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Post by bluefish on Sept 10, 2011 21:26:54 GMT -4
Huh? BChevy you were called out.
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Post by bchevy on Sept 11, 2011 6:27:05 GMT -4
I've been called out here before, that's not even close.
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Post by speedergurl68 on Sept 11, 2011 6:50:19 GMT -4
At least they didn't call us cliquey and racist. 'Cuz that would just hurt.
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Post by mrb2217 on Sept 11, 2011 11:15:20 GMT -4
I would gladly trade all these strip malls, gas stations, liquor stores and empty retail space for a well planned, centrally located retail shopping facility with a couple big box stores. QA County, and Kent Island specifically, doesn't need to look like Glen Burnie or Ritchie Highway but that is what Route 50 is starting to look like. Do I like Kent Island and QA for it's slower pace and homey feel. Yes absolutely, that's why I moved here and chose to comute to PG County everyday. But the reality is that the majority of people want as many services as possible from their government and want to pay the least taxes possible. Well residential propety taxes don't cover it and foreclousures only deepen the hole. Commercial tax base is what the county needs to cover services and lower taxes. Look at how mad people were with the property tax hikes. The county can only cut so much and furlough their workers for so long. If the commercial businesses are coming I would rather spend our time trying to get a well planned out, centralized location and compromise with the county commissioners versus trying to buck them on this one, end up losing he fight and having them build on any propety they can. I say allow them to build their commercial business district with unrestricted square footage but in a places of our (citizens) choosing. Make them compromise with us as much as we are with them. Oh and the racist comment, probably comes from the illegal immigrint comments we get on here from time to time. I don't think that's racist but more a political view (or ethical if you don't believe in breaking the law). In any case it's not racist and that comes from somebody married to a hispanic woman.
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Post by honeybee on Sept 11, 2011 11:26:01 GMT -4
If successful, I think that is exactly what this referendum is saying - if not successful there will be no compromising on many things and the homey feel and slower pace you moved here for will be long gone.
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Post by catlady on Sept 14, 2011 4:18:34 GMT -4
AMEN to mrb2217!
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Post by morephotos321 on Sept 15, 2011 0:41:51 GMT -4
I didn't like it and wasn't going to take it anymore so I moved - to Kent Island!
The collection of signatures has gone well and will be completed. We have restricted ourselves to public areas of parking lots which are open to the public. Even if we had the right to collect signatures we politely left any area if we were asked to leave. There is no blame laid for any of the disasters delaying this democratic action. There are no excuses claimed for being hobbled by the powerful special interests trying to control the outcome.
There are two issues:
1. Do the citizens want a chance to decide by a majority vote on election day in November 2012 the fate or their home county’s policies or do you want three commissioners and one property owner to create an unlimited size retail store for only one single tenant. This mega store allowance will include a mega sized parking lot with all of the problems that come with as many as 900+ cars per hour. It will preclude any competing business to establish here.
2. When is enough enough? Isn’t there another way to attract businesses? Some areas have benefited by encouraging tourism and all of the positive flow that brings. Some places have allowed the farmer and the watermen to prosper. Malls selling junk from Asia and parking lots work against these ideas. One of the special interest advocates said we can not have a shopping center without anchor stores. Go into the Safeway on Kent Island and see for yourself what a 60,000 foot store looks like and decide if you think it will make an appropriate anchor. (Then look across the parking lot at the vacant old Safeway building with broken windows, a decaying eyesore).
Then ask your favorite boater what happens when his (her) anchor is too big for the boat. Sign the petition and you have a choice. Otherwise the choice has been made for you already.
The current law does not restrict shopping centers or malls containing normal size businesses. It in no way restricts the total space that can be built. The current law should remain as it has since 2003. Look at the website above for the State of MD study for the facts.
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Post by morephotos321 on Sept 15, 2011 0:50:59 GMT -4
www.upagainstthewal.info/Links.html Look at the State of Md study. Has both sides of the issue. Sign the Petition and you get a choice. Don't you prefer to decide to vote with your desires and let the majority rule? It seems the whole world is inflamed with the desire to have a democratic process like ours - free from Police Chief herding them off, free from Sheriff Deputies frightening petition passers on public sidewalks, free from government agencies restricting access to parking lots after school hours, free from leaders looking out for only themselves and their cronies...
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Post by RobMoore on Sept 15, 2011 11:16:39 GMT -4
I prefer the representative process, or "Republic" where we elect people to hold office, educate themselves on the issues with research, and make decisions.
Simple democracy with a majority rule lends itself to votes being cast by a ton of people who have no idea what they are actually voting for.
