Above all things, we believe in presenting truthful information. Yes, we give you our opinions, but we do so based on fact. Let's look at some facts about the Four-Way Motel controversy:
1. Flyers? In Alabama, a flyer is required to notify nearby residents of sex offenders. For a city the size of Tuscumbia, the radius is 1,500 ft. It would be the job of the Tuscumbia police to mail out these flyers since the Four-Way facility is in its jurisdiction.
2. Those who have pointed out that possession of child pornography is a non-violent crime have been accused of "defending" these two men. No, it is simply presenting a fact. These two men who have moved to Colbert County have never been convicted of a violent sex offense. That doesn't mean that they will never commit one, but simply means as it stands now, it is a lie to call them violent sex offenders.
3. Who is responsible for the predicted influx of sex offenders? The Alabama Department of Corrections and Outreach Reentry Ministry which have ostensibly teamed to bring this to our area.
4. If something goes wrong, who can be sued? We're hearing a lot of talk about the McKinney brothers, but their names are not on the official registration of Outreach Reentry Ministry, founded in the early 1990s. It would be prudent to establish just how the McKinneys are involved legally.
5. Do we think it's a great idea to have these sex offenders in Tuscumbia? One word: No.
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Happy Vernal Equinox!
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From a reader:
Colbert County, the home of a couple of Superintendents of Education who can’t budget and live within their means.
Colbert County Superintendent Gale Satchel wants the County Commission to raise our property taxes by 5 mil - yet when Chairman Darol Bendall asked her in the meeting how much 1 mil was, she said she didn’t know. Think about that one. She knows she needs 5 mil but doesn’t know what 1 mil is? I think we haven’t heard the last from that one - or those who are against the excessive waste!
Then, we have Muscle Shoals City Schools superintendent who also wants to raise our property taxes by 5 mil, while pressuring the County Commission to raise the sales tax also. Either way, he just wants more money.
Once again, refer to the earlier comment about Ms. Satchel’s inability to budget and live within her means. Reviewing their budgets and excessive spending on athletics and travel, there is room for much debate over their ability to manage such large organizations.
Not everyone who calls for higher taxes pays their fair share. Brian Lindsey lives outside of the Muscle Shoals school district but wants everyone to pay more property taxes while he won’t be affected at all. Mr. Lindsey doesn’t live in the city, pay city property taxes NOR DOES HE pay the out of district fee others have to pay to send their kids to Muscle Shoals even though he gets his paycheck from the Muscle Shoals education system and his kids go to Muscle Shoals.
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When this nation was founded, many wanted to steer completely away from English methods and traditions. Our country doesn't mint pennies; it mints one-cent coins, based on the French centime. In other words, it takes 100 to make a dollar. Similarly, the mil is 1/1,000; it takes 10 mils to make one cent.
Since a mil has never been minted in this county, many call it an abstraction. Whatever you want to call it, five mils equal a half-cent. If these tax proposals pass, your sales tax would increase by .005 on the dollar.
