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Originally posted by fearthebunnyman:
I'm not even sure if it will stand up to legal scrutiny

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Originally posted by DMI:
How exactly does taking away the rights of a group of citizens in order to take more money from them fall into the Republican mantra of "less government?"

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"This bill isn't about an assault on public employees. We have great public employees throughout the state, I have them in my district, hard-working folks," said Republican state Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald. "What this is is about the budget. We're $3.6 billion in the hole. We're not going to raise taxes to solve it. We all ran, you know, this last election cycle on saying that we are going to cut government spending. ... Everybody is going to have to do their part."

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Originally posted by PhoenixRose:
I'm honestly staggered by the gall this took.

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Originally posted by LiLi:
Where's Frem? I want him to tell us how to run these bastards out of town on a railcar. Loaded with C4.

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Sheriff and his top officials got generous increases in compensation

Citizens for Better Government
March 2011

MARYVILLE, TENN. -- When the Mayor asked the Sheriff to cut 12.8% from his budget, he refused. In fact, he increased his budget. The fact that he is spending nearly 25% more than the average of Sheriff’s departments in the three Tennessee counties closest to Blount County in population did not faze Sheriff Berrong at all.

All the while, the Sheriff has failed to point out that he, and many of his top officials, have been generously compensated over the last few years. The table below shows their compensation increases far exceed those of most taxpayers, who will struggle to pay the 21% tax increase that is the result of the refusal of some of our county officials to trim their budgets.

At the recent meeting the Mayor held with county employees, several high profile members of the Sheriff’s department attacked the Mayor for only taking a 12.8% salary cut, while they claimed, they had not had a salary increase in years. Then, these Sheriff’s officials launched an attack on the schools and teacher’s salaries.

The Talbott family, Ron and wife Cathy, took top compensation honors, with a combined compensation rising from $103,394 in 2007 to $111,305 in 2010. The top ten Sheriff’s officials in compensation enjoyed increases from 6.5% to 28.9% from 2007 to 2010. In addition, virtually all the 41 officials listed also have tax-free county-owned take home cars (many are unmarked cars and SUVs), free gas at the county pump, free insurance and free maintenance. They also enjoy excellent medical benefits, fully paid by the county, and generous retirement benefits. These benefits are worth at least another $10,000 to $15,000 in compensation.

The most boisterous critics of the Mayor and the schools, at the recent employee meeting, Rick Baker and Jarrod Millsaps, enjoyed compensation increases of 7.6% and 22.1% respectively.

Disturbingly, Sheriff’s officials who demonstrated highly questionable ethics over the last few years, seemed to do quite well. Talbott was a key player in an alleged scheme that resulted in a seized NASCAR-edition truck being sold to one of his relatives, without an auction, at a price that was many thousands of dollars below its value. Baker, along with Wiburn and England used county funds to purchase bogus college diplomas. Yet, they all saw compensation increases. In fact, we understand that Baker was promoted, and is now in charge of training new officers.

Before the Sheriff and his friends start throwing stones at the schools, other county departments, and the taxpayers, they need to look inward.

Name - INCOME 2007 - 2010 - % INCREASE

J L BERRONG $90,796 $98,395 8.4%
R A DUNN SR $80,836 $86,106 6.5%
A L GARNER $70,746 $75,335 6.5%
S C LAWHORN $67,440 $73,597 9.1%
J B LONG, II $68,979 $73,378 6.4%
J R FRENCH, II $68,224 $72,722 6.6%
R G TALBOTT $64,309 $70,652 9.9%
C A TALBOTT $39,085 $40,653 4.0%
R J ORR $53,722 $69,244 28.9%
R H RUNYON $60,478 $67,718 12.0%
G A HAMILTON $58,966 $64,864 10.0%
D E NEUBERT JR $58,940 $64,189 8.9%
J L WIDENER $56,375 $63,651 12.9%
W HEADRICK $57,562 $63,282 9.9%
R P NEASE $58,202 $60,521 4.0%
R MERCKS $55,485 $60,477 9.0%
R S AYCOCKE $57,710 $59,957 3.9%
P A ENGLAND $56,787 $59,824 5.3%
R W AILEY $51,840 $58,897 13.6%
J D ADAMS $56,427 $58,615 3.9%
D H WHEELER $52,204 $58,175 11.4%
S K HACKNEY $52,973 $57,965 9.4%
M A SERATT $49,316 $55,175 11.9%
S C CARSWELL $43,694 $55,019 25.9%
D R BENSON $51,369 $54,944 7.0%
J C TRENTHAM $46,138 $54,876 18.9%
R S BLANKENSHIP $43,099 $54,815 27.2%
D R WILBURN $53,466 $54,798 2.5%
W M MCKINNIS $49,818 $54,113 8.6%
E L PERRIN $48,388 $53,878 11.3%
J D CLARK $49,128 $52,824 7.5%
R N PORTER $43,122 $52,237 21.1%
J B MILLSAPS $41,651 $50,866 22.1%
M D MOORE $46,178 $50,776 10.0%
H L SLAGLE, III $46,341 $50,523 9.0%
R D POSTEL $44,599 $50,342 12.9%
J S BURCHFIELD $42,829 $49,431 15.4%
R M BAKER $45,379 $48,816 7.6%
W T EVERETT $44,462 $48,625 9.4%
D E WHEELER $41,452 $47,806 15.3%

http://www.blounttn.net/sheriffSalary2010.htm

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“I’ll burn your house down, set your dog on fire and there won’t be a member of your family left, do you understand me? I won’t hire it done, I will do it myself! Do you understand me?”
-Blount County sheriff James Berrong, United Stated Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, Nuchols v. Berrong, No. 04-5645, July 11, 2005
http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/05a0586n-06.pdf

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