Taxpayers Have Already Paid For Them Once
by J. Smith
At the July 2011 County Council meeting, I expressed my views about the School Board selling Liberty Middle and Pickens Middle to the County after the taxpayers have already paid for them. It is ridiculous to pay for properties twice: just to fatten the reputations of some Board members.
I recommend that the County and all political subdivisions institute a policy that allow for all property, both real and otherwise to be circulated among themselves to determine if there is a need anywhere else. Those items may be claimed off this list for free and simply transferred with the proper paperwork to the accepting agency or council.
This would save untold money and utilize the property that the taxpayers have at such great cost acquired.
If you agree with this, send it on to your Board Member or County Council person.
Junius Smith
Editor's note: I'm not 100% sure but the taxpayers may not own the school properties after all. It's complicated to explain or understand, but ALL SCHOOLS in the county were mortgaged by a dummy corporation called SCAGO a few years ago in order to pay for the massive building plan that taxpayers unanimously turned down in a 75/25 vote. In order to go through with the building plan anyway - the school board hatched a devious plan to mortgage each school in the district. Technically, this dummy corporation (SCAGO) owns the schools and technically the monies collected should go directly to paying off some of the massive $375 million+ debt that taxpayers in Pickens County now owe on all the new buildings.
[UPDATE] Correction by a School Board member that the votes for turning down the School Building Plan were 62/38 1st vote & 64/36 2nd vote and not 75/25 as mentioned above. It's worthy to point out that the Conservative or Republican vote is most likely higher than the original 75/25 vote stated. Voting figures are sometimes like statistics ~ each side can make them say what they want them to - even though the stats are concrete.
[UPDATE] Correction by a School Board member that the votes for turning down the School Building Plan were 62/38 1st vote & 64/36 2nd vote and not 75/25 as mentioned above. It's worthy to point out that the Conservative or Republican vote is most likely higher than the original 75/25 vote stated. Voting figures are sometimes like statistics ~ each side can make them say what they want them to - even though the stats are concrete.
The taxpayers are not paying for the buildings twice. Junius is incorrect.
ReplyDeleteThe taxpayer owns the school district and the taxpayer owns the county government. That is, the taxpayer owns both branches of the government.
The school district paid for Dacusville Elementary one time in 1957. That's it.
Now one branch of the government is selling the building to another branch. That is county government is paying $150,000 out. That is the only transaction Junius is seeing.
Who is receiving the $150,000? The school district. Who owns the school district? The taxpayer. Who is receiving that $150,000? The taxpayer.
What is the net to the taxpayer in this transaction. One taxpayer owned branch pays and the other taxpayer owned branch received $150,000. It is a wash.
This transaction doesn't cost the taxpayer a second time. This is accounting 101.
Alex Saitta
Alex Saitta is wrong. The taxpayer is not receiving anything at a wash. Let's say I go out and buy property that costs $150,000 with money from my and my husband's joint savings account. Then I come home and say, "Honey, I think you should buy this property from me that I purchased with our money because you need it worse than I do." And he says, "Sure." So he goes into that same joint savings account and gives me $150,000 for the property. Is that a wash? I think Accounting 101 tells us we have spent $300,000 from our savings! What is the net gain for us? $150,000 piece of property at a cost of $300,000 to our nest egg....ummmm let me see I think that equals a major loss! That my friends is what purchasing Dacusville Elementary with taxpayer money is equivalent to doing. The taxpayer is the loser monetarily...The taxpayer should not have to pay again for property that is already theirs! Taxpayer money owns both branches of the Pickens County Government, our tax dollars is what they use to budget with...it's all OUR money! I don't know what kind of game Alex is trying to play with our tax dollars...but any way you look at it the taxpayer is still being stiffed. My understanding is that school property has been mortgaged to SCAGO so we could build new schools...so the only way you could consider taxpayer money being a wash is if any money that is recieved for that property goes toward paying off the debt we owe. If we don't use the money made off of selling school property to pay off our debt on purchasing new schools it would be like me getting a loan to buy a new car, then my husband giving me money to pay the loan off but instead I go and take that money to buy a mink coat! When are we going to wake up and smell the coffee and realize government money does not grow on trees! Government is WE THE PEOPLE and our hard earned dollars need to be treated with respect. WE THE PEOPLE are not stupid!
ReplyDeleteJunius Smith is right! The School District is wrong in making the taxpayer pay again...and very wrong for not using any money made from the sell of the property for anything other than reducing our debt!
by Johnnelle Raines VP of Conservatives of the Upstate.