Was interviewed yesterday
 

Yesterday we voted on 4.2 mil property tax increase in our town. http://berkleyschoolbond.com/

Its been a very hot topic in these trying economic times for the residents of our tiny town. We just voted down a large increase the end of this year to remodel our community center.

It just amazes me that they feel without these "improvements" our property values will fall even more. What world do they live in.

As you can probably tell, you know how I voted. Before you go lumping me into one party or another, I have never voted against anything that benefited our schools or children. This time they were asking for way too much at the worse time possible.

So the wife and I voted and stopped at a restaurant afterwords. A small town news reporter asked us our thoughts. If they print our interview ill post it.

The results are in and the bond was voted down by 69%

Grumpy

Here in Bugtussell, they always pass. They just keep bringing them up at every election until the find an election that is so obscure that no one turns out to vote. Then they notify likely supporters that it once again is up for vote.

Might take five or six times, but they all eventually pass.

Chas

That would never fly here. With 20 % plus unemployment, no one is going to vote for a 5-600 a dollar a year tax increase for an undetermined time.

Looks like they will try again at the end of the year or 2011.

I know this is an old thread, but it brought something to mind. I too have always voted for things that I believed may benefit the children in my community, although I have no kids, myself. Until about 12 years ago, that is.

The local High School, Indian River High claimed they needed several million dollars to build a new school. The old school, built in the 1950s was too small and developing constant and costly maintenance issues. I, among many other residents, voted for the funding. Well, a couple years passed, and all they did was surround the school with trailers. People complained, and we were told that the trailers were temporary, there until construction was finished. A year later, still no construction. People complained. We were told that because of other "changes" made elsewhere in the city that money had to be reallocated to other areas. They built a new school in the Greenbriar area (Read-more affluent.). And that a new school bond would have to be raised if we wanted the Indian River situation adressed. I smelled bullshit, and voted against it, but enough people voted for it that it passed.

To shorten the story up, that was twelve years ago.

The damn trailers are still there. They still call for a school bond vote every year, and every year it gets killed. The sad part is that it's different people on the board now. But, because of the crap their predecessors pulled, the school will probably never get built.
And who knows where in the hell all of that money went? Probably to build the school over at Edinburgh Commons, an even wealthier neighborhood.

And before you guys get started, this is Virginia. One of the Reddest of the Red states.
And that's how things are done here. One of the first thing I was told when I moved here in '86, from California; "This is a Commonwealth State. That means, if you aint wealthy, they gonna treat you common as shit."

Regards,
Dave

I'd like to see a national ban on kids going to school in trailers.

I don't know about that. Henry ford HS in Greenfield village is one of the most prestigious high schools in Michigan. Its students go to school in old Pullman railroad cars.

back on the topic of this post. The newspaper did not print our interview. Fine by me. The head of the school board was quoted as saying how shocked he was by the results. Shows how out of touch he is. Oh yeah they are going to try again but they wont say when.

Don't be to quick to dismiss behavioral architecture.

I googled Henry ford HS in Greenfield village images but found nothing. Was this done on the cheap or was this done with art/architectural recycling in mind?

They just built a new school up the road a piece. Looking back at my property taxes I think we paid for the foundation.

Greenfield village should be on everyones bucket list http://www.hfmgv.org/village/index.aspx

Here is HFA's site http://www.hfacademy.org/

Thanks but I was looking for photos that might show the Pullman railroad cars you mentioned.

It does look like a great town.

Me too. Let's toughen these kids up, for pity's sake. Why, when I was in school I didn't get to go to school in a trailer. I had to walk! Both ways! Through 8' snow drifts! Nobody took me to school in a trailer!

John

My guess is, since Greenfield Village is sort of an "Industrial Revolution" showcase, the school isn't just a bunch of Pullman cars scattered around but a proper school built using the cars in much the same way as those old Victoria Station restaurants did. Neat idea.

John

I got to sit in a proper class room. But, my Highschool was built in 1911. No a/c, steam heat, twelve foot ceilings, large single pane windows, and fourty miles south of Lake Erie.

A modern trailer might have been a relief.

Dave

HOW DARE YOU! :mad:

Sounds like my Alma Mater, other than the location. Either miserable hot or miserable cold.

I hate those damn old boilers.

Chas

Mine was not hard to heat since it only had one room, that is until they added the seccond room.:D

Say Rob, did dinosaur meat make for good barbecue? :D

Regards,

D-Ray

I think that I have mentioned before that I grew up in a small town and I was not kidding. It was only later in high school that I attended a large multi-roomed school.

hey folks, been out of town(at least this town) for some time.

Taxes and schools - GRRRR...................... WARNING RANT ON!

Wish I had my health back just for a couple of years. I'd go absolutely nuts on the school districts here. I would love to be the superintendant for a few years. If I were the super, the board we even be afraid of me. Yeah I am disgusted with the issues in our school system.

I'd clean house on the bastards. Our school district is broke and absolutely corrupt. They put up a new vote every election for more money, doesn't matter how much they get, they are always broke.

Here is hte kicker, I used to work for them, the amouynt they waste is beyond phenominal.

We need a person in that position that can be mean and nasty as heck, but completely ethical too. I wish some maverick could go in and open all the books, devote time to them and start the house cleaning.


