Say No To S.C.A.M.

Say no to S.C.A.M.! 

Our elected officials love acronyms here in the Golden Isles.  We've got SPLOST for the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax and of course BATS for Brunswick Area Transportation System.  That's just a couple that came to mind.  I've come up with a new one to address Glynn County Island's Commissioner Peter Murphy's push to bring back a toll on the St. Simons Island Causeway.  I call it SCAM for Scamming Causeway Motorists.  Dr. Murphy thinks it would a great way to rasie money for much needed infrastructure repairs and support.  Just thinking out loud, here:   don't we already include that on every SPLOST that comes through?  I'm not sure that what he proposes is legal anyway, but it's already got a lot us worked up.  That's why I say no to SCAM.  No more taxes! A new toll is is just that, a tax.  If this passes what's next?  A toll on Gloucester Street traffic?   A toll on the Spur?   Pay before you stray onto Old Jesup?  Where will it end?  It needs to end here...say no to SCAM!

LATEST NEWS ON 1041 THE WAVE WITH JOE WILLIE & ROBBIE SUE

Glynn County lawmakers have figured out a way to fund a new and larger animal services center.   They're planning on adopting a dog tax where every dog is taxed a dollar a pound.

Traffic going to St. Simons Island will soon be getting worse.  A federal mass transit grant will fully pay for the construction of a subway from Brunswick to the island.  Due to the project, starting  next month, the heavily traveled four lane roadway will be reduced to two lanes for at least four years.

A wealthy land developer is planning on opening an outdoor strip club here in the Golden Isles.  The proposed location for the outdoor "Dirty Rug" is near Neptune Park's big whale in the St. Simons Island Pier Village.

Citing a desire to build an athletic powerhouse, local officials have voted to consolidate all high school students into one facility.  Under the plan Brunswick High School will be bought by the College of Coastal Georgia for one hundred million dollars.  Glynn Academy will then become the county's sole public high school after the campus is renovated with several additions being built on surrounding property that now includes several church buildings, historic houses, and a public housing project.

In a major turn on the campaign trail Donald Trump and Ted Cruz got into a physical altercation at a debate last night.  As a result both have withdrawn from the race.  In an emergency meeting the Republican Party has decided to draft Tim Tebow to run against the Democratic Party's nominee.

Due to a binding contract with the S.E.C, former University of Georgia Coach Mark Richt the University of Miami is moving into the conference.  To make room the Bulldogs will have to move to the A.C.C.

Residents in Sterling say they've had enough.  A grass roots movement, upset with the lack of bike paths and playgrounds in the suburb, want to incorporate.  The city of Sterling would include Everett City and Zuta with 341/99 Parker's being used as city hall until a new building can be constructed. 

The Island's Capetbaggars

I have on many occasions referred to a lot of the Island Incorporation organizers as carpetbaggers.   Please read the latet edition of the Islander news paper and the Saturday, March 25, 2016 edition of The Brunswick News.  The Merriam Webster dictionary defines carpetbagger as a nonresident or new resident who seeks private gain from an area often by meddling in its business or politics.

A central theme to the incorporation move is that we must preserve "the island feel".   OK, but who gets to decide what that actually means?  Here's an idea:  to really back to the "Isand feel" let's knock down everything that wasn't there before 1980.  What year would you go back to?  I have a feeling that we'll get a lot of different answers.

Life here in the Golden Isles is still good.  Let's take a deep breath and relax, while still keeping an eye on those carpetbaggers.

Third World Quality Roads in Brunswick

Why are Brunswick's roads in such bad shape?   The roadways are almost as bad as those in South Carolina.  In fact, there are probably better street conditions in third world countries.  That's serious talk!  With all of the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Taxes you would think that we could have better roadways.  Mansfield Street is still a mess!  What's up with that?  Altama still has ruts, 4th Avenue has the worst railroad crossings.  This is a good town to have a shop that does wheel balancing and re-alignments.   We live in a great place and our guests along with us taxpayers deserve better!

Random Thoughts:

Will the customers at the new Walmart neighborhood market be as entertaining as the ones at the super centers?

Why stop at bringing the toll back on the St. Simons Island Causeway when we just might as well blow the bridges.  That would really keep riff raff non-islanders off.   

The beach parking fee proponents like to use numbers indicating how little island day visitors spend in the Golden Isles.  Didn't the SPLOST advocates tell us about the large amount of money that day visitors spent here?  Pardon me while I scratch my head!

How is another, probably a much nicer, convenience store a block away going going to do that much devastation to "feel" of the island?  Don't want it to be commercial?  Buy the lot and have it re-zoned!  The Land Trust could buy it with the blink of an eye!

Simple solution to controlling deer population on Jekyll Island:  let a couple of lions loose.  The big cats will only eat when they are hungry.

Random Thoughts Reloaded

What is going on with Christmas music this year.  Are the stores in a competition to see who can play the most obscure songs and arrangements by anonymous artists? I am pretty versed on Christmas music and I'm hearing uncool Yule stuff that I've never heard. Stick to the basics folks!

Speaking of music, after a seeing some of the Holiday Christmas shopping craziness I've come up with an idea for a song:  "I'm too much of a mess to even be in a country song!"

I love to go out and people watch during the holidays.   The stores are packed with people that you rarely see.  The truth is that a lot of these folks only come out a couple of times of the year.  They hit town for Christmas shopping and the 4th of July fireworks.  Don't be surprised that they don't know to act.  It's not that they don't have any "home trainin'", it's the fact that they don't ever leave home!

Since I've been hoarse from recent surgery I've been amused by the number of people that whisper back to me.   Merry whispermas!

Why is that you can always a UHaul place in the worst side of town?  We've two locations in Arco.  What's up with that?  When I lived in Augusta I had to go the Dis-gusta neighborhood to get my moving truck.  Want a U-Haul in Jacksonville? Find the most run down side of town and you're ready to roll!

Nothing says "have a cool Yule" like the Xmas light T. rex on 17 north of the Shriner's hall.  Tell Santa to forget about Rudolph the red nosed reindeer.  With the red eyed t-Rex leading the way he won't gave any problems.

 Imagine if we had to eat at buffets like buzzards do at that their road kill feasts.   We would all be fit if we had to dodge fast moving cars and trucks when going to the trough!

Some random thoughts

Here we go again on St. Simons Island with two issues that will be hotly debated:   paid parking at our beaches and the incorporation of St. Simons Island.   Both topics seem to come up every couple of years.  For the record I am against both.

My first question is how much will it cost us to implement paid parking lots on St. Simons Island?  The last time our County Commissioners brought this up it appeared that we would just be breaking even.   When do write the check for the latest study? Why do you want to spend money to break even?  Doesn't sound like good use of our tax money. 

My next question on parking is how much will cost visitors?   $5?  $10?   I'd rather get an annual pass to Jekyll Island and enjoy a much better beach.   Let's remember, we don't have the best beaches on the East Coast.  The attraction to the Golden Isles is a multitude of factors including beautiful trees, striking marsh views, decent free beach access, and of course great southern hospitality.  

On the subject of incorporating St. Simons Island:  do we really need another layer of government?  I've always thought that when it comes to bureaucracy that less is best!  More government will mean more taxes.   Glynn County is not just going to roll over and give money over to a new city.

Either way you look at these two issues, it'll cost the taxpayers more money if we move forward.  Here's an idea:  let's focus on something that really matters.   Let's work on making the Golden Isles a safer place and better place to raise our children.   A place with less crime, less drugs, less domestic violence, and better success with educating our children.