If one were to take the time to go back and check the audio tapes for the county commission meetings over the last two decades, one would find that the phrase, "there is no one making us do it," would be found to be the most often given reasoning for the county commission not doing anything about the conditions of our local jail.
The same attitude applies to the condition of our educational infrastructure, our schools. This same attitude applies to stray animal and rabies control in Hardin County. Can’t you just hear them say, ‘We know that we have the responsibility, but ‘there is no one making us do it.’
I think it gets down to ‘Want To’ or ‘Don’t Want To.’ They ‘want to’ spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on inviting folks to spend some of their vacation time with us and/or to move to Hardin County. I think they should be required to put a disclaimer on ever ad they run.
The disclaimer would say something like;
The same attitude applies to the condition of our educational infrastructure, our schools. This same attitude applies to stray animal and rabies control in Hardin County. Can’t you just hear them say, ‘We know that we have the responsibility, but ‘there is no one making us do it.’
I think it gets down to ‘Want To’ or ‘Don’t Want To.’ They ‘want to’ spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on inviting folks to spend some of their vacation time with us and/or to move to Hardin County. I think they should be required to put a disclaimer on ever ad they run.
The disclaimer would say something like;
WE ONLY PROVIDE SAFETY AND WELFARE SERVICES THAT SOMEONE IS MAKING US DO. WE MINIMIZE OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES SO YOU WILL PRETTY MUCH BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY. WE MAKE NO EFFORT AT ANIMAL CONTROL SO YOU WILL PRETTY MUCH BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN WELFARE IN THE EVENT YOU HAVE AN ENCOUNTER WITH ANY OF THE PACKS OF STRAY, AND MOSTLY UNVACCINATED, ANIMALS THAT ROAM HARDIN COUNTY.
SHOULD YOU DECIDE TO RELOCATE TO HARDIN COUNTY TO RAISE YOUR FAMILY, YOU ARE ADVISED THAT MOST OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES ARE ANTIQUATED AND YOUR CHILD WILL PRETTY MUCH NOT BE IN THE BEST OF LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS. THIS HAS BEEN NECESSARY IN ORDER TO KEEP OUR PROPERTY TAXES ARTIFICIALLY LOW IN ORDER TO ATTRACT YOU OR TO MOTIVATE YOUR RELOCATION TO HARDIN COUNTY, WHERE WE PROVIDE ONLY MANDATED SERVICES AND THEN ONLY WHEN SOMEONE IS MAKING US.
Now, about the ‘Don’t Want To’ and animal and rabies control in Hardin County.
The City of Savannah spends in excess of $87,000.00 for their animal control program this fiscal year and that is down from the average of $125,000 to $135,000 per year for the last few years. Hardin County has budgeted $2,500.00 per year for the last two years and I’m not sure what that is spent on or who spends it. The County can do better, if we wanted them to.
The budget committee will say, "even though a basic program would benefit the entire community and would improve the overall image of Hardin County, we don’t want to, and won’t, spend the money to support even a basic program. We have other priorities and besides, there are just a few folks actually complaining about us not doing anything and there is no organized effort to make us do it."
"The do-gooders will do it, if we don’t." No problem, right? A tough question, indeed. One that forces each citizen to grapple with his own character, his priorities in this life, and his commitment to the cause of community welfare.
We seem to have many who apparently sit in their living rooms moaning and complaining about the state of our affairs of governance, but who remain too afraid or too lazy to get off the sidelines and join the folks on the field, or to even cheer the team on from the stands.
In the end it's simply reprehensible for citizens to be standing on the sidelines pretending to be concerned and responsible citizens, yelling at those on the field that the game is lost, when in fact the game is not over, it has just begun, again.
Granted, not everyone has the talent, resources or character needed to engage on the field in this rough and tumble contest of wills, with so much at stake for both sides. However, it seems to us the duty of every responsible citizen is to either suit up and get on the field of play or get into the stands and support the home team. Bringing a friend or two to the game wouldn't hurt either.
Quitters never win. Winners never quit. Let's roll.
Our County Government is responsible for the safety and welfare of the citizens, first and foremost. All of their other tasks and functions fall under one of these two primary responsibility.
It is time for the citizens of Hardin County get out of their moaning and complaining mode to do their duty and hold our County Government responsible for not meeting all of their responsibilities or performing all of their duties.
It would be clear that it is not a "unconcerned" local government that is the root cause of these shortcomings, but rather the person they see in the mirror that has, by simply doing nothing, allowed our local government to wither from their responsibility for the safety and welfare of the citizens of Hardin County.
So, what could the County Legislature do, if they were of a mind to do anything? The statutes allow that Counties, by resolution of their respective legislative bodies, to license and regulate dogs and cats, establish and operate shelters and other animal control facilities, and regulate, capture, impound and dispose of stray dogs, stray cats and other stray animals.
But, then again, they are not going to do anything, until someone or something makes them. So be it?
Respectfully submitted for your consideration,
Ted
The City of Savannah spends in excess of $87,000.00 for their animal control program this fiscal year and that is down from the average of $125,000 to $135,000 per year for the last few years. Hardin County has budgeted $2,500.00 per year for the last two years and I’m not sure what that is spent on or who spends it. The County can do better, if we wanted them to.
The budget committee will say, "even though a basic program would benefit the entire community and would improve the overall image of Hardin County, we don’t want to, and won’t, spend the money to support even a basic program. We have other priorities and besides, there are just a few folks actually complaining about us not doing anything and there is no organized effort to make us do it."
"The do-gooders will do it, if we don’t." No problem, right? A tough question, indeed. One that forces each citizen to grapple with his own character, his priorities in this life, and his commitment to the cause of community welfare.
We seem to have many who apparently sit in their living rooms moaning and complaining about the state of our affairs of governance, but who remain too afraid or too lazy to get off the sidelines and join the folks on the field, or to even cheer the team on from the stands.
In the end it's simply reprehensible for citizens to be standing on the sidelines pretending to be concerned and responsible citizens, yelling at those on the field that the game is lost, when in fact the game is not over, it has just begun, again.
Granted, not everyone has the talent, resources or character needed to engage on the field in this rough and tumble contest of wills, with so much at stake for both sides. However, it seems to us the duty of every responsible citizen is to either suit up and get on the field of play or get into the stands and support the home team. Bringing a friend or two to the game wouldn't hurt either.
Quitters never win. Winners never quit. Let's roll.
Our County Government is responsible for the safety and welfare of the citizens, first and foremost. All of their other tasks and functions fall under one of these two primary responsibility.
It is time for the citizens of Hardin County get out of their moaning and complaining mode to do their duty and hold our County Government responsible for not meeting all of their responsibilities or performing all of their duties.
It would be clear that it is not a "unconcerned" local government that is the root cause of these shortcomings, but rather the person they see in the mirror that has, by simply doing nothing, allowed our local government to wither from their responsibility for the safety and welfare of the citizens of Hardin County.
So, what could the County Legislature do, if they were of a mind to do anything? The statutes allow that Counties, by resolution of their respective legislative bodies, to license and regulate dogs and cats, establish and operate shelters and other animal control facilities, and regulate, capture, impound and dispose of stray dogs, stray cats and other stray animals.
But, then again, they are not going to do anything, until someone or something makes them. So be it?
Respectfully submitted for your consideration,
Ted
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