|
Commissioners are not
listening to the people
I am outraged and
insulted. Commissioner Spehar thinks we need a PR person so that her
views can be smoothed over and jelly-coated for the ignorant public to
understand?
Mr. Swift recently had a
letter in the paper regarding George Orwell's "1984." I think Ms. Spehar
would do well to read that book herself. She wants to implement a
government propaganda agent at the taxpayers' expense.
I go to a lot of BOCC
meetings. I educate myself. I believe that a lot of our residents do the
same. And, if they haven't in the past, they most certainly are these
days, as they watch their taxes increase and see the continual spending
of funds on pork barrel projects.
I sat in one
commissioner's office not long ago and was told that it was different on
the other side of the dais than my side. I had to wonder if that meant
morals and values were thrown out the window when the developers came to
call. Getting all their ducks in a row and lining up their fancy
litigators can certainly help their arguments against the common
taxpayer whose money is being spent capriciously.
I stood before the
commission a few months ago and told them that I get in front of the
commissioners with my words, many times with a lot of others having the
same view, and feel as if I am speaking to a wall. I see the glazed-over
look in their eyes. Sometimes I see the anger that anyone would dare to
disagree with their predetermined vote. Last month, I witnessed our new
mayor losing his temper with the audience because we didn't agree with a
comment.
What? The audience cannot
groan from what we perceive as a bad decision? We are the ones who
elected them (oops, not him) to represent our interests.
Take that affordable
housing task force and even up the odds to include the average citizen
instead of a bunch of developers and persons with vested interests and
see if the public doesn't start buying the ideas that come out of it.
Let us have input instead of telling us we have to wait until the
meeting is over and the votes have been cast. Don't waste our money on a
propaganda machine.
These are scary times.
Perhaps Mr. Gelbman from Key Largo is right — we all need to take a
second look at incorporation. I thought the recent national elections
sent a message to the administration. I think perhaps this county
government should take heed.
Sherry Phillips
Big Pine Key |
