EARLY VOTING is now underway throughout Chatham County. And just like that — the election is upon us.
This year, we vote in municipal elections. If you live in any of the cities and towns in Chatham County — Savannah, Tybee Island, Pooler, Garden City, Port Wentworth, Bloomingdale, Thunderbolt, Vernonburg — you can vote for that city or town’s offices.
If you live in unincorporated Chatham County, there is still something important to vote for or against: Another round of the one-percent SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax).
Municipal elections are the real lifeblood of democracy, and the closest thing in 2019 to a more or less pure form of it.
Whether it’s the ancient Greeks and their individualistic form of direct democracy, or the old New England town hall system, the smaller the universe of voters, the more likely you are to have your voice truly heard from the grassroots.
This time four years ago, we were in the middle of an extraordinarily contentious Savannah City election, bitterly fought from the Mayor’s office on down to all the Council seats.
First and foremost, there was great public concern over crime. (If you said that those of us in the local media were partially responsible for contributing to the overheated atmosphere… you might not be entirely wrong.)
There was concern that the administration of then-Mayor Edna Jackson wasn’t up to the task of coping with the huge spike in homicides over the preceding year.
There were various other challenges, from dissatisfaction with then-City Manager Stephanie Cutter, to the inexplicable $3 million Fairgrounds purchase (where nothing’s been done four years later), to the Keystone Kops-style mismanagement of the now-defunct police merger of Savannah and Chatham County.
In an almost unheard-of development, voter turnout for the runoff between Jackson and challenger Eddie DeLoach was actually higher than in the general election, with DeLoach garnering the vast bulk of the voter support from the candidates who didn’t make the runoff.
Four years later, other than in a couple of down-ballot alderman races, there seems to be significantly less interest in this City of Savannah election.
Like, nearly crickets compared to 2015.
I’m far from the only one to make this observation. Many others are wondering, where’s the sense of urgency? Not just from voters, but from the candidates themselves.
Incumbent Mayor Eddie DeLoach is confidently defending his record, and not backing down from criticism. But frankly, he just doesn’t seem all that enthused about another four years holding the gavel.
Those who know him will tell you that’s just his laidback, unassuming style. But there’s an old political phrase about “having fire in the belly.” And I’m just not sensing a whole lot of it from DeLoach.
I’d say the same thing about Van Johnson, DeLoach’s main challenger. Johnson has been prepping a run for mayor for years, potentially ever since being first elected to Council 16 years ago.
You’d think if ever he had a moment, this would be it. But even Johnson seems a bit tentative in his campaigning, thorough as it might be.
Again, those who know him might tell you it’s not his style to be hysterical. Anyone who’s watched Johnson at work in City Council meetings or interacted with him on Facebook knows he is very measured and rational in his public statements.
But where’s the fire? I don’t see much spark from either of the top two contenders.
The other two mayoral contenders, Regina Thomas and Louis Wilson, have run for mayor previously and are largely running on the same platforms as before.
Those who remember the rancor and bitter vitriol of 2015 might say all this calmness, bordering on stoic resignation, is a good thing, or at least preferable to the alternative.
But I have to ask the question:
Does anyone really want this job?
Down ballot, things don’t get much more electrifying.
Two districts, the Fourth and the Fifth, are already decided, with Nick Palumbo and Estella Shabazz running unopposed, respectively. And if we’re being honest, the First District is almost as much of a foregone conclusion for Bernetta Lanier.
So that means half of the district seats will see either no or very little competition.
Even Savannah’s answer to Donald Trump, Tony Thomas, seems to be in a fairly low-key race to defend his Sixth District seat against challenger Kurtis Purtee, who for his part has refused to get down in the mud with Thomas.
If you’re looking for 2015-style fireworks, that would be in the Third District race between incumbent John Hall and Linda Wilder-Bryan, and the Alderman at Large race between incumbent Carol Bell and Kesha Gibson-Carter.
Both of these races will likely be close, and also worth closely watching for the clear Status Quo vs. Reform divide involved in both.
