Re: Local State Delegation: Martin, Hiott, Rice... « Thread Started on Oct 13, 2007, 5:20pm »
I found one of those messages on my answering machine, and I believe somebody pulled that string in back, and what d'ya know, that Howdy Doody puppet doll actually talks like the one in that Geico commercial that they've been showing lately! I'm so amazed at that, that it's easy to forget that during these 20 years or so that LM has had the pleasure to serve the folks of Pickens County, industrial development has come into surrounding counties passing Pickens County like the Southern Crescent passenger train going the other way, while textile mills & apparel manufacturers in the area continued to close, including those owned by the company that signs his paycheck. Now about that property tax relief, where do you have to go to earn the money to pay those taxes, is it in or out of Pickens County?
« Last Edit: Oct 14, 2007, 4:56pm by diamonddave »
Re: Local State Delegation: Martin, Hiott, Rice... « Reply #1 on Oct 15, 2007, 10:13pm »
Hey fellows, I played that message a couple of times before I erased it, & couldn't help but notice how much LM sounds like Carson Kressley, you know that Qeye fellow that was filling in for Regis the last time he was on vacation long about the time Clay Aiken & Kelly Ripa got mad at each other & he got booted off. Am I the only one that's noticed
« Last Edit: Oct 15, 2007, 11:56pm by diamonddave »
Re: Local State Delegation: Martin, Hiott, Rice... « Reply #2 on Oct 17, 2007, 6:44am »
I thought Larry Martin's auto call was a pleasant message.
I think he tried to explain what happened. It was like an explanation of the tax bills, like the county council's, although, I think the council did a better job of explaining the point that the state swapped a cut in property taxes for a boost in sales taxes, and the school district then raised taxes by 40 mils, so some didn't see an increase, and most all people saw their total tax bill go up.
Re: Local State Delegation: Martin, Hiott, Rice... « Reply #3 on Oct 17, 2007, 7:38pm »
As you can tell from my name I am pretty much anti incumbentant. After seeing all the petty anti Martin posts, I am becoming a fan of his. Put out something we can hang our hat on rather than he is employed in the Textile business, my goodness.
Re: Local State Delegation: Martin, Hiott, Rice... « Reply #4 on Oct 18, 2007, 12:15am »
That message was so pleasant sounding that if Caroll Campbell were still alive & found it on his answer machine, he'd probably get aroused by the sweet memories The fact that he has a coushy, above average paying for somebody that doesn't have a college degree, make-work job for a Pickens County textile company might not be the only consideration, but it's definitely the best place to start. Over the years that LM's been spending 5 months a year in Columbia at taxpayers' expense while at the same time collecting paychecks, Pickens County has become probably the biggest bedroom in the upstate, & that's certainly at an advantage to the company that has been signing those paychecks. How are you going to explain nearly 30 years of that in 30 seconds? Well, not enough to convince me to change my vote!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Last Edit: Oct 18, 2007, 3:28pm by diamonddave »
Re: Local State Delegation: Martin, Hiott, Rice... « Reply #5 on Oct 19, 2007, 8:02pm »
I was also very moved by Sen. Martin's recorded message. I'm just waiting for him to call and tell me what a favor he did for small businesses when he left the door open for a 58 mil increase in county property taxes for the school district. My county taxes on my equipment and commercial property went up about $ 4,500.00, forgive me if I'm not giddy about a $55.00 reduction on my residence.
Re: Local State Delegation: Martin, Hiott, Rice... « Reply #6 on Oct 21, 2007, 5:26pm »
Hey nkob, sooner or later I would have gotten around to mentioning that, but I'm glad to see that I ain't the only one that's being fooled by LM's "dissapointment" that the schoolboard slipped through a window of opportunity that was created by the General Assembly during the '06 secession. After all, I only represent 1 single, solitary vote, & like I said, it ain't just the fact that LM has managed to hold on to a cushy, make-work, above-average paying for somebody without a college degree, executive-type job at a Pickens County textile company, while they have closed 3 of 5 manufacturing plants putting hundreds of hard-working folks out of work, while at the same time setting up an import operation themselves. Never mind the speculation that if our distinguished public servant of the year were to ever be out of that job, it's very unlikely that he'd get another one with comparable pay, & he just might actually have to suffer the indignity of getting his hands dirty(instead of his nose). By the way, I don't remember getting any such messages from LM before the 1996, 2000, & 2004 elections, the ones in which he was unopposed. I suppose he had more important things to do to serve the citizens of Pickens County, like arranging to get the part of Cleo Chapman Hwy that is now beyond the gate repaved with taxpayer funds? Thanks nkob, for taking those words right out of my mouth!
