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Jeff King's avatar

Hook, line, and sinker. Tsk tsk. You've become remarkably predictable, and frankly, a little too easy to troll. Knowing your fixation on anything Penny Swan breathes on, I dropped a line on her blog just to see who’d bite. And lo—here you are, pen names ablaze, delivering exactly what I wanted. I didn’t expect this much free rent in your latest dispatch, but hey, thanks.

First, your leap to label me "pro-LifeWays" is as impressive as it is revealing. That kind of binary thinking—hero vs. villain, for us or against us—is going to be a real obstacle for you as you mature. Of course, it’s also where your growth potential lies, should you choose to use it. Good luck.

Now, onto the specifics. You conveniently skipped the context of my comment. Ms. Swan asked about the legality of a sitting commissioner organizing or supporting a PAC to overturn a vote. I noted that democracy isn’t about endlessly revoting until you get the result you like. Sorry if that sounds too, I don’t know, adult? And had you read anything beyond the part where I baited you (congrats again on taking it), you’d see that I also expressed concern about the potential impact of Medicaid cuts on LifeWays funding. That’s a position I happen to disagree with Swan on—just as I’ve disagreed with Hendee on plenty. It’s called nuance. It’s called adulthood. You’ll love it when you get there.

Now as to the substance: in a representative democracy, commissioners are duty-bound to consider the fiduciary responsibility to all 40,000 residents of the county. That’s the real issue here—not a flurry of 75 emails. If you’d cracked open Tocqueville or even skimmed a bit of John Stuart Mills, you might get it. Ingles failed to build consensus. His rhetoric didn’t land. Saying so isn’t an attack—it’s a fact. Wiley? Sure, he’s a lost cause. But Leininger was persuadable. Even I’ve flipped council votes in real time with public comment. Ingles had his shot. He missed. Now he wants a mulligan.

And as for me “obsessively attending to things Hillsdale County for as long as we can remember”—I’m flattered! But really, no. You overestimate. The commission meetings are a slow crawl of procedural paint-drying. I check in on the spicy parts—outtakes only. The real action, as you’d know if you graduated from your anonymous peanut gallery, is with Hillsdale City Council. That’s the good stuff. And I sincerely thank you and your classmates for keeping things entertaining. Ratings are up.

Oh, and a final note: my preferred Ayn Rand pronoun is Howard Roark. Not John Galt. Get it right next time Ellsworth.

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James Thomas's avatar

How does this help you get yours?

Have you ever heard of Piers Gaveston 1st Earl of Cornwall? Names are fun but be careful they make you more enemies than allies..... Lil' Bert is funny, well done.... got a chuckle...

Jar Jar was Sith Lord and no creature in the known universe was more in tune with the force.... Think of him as evil Charlie Chaplin.

Nutrition is a key educational pillar. We really don't fund it or education surrounding it nearly enough. I'm nearly convinced there is some "game" to make all public kids stupid with dull expectations, over reliance on "Chromebooks", and absolutely piss poor nutrition (SUGAR EVERYWHERE!)... I'm convinced if we just fed our kids better we'd have 25% better educational outcomes... (steps down from soap box).

Many Hillsdale voters do not vote their own self interest...... or do they (those that actually vote in primaries and special elections).

I had the pleasure to talk to one of the judges a couple years ago, she explained things to me that I'd never even think to ask. We are just hosing down our local justice system with 100 degree "road piss" (urine in 20oz bottle then tossed out of car). The radio millage was to me just another shrimp on the barbie.

$113,000 on the "drawings"? I assume the name Varro will ring bells... Benzig seems to be the only one seeing the Numidians at the rear?

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