But what about the issues, you ask? Isn’t that what matters?
Certainly. Issues matter the most.
But in this case most everyone is aware of the one overarching challenge facing Savannah government: The City now spends more money than it takes in.
In order to solve or even attempt to solve any of the other issues facing Savannah — crime, poverty, transportation, balancing tourism vs. quality of life, to name a few — the budget first has to be balanced, and able to handle the expenses.
As incumbent Second District Alderman Bill Durrence said at a recent Council meeting: “The council that sits around this table in January is going to have some real hard decisions moving forward in the four years they’re going to be facing.”
Some of these hard decisions will be so hard, in fact, that they could easily threaten the political future, and legacy, of anyone involved in making them.
A potential tax hike is just one of many potentially very unpopular moves that might arise.
Maybe that’s one reason why that ol’ fire in the belly is so hard to come by this election season.
Would you want the job?
This article appears in Oct 16-22, 2019.
Spending more money than tax proceeds and yet building an over $300 Million Arena. Fire them all an bring new.
I will vote for whoever gets property inspection off their butts and out to Windsor Forest. The yards have so many cars parked anyplace on the front lawn it looks like used car lots.
Also the excessive loud car stereos on Windsor. Sunnybrook and Glenbrook Roads rattle taxpayer’s windows a block away along with speeding.
If not then reduce our taxes because we are not receiving the services we pay for.
ILLUSONARY VOTING
During the yesteryears public voting was at the archaic fire house on Houston and
Broughton Streets. The voting trough, ballot box, was always sitting right under
a brass pole, of which was in use in an emergency– was of a Machiavellian
temperament; with a party in power, to remain as a distinct machine, of the most socially benevolent consideration to keep Democracy at ebb tide with their fellow
Homo Sapiens. But lo and behold, the plot to garner more votes worked well.
Atop the brass pole upon the second floor, offered the best peep-hole, to view the
ballot boxes below; as several firemen actually had turkey necks. Many voters were wise, as to this gobble de gook of peeping toms; of whom were of depraved inhibitions, of post psychotic neurotic pathological repressed inhibitions; that was manifested via self-imposed masochism, as voters dotted the specific vote of choice. Here the deceptive nature of lying, for a specific party in office, absolutely confirms the late Dr. Freud’s theory, of the sub-conscious mind regarding phallus
worship. The relationship as to brass poles; keen-eyed peeping toms; and artificial
highs via voting certainly sustains psychiatry’, ( Personality Suppression (Complex Syndrome ). Yet, there is more to consider, when aware voters, cover their heads so that ( atta boys ) will inform on them. Through trial and error, This system has been modified. It was in 499 B. C. that Socrates ) would not vote and given Hemlock. Today, no one is poisoned for not voting–now, one must take the bull by its tail and to look the situation square into its face.
I have voted against SPLOST the last time it came up and I shall do it again. Anyone who believes that this boondoggle of a tax is worth keeping is fooling herself. Cut the Board of Education budget by 20%; stop putting up things like arenas which will never pay for itself; stop giving handouts to multi-millionaires so they can put up hotels and parking garages for almost nothing; and start taxing all these damn houses of worship and SCAD. Separation of church and state? I am tired of having my money separated from my wallet.
Editor: a little non diversion here–votes and money. Money will not make one happy; but one sure can suffer in comfort. File 13 coming up.
THE CONSTAPATIONIST
News media colitis
Our national public news industry consists of one master
colon beaning coiled among fifty states. Observation is that
this snake-like machine has no match, for its self-induced
colinostrophy, which is parried with a direct hit upon all
consumers, with its foxy manipulation of the alphabet.
Purposely, editors of pulp harbor the same contempt, for
truth along with electronica personae, as narrators, in
spreading political manure. We might add that such order
of humanoids suffer from collective diarrhea of the mouth.
Any native constituted law is annulled by these freaks of
nature. We must assume that such news hawkers
compose a national rectum of conceited liars.
This republic must free itself from modern
day philistines, that viper over intelligent citizens. Samson
Leveled such scoundrels via using the jaw bone of an ass.
