Thursday, October 19, 2006

Going down a hard road...

It never fails to amaze me what people will accept. This story in the Palladium-Item on October 18th describes what has been touted by some as "economic development at it's best." It fails to mention that Tom Dickman is a Wayne County Commissioner, who appoints members to the EDC. Taxpayers have already been forced to bail-out this privately owned property twice, and now they are not only picking up the extra tab created by the granting of tax abatements to the Dickmans, they are also chipping in nearly $700,000.00 to build the brothers a road.

This isn't economic development at it's best. This is forced re-distribution at it's worst. From the working class to the connected.

Monday, October 16, 2006

I know you think you meant what you understood, but....

Awhile back I posted this story about some signs on Main Street in Hagerstown.
I also sent the picture to the local papers.

In tonights Palladium-Item this story has town officials explaining that either we didn't understand or else it was someone else's fault.

Either way, it's been a lot of fun.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Skating on thin ice....

I attended a meeting at the Hagerstown Town Hall last night, mostly out of curiosity. A group of parents and children, along with the local Optimist club, are trying to figure out a way to build a skateboard park in Hagerstown. I have to admit I've never understood the attraction of skateboarding, but then there a lot of things I don't understand, and I certainly have no problem with somebody enjoying something that I don't understand, and neither do I have a problem with them wanting to have a place to practice that enjoyment.

I do, however, have a problem with some of the opinions expressed at that meeting. The person running the meeting is one of the leaders of the Republican Party in Wayne County. He has already announced that he will seek the nomination for County Commissioner in 2008. He stated at the meeting that it was the responsibility of the taxpayers and the government to provide and maintain a park for people that wanted to ride skateboards.

This is the same Republican that is such a staunch defender of forced annexations, the Economic Development Income Tax and the Economic Development Commission.

I think I've figured out why there are so few Democrats in Hagerstown and Wayne County. They're just not needed anymore.