<font color="#FF0000">RANT & RAVE</font> - Oct. 2

Suwannee Countians, it's time to speak your mind! How? By calling the Suwannee Democrat Rant and Rave hotline. The hotline never closes and is your way to let it out. You can let everyone know how you feel -- as long as you express yourself in a respectful way.

Note: In written entries to Rant and Rave, errors in spelling, grammar or punctuation are those of the authors.

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Can't say I ever seen no letters wantin' a metropolis here & Taylor co. sure has a bigger, more diversified commercial base than us & they don't have any I-10 or 75 exits!! The liquor thing really needs to go to the vote though. "Hometown democracy" amend. 4 is risky since we don't like to get out & vote much here & our county commission and development agencies have managed to stop growth without no help. It could prevent some "special elections" & lawsuits that everything here requires though. A good alternative would be a county charter, a PAC for economic growth independent of gov't appointees & funding, and a voter turn out over 26%!! These grants, subsidies, & state funds our local gov't & their lackeys are so proud of still come from regular folks taxes. They need to quit suckin' up tax$, git outta the way, & let folks make a buck however they can.

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I read your editorial, Democracy and then some, try to stay on top of this one folks, and I am replying to it. Everyone should go to the Web site www.floridahometowndemocracy.com to find out the real story on what the real story on Amendment 4 is all about. It is about democracy for sure and it's also about promoting growth. You say it will stifle growth, that is incorrect, what stifles growth is the boom bust of the over development cycle, with the spiral of higher taxes and lower property values and the crashing of our economy. What will promote growth is Amendment 4 and only those plan changes passed by voters that will actually benefit the community instead of simply benefiting developers, which is all they do right now and stick us with the problems of over development. Thank you.

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Congratulations to Greg Scott, Parks and Recreation Director for getting the Achievement Award for the state of Florida. Thanks also to Greg for his part in recommending Earl Carter for statewide recognition for his 30 years of volunteer service on the Suwannee County Recreation Board. These men are partners in progress and the residents of Suwannee County sincerely thank you.

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I would just like to thank the Live Oak citizen who found my wallet and was honest enough to return it and I would also like to thank the officer of Suwannee County Sheriffs, Mr. Kelly, for going out of his way to make sure my wallet was returned. I guess there are still a lot of honest people out there and I would like to say thank you to all of them.

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My wife and I are new to the area and I am really disappointed to see the amount of trash and litter strewn on the roads. Why is there no law enforced that trucks carrying loads to the dump or trash from construction, they must be covered. That is normally a law in every state. If so, it is not enforced here. After all the years of anti-littering that we were raised with I am very surprised. This is a beautiful area and I wish people wouldn't trash it. Thank you.

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To the intelligent genius that thinks that I owe them an apology, for my rant of defending my beloved hometown, well think again, I owe you nothing. Reading rant & rave over the years is mostly callers that have moved here and then start bad mouthing Suwannee County for one reason or another. Well I was just defending it. I know everyone has their own opinion, but I also have mine. As far as my moving to Mongolia, my family has been here for generations before you came and will be here for generations when you and yours have gone. So stick that in your intellectual pipe and smoke it. But since you probably don't smoke either, use that brilliant mind of yours to figure out somewhere else you can stick it.

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I went up to your museum and would like to compliment whoever does your yard work, how beautiful it looked while I went to Railroad Days. It just looked so nice this past year and my compliments to the ones who have been doing your yard work. Thank you.

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Hi, yes I am calling about the tax property here when you have your property zoned as agricultural. For the last five years our neighbor's property has grown over knee high, snakes are coming out of it. He is supposed to farm it, but he says because of a loophole in the system, he can zone it as agricultural to get the tax benefits but doesn't have to farm it. What loophole are they talking about and what can we do about it? Our yard is being overrun with coral snakes and rattlesnakes. Thank you.

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On Sept. 25, 2009 the Democrat printed in the paper that at the elementary school, an officer needs to be directing traffic morning and evening. This person was wrong. I talked to the SRO, they are not supposed to do traffic control, that is in their job description. They cannot be at five places at one time, which is where everyone wants them to be. It is not gonna happen, true story, it ain't gonna happen! If a parent has a problem with the way things are done or the way the school is designed, why don't they or they offer to help with the problem. All they want to do is complain, that is my problem! Thank you.

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The uneducation of many in this county is shocking. Our President has dark skin, yes, but he is not Muslim. He was born in Hawaii which folks, is the USA. His father was from Kenya not Iraq and left him when he was2. Dark skin does not make you Muslim. He has been a part of our Government since 1997 in the Senate for Illinois, I think his views have been expressed already. I think if he was up to no good someone would have known by now. AND People the President does not even write his own speeches. He has a White publicist and Press Secretary. He is also Christian and belongs to the United Church of Christ in Chicago. I wonder if the same people afraid to let their children hear a scripted speech come out of church on Sunday.

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Excuse me! How can amendment 4 halt growth & economic development here any better than our gov't. & civic officials already have? Look around, we are in reverse! Nice place to live, but one helluva place to earn a living. We can build roads & buy industrial parks all day long, but until the attitude lightens up, it's just good money after bad. Throwing tax $$ at it ain't the solution. By the way Hamilton co. just opened a new 50 ac., multimillion $$ RV park with "nothing to offer" except that we are the gateway to one of the largest tourist states in the country.

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I have been a Sound of Suwannee band booster for eight years. Over the last couple years we have been raising money for new uniforms. We have leaned on Leona's, Sunbelt Chrysler, First Federal Bank, Cheek & Scott Drugs, the Brown Lantern, and Johnson's Auctions, and without their help we wouldn't have the uniforms. The compliments we have heard sure make the hard work worth it. Just know the kids are proud to have them, and we as boosters sure are proud we live in a community that will step up and replace those 10-year-old uniforms. Between car washes, barbeques and an auction, we have about done it. Thanks.

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Among the world's faithful, be they Jew, Muslim, Catholic, or Protestant, America's homegrown Christian sects are, in some aspects, among the most radical, intolerant, & selective interpretations of scripture man has ever conceived. Throughout history, one indisputable fact is man's translation of God's word has been used to manipulate & justify political & personal motivations all to often. Faith & theology are complex matters that no mortal being has the insight to declare their version as the right one. The recent trend in this column of racism, insults & anarchy demonstrate clearly that there is room for improvement here in paradise.

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If noise should be kept to a minimum -- for example, not hear music more than 25 feet from the source. To let a police car drive near a car with loud boom that can be heard a block away, yet the officers do nothing. If their excuse is they did not hear it, that does not fly. And the ice cream truck is allowed to play their blaring, annoying music, as bait for kids to harass their parents for money, just so they can sell a frozen treat to make money. But when I hear that ice cream truck over four blocks away turning off of Hamilton Street and I have heard it long before I see it, come on, give us a break!

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Callers to 386-208-8314 may express their thoughts, good or bad, 24/7 about community issues and politics, but not about private individuals or businesses. If you prefer, you may email your comments to nf.editorial@gaflnews.com. You don't have to give your name, and please, keep submissions to less than 45 seconds (that's about 150 words). We want everybody to have a chance to be heard. Submissions that are overly long will be discarded. If 45 seconds isn't enough time, write a Letter to the Editor. (Guidelines for letters appear on Page 6A of our print edition.)

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