Don't get me wrong, I'd gladly open my wallet and give all I got for the kiddo's. In our district I think the money and the kiddo's are mutually exclusive.

And lastly, lets talk about hte moron voters in this city. Several years ago after the Bronco's won the superbowl in Denver, there were two ballots on the vote(well many but two I am going to talk about).
One ballot asked for a tax to be imposed to build a new stadium for the Broncos(yeah a private multi-million dollar enterprise being funded bt taxes). It passed without a problem

At the same time, there was a ballot that asked for a tax increase to help the developmentally disabled - to help cover the shortfall in funds for housing and daily care - it didn't hardly get a vote.

It's our own damm fault we are so screwed!:mad:

I hear it tastes like frog.

Chas

Hey frog's legs are real tasty, there is a restaurant in Geneva that always has them on the menu. This reminds me that we need to run over to Fernand's restaurant sometime, been too long since we had escargot.

I was soured on frog legs about 20 years ago, cooked for breakfast by my friend's wife, who literally couldn't boil water. I've never reacquired the taste for them.

Which is a shame, as we have frogs around here which are as big as a dinosaur. I might just go out this summer and shoot a few.

Maybe if I cook them they'll be fit to eat.

Chas

One time, over 40 years ago, I was driving from Maryland back to that Hell-Hole, Ft. Jackson SC and stopped at a fried chicken place in North Carolina someplace, basically a fast food restaurant. Not only did they sell fried chicken but also fried frog's legs. That's what I had for dinner. They were great!

Oh, and I love snails too!

John

Gotta gig 'em, Chas.

John

I love frog legs as well as snails, although the appeal of snails may well be all the butter and garlic they're cooked in. Come to think of it, a used condom with loads of butter and garlic might be pretty tasty as well.

Nah, gotta use tartar sauce! Taste just like raw oysters that way! ;)

John

I've never gigged a frog in my entire life.

When I was a Boy Scout, we used to go out, shine a light in their eyes, and club 'em with a 2x4. Damn mud flew 10 feet in the air.

And once I got not much older, I started using a .22. Pretty effective. Stingers pretty much hammer them, Yellow Jackets will blow them half way into the pond.

Fellow I know was telling me stories about when he went frog hunting when he was a kid. Said they'd shine a light in the poor frogs eyes, then open up on him with a couple of .22 automatics, a .410, and a .30-06.

But this is Bugtussell, like I have to remind anyone.

Chas

Would leaving a snail lying on the back seat of your buddy's car elicit the same response?

Chas

From whom? I'm trying to draw a mental picture of which one would freak out my wife the most. :D

You actually live in Bugtussell? :eek:

Nah, it's just a generic term. But their used to be a Dogpatch down the road a mite. Might even still be there.

Chas

You may wish to have D-Ray on retainer before you play this trick on your wife.

What wimmen lack in humor is more than made up by vindictiveness.

Chas

I think you're right, sir. Somehow she would fail to see the humor in this trick.

I hear the shmoo hunting's good around there.

John

Naw, they all moved to DC.

My mistake, I thought you said schmoes.

Chas

Chas,

I refreshed my Oklahoma history study. Oklahoma does indeed have a town named Bugtussle. It was the hometown of Oklahoma's highest ranking federal official, Carl Albert, former Speaker of the House. When he served as house majority leader, he shepherded through most of Lyndon Johnson's Great Society legislation. He was not your typical Oklahoma redneck, having been named a Rhodes Scholar. I hope that doesn't ruin your vision of Bugtussle. If you want, though, you can just think of Lil' Abner, or Jethro and Ellie Mae.

Regards,

D-Ray

There WAS a "Dogpatch, USA" tourist trap up in Kentucky offa I-75 years ago, I never did get to stop there. Think its long since gone. L'il Abner's been gone nearly what, 40 years now, not many people remember it/him..Down here, we have a Bean Station-It was in Ripley's once as the "Human Vegetable Capital of the USA"- There was a family of Beets lived there, several families of Beans, & a Mr. Cabbage. We don't have a Bugtussle, but we DO have a Sneedville, a Surgoinsville, Ducktown-A "Quackin' good place" according to its boosters, & a Turtletown.

For those of you too young to remember, a Shmoo:

http://craigkennedy.ca/img/shmoo.jpg

John

Ain't no Shmoon in DC-They're all Schmucks up there...Well, maybe a Putz or 2 as well...

Our Dogpatch was a tourist trap too, down at the Lake of the Ozarks. Pretty seedy joint, sold all of the Hillbilly crapola...little whiskey bottles, post cards, ash trays, cigars nobody over the age of 13 would have been stupid enough to try to smoke.

Now they did have a piano playing chicken, which amounted to a moth eaten leghorn in a cage with a fake piano. You'd drop a nickle in a slot and this chicken was supposed to act like it was playing the fake piano. Folks generally dropped a dime before they figured out that all this chicken was going to do was stand there with a stupid look on it's face. But the lake was kinda cool back then.

Now it's a hellhole. Kinda like going to New York City, traffic's horrible, condos and malls everywhere, and if you get on the water in anything under a 30 footer you'll probably be killed. Even makes Branson look good.

Chas