Published: November 05, 2009 03:18 pm      

RANT & RAVE - Nov. 6

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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Lissen up, got me a great idea here! Let's take a coupla million taxpayer $$$ and buy us up a weathly familie's estate. Then we can make a showcase of this home for all the toorists we ain't got 'cause we likes to chase folks off 'round here, 'course we could rent it out to for events, but only to sweet tea sippin', bible thumpin type folks. Boatloads of bucks there I'll reckon. Thataway we can remove it from the tax role, set up yet another do nuthin' board to run it, maybe hire some politicians nephew for 'bout 30 grand to sit there an look at it, raise homeowners an gas tax some more to maintain it and give the useless tourism board some money to promote it. What the hell, we's a rich, progressive, open minded bunch 'round here. This here democracy thang is a give an take deal, 90% givin & 10% a takin. Well we could always buy up some bogus bonds to cover it. Ah tol' you this wus a good idear.

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In response to your narrow-minded ranters concerning the recent Magnolia Festival at the Spirit of The Suwannee Music Park. Thanks for focusing on the negative aspect that of large gathering. Yes there were 20 arrests over the 4-day festival, but there were thousands of concert-goers and hundreds of fine musicians playing everything from Bluegrass to Rock and Roll. The festival atmosphere was incredible, as it always is and for the vast majority of visitors to the park, a fantastic time.

The police officers working the festival did an outstanding job as usual, but if you ask them they will tell you overall the crowd was peaceful, respectful and law-abiding. I bet most of them would rather work this festival than put up with the drunken rednecks at the country jam.

Lastly, the Suwannee Democrat chose to ignore the festival, as usual, until after the fact with the negative news. Next year try doing some positive articles regarding the musicians, the organizers and fans of great music. By the way the Bear Creek Festival is coming up in a few weeks. Hint, Hint. Get out the Funk!



Editor’s note: For the record, we devoted a full page to Magnolia Fest coverage. See page 9 of Classified Marketplace in our Wednesday, Oct. 21 edition.

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Why is it that the people who hold a job, even though it is a pay check to pay check job can't get assistance with food, gas or the necessities like that just because they make a $100 +/- a $1 too much? If you step back and look at this, the ones that are receiving assistance are those who stay at home jobless or the ones who get a job for a month then quit because it is too hard for them or that they are plain lazy. People who do work for a living have to pass a drug test or a back ground check to keep their jobs and receive a pay check. Right? Well it should be the same for those who receive a welfare check, food stamp card or any monetary assistance from the tax payers. The Working Class that needs a little help!!

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With the elections coming up maybe it's time to address the noise ordinance as well as window tints in cars, SUV's and pickup trucks. Thank you.

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Taxpayers what would be wrong with borrowing six or eight drug sniffing dogs from surrounding counties when large events are happening in Suwannee County? One officer could walk his dog around each vehicle that entered the event, while the rest of the officers walked their dogs through the crowds during the whole event. What about it police chief and sheriffs, let's have some comments. Do you think it would work? Answer please in the Democrat, the taxpayers want to know.

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I have a rave, I would like to say woo hoo! my husband is coming home from South Dakota, Fort Meade where he has been gone four months, and I missed him. And also Go Lady Dogs volleyball, and our daughter. Woo hoo!

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I first want to compliment the Suwannee County EMS. My dad recently was in the middle of having a heart attack, the ambulance came, and they were very compassionate and did their job wonderfully. My rant though is that it took them almost thirty minutes to get to our home which is just outside of town. The EMTs were great they, did their job wonderfully, but my dad could have been there dying. But come to find out the EMTs were busy carrying someone to the hospital, who did not have a mode of transportation and she was just "feeling bad." I encountered the same person while I was in the ER waiting to hear about my dad, and I was absolutely appalled that the ambulance had to transport her. There was nothing wrong with this person, she was just not feeling good. I'm confussed that when the emergency room became a regular doctors office and when did our EMTs become a transport service? We pay our tax dollars for this service to be available to us to use in an emergency and I am just saddened to see that another service, that is meant to help people is being abused. Again, I applaud the EMTs, they did a wonderful job. I am just ashamed of the people who abused the system.

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Did it ever occur to anyone that maybe we need to be more concerned with teaching the kids to read & write instead of worried about coverage of a game that only involves a small group at considerable public expense? If our graduation rate was as good as our football support, that would be news worthy.

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Ya'll don't need to fret none about any fun lovin', enlightened, money spendin' folks who attend events at the music park movin' here. They wouldn't even dream of it. The park is the only thing we got that brings in tourism money to any amount. It is private property, so why is the law hassling people who spent a lot of money to visit here? Maybe if'n we spread our sorry reputation around enough nobody will come & we can lose more income & business. Of course we can brag up our agritourism of bankrupt dairy farms or maybe a tent revival, that's what most American families want to do for vacation & leisure. If we could arrest people for stupidity, this county would be rollin' in dough.

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What happened to the COMICS & PUZZLE page? We subscribed to the paper in mid-October only to find there is no COMIC & PUZZLE page. Surely you don't expect that the pitiful "little" crossword in the TV section makes up for the one we lost! It's bad enough we only get a paper two days a week; now NO PUZZLES OR COMICS. What is this world coming to!!!

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In response to the letter about illegal aliens in Live Oak. Although you may not see them on the front page for selling drugs you will see them arrested on a regular basis if you check out the sheriff's website. The normal charges are dui, no drivers license and domestic violence. There have been numerous accidents in our county where the drivers caused the accident and left the vehicle behind to run away. When the plates are run they usually come up as stolen which is the only way they can get a plate. I raised several teenage girls who wouldn't walk through Wal-Mart alone because there would be a dozen Mexicans following them through the store. This may not be Arizona, but the problem is just as real here.

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To the people in this county that can't find anything better to do then complain about people getting locked up for a lil weed over the weekend at the music park. Just leave if you can't live here because a few people got locked up over a lil pot smoking at a music thing then just leave. By the way the same number of people get arrested at college and pro ballgames every weekend. Its life get over it if you don't like it leave

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I am responding to the person who wrote about the H1N1 flu and the health dept. not giving out material in english or spanish, I agree w/ you 100%!! this is America, and if you come here and can't read or write or speak english, then you need to go back to the place where you came from. This Is America and we Americans Love Our Country! So if you can't or wont speak English, then go back to Mexico or where ever it is you snuck across the Border or how ever you entered to Our Great Country!!

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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.)