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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,

When does good old Oconee get in the business of underwriting bonds for the developers of Highpointe or any such interest? We have a ton of development that did not ask the taxpayers to underwrite it. The $6 million is backed by the taxpayers of Oconee; taxpayers read this. Did anyone notice that real estate is not selling? It’s great the land is supposedly worth more, but if there are no buyers, it is worth zip. Just ask the banks who are not lending. If this goes through, then I want roads and sewer on my land so that I can sell or not and let Oconee take the risk.

Willie says:

The county has been underwriting private business in a variety of forms for years. I don’t know all the ins and outs of what the Highpointe folks are proposing, but public-private partnerships are what we need.

Willie,

Can you or your readers help me? I am having a problem with two teenage thugs that live on the same road as I do. Their parents don’t care what they do and let them run wild. I have repeatedly asked them to stay out of my yard, and they don’t listen. Every time they get into any trouble, their parents lie for them and get them out of it. I just want peace and quiet. I’m afraid I will eventually lose my patience with them. Can you give me any advice?

Willie says:

Don’t lose your patience. There are laws against trespassing. You can call the police. You can also try to get a restraining order against these two fellas. Whatever you do, don’t take the law into your own hands. We have way too much of that nowadays.

Willie,

You must get your facts right on Social Security Disability benefits. First of all, you can work and draw a disability check, but you must report your earnings to the Social Security Office and file a 1040 form at the end of the year for reporting your earnings to the IRS (most do not report). There is also a limit on the amount that you can make. Many who draw checks from disability are paid (under the table) for work they perform and not reporting their earnings. No wonder our system is going broke! If you continue to take out of the system never returning nothing back in, how long do you think there will be money for the disabled or any other person that is retired and drawing a monthly check. More and more people are filing for disability because they say they are disabled to work. Well, how can a person that is disabled still work and be disabled? What I mean by this is that they have a stable income coming in and still they get out and work under the table and have more than families that have two persons working in a household. There is a person in my church that is on disability and works under the table. To look at them you would never think nothing is wrong with their health. They do have health problems, but so do other Americans that get out and bust their hind ends to make an honest decent living. I don’t care what the situation, it seems everyone wants all they can get and more. It’s like they think the government owes them. I’m not talking about the ones that truly deserve help, but I am talking about the ones that abuse the system. People take advantage because they can! It’s a shame our government lets them get by with it!

Willie says:

The kind of behavior you describe is dishonest on so many levels. Willie doesn’t know how people that act that way can sleep at night or stand to look at themselves in a mirror! Also, the people or companies that “pay them under the table” are accomplices in stealing and cheating and doing a disservice to the honest folks who play by the rules.