Congratulation Madison County
8-29-12 *Letter to the Editor*
Congratulation Madison County
Congratulations are in order for the Madison County people on both sides of this Wet/Dry issue it became explosive at times but we will survive. Now! This new privilege also brings responsibility, discretion, and being smart. Anything that happens will most certainly bring out the “I told You So” crowd en mass against all of us. We must all act as adults. Remember, in order to become a police officer and remain one, one must have and continue to live on the right side of the law. They must train for dangerous and unpredictable situations that they will most likely face alone. The men and women of our County risk their lives to enforce the law while simultaneously respecting the constitutional rights of our citizens that we can live freely. Every day our police officers kiss their wives and children goodbye; put on twenty to forty pounds of gear including a firearm set forth to enforce the law and protect the public, sometimes even protecting a citizen from his or her own stupidity; all the while knowing that this may be the last day they ever see their children, wife or husband on this earth. Recently a police officer I know was dispatched to respond to an alleged break-in in progress; this particular officer, arrived on the scene; proceeded in accordance with his training; to secure, apprehend potential suspects, and to every extent maintain the scene for a potential prosecution of as yet undetermined suspects – and he was viciously attacked for it. How can we expect that we will attract and retain the best individuals available? Therefore, don’t antagonize the police, got it?.
Today is a new beginning for all of us Pro and Con, with the Wet/Dry issue out of the way, it’s time for us to grow and prosper. I had a large manufacturer located in Illinois, that spent several days with me meeting my customers in the “business that I built” this Gentleman was impressed with the people in this county. We do have some really great and wonderful people in this county. The lack of entertainment worried him some for the employees he would have to bring with him in order to start up the business. However my friend was given a Tax Exempt status for five years in Idaho. I guess you know where my friend is moving his factory. That Tax Exempt was the icing on the cake, and clinched the deal for Idaho. Perhaps now we could concentrate on some real business and offer such an enticement to other companies? If not out of town, I most certainly will ask our Commissioners at the next meeting.
Also! I hear people complain of our grade F school system quite often. I’ve also heard teachers complain. Their complaints are that the kids come into class unkempt, resentful, disrespectful, disruptive, and refuse to learn. Complaining to their parent (s) is like talking to the desk the child sits on while stealing oxygen. Teachers spend more time keeping the little darlings from killing one another than teaching. I have no idea what to do about that in today’s society. However I can tell you how I handled a situation while working as a substitute teacher for several months. I had two kids 11 and 12 years old “mean, and hateful little suckers” I told them I would hang them by their heals until all the blood in their body went into their heads, then watch their heads explode like a watermelon. I then blinked my eyes rapidly as though I was losing my senses. Knowing I was home fresh from Vietnam, it worked, problem solved.
George Pouliotte
LOL @ Eddie,
Thats more like it.
I agree the schools are top priority.
Madison going Wet, has done more than just give people the option, it is symbolic as well.
It shows that the separation of the Church and State is getting sharper and more visible.
Here is one scenario taken into account what your talking about Eddie.
As Valdosta/Tally/Lake City grow, Madison can become a suburb of either or most. Knock it all you want, it’s a good scenario and more likely now that Madison has jumped the hurdle of being Wet.
Whats left to fix in Madison is the school system & attitude toward outsiders bottom line.
After that is fixed, then encouraging businesses to locate/relocate in Valdosta/Tally/Lake City or in Madison if possible is all that is left, the workers will want to live somewhere where they feel welcome and they have access to most goods withing a short distance as well as good schools for their children.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGAvwSp86hY&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Oh get real. Paying a fair share of taxes is not a punishment for having lots more money than anyone else. It is just fair–and, I might add, one’s patriotic duty. I’m very rich and they want me to pay taxes like everyone else? Oh boo hoo! Nobody loves me; everybody hates me; I’m gonna go eat worms. It’s an imaginary and self-serving whine, and I really don’t get why people who _don’t_ have a lot of money fall for that kind if thinking. It just increases the tax burden on them.
