Let’s see if I have this straight. We under pay our police officers and we can’t seem to find the funds to even expand public safety? Let me just take this opportunity to thank all of our commissioners and other elected county officials for their service. I do appreciate you.

That being said, lets get straight to the bottom line. That’s what my momma would say to me when I was spinning any yarn I could to get my bottom out of trouble. Now you might be asking yourself what in the world does my momma and my bottom have to do with public safety? Well, I do think someone is about to get in serious trouble with the citizenry and there is a possibility that a trip to the woodshed might be in store for someone. Make no mistake there is absolutely nothing any more important to the people than public safety.

Seriously how many of us would lay our life on the line, take a bullet to protect another or even come to blows that can lead to serious body harm? Yeah, that’s what I thought. And would you do that for a measly twenty eight thousand dollars a year? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

So right to the point. Someone needs to see to it that our public safety folks make a decent wage and we are staffed to the level that we be afforded the absolute best protection. There isn’t one program or service provided by the county, and let me say it again, “that is absolutely more important to the people than public safety.”

So as Larry The Cable says, “Lets Get Er Done,” and quickly. You have plenty of fat to cut. Heck, you might even start at the Administration Building. Here is a riddle for you. How many people does it take to check security atthe Administration Building? The answer is 3. One to hold the little white tray out for us to put our personals in, one to run the little white tray through the x ray machine, and one to wave the magic wand up and down my body. Efficiency at its finest. In my opinion two of those salaries could be transferred to patrol officers.

And I am sure we could find other little things we could whittle on here and there. I love the arts and am absolutely supportive of all the projects and agencies receiving financial support from the county, but none of them “trump,” just a little play on words, my public safety.

And if by chance you have been amused by this old man’s ramblings, well good for you. I firmly believe that the majority of Troup County citizens feel the same way I do. Get Er Done.

 

John Hart

LaGrange