to their firmly held belief that the French Revolution was the logical outcome of Laissez Faire capitalism. They all held this conclusion as if it were fact, and they tossed off questions to this assumption as they departed as absurd. [Read more…]

no easy answers

By

Candidate Robert Thomasson

advocates “Smart Growth” for Elbert County, an “urban planning and transportation theory that concentrates growth in the center of a city to avoid urban sprawl; and advocates compact, transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use.” It’s difficult to imagine “walkable, bicycle-friendly” corridors that would be practical over the distances in Elbert County.

Candidate Andy Wyer

believes “managed growth is designed to preserve the rural life style and quality of life that we all enjoy in Elbert County.” “Growth management is a set of techniques used by government to ensure that as the population grows that there are services available to meet their demands. These are not necessarily only government services. Other demands such as the protection of natural spaces, sufficient and affordable housing, delivery of utilities, preservation of buildings and places of historical value, and sufficient places for the conduct of business are also considered.

One technique is the imposition of impact fees. Impact fees are imposed to charge the owners of newly developed properties for the “impact” the new development will have on the community. Fees can be used for such things as transportation improvements, new parks, and expansion of schools. Impact fees are not used to maintain existing facilities, but instead are used to create new facilities in proportion to the number of new developments in the area.

Another technique is application of zoning to reduce the cost of service delivery. Zoning can be used to reduce the area affected by urbanization, allowing the same number of people to live and work in a smaller area, allowing services to be delivered more efficiently. For example, grocery stores and pizza delivery businesses can service only a limited area. If more customers are located within their service delivery area, the cost of delivering their services is decreased.

Preventing suburban densities from affecting a large area also has the effect of providing open spaces so that people who wish to live in a rural setting can do so without urbanization threatening their lifestyle.

The application of growth management techniques are often governed by the development of a comprehensive plan. The plan can be used to measure the impact that new growth will have on the community and define the method by which that impact is mitigated.”

Candidate Steve Valdez

would “plan and manage Elbert County’s growth with smart and proven policies.”

Candidate John Shipper

would “plan and manage growth compatible with a rural lifestyle.”

Put Mr. Valdez and Mr. Shipper in the “managed growth” camp with Mr. Wyer.

All this planning chutzpa begs a great big question. What have managed growth and smart growth planning theories accomplished in Elbert County to warrant such devotion? Answer: nothing – not a damn thing.

Elbert County town centers have minimal economic activity. The Elbert County Fair gets smaller each year. Our road network is in poor condition and does not promote efficient transits of the county. Our schools are producing historically low performance measures, enrollments are shrinking, teachers are leaving, and students are fleeing to Douglas County schools. Commercial enterprises have been closing faster than they are opening, and landowners are prevented from engaging in development that could bring economic returns to the county. Economically, Elbert County is hobbled, and at least four commissioner candidates, apparently, like things that way.

We don’t need their focus on the past, their myths about the rural life style and quality of life that need preserving. This quality of life is not worth preserving. It is poor and getting poorer.  Oh, if you happen to work on or live near one of John Malone’s preserved ranches things might appear to look good, but that’s not because of anything produced here.  The hobbies of one wealthy man don’t constitute a local economy.

We can and must build a much better quality of life with better infrastructure, efficient transportation corridors, desirable schools, businesses that produce goods and services for commercial markets, and opportunities for citizens to participate in economic growth. But these candidates, their myopic visions, the controls they would impose on us, and their master plans, will produce nothing. Elbert County needs opportunities of the sort that county government and Malone’s charity cannot produce. We have to do the hard work ourselves to build these things.

Elbert County citizens need to stop lapping up easy answers from planners. Master plan devotees have had over a decade to prove their worth in Elbert County and they failed miserably. New smart-growth and managed-growth master plans are no more than new lipstick on an old pig.  They are not the answer. There are no easy answers.