Madison Outsider,
Thanks for acknowledging my post. No this does not say it all. Watch the animated video about what is going on and what in our future. Adults only.
http://theautomaticearth.com/Finance/what-the-economic-crisis-really-means-animation.html
Peasant your post says it all – Madison is still stuck in the Civil War era – it has to be time for Madison to grow up and move on and until it does it will keep dying.
Gerorge,
Excuse the misspelling of your name. My computer is dying, just like me. But before it goes I thing you should know the peasants thing thinks you are full of s..t. Read this. http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2012-09-02/what-money
Think about it. Just cause you some yankee intellectual, don’t mean we don ‘t et get what you are putting out. We are indeed ignornat but we anin ain’t stupit stupid.
Voice editoe, sorry, but my computer no longer allos allows me to edit. God bless. Trust mu my chillen will see thi and provied lme with a new instrument.
cheers,
Well son of a gun, we all agree that Madison is broke. We just disagree as to how to get this County into prosperity. Some wish to go back to agriculture, I’m all for that. The problem is, there’s little income in this type work today. As a farmer, one must contend with the weather, and worst of all, Governments. Local, State, and Federal all want control. These Governments tell you when where why you must use only such fertilizers, when you can water, how much you can grow and when you can grow the stuff. And then you have the bugs that want to eat the stuff you grow. Then some twit will sue you because you used the wrong bug killer stuff other than what the twit wanted you to use. Then you can’t get anybody locally to help you gather the stuff you planted because they would then lose the welfare status they have been enjoying the last few years so you hire some obscure company that bring in these somewhat short somewhat darker skinned people who have names such as Jose, or Ernesto, to pick your harvest. Oh and then the ICE guys come snooping around your farm and scare off the only people that are willing to work for you.
Then, you have the unlucky guy that borrows, scrapes, every dime he/she can muster to start a new dream business. He/she works twelve to eighteen hours a day seven days a week building the new dream business only to find out that for every dollar that is earned half of those earnings are taken from the new business by that local, state and federal government, and then wonders why am I doing this? They then close up and go onto something else.
Oh! then we have employees. Employees that have problems getting up in the morning, have at least two or more emergencies per week, can’t work weekends, won’t work overtime when needed, Twitter and Facebook are much more important than the business customer, as their Facebook friend whom they have never met just included a new friend they have never met in their group of friends Oh and playing games on the computer. Then get upset because they’re not getting their fair share of your business. The really good employee gets smothered by the bad employees because he wants to work and is accused of being a brownnose.
If it’s God’s wish you finally make it and gather monies in you’re coffers, you’re not paying your fair share of taxes and you do not deserve nor did you earn what you have because you didn’t build it, someone else did it for you.
To make it in Madison, a company must have enough capital to take those rough spots in the road. A small business in Madison can very seldom survive; I’ve seen thirty or more businesses close since I first came to Madison in 1992. Look at our downtown, it’s deserted it seems to me all we meet are roadblocks to success. I have a dear friend that was born and brought up in Madison. I met him in St. Augustine while working for me for several years. When He found out I had bought property and was to open a business in Madison he told me the following. “The people are extremely nice, but I swear if I had a million dollars to give away many would be against it, it’s just the way we are”. I’m to prove my friend wrong, we can prosper, we must. This is my last comment on this topic, lets get busy.
Oh, and folks, here’s some child-rearing advice from my mother:
Do not _ever_ to tell a child you would do something that you would not really do. They are very literal, and it teaches them that it is okay to lie.
Everything with kids is not “do as I say.” It’s do as I do. You can’t complain about the school systems if you yourself don’t think an education is important enough to get one. They will rat you out faster than you can say “diploma.”
Okay, you all “yes” people: you got your wish.
Now watch Madison stay right where it is in terms of property values and prosperity until the school systems improve.
