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Today's Poll!Both sides of Jefferson City trash issue waging campaign
Thursday, March 31, 2011
There are plenty of ways to conduct a campaign. And, in the case of Proposition A, which would eliminate the existing trash contract for Jefferson City, almost all of them are being utilized.
While yard signs and newspaper ads are typical tools of the trade when it comes to getting the word out for or against an issue, this campaign has taken things to a different level.
Both opponents and proponents have created blogs — attackofthegarbagecans.blogspot.com for the proponents and votenoonpropa.blogspot.com for the opponents.
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Comments
JMO 2 years, 1 month ago
I note the "Vote Yes" blog says, "1000 tons of trash went missing in 2009". Really? Is there anything to back that up? That's a statement I would really like to know more about.
wow 2 years, 1 month ago
The citizens should not have to pay for a service they neither want nor need. Just because the Mayor and the City Council got themselves stuck in a contract with Allied waste is no reason for the citizens to continue being forced to pay for a service many obviously don't want. Had this all been decided correctly from the start, perhaps there would be no need for a vote. It's one thing to pay taxes, it's quite another to pay for a service just because some politicians made a back door deal to help a buddy out.
Just read a story where Mr. Kinder owed a large sum of cash to Matt Blunt and forgot to pay him back. But in order to help a buddy out. Now it seems Mr. Blunt told Mr. Kinder to forget the debt.....wonder what favors that chunk of change has purchased....as it appears this favor was done in order to help Ms. Kinder have enough money to run for Governor. A guy that can't budget his own finances isn't getting my vote to be in charge of budgeting the states money:)
What is with these politicians....they forget paying taxes, they register vehicles in states where they don't live in order to escape paying the proper amount of taxes, they lie, they cheat, they smoke in government buildings where private citizens would get escorted out of for doing the same, they fight in front of children at meetings, they drive drunk and get off with little or no charges, they permit schools to be searched by drug dogs and students to be given urine test, yet refuse to permit the same type of searches for themselves.....the list goes on and on...and that's just in Missouri! What's up?
wcywing 2 years, 1 month ago
Missouri used to be a good state. what happened?
HIGHonLIFE 2 years, 1 month ago
What does this have to do with this issue? The recycling issue is about progressing our city, the city that according to your comments you care so much about that you attack its politicians. If you didn't care you would have no need to voice what you "think" is where I get this assumption.
A wise man asked me recently if I had a toilet in my house. Well yes I do, don't they all?
I have a toilet because I generate waste just like all other citizens of this community. So in reference to you very first comment "The citizens should not have to pay for service they neither want nor NEED" Please tell me who doesn't 'NEED' trash service.
And please don't include all those people who would rather take their trash down to the local shopping center or bank and dump their trash 'illegally' and if not there out to a farm where they have a private uncontrolled landfill. Ya thats healthy!!
The rest of your rant pretty much talks about what you believe to be corrupt politicians so let me ask you how are they different than you? You dont need trash service because a) you dont produce waste (unlikely) or b) you dump illegally
WCYWING you want to know whats wrong with Missouri? Citizens such as WOW are what's wrong with Missouri!!
wow 2 years, 1 month ago
These people don't need to recycle, "hence the unnecessary service". They certainly don't need the service just to sweeten a political cronies bank account. Sure I have a toilet too. It's used to flush $$##...which is where this forced trash deal should go.
People willingly paid to have their trash taken away before this started. Now even though there is another company besides Allied Waste that will come into the city and haul the trash away at a lower price. The citizens don't have the opportunity to choose who they want providing their service. Please tell me why that's so? Before you accuse me of ranting...answer that question for the good folks who are being forced to pay for something they don't want or need because recycling isn't a mandatory "law" nor is the forced use of the Allied Waste services.
I'm not about holding up progress...sure let's all modernize...but not like this. Again, if things had been done above board, perhaps there would not be so much opposition.
My comments about the corrupt politicians were intended to show a pattern of politically cronnieism. As for progressing in JC .... I'm all for that. I'll vote for progress, but I gotta have the opportunity first. Regretfully that wasn't the case with the trash deal.
lovemyboys 2 years, 1 month ago
Razor: You said exactly what most of us are thinking...KUDOS!
I love the current trash service...we no longer have to drive to the nearest recycle bin and recycle our cardboards/newspapers, etc, we can put it all in our recycle bin and our trash in the other. We have a family of 5...we fill up our recycle bin much faster than our trash bin. We save gas and time. $45 for 3 months is cheap compared to what the folks in the county pay ($70+ for 3 months) and they don't have the option of the recycle bin. And, my kids are learning to recycle and care for the environment.
My husband & I are voting NO on Prop A. Everytime Jeff City takes a step in the right direction, all the naysayers gotta complain...There's no excuse for not recycling now unless you are just L-A-Z-Y!
JMO 2 years, 1 month ago
I have no problem with curbside recycling. I would have used it before if it were offered. I already had a bin, even though my household only put it out once a week. Now with the two, we put it out about every two weeks. My problem with the trash "law" was that there was no choices to people who really didn't need this much trash service - yes, they existed. My friend who lives in a duplex and shared a bin with her neighbor. My other single friends who used the bags, because they are never home and never generated enough trash to bother with a bin, one of whom I let use my bin from time to time. People who own their own businesses, who took their bags of trash to the business to dump, so they didn't pay at home too. See, people who didn't toss their stuff on the side of the road, still didn't necessarily need two big bins by their door.
That being said, I'll probably vote no, just because a suit against the city from breaking the contract is worse in the long run for the citizens. But the city went about it the wrong way in the very beginning. Of that I have no doubt.