Lip Service

By

Nature

“The truth is that forest “health” is a political term used by the timber industry for the same reasons environmentalists use the word “sustainability.” These words are practically devoid of any measurable content, yet they are used to bludgeon political opponents who dare to question the subsidies that each side wants for their activities.” From:The Antiplanner
.

.

Another example:

ECTMP Pg 17 ECTMP Pg 18

Note the disconnects between some of the Elbert County Transportation Master Plan’s Objectives, and the list of “qualitative and quantitative” inputs used to achieve those objectives.

-Community Values and preservation of the quality of life.
-Good land use and planning policies.
-Sensitive to the environment.

No inputs are identified to resolve these goals. This is probably because they cannot be objectively resolved. As a result, the plan will mean different things to different people at different times. It will be a moving target, devoid of accountability, subject to corruption and exigencies of the moment, basically, a make-work device for lawyers and planners.

The rule of 4

By

Four Out Of Nine Ain’t Bad

Because finding the liberal answer is more important than finding the right answer.  Of course, if the correct liberal answer is already known (as the author implies) why even bother with the Supreme Court?

Cabal?

By

“There is no secret about ACWWA being desirous of Elbert County’s water.”
Kiowa Cabal 1 & 2

“I saved the best for last. ACWWA does not want Elbert County’s water.”
Kiowa Cabal 3

New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, The actual malice standard requires that the plaintiff in a defamation or libel case prove that the publisher of the statement in question knew that the statement was false or acted in reckless disregard of its truth or falsity.

 

Fairness Despotism

By

Fairness Despotism

———————————————————————————————————————

dirty business

By

Politics is a dirty business in Elbert County. Candidate and issue sign vandalisms are just the beginning. If history is any guide we’ll see an assortment of libels and slanders, we’ll see anonymous flyers delivered by the U.S. Mail containing false and misleading information about candidates and issues, we’ll see letters to the editor in local papers full of phony puffery, we’ll see lots of mudball (sticky ad hominem) attacks, and of course we’ll see many opinion pieces masquerading as hard news. And those are just the public indicators that statesmanship is dead. Privately, candidates will endure a variety of explicit and implied threats from characters who live in the shadows of Elbert County power centers – the ruling elite – who should not be confused with public officials.

The truth lurks somewhere between the lines of this mishmash, unspoken in public, reserved for private disposition. In Elbert County, reasonable people figure out the truth by filling in the blanks.

democracy

By

“To a greater extent than is recognized, China may have more closely replicated the political ordering of events that unfolded in western Europe: An autocratic regime at first tolerates those economic relationships that are conducive to prosperity, and then uses its powers to preserve the gains in wealth from disruption and organized plunder. As the people grow more prosperous, democracy matures.” p. 337

“[T]he widespread and secure ownership of property is the sine qua non of prosperity.” p. 341

“Democracy is a consequence of prosperity, in other words, not its cause.” p. 334

The Noblest Triumph, Property and Prosperity Through The Ages, by Tom Bethell, 1998, ISBN 0-312-22337-4.

a balanced BOCC

By

3/22/08 note:

Since commissioners are elected at large in the county, It looks like the petition requirements are too high of a threshold for Schroeder, Neumann or Thayer to petition on to the primary ballot.  It looks like Valdez wouldn’t need so many signatures to petition on, however, he’d have to do so as something other than a Republican or Democrat.  So, it’s probably safe to assume that Schwab and Goetz will sit two of the commissioners seats, and it’s still a horse race between Wyer, Shipper, and Thomasson for the third seat.  Andy’s a nice enough guy, probably not enough executive skill for me.  Shipper, former lobbyist, probably too hooked up for me.  Thomasson, all about transparency, will he remain so once he’s on the inside?  Perhaps we shall see.  

Commissioner picks

Thomas Jefferson

"It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself."

Aristotle

"Only an armed people can be truly free. Only an unarmed people can ever be enslaved."

Karl Popper

“A theory which is not refutable by any conceivable event is nonscientific. Irrefutability is not a virtue of a theory (as people often think) but a vice.”