What the majority of RockCo commissioners fail to grasp
Last night I attended a county commissioners meeting in which they discussed spending public money to produce a pamphlet intended to convince the public to vote in favor of a quarter-cent sales tax increase in RockCo.
At the end of a spirited debate, the county manager, Tom Robinson, whom I admire and respect, stated that the staff's recommended pamphlet went beyond the statutory intent of "education" of citizens into the realm of "advocacy."
For the county manager to admit to this in a public meeting, to me, was incredulous.
But Tom Robinson is an honorable man and I am sure the dynamic duo of Robinson and Eugene Russell, county attorney, will come back to the board next week with a pamphlet that is more in line with the legislature's intent.
However, Robinson's admission paled in comparison to the abdication of fiscal responsibility by the majority of the board.
It's not just that there is more than $20 million in discretionary spending in the county's current budget.
It's not just that the county several years ago added a staff position aimed at creating budget efficiency and moving the county toward budgeting for outcomes, yet later decided not to pursue such a disciplined policy, yet decided to keep the staff member and ignore his recommendations.
No, it goes far beyond that.
I just think it boils down to two sides. On one side are the fiscal conservatives who believe in less government and less spending. This side also believes in individual responsibility to self, family and community.
The other side is, in the end, collectivist. There is no other way to state it plainly. They believe it takes a village and that government should provide stop gaps for the collapse of the family.
No government band aid can make up for the collapse of the family as the basic giver of self-identity. One-hundred DARE officers in local schools will not make up for absent parents who can't take the time to imbue in their offspring the discipline needed to stay focused on success.
A dozen bright shiny schools in this county will not make our students better, nor help them do their homework. Abraham Lincoln and countless other American icons went to school in one room shacks.
Bobby Stanley said over and over last night that "it takes buildings folks."
No, Bobby, it takes self-reliance and gumption. That's what is lacking in Rockingham County.
No amount of money spent by the government can make up for that. Forty years of The Great Society has proven that beyond a shadow of a doubt.
At the end of a spirited debate, the county manager, Tom Robinson, whom I admire and respect, stated that the staff's recommended pamphlet went beyond the statutory intent of "education" of citizens into the realm of "advocacy."
For the county manager to admit to this in a public meeting, to me, was incredulous.
But Tom Robinson is an honorable man and I am sure the dynamic duo of Robinson and Eugene Russell, county attorney, will come back to the board next week with a pamphlet that is more in line with the legislature's intent.
However, Robinson's admission paled in comparison to the abdication of fiscal responsibility by the majority of the board.
It's not just that there is more than $20 million in discretionary spending in the county's current budget.
It's not just that the county several years ago added a staff position aimed at creating budget efficiency and moving the county toward budgeting for outcomes, yet later decided not to pursue such a disciplined policy, yet decided to keep the staff member and ignore his recommendations.
No, it goes far beyond that.
I just think it boils down to two sides. On one side are the fiscal conservatives who believe in less government and less spending. This side also believes in individual responsibility to self, family and community.
The other side is, in the end, collectivist. There is no other way to state it plainly. They believe it takes a village and that government should provide stop gaps for the collapse of the family.
No government band aid can make up for the collapse of the family as the basic giver of self-identity. One-hundred DARE officers in local schools will not make up for absent parents who can't take the time to imbue in their offspring the discipline needed to stay focused on success.
A dozen bright shiny schools in this county will not make our students better, nor help them do their homework. Abraham Lincoln and countless other American icons went to school in one room shacks.
Bobby Stanley said over and over last night that "it takes buildings folks."
No, Bobby, it takes self-reliance and gumption. That's what is lacking in Rockingham County.
No amount of money spent by the government can make up for that. Forty years of The Great Society has proven that beyond a shadow of a doubt.
