Needy or Greedy?/Private Security

From Stop the Home Tax:

Mr. Thompson as a resident and a parent with a child in our school system you are wrong for saying that the “anti” side is against the future of our children. I am embarrassed for you that you use such tactics as to say that. I want nothing but the best for my child and every other child. I want the best education that our money can Afford! You want us to be aware of the future of our children when you as a BOE member hasn’t planned for the future of our school system. I’m sorry this this has become such a hate thing between 2 sides, because I’m not that kind of person.

Being proud of the our school is what WE are all about. I would love to see all the schools have new facilities. What I have a problem with is how so much money is spent in certain areas instead of equal distribution and planning ahead. You can’t argue that the school system receives a nice amount of money already, over $30 million a year. This does not include fundraisers and monies the education foundation raises. When there is such a need for new buildings why are you not planning ahead and looking into the future way before now. You talk about the future but why has the BOE not taken action before now!! It’s so demanding that you all of a sudden need money now and you couldn’t see this coming several years ago. You have been on this BOE for many years and you want people to jump up and give money when planning is the key to the future. Just as these children are a key to the future. 

You want to make it sound like 67% is an invalid number. Yes, that’s a big number to stare at and $4.17 is a small number to stare at. And sure “your side” will show as small of a number as possible to make them think it’s not much. When you raise 7.5 to 12.5 (millage) then that is a 67% increase no matter how you figure the math.

I don’t know where you get your number but the average homeowner will not be giving $4.17 a month. You need to research better and maybe see Tommy Oswalt at the Colbert County Rev. office. The property taxes have just increased significantly and you didn’t factor that in. You also are assuming an average and you're way off base. It is fair to say the lower your property value is the less you will pay, but the higher your property value is the higher you will be paying. Your $4.17 is inaccurate in so many ways.

I’ve talked to many more folks than you, I promise! I’ve given out over 260 yard signs and I have 200 more wanting them. As I deliver them I get to hear their story.

You know it seems to me that better solutions are available. It’s sad to see that a small city as ours can’t come to an agreement on this instead of this stuff that’s happening. We should all be spreading the Love.

Come on Mr. Thompson, you're better than this, we all love our community and the school system, don’t make us look like haters!

As Mr. Richard Riley said, a former respected teacher of the Muscle Shoals School System, “No one is opposed to adequately funding our schools but there is a big difference between the needy and the greedy.”

Leigh Ann Hunter

*****

Over the years I've had occasion to work for several private security companies. There are a few facts about private security worth noting:

* Private security officers ARE NOT law enforcement officers.

* Private security officers DO NOT have arrest powers, neither can they forcibly restrain any one. This is to shield the security company from lawsuits.

* Private security officers have NO LEGAL OBLIGATION to intervene in any incident. Rather, they are trained to OBSERVE AND REPORT. This is to shield the security company from lawsuits.

* Private security officers have minimal training, UNLESS they are employed by a FEDERAL agency, such as TVA. The minimal training supports the private security companies' objective of being a 'witness', rather than a 'deterrent'.

* Private security officers are very often underpaid, have NO meaningful benefits, and as a result, the industry suffers a very high turnover rate. Security companies will charge $25-35/hr for their services, yet the security officers on the site may make no more than $8-10/hr. So: If $28,000/yr is being requested to hire a PRIVATE security company officer, the security officer will only 'see' $15,000-18,000 of that money. The private security company will pocket the rest.

* Lastly, private security companies secure contracts by UNDERBIDDING their competition. In other words, a site (Your child's school?) is 'protected' by the LOWEST BIDDER for the contract.