« Last Edit: Oct 21, 2007, 5:36pm by diamonddave »
Re: Local State Delegation: Martin, Hiott, Rice... « Reply #8 on Oct 22, 2007, 10:12pm »
Yeah, hearing about other counties getting jet engine plants & BMW suppliers while the best Pickens County can do is tear down a manufacturing building to build a shopping center and pass that off as a creator of $11.00 an hour jobs is beginning to sound like a broken record too. By the way, let's say LM gets voted out next year, how long do you think he would keep that cushy make-work job? The folks ay Alice just might think a corporate safety director is a bunch of excess baggage. We'll see, won't we
« Last Edit: Oct 22, 2007, 10:13pm by diamonddave »
Re: Local State Delegation: Martin, Hiott, Rice... « Reply #9 on Nov 19, 2007, 3:55pm »
ACTION ALERT -- WE NEED YOU THERE
The Senate Judiciary Committee scheduled the next regional hearing of the Spending Caps Study Committee for Greenville on Tuesday, November 20, 2007.
Public testimony will be accepted, and we encourage you to attend and speak. We need to make legislators aware of the importance of spending limitations. The current Senate legislation calls for spending caps at the state level only. It will be up to us to make the case for spending caps at the local level.
Here are the details for the next scheduled regional meeting:
Tuesday, November 20, 2007 from 6:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m. Greenville Technical College -- J. Verne Smith Technical Resource Center Auditorium 506 South Pleasantburg Drive Greenville, S.C. 29607
The committee was appointed by Senator McConnell, is chaired by Senator Gregory (R-York/Lancaster), and is made of Senators Ford (D-Charleston), Martin (R-Pickens), Ritchie (R-Spartanburg/Greenville/Union), Bryant (R-Anderson), Lourie (D-Richland/Kershaw), and Sheheen (D-Chesterfield/Kershaw/Lancaster).
If you can attend and/or want to offer testimony, e-mail caussc@gmail.com. We need you there.
Re: Local State Delegation: Martin, Hiott, Rice... « Reply #11 on Jan 16, 2008, 3:59pm »
I don't know what Diamond Dave's take on this will be, nkob, but here's mine:
If Larry's job as safety officer is to reduce the instances of on-the-job injuries among Alice Manufacturing employees, you just couldn't ask for more than a reduction to ZERO in three plants - Arial, Ellijean and Foster. Three down, one (Ellison) to go.
Seriously, this is a serious setback for Pickens County and Alice Manufacturing Co. The trade issues that have served to destroy the textile industry in the United States over the past decade really are beyond Larry's pay grade, as a safety officer and as a state senator.
The decisions and actions that can stop, and perhaps reverse (although I personally think it's too late) this trend will not be made in Easley or in Columbia. They need to be made in Washington, D.C.
Whether those members of our U.S. Congress have the courage to take on China in an election year remains to be seen. I have my doubts, though.
A majority of seem to be too cowadly even to back the President in his efforts to protect our LIVES from foreign threats. Why would they risk political capital to protect our JOBS, other than the obligatory promises to revive the domestic auto industry in Michigan while, out of the other side of their mouths, they're raising the CAFE standards and putting up other environmental wacko hurdles to doing just that?
Too many congressmen and senators want to have it both ways. They need to pick a side and stick with it.
