Posted by powercat (anonymous) on July 10, 2008 at 3:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)

What a joke. I thought the county was short on funds and that is why they are going for a 1% sales tax.
If they are spending money on fireworks they certainly don't need to raise our taxes.
I can't believe this passed 3-0. Time for a new busines-minded commission.

Posted by sherryh (anonymous) on July 10, 2008 at 4:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I commend the county commission on stepping up with the start of the money. Now is the time to start the committee up and work on next year, while it's still fresh on people's minds. If the county wants to raise the sales tax 1% I'm all for it. You know how much more spending you are doing at home how do we expect to keep getting the same services with less money for them to work with?? If the money is going for the people and services the people want than that is smart spending as far as I'm concerned.

Posted by smith_ron (anonymous) on July 10, 2008 at 5:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Hurrah for the county!!! Emporians, including the city commission, what are we going to contribute?

Posted by rmbcollege (anonymous) on July 10, 2008 at 6:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Great move Bob Davis for bringing this up! I do not think that last year they made a very smart decision. Bringing a fireworks display back will not only make the people happy but it will also bring more revenue back to the city of Emporia. They lost out on a lot of money being spent here because people traveled out of town to see other cities fireworks.

Posted by truelovecharlie (anonymous) on July 10, 2008 at 6:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)

---powercar---geesh, give htem a rope to hang themselves with anf they will gripe because of the brand of rope. You all cried over the fireworks and blamed the powers in charge and now you will have it back and that isn't enough. Wah, Wah, Wah! Get a life and fight for the things that are significant and that improve the quality of life all year, not just the 1 stupid day of a year.

Posted by pizza (anonymous) on July 10, 2008 at 8:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)

powercat, you need an attitude adjustment and some enlightenment. For your information, the county is in fine shape, it's the city that is in trouble. And go back and read where the sales tax proceeds would go if it is approved. The city would get the lion's share of the money on that deal too. The county commission has done a reasonably good job, not so sure you can say that about the city commission. Learn the facts so you can be a better representative of the powercat name It's nice the county has stepped in to try and make the community a better place to live. Doesn't seem that the city fathers are aimed in that direction.

Posted by rdgrey (anonymous) on July 11, 2008 at 1:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Good job, I will be here for the 4th next year. Lets try to draw ppl from outside the community to add to our revenue. This is a good start and lets try to make it an annual thing.

Posted by paulkersey (anonymous) on July 11, 2008 at 3:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I believe the 1% sales tax issue isn't designed so much that the county is going to get all of the money, rather I think it is designed to help bail the city out, while helping surrounding towns as well. I think it is great that the county is going to bail the city out on fireworks. This year was a major stain on the character and citizens of this city, and the only blame that can be placed falls directly on the city manager and commission. Had they released to the public they weren't going to have any celebrations for the 4th sooner, I am sure it would have been picked up by private sponsors. But no, a week before, it was "Hey Emporia, We're not going to have any kind of celebration for the 4th of July whatsoever. Sorry. Goodbye." The planning for St. Patrick's Day was much better! Ridiculous!

Posted by create (anonymous) on July 11, 2008 at 7:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Bread and Circuses!

Posted by anonymous08 (anonymous) on July 11, 2008 at 9:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)

hey truelovecharlie you need to look at why we have that one stupid day as you call it. if you don't like that day then move to another country. that will solve your problem. i'm glad the county stepped up to the plate and took over the fireworks i support them 100%. but you know the people that you don't make happy are the ones that complain all of the time. get over it and live life day by day and quit be cry babies.

Posted by Renegade (anonymous) on July 11, 2008 at 10:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I think the County SHOULD pay for the fireworks..It is, after all, at the "Lyon County" Fair Grounds.
My question is...if they knew that the City didn't have it in the budget for this year..(and, I believe that decision was made last August)...why couldn't they have come forward before this 4th of July?

If anyone stayed in Emporia over the 4th of July week end, I don't know how you could NOT say "thank you" to the County for voting to fund the fireworks next year.
I have never seen a sadder Independence Day, anywhere I've lived, than this year in Emporia.

