Category Archives: Economy

How to get public officials to respond to the citizens?

Leigh Touchton asked me,
Mr. Quarterman, what can we do, do we have to go to the state legislature to get a law passed to force these so-called public officials to answer questions and respond to the citizens?
First of all, my compliments to anyone such as Leigh Touchton who has been doing politics around here longer than me for asking my opinion, because that indicates they are pretty good at it and are probably asking many people their opinions.

My answer: carrots along with sticks, and shine some light! That all builds political capital, which will be needed for elections.

We need many people building a community doing many things. If I knew a simple answer that would change things magically overnight, I’d recommend it, but I don’t. I don’t even know if I know a long answer, but I’m pretty sure that any answer will require a community, because Continue reading →

What does this mean? —Leigh Touchton

This comment from Leigh Touchton came in last night on It’s not over until it’s over. I have added links and pictures. -jsq
I asked VLCIA Board member Roy Copeland afterwards whether this means the biomass incinerator is STILL going to be built? He shrugged and walked away.

Karen Noll asked Allan Ricketts what does this mean, since we all heard Lowndes County Commission Chairman Paulk give us a very different scenario at the last LCC meeting, and his remarks were covered in the Valdosta Daily Times. Mr. Ricketts said he was not aware of Chairman Paulk’s remarks.

Continue reading →

Cheap prison labor used to build U.S. military weapons?

Destroy local labor while building weapons to destroy foreign enemies!

Mike Elk wrote for Alternet 28 April 2011, Defense Contractors Using Prison Labor to Build High-Tech Weapons Systems

It is a little known fact of the attack on Libya that some of the components of the cruise missiles being launched into the country mayl have been made by prisoners in the United States. According to its website, UNICOR, which is the organization that represents Federal Prison Industries, “supplies numerous electronic components and service for guided missiles, including the Patriot Advanced Capability Missile (PAC-3)”.

In addition to constructing electronic components for missiles, prison labor in the United States is used to make electronic cables for defense items like “the McDonnell Douglas/Boeing (BA) F-15, the General Dynamics/Lockheed Martin F-16, Bell/Textron’s (TXT) Cobra helicopter, as well as electro-optical equipment for the BAE Systems”.

Traditionally these types of defense jobs would have gone to highly paid, unionized workers. However the prison workers building parts for these missiles earn a starting wage of 23 cents an hour and can only make a maximum of $1.15 an hour.

Maybe you’re out of a job. Can you compete with 23 cents an hour?

More detail in Noah Schactman’s Danger Room story

And Justin Rohrich, who apparently broke the story, says Lockheed Martin demanded a correction because they claim: Continue reading →

It’s not over until it’s over —Chairman Sonny Murphy of Sterling Planet

As one of many speakers at the Wiregrass Solar commissioning this morning, Sonny Murphy said many good things about solar, and then, almost alone among the speakers, he volunteered some remarks about the biomass plant, in which he made it pretty clear he intends to go ahead with it.

About solar, he praised Hannah Solar for perseverance: Continue reading →

Georgia #3 state that could benefit most from solar electricity

Matthew Croucher wrote 29 November 2010 in asu news, Who would benefit most from solar energy?”
The Top 10 states that would benefit from solar deployment through generating and exporting energy to other states are:
  1. Arizona
  2. Colorado
  3. Georgia
  4. Texas
  5. Hawaii
  6. Arkansas
  7. Wyoming
  8. Alabama (tie)
  9. Missouri (tie)
  10. California
This is according to a study from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, “Optimal Deployment of Solar Index,” published in The Electricity Journal,

This article found on WACE facebook page; thanks for locating it, WACE!

-jsq

“Maintain our focus on educating children” —Jeana Beeland

Leigh Touchton mentioned that
I had heard that some Board members were elected with intention to support consolidation but that I hadn’t heard anything about that from any of them when they were running.
They didn’t say much about it when they were running, either. Back in 2009, the only one who got elected who was asked about this issue, Jeana Bealand, pretty much dodged the question at AAUW’s Lowndes County Political Forum on 15 September 2009.

This was the forum that was the day after the VBOE meeting that drew 400 people because of Superintendent Cason’s decision about President Obama’s speech. Very few of those 400 people showed up at the forum to ask questions of their likely school board members. Maybe more people should take an interest in who is going to represent them on their school board.

Here’s the video:


Jeana Beeland answers a question about school system consolidation
Lowndes County Political Forum, AAUW, 15 Sep 2009
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Rezoning on Old Pine Road again: is anything different this time?

Has anything changed since the contentious Glen Laurel rezoning on Old Pine Road? Maybe yes.

The new case decided yesterday (REZ-2011-05 – Laurel Brooke), was also represented by Bill Nijem, who got up and started speaking for it, and after a bit said:

First let me introduce myself, there are new faces up here. Bill Nijem. I represent the applicant.
Assuming that Commissioners should just know who he is may not sound like a good start, But, as he already said, nobody was speaking against this rezoning. Why is that?

I would like to note when the applicant first submitted this application, it was submitted as planned development, and worked with Mr. Davenport, we did tweak the site plan somewhat, made larger lots, and now it’s R-10.
And that’s what the opponents of the Glen Laurel rezoning asked for. At least a couple of them were present this time. Gretchen talked to them later, and they told her that since this subdivision had what they asked for last time, they had no objections this time.

Bill Nijem even discussed traffic and accidents, which you may recall Continue reading →

Developers refused to budge and Commissioners caved: Glen Laurel

Should the County Commission approve rezoning for a subdivision just because developers say they won’t compromise any more?

Bill Nijem presented Moody and schools nearby and the proposed house price as arguments for the Glen Laurel subdivision, plus county services, which, remember, were put in for them to use. This was after Pine Grove Elementary closed and moved farther away.

Here’s Part 1 of 5: Continue reading →

Put there for us to use —Barbara Herring

Should developers drive the extension of county services, or should there be a planning process that takes other factors into account? The Glen Laurel rezoning case suggests that developers drive the process now.

Speaking for the Glen Laurel subdivision were Bill Nijem and Barbara Herring. She described the original layout as “a very efficient layout”. She said they redesigned it and added a park in the middle and other green space in addition to natural vegetation.

All the neighbors on the outside wouldn’t be able to see into it very well.
She said they also increased the lot sizes, but they did not change the road plan.

Here’s Part 1 of 2: Continue reading →

Density and traffic

A retired Air Force veteran weighed in, asserting that new subdivisions need to be compatible and consistent with homes already in the area, and Glen Laurel would cause a lot of traffic and drive land values down.
In the long run, as far as Lowndes County is concerned, do you feel in your hearts that this is going to enhance Lowndes County as a place to come and live and enjoy?

Here’s Part 1 of 3: Continue reading →