Suwannee Countians, it’s time to speak your mind! How? By calling the Suwannee Democrat Rant and Rave hotline. The hotline never closes and is your way to let it out. You can let everyone know how you feel — as long as you express yourself in a respectful way.

Note: In written entries to Rant and Rave, errors in spelling, grammar or punctuation are those of the authors.

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I would like to commend Jerry Scarborough and the Suwannee football search commitee for the hiring of former Gator great Jerry Odom. What an incredible hire! Suwannee football is back baby!

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A few weeks ago i wrote in about all of the garbage on the roadsides, here in Suwannee County. Just in the last couple of weeks I have seen State prisoners working on one of the most heavily polluted roads in Suwannee County. No they weren’t picking up garbage, they were sprinkling asphalt on it. Im not complaining about the road repairs, but its one of the few roads in Suwannee County that dont need it. Why do they need to have 1 prisoner working and 5 or 6 prisoners watching him work? Couldnt the prisoners that arent going to be working, be picking up the garbage?

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In response to the person who wanted Mr. Obama to come to Live Oak because he “gives out pay raises and buys things just like the bail out people”: this sort of behavior from the American people is the primary reason why this nation is having economic trouble. The ideology which claims that government handouts are a good thing has been brainwashed into the majority of the American people, unfortunately. First of all, I blame the ignorance of those who make such outrageous statements, for they don’t seek the truth and believe everything they hear without researching it. Second, I blame those who lead the American people down the wrong path: Pelosi, Reid, and yes, Mr. Obama. For example, the “stimulus” package that is currently being debated in the U.S. Senate. It consists of over $900 billion that will do absolutely NOTHING. Such needless spending as $75 million to AIDS prevention will not strengthen the infrastructure, nor create jobs. The only thing this bill is strengthening is the amount of debt that we, yes, the American people will have to pay back to the government. We are already in a trillion-dollar deficit, and if this bill is passed, the deficit is projected to reach three trillion. I can’t say we don’t deserve it because the majority (64 million, to be exact) voted in Mr. Obama and a Democratic Congress back in November. Well, maybe those 64 million will learn from their mistake … and vote for freedom and prosperity in 2012, or maybe as soon as 2010.

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I would like to Thank the people from District 5 of Suwannee County for a new commissioner because we would have had 20 acres of swamp land right now, also if two of the commissioners really did care about people they would put $400,000 into the Fire Station’s that are needed in McAlpin and Branford. Two words Priority First.

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Councilmen Ed Rewis and Mark Stewart are great supporters of OMI. Perhaps they could take the time to explain an “out of scope project”. Who determines it and who determines what it is paid? How much of the money that the city pays OMI goes to these projects? No hocus pocus by not counting grant money. Can OMI put a project out to bid, can OMI sub-contract? Who determines our public works projects, what equipment we buy, how it is serviced? In the new era of transparency Mr. Rewis and Mr. Stewart need to come forward with answers. If they can!

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Is an out of scope project for OMI doing work on private property when ordered by city officials. Or is that just called aiding and abetting.

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I really enjoyed recent articles by Mrs. Williams and Mr. Daniels on birding. Perhaps you could get someone to write about Florida’s great wild life besides where to catch fish and kill deer.

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I see on line where the school board is going to be spending thousands of dollars to fire someone again. I hope our new football coach has a better record than Mr. Boatright and the school board.

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Callers to 208-8314 may express their thoughts, good or bad, 24/7 about community issues and politics, but not about private individuals or businesses. If you prefer, you may e-mail your comments to nf.editorial@gaflnews.com. You don’t have to give your name, and please, take no more than 30-45 seconds for your comments. Let us know what’s bugging you.