Well, Devine intervention stepped in, in giving Samson’s
enemies piles, ( enrods ). Being clubbed on one end, with
extraordinary pain on the other, was a loosing battle. We
must confront the communist national news media fold, in
a much pleasanter manner. Since these stooges must not
suffer individual bowel incontinence, tax payers should
supply free colostomy bags, if mother nature takes
another twist. Nothing fits such modern day mud-slapping
simpletons more attuned to Pharisee contempt. Opposite
news casters and magnetic electrified narrators should
take rolls of pulp and beat each others brains out. What is
it for the goose is fit for the gander
Editor; has voting become a racket. diverse mobocrats vs massive nihilism?
File 13 ?
HORSEWHIPPING AMERICA
( Guests of Uncle Sam )
Motherly love towards a newborn infant is pure and holy, in giving thanks to our creator: as a new born soul enters the earthly atmosphere. However, in adulthood the once babe-in arms walks into a little understood world as a blind bat. From the breast of motherly love, and childhood attentiveness, the band is broken. With hat in hand, such personalities must seek shelter and bread. With no talent for productive inclination, the army came to the rescue. Four years of military indoctrination, three-meals a day, roof over his head, with a check and a chick; every month is unbelievable. Surviving off the taxpayers hide, while lounging around the post exchange, was a genuine paradise; an alcoholic was in the making. After missing roll-call successively, and failing the dress-code, a psychiatrist gave this deadbeat, Hammerhead, an option to pick up a Sec.eight discharge or to wind up in he brigg. We will coin this jerk as a meathead.
Hammer persued extra food through dumpster-diving. He became friends with a disbarred shyster who stole child-relief funds from city charities.This lawyer, too, was evicted from the military for stealing food from a chow-hall, to feed his family of seven. Here we have two loose cannons, at the same social bearings, prowling the streets at day time, and sleeping in alleyways at night. Still, the military GI Bill of Rights was a final hope from taxpayers, of whom lived and worked for a decent life, being plundered of their hard-earned cash. We will name the shyster as Slick. As a sideline, Both Slick & Hammer took a GI Bill of Rights crash-course in law. It was now Slick and Hammer law firm. Life took on a new path.
Lingering hunger was avoided, as mutual souls, pick-pocketed the poor and helpless. Time was passed via begging, drunkenness, panhandling, alley-trolling, and fondling garbage containers. Slick would skin his clients from head to toe, while Hamma reversed the act of robbery, from toe to head. This lousey sort of legal gangsterism is a bi-product in the name of the ( National Lawyers Guild )
operates every manner of plundering our national society. These shysters never miss an opportunity in milking hopeless people down, for they say, shoot low fellow shyster, for some jerks may be riding shetland ponies. Slick and Hammer Head edged their way into both previously bought and paid for political parties. One party is a whore and the other a prostitute. Immediately, Slick and Hammer were political whores nesting in between a two-party confederation of inhouse fornication, as masters of deception, in the hands of Beelzebub and his family of devils. Indeed; a specialised confederation of professionally designed dirty bastards, in selling America short. From the gutter of whence such professional rabble be came elevated as parasites.
America has an enemy within. The prevailing threat against our republic is not of stone and shield, such as the federal reserve, the treasury, supreme court, presidency, Council on Foreign Relations, Pentagon, Wall Street, CIA, NATO, IRS, FBI, terrorists or state Dept. All of these state mechanisms are in place as pre-planned eliments to protect against global revolutionaries of universal ruling Marxists; slave masters of criminality, are pawns of Socialism-a front for humbugery. For sure, the middle-class is created as an influential screen, and an opponent of all lower-class productive citizens as thum-suckers. From this anti-social class of paranoids and professional parasitism is the federal reserve, as allied with sixty global reserve outlets. The actual enemies of all gentile Homo Sapiens is a race of devils in the flesh having no ties to material industries. Their whole global system is held in check through subservient miscreants such as the Slick and Hammer Heads double think-alikes, within a vast watering hole in line with such thum-sucking leeches! Sorry bastards like Slick & Hammer Head, the likes, make up the voting tally.