And I notice still, no one has answered my question at the beginning of this thread.
wcywing 2 years, 1 month ago
how does 1000 bags of trash go missing? that is the million dollar question.
this one size fits all was not a good idea. as for recycling i will turn in the cans myself, might get some money out of that.
JMO 2 years, 1 month ago
It wasn't 1,000 BAGS - they said 1,000 TONS! That's what I question!
"Proponents of Prop. A clamor for “choice” in their trash service. They had that choice under the previous system and 1,000 tons of trash went missing in 2009. Well, not missing exactly, but dumped into creeks, wooded areas, in city parks or parking lots, or left in basements or back porches." This is from votenoonpropa.blogspot.com cited by the article.
I'd just like to see the facts that back up that statement. 1,000 tons = two MILLION pounds of trash in one year? Really?
Actually, we do still keep our soda cans and turn them in ourselves. It's pennies, but they're our pennies and we spend enough on soft-drinks already. Everything else is in recycling. I was quite shocked by how much of our trash was recycleable - and we aren't as conscientious as we should be. I'm just not spending the time to rinse out my lotion and shampoo bottles, for instance. But like I said, I would have done curb-side recyling before if it had been available. All the same, I didn't like the threat of a fine they started out with.
wcywing 2 years, 1 month ago
oops i misread that, 1000 tons?! where does the trash go? question, was this contract JC made with allied waste legal? some people might view this as coercion. do most people need garbage taken, yes. i don't like how allied waste only has one plan for everybody.
Daddy 2 years, 1 month ago
In my opinion that recycle bin makes an excellent second trash can! Dump it all in there and let the overpaid Allied Waste workers sort it out!
Daddy 2 years, 1 month ago
Thank you Razor it's called making the best out of what you have. They took away our two pick up days so I substitute by giving them back two full trash cans, works great!
JCLifer 2 years, 1 month ago
Why should a small business owner be forced to have trash service at his house when he also is forced to have a dumpster at his business? What is wrong with him taking his trash to his business dumpster?
wcywing 2 years, 1 month ago
huh?! this coming from you? the easy answer would be because JC council made a deal with allied waste, and everybody must have trash service. ie houses and small businesses.
wow 2 years, 1 month ago
Since when is "making the best out of what you have" equate to allowing "somebody else" to spend "your" money? That's exactly what is happening here. I believe everyone knows the trash has to be taken out regularly and I also believe that most people are willing to pay for that service. Oh sure there are a few dumpster abusers out there, but IMHO those are the people that are the "if you don't like JC, you can leave" types. But for the most part people are willing to pay for a service...they just want to have a choice of who they give their money to. If there is another company out there willing to haul city trash....and there is...then the people should have the option to use the other company if they wish. IMHO, the Mayor and his crew made the deal with Allied Waste...and when the people vote this bill out, it should be the Mayor and his crew that pay the Civil Suit that will follow...after all they made the deal with Allied...not the JC citizens. I find it very disturbing that people are actually fine with letting the Mayor and his friends get away with this Oakie Doak ripoff. They have allowed Allied Waste to monopolize the trash market and I cannot see why people are so cool with that. Either this payoff is getting to a lot more people than those in City Hall or there are some truly truly gullible people in this place.
wow 2 years, 1 month ago
Ya may not like how the vote turns out, but having the opportunity to vote for or against something is the way to handle things...we know that didn't happen in the "Trash Gate" incident. It's even made worse by Allied being the only provider of the Trash service....can you say "sweetheart deal" or "monopoly". I'm not feeling sorry for the Mayor either....he knew what he was doing and now he's complaining that if the voter's actually vote against his trash contract, the city could be sued for violating the Allied waste contract...wellllllll Mr. Mayor get out your check book because you and those politicians who fanaggled this deal are the ones who need to pay the penalty...after all it was you all who got the city in this situation.
Hkchas..you are right, it's tough being an elected official, especially when the elected official does back door deals. Oh well....put it to the vote and let's see what happens.
lovemyboys 2 years, 1 month ago
Last time I checked, we don't have a choice of who provides our electricity (Ameren) or water (MO American) either. So, what? We have to pay taxes too (no choice on that either). You have the choice of your location and you abide by the rules of that municipality. Wouldn't matter if you lived in a small town or a larger city like Columbia/St. Louis/KC. I've never heard one mention of who the "other" trash provider(s) might be from any of the Proponents of Prop A, the rates, etc.
I once heard a guy say, "the grass may be greener on the other side of the fence, but it may be because it's over a septic tank." Be careful what you wish for.
JCLifer 2 years, 1 month ago
Yep, the old "things aren't too bad so you ought to feel lucky to have what you have" instead of trying to make things better. That was the attitude the US automakers had during the 70s and 80s and Japanese automakers were cleaning their clocks with never-ending improvement thinking and management.
wow 2 years, 1 month ago
Did the city go through the "bid process" in order to determine Allied was the sole/best provider of this service? No. The Mayor and his crew promised Allied Waste money and entered into this contract without the buy-in of the voters who are the very people who are being forced to pay the bill....hence the "back door deal".
As for what other company could provide the service and a better rate....well I know of at least one......M&W Hauling. They are out of Eldon and yes they do business in Cole County and would probably like to submit a competitive bid for the JC trash business. M&W even has those large/medium size trash bins and does the recycling thing too. I'm not simply complaining just to complain. I'm saying there was a better way to have handled this and the Mayor and his crew should have taken that route. However since they didn't...if there is a penalty to pay...it should be paid by the Mayor and his posse.
malmo 2 years, 1 month ago
I live right on the edge of town near Tanner Bridge Road. You can literally throw a rock from my house to neighbors that are served by the current city trash collection. I pay $25 for one receptacle, once a week. Be careful for what you wish for...............
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