When businesses evaluate where they want to go, I’d hazard a guess that they don’t really care if they can get a nice glass of wine without driving a half hour to dinner. They evaluate the cost of living and the quality of the education system.
You know if people exhibited the level of interest in the schools and gas prices that they showed on both sides about potent potables, maybe MC really would take off! We have a lot of advantages: it’s a beautiful area.
I like living here, wine or no wine, so I’m not criticizing. I’m just pointing to the real and serious concern. A great football team (and we have one to be proud of!) isn’t the _definition_ of “a good school,” is it?
A quote from George S. Patton is worth noting: “There are three ways that men get what they want: by planning, by working, and by praying.” (Between the plan and the execution of the plan is the unknown—which is the point at which prayer is critical. The unknow brings success or defeat.)
To attract investment involves having in place the variables required to attract business start-up or relocation. Having infrastructure in place is critical. Other variables include a reliable workforce, access to transportation, etc. Madison competes with Georgia and Alabama communities as well as Florida communities. Incentives can help.
In the 1980s Bear Archery considered locating in Madison County. The company located in Alachua County for two basic reasons: [1] traffic county on I-75 versus I-10 and [2] Alachua County provided the infrastructure.
The individuals who invested their energy, money, and time in the 1950s to establish Madison House, Madison Industries, as well as those who were instrumental in bringing Dixie Packers in the early 1970s deserve credit. We often overlook the investment that has already been made.
Is it enough? No; we can help pave the way by appropriate planning and execution of the plans. There are challenges and opportunities.
Another quote from George S. Patton seems appropriate: “Anyone in any walk of life who is content with mediocrity is untrue to himself and to American tradition.”
@StarKiller:
I have erred before, so I looked. I am sorry, but couldn’t find any data to back up your statement, “All business Drive Economic growth, and it’s usually the larger ones that do it, not the smaller ones.”
But hold on just a cotton pickin’ moment, if you please.
I’m not saying that if, for example, Google wanted to open up a server operation in Madison, Florida, that we should deny them tax exemptions. I’m not saying that at all. Heck, I’d probably advocate it. (Sign the petition, as it were.)
My position is, that’s not gonna happen. If you want to predict the future, look to the past. A major center of commerce, Madison has never been. I would doubt that such robust growth is around the corner, either.
I am saying that our focus should be on attracting smaller companies to the area. Companies of the size where a tax-exempt status would be of minute importance. Smaller companies are the driving force of any sustainable economy. Furthermore, a tax-exempt status IS a strain on government resources and services. Smaller companies pay their own way from day one.
On a website such as this, where a majority of posters are quick to jump on welfare recipients, food stamp recipients, the sick and anyone else who needs a helping hand, I am surprised to hear anyone advocate for corporate welfare. People never cease to amaze me…..
Now, before you can attract any businesses, large or small, you have got to fix the schools. That has to be done first. The question is, “Do you re-vamp what we have already, or do we try something different?”
That’s the question. Answer that, and all conversations about welfare, corporate or individual, will go away.
@Dan,
“Yep, your right, Madison is broke.” Just in case you haven’t checked, everything and everyone is broke! We are all in debt up to our ears. Even the peasant who owes no one anything, but because he is part of this society, he is in debt.
So just what is going on at the macro-level? The wealthy have finally realized that money is just a marker, a means of gaining access to resources, those things that can be employed to maintain and sustain life. As long as the gov prints money and distributes it to the public, the poor will spend theirs to sustain life and keep the crippled economy going. That which goes to the rich is saved and invested in tax free instruments in the Camen Islands, or Switzerland. Additionally, the rich have rigged the game such that when money goes to the poor the quickly sop it up and take it out of circulation.
We got a feller running for president who has taken advantage of this last strategy. Problem is that he and his buddies are finally realizing that money is no good as just money. Try fixing a mess of green backs for supper this evening. Not very nutritious or filling, is it?