He actually hated the militarys social conservativism and compliance with organized confusion. Too, his three-sisters and two brothers were still at home in Skidmore, Ga. His father was a terminally disabled alcoholic, in holding down a low-paying deputy sheriffs job. Hamma ended up in a life of Life of Riley
in Gluttersville, Ga. Hammer survived through dumpster-diving. He became friends with a disbarred shyster who stole child-relief funds from city charities.This lawyer, too, was evicted from the military for stealing food from a chow-hall to feed his family of seven. Here we have two loose cannons at the same social bearings prowling the streets at day time and sleeping in alleyways at night. Still, the military GI Bill of Rights was a final hope from taxpayers; of whom lived and worked for a decent life, being plundered of their hard-earned cash. We will name the shyster as Slick. Both took a crash-course in law. It was now (Slick and Hammer Head law firm ).
The hunger avoided, as mutual souls, pick-pocketed the poor and helpless. Time was passed begging, drunkenness, panhandling, alley-trolling, and fondling garbage containers. Slick would skin his victims from head to toe, while Hammer reversed the act of robbery, from toe to head. This sort of legal gangsterism is a by-product in the name of the National Lawyers Guild operates every manner of plundering our national society. These shysters never miss an opportunity in milking hopeless people down, for they say, shoot low fellow shyster, for some jerks may be riding shetland ponies. Slick and Hammerhead edged their way into both previously bought and paid for political parties. One party is a whore and the other a prostitute. Immediately, Slick and Hammer were political whores nesting in between a two-party confederation of in-house fornication; as masters of deception, in the hands of Beelzebub and his family of devils. Indeed, a specialised confederation of professionally designed dirty bastards, in selling America short. From whence they came is assured.
All of these state mechanisms are in place as pre-planned against incipient elite global aristocracy National ruling bourgeois; slave masters of criminality, are pawns in the wealthy is a front for Socialism. For sure, the middle-class is created as an influential screen, and an opponent of all lower-class productive citizens. From this anti-social class of paranoids and professional parasitism is the federal reserve as allied with sixty global reserve outlets. The actual enemies of all gentile Homo Sapiens is a race of devils in the flesh having no ties to material industries. Their whole global system is held in check through subservient miscreants such as the Slick and Hammerhead think-alikes, a vast watering hole in line with such infidels controlling the District of Columbia, in corralling national political whoredom, with its ties to pseudo-religious conflagrations feeding from the trough of the U.S Reserve. In noting that America is nothing more than an island flotilla, as an appendage to to the City of London House banking, that rests its monetary tentacles into the worlds fluid money supply, in controlling the USA. An alien political inquisition has its awaiting official, civil eccleasiacal immunity input via intellectual hmbug to politically garrot any positive individual cuddling conservative options, in saving this Republic.
Satanic driven mobs opting for democracy; for free speech and liberty, has been nailed down, screwed down and rocketed off into infinity. Millions of Hammaheads & Slicks has decreed this mental slavery through official parasitism.
WITHIN ALL PROBABILITY: Our so called City/County Management System is a wayward nest of political rustling, as so many legalized lackeys & dead beats are akin to Slick& Hammer! Such infidels
Never miss the voters box !
VOTING REQUIERS POLITICAL INCLNATION –be informed!