If I have to pay the outrageous taxes for living here, I will at least see some of my money go up in smoke...in a beautiful way, to celebrate our Independence.

I'm still asking to have the City Fireworks Ordinence reviewed, again, and, determine what needs to be done to get it revised so we can have individual fireworks (safe and sane) in our City too.
It would bring in Sales Tax revenue for our city....but,
That's another issue though, for another time.

Thank you to the County for voting for the funding next year, and Thank you to our City, for funding the fireworks for the past years.

Posted by nutsaboutools (anonymous) on July 11, 2008 at 11:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I'm glad the fireworks will be back next year. I also agree with rmbcollege & pizza. Powercat needs to get the facts straight. Fireworks are a major expense, however. Any way the County & City can combine resources/funds to sponsor such an event? Would any local businesses be willing to contribute?

Posted by Renegade (anonymous) on July 11, 2008 at 11:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The County has provided $10,000. for the fireworks next year. Usually, they work with a Service Organization that gets the permits and works the fireworks display. My understanding is that this year there may be a change in the Service Organization that does it.
I'd like to know what part our Chamber of Commerce is involved with our City's special events. I drove through Emporias downtown.and there were about 3 flags on the light poles..on each block. The store fronts have few, if any, decorations...and, there was no feeling of any celebration on our main street in town. Nothing!
NO activities at all?...What about our Flint Hills Mall?....Couldn't they participate in something?.
I don't think we can put the soul blame on the City Commissioners for what happened in Emporia over the 4th...(or, "didn't" happen).....Business owners, and residents, and service Oraganizations, including our American Legion, and others....Where were you?
The fact that there were people that suggested that if we didn't like it here...we could go someplace else....enraged me. Especially when, I heard about all the communities around us (Americus, for example)...that had huge celebrations. And, so many Emporians did pack up a dinner, put gas in their cars, and left town...as was suggested by some.

Posted by treynewkirk (anonymous) on July 11, 2008 at 12:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Renegade - Why did it enrage you that people left town when there was nothing here to do. Just because the City choose not to provide an independance day celebration means that all Emporia folks needed to sit on there hands that day and accept it.

Posted by Bjnemp (anonymous) on July 11, 2008 at 1:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)

truelovecharllie: For you to call Independence Day, our nation's birthday and most important patriotic holiday, "1 stupid day of the year" is deplorable, stupid, unacceptable, and anti-American. You aren't worthy of living in this nation if you feel that way. Pack up your hate and move on, Charlie.

Posted by Bjnemp (anonymous) on July 11, 2008 at 2:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Well, treynewkirk, what Renegade was attempting to say, and you failed to comprehend, is that many Emporians were upset because our city was a ghost town on our nation's most important patriotic holiday. Families and children were forced to leave town to celebrate the Fourth of July elsewhere. Emporia officials totally ignored the occassion and denied citizens the RIGHT to celebrate our nation's birthday. People had to pack up and leave town in order to do so. In the process, many thousands of dollars and tax revenues packed up and left town with them. The Fourth of July should be a community-wide event to bring families, neighbors, and local citizens together as one in a jubilant celebration of our nation's heritage and freedoms, including the traditional igniting of fireworks. The city should have been adorned with flags flying from every home and business and every power pole. Streets and stores should have been packed with happy holiday celebrants. Clubs, organizations, and businesses should have been hosting contests, events, ice cream socials, and parades. Instead, Emporia resembled a city in mourning or about to suffer a nuclear attack.

So, trey, I respond to your comment of "Just because the city chose not to provide an Independence Day celebration means that all Emporia folks needed to sit on their hands that day and accept it" by saying; we had no choice. Our brain-dead unpatriotic city officials made that decision for us. However, we have a choice for next year and we aren't going to sit on our hands and accept it again. We are going to fight for our right to shoot fireworks and celebrate like patriotic communities all over the nation do on that important day. It is going to be a fun, busy, noisy, patriotic, family-oriented glorious 2009 Independence Day. You may want to leave town that day.