Money is just a marker that can be exchanged for the real resources that sustain life. As long as the money is being freely distributed to the sick, lame, and ugly peasants and they immediately exchange it for food, gasoline, or shelter, those are resources that in the future will not be available for the consumption of the prosperous among us.
Course, it is much more complicated than this, but maybe someone like Eddie, or our former Mayor Catron can assist me in explaining how the pie is no longer expanding and we all need to learn to get along with a little less or some of us don’t get any, while the rich continue their decadence.
This is what collapse looks like and we need to recognize what is going on. Have you planned your fall garden? Have you considered sharing some of your extra space with others who do not have access to a little space?
Please forgive. The peasant went “wet” many years ago, especially on Friday evening.
“Tax Exempt status to a business has, at least initially, a drag on a local government’s ability to provide services. That new business brings in children who have to be educated, traffic control and road expenses, there is an additional strain on Fire and EMS, etc., etc. This stuff isn’t free and, while a company is in its tax exempt status, the company is not paying its fair share of expenses.
That’s not to say that opportunities for economic growth are null. We just have to focus on businesses that don’t require Tax Exempt status. That would be smaller businesses; the ones that employ 2, 4, or 6 workers. You know, the businesses that drive economic growth. The business that employ the most people in the country.”
Bullschit
Lets see, the parents of those children would be paying taxes, so the strain on the Fire and EMS, etc, etc, would be taken care of as businesses usually have very few calls to Fire, EMS, and other resources.
So the company might not be paying taxes on the lan and licenses, the would be on anything bought from a local vendor and also the parents would be paying taxes as well.
Tax breaks from the county, lower rates from utilities are just a few ways that are used to lure factory type business into a county.
All business Drive Economic growth, and it’s usually the larger ones that do it, not the smaller ones.
@ Eddie;
Yep, your right, Madison is broke. This deal Mr. George was talking about is now history. While in conversation on my many visits to his store, he mentioned this deal several times and that was a couple of years ago. If Mr. George had been able to get this deal through it would have been great for this county. The property to be used is the property across the street from his store owned then by Tommy Greene, I assume it’s the family’s now. I was at the store when Mr. George and Mr. Tommy were talking about that property from what I remember Mr. Tommy would have built the building but it didn’t happen. I don’t know what the tax rate is for that property but there’s nothing on it therefore it can’t be much. I think it was to take a year or more to build the building and the site, how much tax revenue would that cost the people of this county? While paying all the taxes on all the material used and paying for all that labor wouldn’t that offset the Tax Exempt Status? And now we’re informed by Knottypine that this is already happening for the Hotdog place who has quite a few employees working there now. I would think we would like to do something such as this.
Eddie , you do know that the county commission gave the company that moved into the Dixie Packers plant some sort of an exemption on county taxes for 10 years ? A few years before that they gave a small business located in Lee an exemption . There may be others .
Thanks Eddie for your response. I thought churches were tax exempt businesses.
@MadisonOutsider:
Yes, that is true. Society, as a whole, shares the cost of tax-exempt entities. We, as a society, have decided to conduct business in that fashion. It’s neither right or wrong. It’s just a decision. If you want to try and change it, I suggest that you start with a petition.
Tax-exempt churches were not the focus of my comments, however. I was addressing George about the cost and expense of tax-exempt businesses and where Madison County should look for growth.
Eddie – I guess what you are saying is that we are all paying the way for all the tax-exempt churches in Madison County all the time. Do you think we should put a cap on the number of churches that are allowed tax exempt status in the county? Seems like all you have to do is call yourself a church and you are automatically tax free. I am just asking.
John maybe you should be called the Madison FLorida Voice Online Church.
The same people that was getting drunk when the county was dry will be the same people getting drunk now that its wet, they just want be taking their money to the neighboring county. We now have to figure out how to get them to stop running to wal-mart in those same neighboring counties.
