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Note: Comments posted at the bottom of this page are not submissions for the print version of Tell Willie and are for online readers to discuss today's Tell Willie column in real time. To submit a question or comment to Willie for the print newspaper click here or call 864-882-0903 and leave Willie a message. He checks his voice mail daily.

Willie,

I am a citizen of Westminster and I am concerned over my safety and the safety of others living on Greenfield Road. There is a posted speed limit sign of 25 mph on Greenfield Road. Many drivers are driving at speeds of over 45 mph on a street with many curves, small children and homes that are very close to the road shoulder. I live on this street and rarely see any law enforcement. This week, I watched two dogs get slammed into by speeding drivers. This happened less than 20 feet from my doorstep. The truck was flying down the road. I also observed two large trucks racing on both lanes of the road at excessive speeds. Several reports have been made to law enforcement regarding the speed limit. Is it going to take a tragic car accident or a pedestrian getting killed to get some police monitoring? What is the legal speed limit for Greenfield Road?

Willie says:

You just said yourself that the speed limit on this road is posted as 25 mph, making that the legal speed limit. Sounds to me like the problem is drivers who have no regard for the law or for safety whenever they can get away with it. They want to make their own speed limit, which is obviously no speed limit. The only way to stop them is for police to set up speed traps (a good thing) now and then. That’s the only way to deter reckless driving — the possibility of getting caught, having to pay a fine, getting points on their license, etc., etc.

Willie,

I was reading where that guy got beat up for killing his wife and all, and I read in the paper about the corrections officer going by. They’ve got buttons in every cell that people can push and talk to people. It’s a doggone lie. If you don’t believe me, send in a reporter or don’t even print if because more than likely you’re for Oconee County Law Enforcement, but they’ve got buttons in every cell that they can push.

Willie says:

The buttons have to be pushed by someone. The guy getting beaten up isn’t likely to be able to push it. The guy(s) beating him up aren’t likely to push it, and chances are, most of the guys witnessing the beating aren’t going to push it either. As it turns out, the alarm was eventually pushed, but it doesn’t take long to beat the snot out of someone.

Willie,

I would like to address the issue of the excess of funds Mr. Nowell has uncovered in our county. I feel like the funds should be used where there is an extreme need. The new facility for our local druggies, deadbeat dads and moms to have a home to lay around, watch a little TV, sit outside and smoke when they are supposed to be doing yard maintenance. They have it made while the county employees got a 2 percent raise last year and a cut in pay this year with no raise and four days furlough to be taken. They are working-class people, single parents, spouses out of jobs and work hard to keep our county running. So what do you say council elite — let’s use some of that money to take care of our employees and taxpayers.

Willie says:

If you are talking about the new homeless shelter, you have your facts wrong. That is not a county facility. It is not even a city facility. It is a private, not for profit charity. I sure do agree that our county employees are pretty darn good and deserve decent wages. But, if the county doesn’t spend some amount of money to expand and fix the jail, the state will — sooner or later — order us to do it and the price tag will likely be a whole lot more. It’s the old, “pay me now or pay me later” routine.

Willie,

I think maybe your boss is under undue pressure by a government official. What is the basic job of the news media? I assume professionals in news media have a set of industry standards they follow. I would hope those standards include exposing unethical activities, crime, operations of government and to print or air the facts surrounding such stories? Then, pray tell, why are you protecting the name of the local government official whose slot machines were confiscated in a recent local bar raid? Could it be you are afraid of that government official? Are they in a position to do harm to The Journal if exposed? You won’t print this comment because I am convinced the government official would undertake punitive measures against you!

Willie says:

You’re so wrong in so many ways. First off, Willie doesn’t work for the paper beyond doing this little bit of prose. I don’t have a darn thing to do with what gets reported or doesn’t get reported. Second, the paper did report the raid, which by the way was months ago — not recently — and they reported that the machines that had been altered were owned by Seneca Mayor Dan Alexander’s business. The machines were legal until they were altered for illegal use. That didn’t involve the mayor. It involved the folks who got arrested. There’s nothing illegal about the free press until you slander someone.

Willie,

In response to the Oconee Medical Center emergency room, I think it would be a good idea to open some of the rooms in the part of the hospital they are not using and make two emergency rooms. That way we would have twice as much room, twice as many doctors, twice as much money and no one would have to wait.

Willie says:

Now that’s a thought. One problem might be that ER’s are losers … high cost, high maintenance, low returns. The hospital needs to use it new available space to provide medical services the area needs and that might also help fund those services that don’t pay for themselves, like running an ER.

Willie,

I have a question about Oconee County recreation sports. My son played in the 7-8 year old soccer tournament. While his team did win the county championship for this league, I do have one problem. The referees in all of the games were kids still in high school or people who I know for a fact that do not know the game of soccer. I played four years of soccer in college so I do know the rules. I think for regular season games you should get high school or regular referees to do those games. In the tournament games though, I think you need the best of the best. As in any sport from the NBA, MLB, NFL or NCAA, the best officials referee the tournament games or the championship games. What is your opinion on this?

Willie says:

Don’t know a thing about soccer rules but your point is well made — in a perfect world. There is probably not a lot, if any, money to pay for refs that are the best of the best. When you have to recruit volunteers, you do the best that you can do. The only other thought I have is: If your son’s team won; they must not have been all that bad.

Willie,

The county appears to have overtaxed us, but they are still considering a “Local Option” sales tax. Surely they don’t believe the good citizens of Oconee County will be foolish enough to pass that, especially after it was soundly defeated a couple of years ago. The council needs to have a task force for the goal of reducing our costs, not trying to figure out news ways to spend more.

Willie says:

Amen, brother. If and when a local option sales tax is put on the ballot the nice thing about is, the people will decide. You don’t get that option on taxes too often in good ol’ SC.

Comments contained in the Tell Willie column are not intended to reflect the views of management or staff of The Journal. They are the opinions of readers who have submitted Willie items. The Journal makes no guarantee of the accuracy of comments contained in Tell Willie. As for the answers, Ol’ Willie does his best to get it right.