"Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you." - Pericles 430 B.C.
Wow, I wish I knew who did what to get Harry Shorstein fired up. The State's Attorney is threatening to indict Jacksonville City Council members over violations of the Sunshine Law.
Almost two years ago, an internal audit was followed by a Grand Jury, both of which issued reports that cited a culture of corruption in Clay County government. What do we get? One ineptly-prosecuted (bad enough to make Marcia Cross and Chris Darden blush in embarrassment) trial with the promise of a couple more to come sometime in the future. Oh yeah, and a bill for $9 million. ...
Speaking of bills, isn't that $9 million-figure misleading? That's just the cost of digging up and reburying the trash (and the large expense of having to pay someone how to tell us how to do it right), isn't it? Imagine how many other tax dollars have been spent along the way. Iveygate has spawned its own little legal cottage industry, and that type of industrialists doesn't work cheap. That $9 million waste is like the net pay in your check - it's a lot less than the gross.
Taxpayers will probably never know the truth about how many of their hard-earned tax dollars were wasted because of that afore-mentioned culture of corruption. ...
"What this country needs is more unemployed politicians." - Edward Langley
The Clay County School District is cranking out graduates who can't read (and really have no interest in it because their education was replaced by courses in how to take tests) and needs a billion dollars worth of new school construction. Yet, when local voters when to the polls last year, three of the five members of the School Board were re-elected, including one who was already breaking the law by serving on the Board.
Nothing personal against any of those three who were returned to office, but what does it take to get fired around here? Did Super Dave grant them all tenure?
Things were different last year in the County Commission races, when no one was re-elected. Of course, both of the commissioners whose terms ended chose to retire instead of seek re-election after their years of contributing to the culture of corruption. ...
See if this doesn't remind you of local politicans who love to tell the rest of us how important experience is:
In the time it took you to explain to the caller that you don't care to contribute to whatever cause he's soliciting, your 2-year-old has disappeared. You come through the kitchen door to see the toddler standing next to the open refrigerator door in a puddle of chocolate syrup, honey and flour - sporting a huge smile of pride.
"If it wasn't for pickpockets, I'd have no sex life at all." - Rodney Dangerfield
Poor Rodney could have been talking about politics here in Clay County. If not for the pickpockets in power, the rest of us would have no political sex lives at all.