Madison County is broke, George. We should avoid the illusion that we can afford to “bid” for businesses. Certainly, states and municipalities such as Alabama and Miami may have the resources, but we don’t. We can’t afford to play in that game. We need to stick to the farm league.
Tax Exempt status to a business has, at least initially, a drag on a local government’s ability to provide services. That new business brings in children who have to be educated, traffic control and road expenses, there is an additional strain on Fire and EMS, etc., etc. This stuff isn’t free and, while a company is in its tax exempt status, the company is not paying its fair share of expenses.
That’s not to say that opportunities for economic growth are null. We just have to focus on businesses that don’t require Tax Exempt status. That would be smaller businesses; the ones that employ 2, 4, or 6 workers. You know, the businesses that drive economic growth. The business that employ the most people in the country.
When we think about bringing businesses in to Madison; too frequently we think of larger companies. We think of the “big kill”, attracting a business that will hire hundreds right away. That’s a shame. It’s the smaller companies on which we should focus. We can afford them. Having one large employer in our community would be a scary situation revisited. Remember how Dixie Packers had us bent over a barrel? As a small businessman, you know the threat of having one customer that “carries” your business. (The threat is that one day that customer will die.)
No, we should actively pursue and recruit businesses to Madison. But we should focus on the businesses that are complimentary to our community and that we can afford to deal with. If a business is looking for a free ride to come here, maybe we should let them move on by.
The first step would be to fix our school system or admit failure and turn its responsibility to educate our children over to a selection of charter schools. I suspect that it is the latter of the two that will rise to the surface.
“Tax exempt status” for five years in Idaho sounds like welfare to me. By the way, does anyone believe that growth pays for itself? Which came first? The road or the business?
@ Eddie
What does tax exempt mean? It means that the factory that is to be built does not pay taxes on the property and building for however many years is negotiated, that’s it. For this privilege, the company builds a business structure, hires people to build this structure, purchases the material to build this structure. While the building is in construction hires more people to train to run the factory. Today, I assume they would have sent the trainees to Illinois I never asked that question.
That company is paying taxes on everything they purchase, the people hired are spending monies earned in the County/Cities they are working in. These are just the construction workers. The people brought in for the company start up “Outsiders” were to be 80 or more. That would have created more construction for new homes (all taxable) there were to be 360 new jobs, lots of training to be done with machinery operators, as well as office workers. Everything needed to run a factory, all paying taxes.
That is now spilt milk; we need to look at the future. There is another company out there somewhere, looking for a Madison County Florida Shangri-La. let’s invite them in and have a drink together. (Had to throw that in there).
As for the teaching thing, you’re right; I don’t belong in today’s school. I did this as a favor for a very special friend that was to have a very difficult pregnancy and needed complete bed rest after having lost the first two. She asked and I did it for her, that’s what friends are for. That job is for very special people only as they earn their wings while on earth.
As for the Police, I know most from the Sheriff on down, I have yet to meet the Chief but I’m looking forward to that. All I’ve met are friendly and do the best job they can with what they have to work with. But, they can become downright mean if the have to in order to get the job done. Especially, when they have to protect you from yourself. There are some very dumb and stupid people out there, my suggestion is. “don’t antagonize the Police”. For entertainment, go to the Court House on any given Monday and watch the VOP “violation of parole” march in the Courtroom. Well, maybe not, it may make you sick.
George
Sorry jon and all pro dads i forget how fortunately i have had it. even with the tragedy. I have been faced with. great adversaries come with revalation
Today Madison as a new look and perception on the future. We all woke up with more pride in are community
In today’s environment your threats of what you would do to the ll and 12 year old kids would be considered verbal assult and you would most likely be arrested.
#1. “Tax Exempt” means that somebody else is paying their way for a while. It means, that for a period of time, they don’t have to pay their fair share. Let Idaho have them. We need companies that can afford to pay their own way.
#2. You have no business being anywhere near a classroom.
#3. Don’t antagonize the police? Are you kidding me?