Posted by Renegade (anonymous) on July 11, 2008 at 3:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)

treynewkirk....

bjnemp says it better than I could..However, someone in our community suggested that if the people of Emporia had a problem with the fact there was going to be no fireworks, or celebrating of Independence Day in our town, that we could all just pack up a dinner, put gas in our car, and leave..go someplace else to celebrate......and....."who cares?".."who's going to stop them?"...THAT was what enraged me....that attitude!!!!
I don't blame people for leaving town.
I'm sorry that it sounded as though I was angry at the people that actually left.

BJnemp...We will have fireworks next year...and, I agree with your description of Emporia over the week end. It was a very depressing sight.

Posted by Bjnemp (anonymous) on July 11, 2008 at 4:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Renegade: It appears half the battle has been won but we need to ramp up the fight for the right of individuals to shoot fireworks within city limits next year. Perhaps you should issue another call for supporters to join the campaign. I understand you gave your email address last week so people could volunteer to help get the fireworks ban lifted but only a handful replied.

If you want the ban on fireworks in Emporia lifted next year, contact Renegade. Let's bring the Fourth of July back home next summer.

Posted by Renegade (anonymous) on July 11, 2008 at 4:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)

im.renegade@yahoo.com

I had a few replies....Thank you bjnemp.

Posted by truelovecharlie (anonymous) on July 11, 2008 at 5:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)

You guys missed my point; I have no problem with Independence Day. My oldest son is in the Marines in Kuwait, at this moment. I served in the US Army. I was just riled by those people that cried over no fireworks then cried now because the county has promised money for fireworks. I was making a point that the same people whine about anything and everything in these blogs. They take the opposite point of view just to have something to argue about. The other point is that our "Freedoms" are shrinking day by day. If those that fougt for this Free Country were alive to see it today, they would feel their sacrifices were for naught.

Posted by LifeGoesOn (anonymous) on July 11, 2008 at 6:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Independence Day is more than just an expression of an historic American desire to be independent from England. It is more than a separation of a colony from the home country. Independence from England was declared to end the abuse of government on the governed. It was a declaration of independence from an over-arching structure of feudal treatment. It was a radical idea in its time - a large “benevolent” government usurps the individual, God-given rights of men.

Our founding fathers did not espouse a large central government, they rejected one.

((Our founding fathers did not hold to the idea that government was a charitable organization dedicated to ensuring that everyone was happy by providing fireworks.)))

They presumed, correctly, that most would be happy if they were given equal opportunity in the pursuit of happiness, in the equal administration of liberty, and a right to live without undue interference from government.

As we celebrate our God-given rights on the next July 4th. Let us not forget what our statement of Independence in 1776 was meant to reject. While times may have changed since then, the basis upon which we declared independence should not. If you keep that in mind, it will serve you well for the rest of your life.

I am sadded by those who seem to think that government "owes the people their happiness" on Independence Day.

I remember a saying, Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.

If one wants something, work for it. Do not sit in the background and expect it to fall in your lap.

Posted by treynewkirk (anonymous) on July 12, 2008 at 1:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Wow with all the hate and slander its no wonder why Emporia has no growth now, or in the forcast. I enjoyed my July 4th elsewhere. I do not regret it, its not my fault the city did not have a celebration and to be slammed for taking action this year instead of waiting around for next year is odd. Seems to me like some of the people in this forum have little to smile about. My wife, son, and I had a great day on the 4th. We saw a parade and entered our son in the baby contest and took 2nd place. We had homemade ice cream and shot of fireworks in my parents drive way. We watched the neighbors firework throughout the morning, I returned to Emporia and worked a 5 hour shift on the 4th. Afterwords I returned to the celebration and watched a display put on by the city I was in. It makes me laugh that you "won" the discussion because I didn't know it was a compitition. Hopefully they gave you a nice trophy like the one my son got in the "baby" contest. Hopefully I am not the only person who enjoyed their July 4th it was my sons first. And the first one I didn't have to work during the evening hours so I could enjoy a firework show in ages. It was nice just to relax and enjoy my family and friends. I have no issues with the lack of celebration that took place here, I think some of the smaller towns around here put on a better "welcome to our home, please make yourself at home" Then some people in this forum/city could even pretend to know about. You only live once, why sit and wine about what should have been and enjoy every day for what it is, a blessing.