Category Archives: Law

Why are we running a family owned business out of business? –Steve Parker @ LCC 2013-05-28

Private citizen Steve Parker spoke up as a satisfied customer of Deep South Sanitation, and a dissatisfied former customer of the other trash company, wondering “What’s wrong with competition?” in yesterday’s Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

Steve Parker Mr. Raines said it beautifully, wanting freedom in his prayer. I agree with him, wanting the freedom to make a choice, so I hired Deep South. Now I’m told that it’s been the position of the board to dismantle Deep South, to tell him to cease and desist, and to take away his business license which he got from the previous board. I know a lot of you inherited this issue, by the way. But at the same time, what is the greater good being served to the county? Why are we taking a family owned business and running them out of business in effect?

What’s wrong with competition? I’m in the financial business and if somebody would give me an exclusive to every client in Lowndes County that would be a pretty good day for me.

He continued Continue reading →

Judging appointments, grants, and bids @ LCC 2013-05-28

Fast as a speeding “next” until the juvenile court judge showed up and asked for help getting a grant to save money by putting fewer children in jail. One candidate for a board showed up (late) to speak, and I continue to predict he’ll be reappointed tonight: that’s when they vote: tonight at 5:30PM in the Regular Session. Meanwhile, here are videos of this morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session.

Here’s the agenda, with a few notes and links to the videos.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
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Juvenile Justice grant would reduce costs more than the grant –Judge Council @ LCC 2013-05-28

Would you rather spend upwards of $91,000 a year to lock up a juvenile offender or spend less money to prevent that? Juvenile Court Judge Council advocated the former at this morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session.

6.a. 2013 Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant Program Application

This is about a potential new grant Emergency Director Ashley Tye said he had been working on with Judge Council, applying to the Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant Program which was approved by the legislator and governor this year. (Governor’s Executive Order of 16 April 2013 directing the assembly of the Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant Funding Committee to allocate to counties the funding of $5 million approved by the legislature.) Lowndes County would act as the applicant agent or grant administrator on behalf of the juvenile justice department, and Judge Council would serve as the implementing agency, working with several groups such as LODAC ( Lowndes Drug Action Council, Inc.). If the grant is accepted, it will be awarded quickly, running from June to June. It’s a reimbursement grant: make the expenses, submit a report, and get reimbursed from the grant.

Judge James F. Council, Jr. (who Continue reading →

China carbon cap and Georgia Power

If China implements a carbon tax, will Georgia Power CEO Paul Bowers change his recent answer to a question about a carbon tax, which was “why would anyone want that?”

Paul Bowers speaking In February the Chinese Ministry of Finance (MoF) said China would soon tax carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and that’s getting closer in the country whose capital Beijing has smog bad it’s literally off the charts. Katie Valentine wrote for ThinkProgress 22 May 2013, Bombshell: China May Be Close To Implementing A Cap On Carbon Pollution,

China is taking steps to tackle its huge carbon output. Today, the country announced the details of its first carbon trading program, which will begin in the city of Shenzhen next month. The southern city is one of seven cities and provinces, including Beijing, which will take part in the pilot program, set to be completely implemented by 2014.

And according to one local news source, China could implement an absolute, nation-wide cap on its carbon emissions by 2016. China’s 21st Century Business Herald reported this week that the country’s State Council still needs to approve the carbon cap proposal submitted by the National Development and Reform Commission, a government entity that controls much of the Chinese economy. The proposal, which the State Council is reportedly likely to support, would ensure China’s emissions would not increase past the country’s target cap, regardless of economic growth — though it’s still unclear what that cap would be. The paper reported that the NDRC also predicts China’s greenhouse gas emissions will peak in 2025, rather than 2030, as earlier predictions stated.

If the cap is adopted,

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Monsanto rider came from south Georgia: Jack Kingston GA-01

Jack Kingston (GA-01) slipped the Monsanto rider into a recent law, requiring “the Secretary of Agriculture to grant a temporary permit for the planting or cultivation of a genetically engineered crop, even if a federal court has ordered the planting be halted until an Environmental Impact Statement is completed”.

Alexis Baden-Mayer wrote for AlterNet 8 July 2012, The “Monsanto Rider”: Are Biotech Companies About to Gain Immunity From Federal Law?

Whom do we have to thank for this sneak attack on USDA safeguards? The agricultural sub-committee chair Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) — who not coincidentally was voted “legislator of the year for 2011-2012” by none other than the Biotechnology Industry Organization, whose members include Monsanto and DuPont. As reported by Mother Jones, the Biotechnology Industry Organization declared Kingston a “champion of America’s biotechnology industry” who has “helped to protect funding for programs essential to the survival of biotechnology companies across the United States.”