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Post by double on Sept 15, 2011 11:58:42 GMT -4
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Post by morephotos321 on Sept 18, 2011 14:50:08 GMT -4
On Friday September 16th, two days before the deadline, 2300 confirmed signatures were delivered to the Board of Elections. These were collected in approximately two weeks. There were 40 days from the vote in early August allowed. There were 1550 required. This allows 40 more days to complete the ten percent of registered voters. There were approximately 300 additional signatures withheld to cross the "t" and dot the "i"s so to speak. Most of these were missing a middle name or initial and need to be perfected before submission in late October. Look for this issue on the ballot in November 2012. This has been a democratic process in action that most of the world can envy. There will be no surprise in in the election on this issue next year. Or will there...
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Post by morephotos321 on Sept 18, 2011 15:06:57 GMT -4
BTW- This does not decide the issue. We now have the freedom to vote to see if the majority of folks here want a big box mega store.
Good is the convenience of buying cheap basics without driving to Easton or Denton, a trip of 20 miles from Kent Island. There may be some additional property tax collected for the county. There will be a large number of jobs for cashiers, stock clerks etc.
Bad is that the fellow who proposed this wants to build one on his property is further from Kent Island than Easton or Denton. There may be a net loss of revinue after the traffic mitigation and additional county services like the Sheriff, courts and the costs associated with low income housing for these low paid employees. Then again, the small business people here who are put out of business can take these jobs. I always wanted to be a WalMart greeter. Doesn't look that hard and who needs benefits if you have Medicare? The money from the national chains does not get spent here or even get to stay in local banks. Then there is the traffic. How does 900 cars an hour on our already clogged roads sound? In any case, when we vote for our next president we will vote on the Big Box bill. I can readily accept the decision of my friends and neighbors rather than just three who have $$$ signs in their eyes. If they get the money they expect we can look forward to lowering the new and improved tax rate (NOT).
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Post by emsguru on Sept 18, 2011 15:26:46 GMT -4
Bad is that the fellow who proposed this wants to build one on his property is further from Kent Island than Easton or Denton. There may be a net loss of revinue after the traffic mitigation and additional county services like the Sheriff, courts and the costs associated with low income housing for these low paid employees. Then again, the small business people here who are put out of business can take these jobs. I always wanted to be a WalMart greeter. Doesn't look that hard and who needs benefits if you have Medicare? The money from the national chains does not get spent here or even get to stay in local banks. Then there is the traffic. How does 900 cars an hour on our already clogged roads sound? In any case, when we vote for our next president we will vote on the Big Box bill. I can readily accept the decision of my friends and neighbors rather than just three who have $$$ signs in their eyes. If they get the money they expect we can look forward to lowering the new and improved tax rate (NOT). Proof of anything you just said?
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Post by RobMoore on Sept 18, 2011 15:51:12 GMT -4
I still have yet to hear how we're legally deciding what is an allowed business and what constitutes a "big box store".
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Post by lainey on Sept 18, 2011 20:28:48 GMT -4
On Friday September 16th, two days before the deadline, 2300 confirmed signatures were delivered to the Board of Elections. These were collected in approximately two weeks. There were 40 days from the vote in early August allowed. There were 1550 required. This allows 40 more days to complete the ten percent of registered voters. There were approximately 300 additional signatures withheld to cross the "t" and dot the "i"s so to speak. Most of these were missing a middle name or initial and need to be perfected before submission in late October. Look for this issue on the ballot in november 2012. This has been a democratic process in action that most of the world can envy. There will be no surprise in in the election on this issue next year. Or will there... Confirmed signatures! Gee, I thought the Board of Elections was the only one who could confirm signatures.
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Post by georgej202 on Sept 18, 2011 20:59:12 GMT -4
We need the tax benefit and the jobs. We can stick our head in the sand and hope this will all go away, but it wont. The destiny of this county was established long ago. Living her 35+ years, I am still a chicken necker, and the course was set long before I got here. The 3 commissioners who voted for the positive know what we are facing and the 2 that didn't are in the pockets of people who came here and want to shut the door behind them. Is that fair? No!!!! We are raising kids in this county that need jobs. Like it or not thats life.
George J. Eber
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Post by deputy on Sept 19, 2011 7:06:44 GMT -4
We need the tax benefit and the jobs. We can stick our head in the sand and hope this will all go away, but it wont. The destiny of this county was established long ago. Living her 35+ years, I am still a chicken necker, and the course was set long before I got here. The 3 commissioners who voted for the positive know what we are facing and the 2 that didn't are in the pockets of people who came here and want to shut the door behind them. Is that fair? No!!!! We are raising kids in this county that need jobs. Like it or not thats life. George J. Eber What you all aren't "getting" is that there will be no "tax benefit" to US the taxpayers. Governemnt spends more than the take in, NO MATTER WHAT THEY TAKE IN......... ............Jobs? at a big box store job? retail, no thanks, maybe for a starter job but those aren't the JOBS we need.
