Elk Konnected Hand out at County Commissioners meeting on 4/25

[Ross]

I just had to bring this over from:
Topic: Ross' kind of Control and Manipulation
At http://www.cascity.com/howard/forum/index.php/topic,12235.20.html

Interesting - The Tea Partiers have their own playbook on how to hi-jack open forums like town-hall meetings.  Could the fact that these tactics are twarted by using the type of meeting Elk Konnected has used be the reason Ross and Patriot and others are so pissed off about things like the Delphi Technique and processes that lead to decisions made by consensus, and not decisions made by the tyranny of the most vocal.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/documents/2009/08/memo-details-co-ordinated-anti-reform-harrassment-strategy.php?page=1

Why thank you Flintauqua I really appreciate the fact that you recognize that the organization does not actually have Community Conversations or Town Hall Meeting that is so gracious of you. It totally establishes the fact that they are a totally controlled meeting. With the circle of chairs, kindergarten colored stars on name tags, not permitted to sit with your loved ones or close friends (because you can not be trusted), and only permitted to talk about what you are told to talk about. My guess is there is a facilitator in each circle to insure all orders are followed to a "T". Isn't that right?

Sir, (and I use the term loosely) I did not attend a meeting to disrupt it. It was billed in big bold letters in the newspaper as a Community Conversation and since you pointed out that it was not, I feel I was mislead. However, when I asked the man the man from Wichita County that was facilitating our Elk County meeting to talk with him, that is to have a conversation he said, "outside" and pointed his finger indicating outside. When I asked him, "Why not in front of the community he lifted his microphone to his mouth and softly said, "Where is the sheriff". At that point I simply said, "I thought this was a Community Conversation", and I started walking towards the exit. I did not create any kind of a ruckus. I met the sheriff's deputies when I had nearly reached the exit. The deputies were very well behaved and conducted themselves as gentlemen. So anyway, why was the man from Wichita County afraid of having a conversation in front of the community? What really bothers them about having a real Conversation? You appear to be the expert on Elk Konnected so please enlighten all of us?

So it appears to me there are a couple of rules I didn't know about. So as the Elk Konnected expert I need you to clarify them for me please?

All citizens must agree with Elk Konnected on all points and sit in their circle of chairs or they are considered trouble makers and the sheriff's deputies will be called, is that right? I ask you as the expert on Elk Konnected?

Is "Freedom of Speech"  not allowed at the so called Community Conversations be another rule of the organization? Again, I ask you as the expert on Elk Konnected?

Are you an owner or admitted member of Elk Konnected? This is a very important question, would you please answer it and the other questions above if you have the intellect to do so?

Thank You.

P. S. You confuse me and the situation by continually changing threads, would you please help out an old man and stay on one thread, please? Unless of course that is your intent.
I'm going to carry this over to the Topic: Elk County Hand Out At Commissioners Meeting on 4/25  http://www.cascity.com/howard/forum/index.php/topic,11780.0.html

[Ross]

What is wrong Longton having their own Longton Free Fair?
Have you heard the World, the US and each state is having a financial crisis?
When unemployment is at record highs, unemployment benefits and sxhool funds and all sorts of other funding is being cut!
Do you really think it is a good time to be spending money hand over fist to build new buildings.
Especially money you don't have.
We even shut down a perfectly good school building to put our kids in portable buildings.
Don't tell me the building was not repairable or why would the city of Moline want it?
Repairs and maintenance are far cheaper than building a new one.

Besides read the following:

Elk Konnect isn't part of the fair association, don't you know that!! Most people know that each fair has an association of members that make the fair run like it should. It takes all people and many volunteers, even people that don't have kids in 4-H. I know lots of people that help that don't have kids in 4-H. Steve Fielder does an amazing job with poultry and the rabbits and he has grandchildren, not in Elk county, in 4-H. Lots of others that help to make both Longton and Howard fairs run so smoothly!!

[Teresa]

Just my personal opinion.. ( which don't amount to squat or siccum) is I think we need to have one biog annual fair  Elk County Fair and have it at Longton.. They have better facilities I think..
So there.. LOL 

[srkruzich]

What is wrong with a centrally located Elk County Fair as the official fair of the county?  Centrally located means somewhere east of Moline, west of Elk Falls and south of Howard.  One official county fair and the towns can keep their annual fairs if they want, but the official prizes for the purpose of going on to the state fair would be the ones awarded at the official fair of the county.  I don't see it happening until Longton and Howard can agree on it.  The area of the rodeo grounds would be ideal.  Of course, new buildings would have to be built with new pens, etc., but the rodeo arena is already there.