« Last Edit: Jan 16, 2008, 4:10pm by geraldgarrett »
Re: Local State Delegation: Martin, Hiott, Rice... « Reply #12 on Jan 16, 2008, 4:43pm »
Gerald & nkob, as I write this I just learned of the closing of the Foster Mill within the hour. I clicked onto the WYFF website, my interest being the weather, with an approaching winter storm, since it would adversely affect my ability to safely make it to & from work, which, along with about half of the folks that live in Pickens County that I share Hwys 123 &153 with, is in Greenville. Then I saw the news. I suppose I shouldn't draw any conclusions to the fact that ever since LM has been spending 5 months a year in Columbia at taxpayers' expense Pickens County has lagged far behind the surrounding counties with industrial development with tax-credit laws being passed that guarantee the results & that all along he's been drawing fat paychecks from Alice Mfg Co, but when I came up, 2+2=4. But since there's this new math that the newspapers aparently expect the voters to buy into, where you only add the few hundred jobs gained, & ignore the thousands of jobs lost, maybe I should keep an open mind By the way, that reduction of accidents to zero; that is the result of the workers being extra careful all year, including that 5 months that the General Assy is in secession. Now who will be the 1st to go when Foster closes, a net 200 workers, or could Smythe finally conclude that he no longer can afford to keep LM on the payroll? Let's say LM gets voted out, then what? We just might finally see what LM's job as Safety Director of Alice really has been all these years
« Last Edit: Jan 16, 2008, 4:54pm by diamonddave »
Re: Local State Delegation: Martin, Hiott, Rice... « Reply #13 on Jan 18, 2008, 10:25am »
Here's some facts to add to the Pickens County Manufacturing discussing.
At the start of 2001, there were 8,528 manufacturing jobs in Pickens County. That figure fell to 6,001 in November 2004. It rose to 6,761 in June 2007 (the last data point on the BLS website).
Here's the top 20 employers: CLEMSON UNIVERSITY PICKENS COUNTY SCHOOLS ARAMARK CAMPUS INC PALMETTO HEALTH ALLIANCE INC CONTRACT ENVIRONMENTIAL SERVICES THE RELIABLE AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER CO WAL-MART ASSOCIATES INC CONFLUENCE HOLDINGS CORP PICKENS COUNTY ALICE MANUFACTURING COMPANY INC. DAYCO PRODUCTS INC. INGLES MARKETS INC SAUER DANFOSS US COMPANY BI-LO INC. CORNELL DUBILIER MARKETING INC. SOUTHERN WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY PACESETTER, INC. SHAW INDUSTRIES GROUP INC PACE ELECTRIC COMPANY INC CITY OF CLEMSON
Re: Local State Delegation: Martin, Hiott, Rice... « Reply #14 on Jan 18, 2008, 3:42pm »
Assuming that this ranking is in order, I can remember when Alice would be #2. Even then, Clemson University still had about 1,000 more employees. Interesting that the school district has assumed that spot. Reckon Alice will still be in the top 20 in about 3 months? Even so, they will still have alot of influence with industrial recruitment in the Pickens area, you can count on that! Even if Alice eventually closes the Ellison plant, they will still have a presence in Pickens County, because they have an import operation going, & they might still have a need for a safety director, reckon
« Last Edit: Jan 18, 2008, 3:47pm by diamonddave »
Joined: Sept 2006 Gender: Male Posts: 450 Location: Easley
Re: Local State Delegation: Martin, Hiott, Rice... « Reply #15 on Jan 21, 2008, 1:23pm »
Could be Alice Mfg would still make the top 20 dave, especially if you'd take out those employees who are supported by tax dollars. I don't really classify those the same as free market employers. I figure if we continue to allow the school board to run wild with their spending and taxes there won't be a lot of employers remaining in the county. Just how long can the small business owner take a beating like this last one and still remain a viable business.
Re: Local State Delegation: Martin, Hiott, Rice... « Reply #17 on Jan 22, 2008, 9:51pm »
I talked to a guy who was at the Pickens legislative delegation meeting in Dacusville last night. He said that B.R. Skelton said the state needs to raise gas taxes. Is Skelton crazy? Gas is already nearly $3 a gallon and he wants to make it higher. People are struggling now to make ends meet. Is this guy out of touch with the common man, or so rich that he does not care how high gas is?
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The fact that he has a coushy, above average paying for somebody that doesn't have a college degree, make-work job for a Pickens County textile company might not be the only consideration, but it's definitely the best place to start. Over the years that LM's been spending 5 months a year in Columbia at taxpayers' expense while at the same time collecting paychecks, Pickens County has become probably the biggest bedroom in the upstate, & that's certainly at an advantage to the company that has been signing those paychecks. How are you going to explain nearly 30 years of that in 30 seconds? Well, not enough to convince me to change my vote!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