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Post by misternuke on Sept 19, 2011 22:32:28 GMT -4
We need the tax benefit and the jobs. We can stick our head in the sand and hope this will all go away, but it wont. The destiny of this county was established long ago. Living her 35+ years, I am still a chicken necker, and the course was set long before I got here. The 3 commissioners who voted for the positive know what we are facing and the 2 that didn't are in the pockets of people who came here and want to shut the door behind them. Is that fair? No!!!! We are raising kids in this county that need jobs. Like it or not thats life. Oo George J. Eber What you all aren't "getting" is that there will be no "tax benefit" to US the taxpayers. Governemnt spends more than the take in, NO MATTER WHAT THEY TAKE IN......... ............Jobs? at a big box store job? retail, no thanks, maybe for a starter job but those aren't the JOBS we need. Might not be the jobs you need, but that doesn't give the 'job snobs' the right to deny others of the opportunity. A Wally World cashier job might not be your ultimate career goal, but for a struggling family looking for a good supplemental second income, it just might be the ticket. For young folk trying topay their way through school...good deal.
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Post by shorti on Sept 20, 2011 7:00:48 GMT -4
or even for someone who has lost their job due to the economy and cannot seem to find work, those jobs could very well help fill the gap in their lives. I honestly can't believe someone said that those aren't the types of jobs we need... ANY jobs are needed in this economy...
in regards to big box stores - i think someone said it on here earlier, but i try to stay out of this as much as possible... but the other day i was at safeway (a big box store) and they were asking for signatures there... really??? I looked at the lady & asked her if she realized she was in front of a "big box store" that she is opposing. Funny thing is, we live on a small island... i've seen said lady shopping in said big box store....
I think if it's done responsibly this is good for our area. Money would stay here instead of Easton or Annapolis and (also think someone else said this earlier) have you driven down 50 lately??? It would create jobs, bring in tax $$ - would that be met without challenges? absolutely not, there will be increased traffic & money to invest in infrastructure sure, but will the benefits outweigh the downfalls in the long run? I think so. But it has to be done responsibly. i like living here for the fact of the small town feel, what i don't like about living here is i have to drive to easton or annapolis for a big box store because the one we have here doesn't have what i need and the local places that sell the same stuff jack their prices up because, well they are the only place in town to get it, so we pay for the convenience of it...
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Post by chickennecker11 on Oct 14, 2011 19:33:21 GMT -4
I think it was kind of funny that I was asked to sign a petition regarding the "Big Box Stores" outside of the "Big Box Safeway" on KI today.............................
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Post by jennyg on Oct 15, 2011 22:48:20 GMT -4
I agree that it is very hypocritical to be standing in front of Safeway opposing a store that size. Of course, Safeway wants no competition and are glad to host the petition signers. That is fine, we will all have the option on the ballot. I like Queen Anne's County, but there is a better way to handle keeping the country here while balancing with some jobs and tax revenue these stores would bring. Look at Talbot County and what they can give to their schools. Wake up everybody. It's not getting easier and we have to be smarter. Look around next time you go to Cracker Barrell or Walgreens or any local business. There are grown men and women trying to earn a living or supplement a living with jobs in these businesses. We don't have a lot of high tech jobs here, the previous vote killed that. But our young people need somewhere to start and our adults need somewhere to make ends meet.
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Post by grova on Oct 15, 2011 23:43:22 GMT -4
Why didn't we want FASTC in Queen Anne's County? Oh yeah...the "farms". Where would the box stores go again?
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Post by bluecrabber on Oct 17, 2011 7:33:55 GMT -4
I prefer the representative process, or "Republic" where we elect people to hold office, educate themselves on the issues with research, and make decisions. Simple democracy with a majority rule lends itself to votes being cast by a ton of people who have no idea what they are actually voting for. A little late with my comment Rob, but you are a wise man..
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Post by awesome on Oct 17, 2011 20:59:05 GMT -4
I think it was kind of funny that I was asked to sign a petition regarding the "Big Box Stores" outside of the "Big Box Safeway" on KI today............................. I pointed that out the other day and the guy said he had to go to where the people are. I then asked why he wasn't in Easton or annapolis and he said it was too far to get signatures. I rest my case.
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Post by jennyg on Oct 18, 2011 9:18:58 GMT -4
Awesome! That is right on the mark!
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