SCHIZOPHRENIA OF CLASSLESS DISSIDENTS
( SYNOPSIS OF CORKSCREW SPYCOPHANTS )
The previous researcher seemed to be upset regarding religions and their so-called incomprehensible beliefs. Also disgustingly, the gentleman questioned in referring to America as a chunk of rock, and as to its political origin. Further, it is demonstrated as to the extent that a massive psychoneurosis has nesting grounds within America. The late Dr. Sigmund Freud, would have more than likely coined this mass hysteria of groping manifestations as masochistically inclination within the roots of personality suppression complex syndrome. Such humanoids are lacking in self-trust and lost in complete ignorance of the world around them. Indeed, we nurture an ever spreading situation. Actually, hundreds of honest thinking individuals are harboring this malady, of indifference in every day of life. Investigating the concreteness of what seems to be a puzzle, the truth, leaving out abstractions, as a front for acceptive ignorance, is a word for the wise. Long ago, Karl Marx, in one of his diatribes / critique on the theory of religion, as tied to his self-recognized materialistic inclinations, made it clear. No religion, meaning the religions of nations, would ever, presently, in the future, while visualizing over the treasure of gold in not assimilating with fellow beings. Historicity proclaims that Dr. Freud and Karl Marx were Talmudists. As to Lenin, this is unclear. in his materialists conception of history Marx sat religion aside. Nevertheless, Marxs and Lenins anti-capitalism works viewed a futuristic pleasure for the world to revel in communism. Marx, definitely and subtly sheilded his desire for a universal religion.Momentarily, lets digress in professing that Dr. Freud was a Talmudist. Psychiatry In Transition , by Judd Marmor,M.D. pub. 1974In essence, pg. 228 of Dr. Marmors vulumeis proclaimed that Dr. Freud had influenced followers into the field of psychodynamics as being in tune with Talmudic history. This may intensify that most likely Lenin, Freud, and Marx had a religion. For one particular global religious empire, Marx remarked that gold was a god, and such of whom believed this actually deemed the common toilet to be the representation of a worldly God, particular. Astounding, but true, Shakespeare, proclaimed, Oh truth, where is thy sting? First of all, the mentioned poster had little knowledge of the American religious empire. Too, that tax-free freebies are received from the Internal Revenue Service. We must remember that who ever dances to a tune, must please the band leader. Now with this information, the investigator of any religious affiliation with political whoredom, is to take off blinds that have been installed in earlier life! In exploring the Old Testament, many are deluded that two so-called classes of Israelites existed. This is contrary to intelligent research. Both cannot be true, for the scriptures make it clear that no one can serve two masters. Further, a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. And now the master key, to those of whom are rebelling today, just as thousands of years past, are openly moving into their most concealed tool, phallus worship. Scheming pseudo religious intellectuals, in absolute control of national news and television, are promoting sexual deviation via so-called free speech. Looking at various magazine publications, movies, talk shows, and intelligent news casters, and so-called Christians are led into the trap of phallus worship. One can see where this leads to. Some where amidst society, a scheme is at large to drag various personalities into a trap of inhibited thoughts, to be released through unsuspecting entertainment. This same sort of perversion was the cause of the Great Deluge in Noahs day. Excessive exposure to the words, F., P, D, are the opening doors to individual deprivation! This is the purposely aimed for the eventual decline of Western Civilization. So be it! Now the mentioned poster mentioned earth. Most likely, he proclaims to be an American, when questioned about his origins. Since America is only a chunk of rock, a geological position on the face of earth. No man is a rock by lineage. It would be wise for one to consider the three sons of Noah, on the ark. The so named poster traces his ancestry back to one of the three sons. And this is the problem with the Muslims and Israeli conflict. Both are first cousins back to Ismael, son of Jacob, who is Israel. It would be a good idea for anyone to turn off the juice box, television, and search the Old Testament in tracing out their identity. Phallus worshipers tried to kill the Patriarch, Abraham, some several thousand years past. This form of perversity came from ancient Sumeria or Damascus, going into Babylon, thus into Palestine, as finding a place in ancient Egypt. For sure, the truth is out there. But we discover it between a rock and a hard place. God never sat up a religion. All religions are man-made. We trace Protestantism back through Catholicism to Buddha / Gautama, with ancient muslin belief originating earlier through the universal kingdom known as Catholicism. Yes, a specific pseudo religious belief is a pro-future scheme, to socialize America with a mechanism held in place as a subterranean movement, in closing down free enterprise, in destabilizing herd intelligence, to evolve into a Third-World Banana Republic tied to universal Bolshevism. One should put their brain into gear before making any open observation. AMERICA IS ABSOLUTELY COMMIE CONTROLLED! And Communism is nothing more, nor less, than thought control!