The reason most of Georgia doesn't have county fairs anymore is this very reason.  They killed all the fairs in the counties, by centralizing.  
What will happen is this, IF its approved the fair will go to the city that hs the most money. In this case howard would be the location.  Secondly it will be open for the first two or three years to all business's and such to participate in, that is UNTIL it becomes a success. THEN what will happen is they will draw the vendor crowd that goes from fair to fair in rv's.  WHen this happens, THe fair committee will exclude local vendors for the out of town vendors.  The reason? They can get more money. INSTEAD of renting a space for 30-50 bucks their getting 500 -2000 a spot depending on location.  SO EVEN IF the locals could get a space their going to be screwed in the cost.  

I've seen i happen so many times i can't keep track.  Even the parking will be contentious.  I remember the Jaycees in the town i used to live in tried to sue the churches for renting their church parking spacesout.  They lost. So the Jaycees set up a elaborate plan to stop traffic from even getting near the churchs. THey would route them to only the jaycee parking areas.  Til the churchs started sending out members to direct the traffic tot heir spots.  Then it started getting rediculous.  The jaycees of which many are police officers started harrassing the church members.  You see theres big bucks in fair parking too especially when you get 200,000 people attending fairs.

[srkruzich]

YEah ross is right.  This is no time to be wasting money on a fair.  IF its private money then fine go for it, if its taxpyer money...   its not a necessity.

[srkruzich]

Just my personal opinion.. ( which don't amount to squat or siccum) is I think we need to have one biog annual fair  Elk County Fair and have it at Longton.. They have better facilities I think..
So there.. LOL 

I don't think any of the fairs represent everyone. WHere are the rifle ranges?? Wheres the swat team range that we can go through and clear buildings!

[Patriot]

Just my personal opinion.. ( which don't amount to squat or siccum) is I think we need to have one biog annual fair  Elk County Fair and have it at Longton.. They have better facilities I think..
So there.. LOL  

But first, we've got to get Longton to stop subsidizing the private company, Elk Konnecd, LLC.  

Longton City Council Meeting
Approved Minutes
March 8, 2011

J.Corle made a motion to donate $200 to Elk Konnect to help offset their expenses to get accredited. M.Ashenfelter seconded. Carried 4-0.

City taxpayers paying for EK's little 'certificate of authenticity' with the private company Public Square Communities, LLC?  Are you kidding?  How was that  for the kids?  Does Elk Konnected do anything without ultimately sucking from the taxpayer teat (money/labor/other resources)?  Aren't there better things to spend scarce tax money on?

Agenda?  No, there's no agenda.  Other than maybe to see how much we can pull off on the taxpayer's dime.  A private company getting taxpayer money to get 'accredited' by another private company.  And both companies less than 6 or 7 years old?  Give me a break.  Varmit is right... it's shady.  But at least their hiding in plain sight.  

Why does this matter?  Well, beyond good, responsible governance and common sense... as Mr. Clinton once said, "It's about the economy, stupid!".

[Lookatmeknow!!]

I just want to state that no way is Elk Konnect associated with 4-H. That was so far off base. Second, I don't know about not having the two fairs. Not sure how that would go. I do know that the Howard fair was a success and talked to some Longton people last night and the girls are taking their items to the fair in Longton. The fair association raises their own money, as far as I know. I just mentioned all of this to show you that volunteers are not followers, they are leaders of their own mind and decisions. I decide where and who I want to volunteer my time and also my money. I have a small business and get hit up all the time for donations, but I don't brag or require my name to be put on any item. That is just how they recognize the donors that helped make the event possible. So, what if I did give $1,000.00 to Elk Konnected, don't I have the right as a citizen to give donations?

[Diane Amberg]

If the "great depression" didn't stop most county fairs around the country, why now?  People need that mental break and need to have fun, especially when times are bad.

[srkruzich]

If the "great depression" didn't stop most county fairs around the country, why now?  People need that mental break and need to have fun, especially when times are bad.

because in 1920's we were n agricultural society.  Today were not.  Back then county fairs were a necessity. Today in the information age, the fairs have gone to events like comdex if thats still around or lisa events.  THere are some ag events but they cater around main citys.  Too expensive for the counties to put on.   AND its not a necessity to justify taxpayer money to be spent.  IF its held by private organization or the local people want to put it on, then by all means do so.  Every fair that i have seen that is a success is not govt funded. IT is privately funded.