Hey John Cannon, Chris Lumsden & Ted Bennett?

If you want $5000 for lobbying purposes, write the damn check yourself instead of trying to get taxpayers’ money. Trust me, you won’t miss it.

IDA delays giving $5,000 to anti-mining organization

GAH! This makes my head explode. It’s bad enough that this Virginia Coalition group has already tried to strong-arm$5,000 out of the South Boston Town Council, the Halifax County Board of Supervisors and the Halifax Town Council. Now John Cannon & Friends are trying to get another $5,000 out of the Halifax County Industrial Development Authority…. and the IDA’s funding comes from the same elected boards that they’ve already scared the hell out of with Doom & Gloom predictions. GAH!

I’m obliged to point out that John Cannon is on the IDA board of directors and also the chairman of this Virginia Coalition group. I’m guessing Halifax County taxpayers should be grateful to him because he didn’t ask for the entire $150,000 budget as a contribution. (Which I’m sure that John Cannon, Chris Lumsden & Ted Bennett could also easily write that check for and not miss it.)

We’re treated to the usual “Uranium Mining Is Evil And Will Make Halifax County Radioactive Forever” (©1974- Jack Dunavant) hyperbole and even have a classic have a classic Words Have Meanings failure by Ted Bennett who says…

“I think if the ban were to be lifted and operations start there, we would have a literal cloud over this region that would become known as the uranium region of the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

I do not think that word “literal” means what you think it means, Mr. Bennett.

IDA Executive Director Matt Leonard “Gets It” when he told the board that there’s a established process for this type of request. It was refreshing to see that Chris Lumsden folded like a card table when cornered by Butch Blanks’ opposition to the PAY US NOW tactics.

IDA Board Member Garland Ricketts “Really Gets It” with this quote…

“Personally I oppose the uranium mining…I do not think the funding request to the IDA is appropriate. I think it is appropriate we could go on record opposing it, but this is taxpayers’ money, and we are not directly accountable to the taxpayers. Our board of supervisors is. If the money is to be given, it should be given by the board of supervisors.”

BINGO! JACKPOT! WINNER! However, I do award Chris Lumsden eight Tony Soprano points for saying that you have a beautiful county and it would be shame if something was to happen to it. You know, like uranium mining. Pay us now or pay us later. Jeez.

If this Virginia Coalition is truly a “Virginia Coalition”, I look forward to this group coming to Danville City Council and using the same tactics to try and get $5,000 from them. I also look forward to them getting soundly rejected with a “go fundraise your own damn money and leave our taxpayers’ money alone”. How about you head down to Virgilina and do your show for them? Better than that, how about heading to places like Galax and see how much you can squeeze out of them? I’m betting on diddly-squat even though you’re the “Virginia Coalition”.

John Cannon, Chris Lumsden, Ted Bennett and the Virginia Coalition: Quit trying to shakedown government agencies for tax money for your own organization’s cause. Write your own damn checks or get the money from people who believe in your cause.