The Biotechnology Industry Organization’s PR about that award of 24 April 2012 says down at the bottom:

Photos of the award presentation are available upon request.

If that award is such an honor, why are they hiding the pictures of Jack Kingston receiving it? If Monsanto’s products are so great, why don’t they label them so we can tell which they are? Why did a French court just uphold a conviction of Monsanto for poisoning a French farmer? Why does Monsanto oppose independent GMO research? And why did hundreds of thousands of people just march against Monsanto?

Could it be because of liver and kidney damage, cancer and birth defects, pollution of water and air, systematic gaming of the patent system, perversion of the regulatory system, and corruption of the legislative system?

Speaking of corruption, Kingston has put the survival of biotechnology companies above the survival of farmers and the health of the American people.


Jack Kingston, voted Biotech “Legislator of the Year.” Responsible for adding the Monsanto Immunity Rider to the farm bill (H.R. 5973, Section 733). Tell him what you think!
www.facebook.coim/jackkingston/, 202-225-5821, 912-352-0101

-jsq

Library Board this afternoon @ SGLB 2013-05-21

1PM-3PM today, according to the VDT calendar. Who’s running it now that Kay Harris isn’t chair? And will whoever it is welcome video cameras?

The South Georgia Regional Library Board of Trustees will be meeting Tuesday, March 19 at 1PM in the Folsom Room of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Public Library to conduct regular business.The meeting is open to the public and all are welcome to attend. For more information call 333.0086.

Yes, that says March, but the calendar entry says May 21, today. And it says “open to the public and all are welcome to attend”. But are all welcome to record? Or do all have to stay inside an 8×4 foot blue rectangle next to a loud air cleaner? Was that just Kay Harris’ policy and will it change now that she has resigned as chair and from the board?

If there’s anything about this meeting on the library’s website, I can’t find it.

-jsq

Religious freedom and the neighbors @ LCC 2013-05-14

Apparently concern about a different religion is what it takes to get a Lowndes County Commissioner to speak up for the majority of the neighbors.

Mike Allen, Utilities Director After Utilities Director Mike Allen outlined the case again at the Lowndes County Commission Regular Session 14 May 2013 Commissioner John Page elaborated on his question of the previous morning:

Subdivision? --John Page But the trust deed that we have in our notebook says it’s for the Valdosta Islamic Center Corporation, so this is a, uh, I know they’re calling it the Mercy Community Center, but isn’t this going to be a Muslim worship center instead of a subdivision?

County Planner Jason Davenport responded:

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Why a water system trust indenture? @ LCC 2013-05-13

Commissioners had questions when Utilities Director Mike Allen said a trust indenture was required by the state for any new water system, so if anything fails the trustee can step in and operate it, in this case for Merciful Community Center Trust. This was at yesterday morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session.

Commissioner John Page wanted to know if a site plan had been seen.
A: Nope.

Page also wanted to know if the indenture was for running a pipeline to the site.
A: Nope: it’s for a well.

Commissioner Richard Raines wanted to know whether the indenture was necessary because of the size of the well.
A: Because it’s for a business, not a private residence.

Here’s the video: Continue reading →

Lakeland environmental violations

Demolition debris buried without a permit? That happened in Lakeland, and it’s causing a heap of trouble for the City Council. Could such a thing also have happened in a nearby county?

Andy Alcock reported yesterday for WCTV, Lakeland Hires Firm to Check Environmental Issues

There’s a new push to find out about dozens of potential environmental violations in the South Georgia city of Lakeland.

As we first reported last week, Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division issued a notice of violation for the city of Lakeland.

That notice lists twenty-three properties where demolition debris may be buried without a permit.

The city council has now unanimously approved the hiring of an engineering firm to assess those sites.

Stevenson & Palmer Engineering will be paid an hourly rate plus expenses not to exceed $15,000 without approval by the city.

There are claims of improperly demolishing, burning and burying dozens of homes.

According to whom?

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If Wal-Mart fires for not following procedures…

George Rhynes asks if Wal-Mart can fire employees who disarmed an armed robber for not following procedures, why can’t the manager he says didn’t follow procedures when the manager fired him be fired in return? I wonder why Wal-Mart procedures and profit are more important than employee safety, well-being, or the drain on public resources to cover what Wal-Mart does not?

George Boston Rhynes wrote to Wal-Mart CEO and President Mike Duke and Board of Directors 20 February 2011, Wal-Mart Store 899 and 2615, Valdosta, Georgia and China Workers!

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