Review of Comprehensive Plan as prepared by The Pickens County Planning Commission

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Review of Comprehensive Plan as prepared by 

The Pickens County Planning Commission

by Junius Smith

The Pickens County Comprehensive Plan vision statement is flawed in that it does not mention free enterprise, free market,  capitalism, and more of private property rights.  It states that Pickens County has a balanced, sustainable, and conservative county with growth and prosperity for ALL  our citizens.  This is certainly not true in that we have hundreds of children on welfare and over 800 that are considered homeless.  Other major points are that the economy, and tax base grows and is self sustaining and diverse.  We have 12% + unemployed and the average salary of those not employed by government is between $25 thousand, while the government salaries (on average) are nearly $50,000.  This doesn’t come close to being balanced.   The tax base over the years has expanded mainly in new construction of homes and from reassessment of property values. The Pickens County School District currently has an over 30% dropout rate - which is a direct correlation to the average salary that the average worker draws.  Much of the problems can be traced to a deterioration of family values. unwed mothers, teachers that do not perform, and that God has been removed from the schools and government offices.  All meetings used to begin with asking God for Guidance.  Now we  start our meetings with a moment of silence in order to accommodate atheists, and some religions that do not believe in God, but rather the planet, or some God that most of the people do not believe in.  Our constitutional rights are being violated by judges that write law rather than rule on laws that the people have agreed to over the hundreds of years.  Our constitution begins with “We  the People” not "We the government". 

Even as we speak, the housing market has gone down 30%, foreclosures have skyrocketed, and over 1000 delinquent tax sales of local homes is scheduled.  Textile plants have gone out of business.  Yet county government and the schools have basically continued without losing many people.  The reason for this is that they have been over collecting 5% every year, creating a slush fund at the people’s expense.  Now the County Council is trying to do the right thing by budgeting 100% collectible as should have been done 20 years ago.  As yet the Pickens County School Board has refused to do the right thing and continues to budget themselves a 3 to 5% gain every year.  

Our Comprehensive Plan should include items like this rather than bicycle and equestrian paths.

The county citizens need to be trained in free enterprise economics.  Some of our folks have forgotten personal responsibility and limited government.  They are fooled by United Nations Agenda 21 initiatives, Sustainable Development plans ala executive orders through a former President’s administration.  They don’t recognize how “slick” talking beaurocrats are; who say one thing and mean another, while ripping the freedom of the people through government handouts.  Examples of this are words in the Comprehensive Plan like "preserving" and "protecting".  They may preserve and protect so that you cannot even plant a garden on your property unless the government says so.  We have seen environmental police, ridiculous EPA ozone standards, regulations that forbid your cows from drinking out of streams, and non governmental organizations writing law and forming regional associations so that they can do away with your elected representatives which drives control away from our democratic Republic. 

Come to the Public Hearing meeting at 6:30 October 11, at the County Administration Building in the Auditorium and help us write a real plan for Pickens County! Read the rest of these comparisons between the Free Enterprise plan and the Pickens County Comprehensive Plan as they are posted on our web site www.conservativesoftheupstate.com.

Sincerely,

Junius Smith

President, Conservatives Of The Upstate