So the Lowndes County Commission wouldn't accept a grant for NOAA Weather Radios, (but did vote themselves $75/day travel per diem), wouldn't accept a grant for an emergency vehicle, cancelled lunches for seniors, and barely approved a grant to help people with home downpayments, but the Lowndes County Sheriff's office did accept a grant for an armored vehicle.
Dawn Castro wrote for the VDT today, BearCat Rules: Lowndes sheriff’s office has new armored vehicle
BearCats are typically referred to by law enforcement as being armored rescue vehicles primarily used to transport tactical SWAT officers to and from hostile situations and to assist with the recovery and protection of civilians in harm’s way during terrorist threats, hostage incidents or encounters with armed offenders. The BearCat is designed to provide protection from a variety of small arms, explosives and IED threats.
Sure, and it will never be used against peaceful protesters.
Last month in Tampa, Adam Freeman wrote for WTSP.com 21 November 2011, Are Tampa police using tanks to threaten Occupy protestors?
Members of the movement say TPD is cruising by in the big, armored trucks. Pictures spread around the country over Facebook and Twitter, leading to speculation that TPD was moving in with the tanks.
But officers say it's just a coincidence, and the vehicle act passed by on its way to a Great American Teach-In event.
Maybe the Lowndes County Sheriff's dept. would never misuse an armored vehicle.
And I know, the Sheriff is a constitutional officer and the Lowndes County Commission has very limited control over the Sheriff's budget.
But it's still our same tax dollars. Are these our priorities?
-jsq
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The Valdosta Police Department has an emergency vehicle that is available for use by Lowndes SO & neighboring counties when needed. It even has radio equipment that translates multiple radio frequencies so intra-departmental entities for law, fire, rescue, etc. can communicate if needed. I’m sure the Lowndes SO will also make the Bearcat available to assist other departments whenever needed. I applaud the commissioners for refusing the emergency vehicle grant because a second vehicle in the area was not a wise use of tax payer monies. Considering our Fed govt is borrowing from China I applaud any elected or appointed official who uses discression against grant grabbing. Grants always have strings & I don’t think anyone needed a NOAA radio bad enough to use borrowed money to pay for it. Lunch for seniors seemed like a good thing, but I don’t know the details. As for help paying a down payment on a house I don’t think that’s the government’s responsibility. They already subsidize way too much. If govt will get out of the way & let capitalism function instead of crippling it with taxes designed to redistribute wealth while encouraging croney capitalism, grant grabbing pork & insider trading in the govt everyone will be better off. If capitalism & free enterprise is such a bad system why are we being over run by illegals pouring into our country? If you don’t think insider trading & benefiting from legislation is not rampant look around at all the grant monies being invested in health related enterprises including board of regent projects that will greatly bless private pockets if Obamacare is fully instituted. All the while Republican RINOs (republican in name only) including Boehner are garnering votes & making personal investments in health related deals while pretending to opose Obamacare. I think all Americans basically have non-partisan good intentions, we just have a difference of opinion in who the enemy to these good intentions is & that difference of opinion is encouraged & played against us.
I think you missed the point that the Bearcat was also bought with grant money. From the VLD article: “It was purchased for $240,000 with funds received from a GEMA grant.”
-jsq
I didn’t miss the point. I know the Bearcat was purchased with grant money because I was in Sheriff Prine’s office the week it arrived & we talked about it. My point with the county emergency vehicle was it was not needed since the city PD already has one that can be used for any county or area needs. Accepting grant money for another one like the city’s would be duplication of equipment and a waste of grant money so I applaud the county for refusing the grant offer. The Bearcat is a totally different type of emergency vehicle that can also be used anywhere in the county or surrounding areas if needed.
I would be most happy if all grant funding was curtailed until the US budget is balanced, but that’s not going to happen because too many govt entities & unfortunately citizens too are greedy & want every penny of grant money offered no matter how desperate our economy is. At least the Bearcat grant is being used for government instead of being routed through pass through entities to private companies or non-profits that are public/private partnerships.
Also, as I stated providing down payments for houses as referenced in the post is not a government responsibility. Isn’t that an element of how the infamous housing bubble originated?
Where is the evidence of the need for the Bearcat? And what’s your opinion on the $75/day per diem the Commissioners voted themselves? -jsq
I don’t know the justification for the Bearcat. Maybe the Feds wanted to get one in the area in case they have to round up citizens for the FEMA camps via S.1867 National Defense Authorization, which both of our state senators voted for. I just printed out 3 Fed Intelligence & Analysis reports that examine potential threats to homeland security from extremist groups. By their warped definitions you could be headed for a leftwing extremist camp & me to a rightwing extremist camp. I guess we won’t be able to trade comments if that happens. LOL
On the $75 a day per diem, sounds like a touch of entitlement complex & I personally would refuse it, which any of them could have. Looks like the city personnel have a much better grasp of current economic conditions. We will see if the county voters remember their personal generosity at the next elections.
So you’re for the Bearcat grant even though you know no justification for what the Bearcat will be used for. I’m against it for the same reason. Regarding “extremist”, don’t go judging everybody according to yourself. Me, I think we’re both in the middle of the mainstream in wanting transparency in local government. The $75 per diem the Commissioners voted for themselves; it wasn’t a grant from anybody else; they granted it to themselves from our local taxes, even though it’s well above the federal recommendation amount. -jsq
I wasn’t judging you or myself as extremists. I was just stating we fit the qualifications for extremists listed in the Fed documents. Once we leave the safe confines of the US Constitution we set ourselves up for on demand rules of engagement to be enacted against us including FEMA camps via the NDAA. Lets hope Section 1031 & 1032 are removed before tomorrow’s joint vote. We are definitely in the mainstream middle & totally on the same side for transparency in local government. We also worked together well on the school consolidation issues & hopefully many future endeavors as long as we avoid the partisan definites.
I know the $75 per diem is local tax payer money, not grant money, but it still can be refused by individuals if desired. I don’t recall stating I was or was not in favor of the Bearcat grant. My statement that my desire would be for all grant requests to be suspended until the Fed Govt budget is back in the black is an across the board opinion statement. My positive comments were referencing it at least was not for duplicate equipment as was the cited emergency vehicle. I have no illusions about getting locals to share my total grant request suspension ideals, so I am forced to lower my expectations. I was even told recently(name withheld) that if we don’t take grant money Atlanta will laugh at us. “Your point?” was my response. Anyone concerned about peer pressure or being laughed at when they are doing the right thing should not be in politics.
NDAA is very bad, as are SOPA and PIPA. All are up for vote by Congress right now, and need to be stopped.
If SOPA or PIPA pass, every blog and social medium will be in trouble.
The $75 per diem comes out of our taxes, just like grants. Why do you condemn accepting grants, but not the very same Commission voting itself tax money for its own use, above the level the federal government recommends for the same purpose?
If you don’t agree with any grants, then you don’t agree with the current public school system, for example. Grants are just part of how government works. It can work well, or it can work less well. Transparency is part of how we help it work well.
-jsq