Doin' the Jackson Juggle

Folks are beginning to call this year’s budget manipulations the “Jackson Juggle.” Don’t get me wrong folks. Not spending money that we don’t have is a good thing. The only problem is that we are still spending money that we don’t have.

Unlike what one commissioner said in the latest budget work session, it is not true that there are no salary increases this year—remember commissioners, this is the second year of the Mercer “fat cat” pay raises for the upper-level managerial employees. They received a significant; some would say exorbitant increase last year and are getting another exorbitant increase this year. Why do the lower and middle level people get their paychecks cut and not the “fat cats” also?

I can understand wanting to give money ‘back’ to the various agencies that came begging during the last budget hearing a couple of weeks ago. Shoot, it’s always good to be seen as magnanimous in your constituent’s eyes—helps to get votes. Besides, a little Christmas in July never hurt anybody right?

If you gentlemen are going to take money from the lower and middle levels of county workers to cut county expenditures why aren’t you going to take the “fat cat” pay raises away from the managerial employees also? One “fat cat” that I know of makes more than the governor of the state of North Carolina!

Commissioners, if you’re going to cut everything from county employees; everything except their jobs; it is important in everyone’s eyes, their pocketbooks, and in their votes come November that you cut out these “fat cat” pay raises for the managerial employees also. Then, if you want to have Christmas in July (as you seem to be doing), you can put on the red suit and white beard and go “ho, ho, ho” all you want. All county employees, all the citizens of Jackson County will accept nothing less than accountable, open and honest government.

These “fat cat” employees don’t have anywhere near the votes that us regular folks have. Or is there something else manipulating the political system in Jackson County? Remember gentlemen, those are our seats where you are sitting and there is still a pesky little thing called an election coming up in November. Barring that, there is always what John Locke called an “appeal to Heaven” (see “Second Treatise on Government”).

Addendum: Unfortunately the Jackson County commissioners voted Monday night to approve the budget changes that Commissioner Tom Massie essentially proposed. The commissioners took everything from the lower and middle level employees and left in place the “fat cat” pay raises for the upper-level managerial employees. It is true that Commission Chair Bryan McMahan and Commissioner Joe Cowan initially opposed the step cuts for county employees but at Monday’s meeting the vote was unanimous to approve the 2010-2011 county budget. With the current state of “politics as usual” here in Jackson County (political patronage—see how Edward Gibbon describes the manner in which the Romans practiced this system of payments and favors in his “History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”) regular folks like you and I don’t really stand a chance—at least until some real changes occur. Of course there’s always that “appeal to heaven” as a last resort.

Your Pockets?

$500,000 dollars. That’s only a start of what you voted to spend on the old Tuckaseigee Mills property. You gentlemen are fixing to spend at least another half of million dollars, probably more, on QC Apparel and that dangerous building that Mr. Queen hides out in. The property has been cited numerous times with fire, safety, and electrical violations. Now it has been uncovered that there is an ancient 10,000 gallon diesel tank which may be leaking dangerous chemicals into our ground water. Wow, Jackson County’s own super fund site! Because of these numerous fire, safety, and electrical violations employees of anyone of the three businesses located there could have been maimed or killed and their attorneys justifiably sue the county for tens of millions of dollars.

It is a documented fact that Mr. Queen has not made rent payments to the county since 2008. He and QC Apparel still owes each and every citizen of Jackson County over half of a million dollars in unpaid loans. When am I going to get my money?

I understand that you want tenants in the old Tuckaseigee Mills building—maybe even a few people earning a paycheck. Though if truth be told QC Apparel only employs a small percentage of what their owner claims. Are these few jobs/votes really worth it?

Commissioners, the pockets of the citizens of Jackson County are not bottomless. We must stop this reckless spending now. Or else how long will it be before a Chinese Overlord comes to collect what we owe? Are you going to pay them out of your pockets?

The "Great Recession"

Go watch the federal debt clock at http://www.usdebtclock.org. It shows the federal government — your congresscritter and mine — have promised to pay the folks who bought U.S. bonds $13 trillion which they don’t have. Your personal share — the amount your congresscritter and mine promised to squeeze out of you to pay off those IOUs, if you’re a taxpayer — is about $117,000. Make that $180,000 when all government debt is included.
Total United States unfunded liabilities are 108 trillion dollars!
With average family income at about $62,000 dollars per year (much less here in Jackson County) it is quite obvious to me that we can NEVER pay the principle.
Because of this, someday soon, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Germans, and others are sooner, rather than later, going to stop loaning money to these Pharaohs of Fakery, these Ptolemies on the Potomac — or else the “District of Criminals” creditors are going to start demanding some serious collateral for their loans, which won’t be politically popular--like maybe the Hawaiian Islands or perhaps even Manhattan Island?
Commissioners, I’ve told you before that I believe that all of you are good, honest men. I still believe that. However, Jackson County’s current debt totals $39,805,907.26. The legal debt margin for this coming fiscal year is $849,443,885.54. Both of those figures are way too much debt for such a small, poor county.
A few weeks ago in a public forum, the county manager was crowing about how the 2010-2011 proposed budget was a “balanced budget.” He had made a few cuts in personnel and other expenditures and he felt pretty proud of himself. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find any cuts in the proposed budget that include those “fat cat” raises that the county managerial employees are picking our pockets for. Why not?
Gentlemen, I am in sympathy with anyone who has had their budget cut for the coming fiscal year. I’ve had to cut my expenses in the last few months so I can relate. But this is the “Great Recession.” It might even turn into the Second “Great Depression.” It is past time to put some responsibility into our county finances and not just balance the budget. It is time now to cut it down to a sane, prudent amount.