Putting My Two Cents In on the Two Cent Hospitality Tax By County Council...

The are times when you see things on TV, and you literally want to jump through the screen and choke somebody on the other end. Such is the case tonight. I'm watching Channel 13 News, and Florence County Council is taking a third reading on passing a two cent increase in the sales tax .

For those of you keeping track , the sales tax used to be 6%, and if this tax is added, it would make taxes in Florence about 10%, and in Lake City, it would go to about 14%. Welcome to Communist Florence, folks. This is getting out of hand.

I hate just about any tax increase, but this one is really gnawing at me for two reasons. First, the hospitality tax is total bullshit. Yes, I said bullshit. B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T !! It was started locally by that local genius Mayor Willis in the city a few years back, and now Rusty Smith, who we all locally know that his dad robbed the county for thousands of dollars years ago, is trying to do the same thing. The hospitality tax is supposed to be used to attract visitors to come to the area from across the country, but it ends up being a slush fund for the local government.

Smith's plan is to swindle money from visitors and local residents buying in the county, then to take that money to make a personal wish list for his home district. What is in Lake City that needs visitors? That stupid Bean Museum, of course. I'll be fair, some people like to visit the Nan Ya Plastics plant too.

I suppose the other reason I'm pissed at this is I see Al Bradley sitting in that seat that I could have been. I see myself in that seat, making every news report in the area, as I voice my outrage at this wreckless fleecing of my constituents. I didn't see that tonight from him, or anyone . I don't think Bradley has the guts to put his foot down and tell Smith to go screw himself like I would have. It would have been fun...

Since I'm not there (or in Florence much for that matter), I'll put a little pressure on my almost cohorts. Morris Anderson, Ken Ard, James Scofield and especially Dean Fowler, I ask you guys to protest this perversion of local government gone insane, and vote this crap down. You are our only hope. Find SOMEONE on the other side of that aisle to join in and give the people of Florence County a break.

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