If anybody thought the Shelby Star would NOT write another foolish but high visibility article about the American League World Series having a “Permanent” home in Shelby right before the Election; I’ve got some prime ocean-front property just North of Casar to sell you–cheap.
But, the Star article, full of lies and deception, titled “American Legion World Series staying in Shelby” is not about the ALWS. It is all about getting the disparate Democrat candidate Eddie Holbrook re-elected as a county commissioner so he can keep all the debt laid on Cleveland County covered over for another four years. The ALSW is just a deception for the weak-minded low information, weak minded voters that seem to dominate in low turnout elections. Holbrook is double worried this 2018 election because it is not a low turnout election year so far and the non-democrat voters are turning out in a huge “red wave.”
Editor’s Note. It is not so much that Cleveland County voters have always been weak minded and low information. The deterioration of Cleveland County Education and lack of job opportunities has caused the smartest CCS graduates to leave Cleveland County in search of better jobs with the intentions of never returning. Just think about the 12 years Eddie Holbrook has been in office as a Commissioner. That is a whole generation of students, first through 12th grade, who have not been educated sufficiently to be proficient in reading and math. CCS has over 1,000 students graduating every year. Holbrook’s 12 years would have had to produce 12,000 fair to good jobs just to maintain. According to Holbrook’s own full-page ad in the most recent Shelby Shopper, he has claims he helped provide 5,000 jobs. Less than half what is needed for Cleveland County just to stay even. No wonder Holbrook wants to only talk about baseball games. With all the smartest people leaving Cleveland County, the average intelligence of the population drops. That’s just a fact. A statistical fact that can be easily proven. But that is a story for another day.
Back to the Star article, supposedly written by Casey White. I would say that the article is a propaganda press release, probably written by Eddie Holbrook himself, and given to the Star to publish. The Star likes that as they don’t have to have their reporters actually research anything, so the Star saves money. And the reporters soon get the message and they also leave Cleveland County for better jobs elsewhere.
The Star article starts off saying: “The American Legion World Series is officially here to stay.” They said the ALWS selected Shelby as the “Permanent” home in 2011. That was a lie then and it is a lie now. And, in the meantime taxpayers have footed more than $4 Million in tax dollars to improvements to the Shelby High School baseball field. Spending that I have proof of the county making but they refuse to confirm it. Along this line of thinking, lets ask several rhetorical questions.
If the County has spent over $4 million to benefit the ALWS, how much of that spending directly benefits Cleveland County athletes playing in the ALWS? Answer ZERO!!!
How much of that $4 Million in spending on the SHS Baseball Field benefited the SHS Girls Softball team.? Answer: ZERO. They won’t let the SHS girls’ softball team even play on such a fancy field.
How many other Cleveland County Schools have benefited with such spending on their facilities? Answer: Zero
Since all of Cleveland County High Schools are over 50 years old, what effort is going into a strategic plan for new high schools in Cleveland County? Answer: Zero. Are you getting the message?
Now, let’s get past the very first sentence in the Star’s phony article, which says: “Shelby was named the “permanent” home of the series in 2011, and a recent contract renewal reaffirmed the commitment to host the tournament in Shelby each August.” All this sentence proves is Cleveland County taxpayers were lied to in the beginning that Shelby was the “Permanent” home of the ALWS. The truth was Shelby just won the ALWS contact for a few years and the contract term has just come up again. And with Cleveland County’s taxpayers ponying up over $4 million and every other location in the United States smart enough not to waste so much money, the dummies in Cleveland County will get the opportunity to spend another $4 million.
The third sentence says: “The National Executive Committee finalized the contract at their 2018 American Legion fall meeting earlier this month, calling for the automatic renewal of the contract every five years in perpetuity.” So-called “automatic renewals” in “perpetuity” is a hoax on top of a deception. The first time some town and county just as stupid as Cleveland County comes up with a better offer than Cleveland County, the ALWS will be gone pronto. A new set of Cleveland County Commissioners who see the light and stop funneling $millions into such a taxpayer waste as the ALWS, will also see the ALWS go packing. Automatic renewals for perpetuity? What a joke!!
Next the Star says: “The automatic renewal effectively makes the partnership permanent.” Only a fool would say or believe that. Go back up and re-read the previous paragraph.
The rest of the Star article is the same old guff. How much the ALWS benefits Cleveland County. How over 119,000 people come to watch the games. (Of course they count the same people coming through the gate over and over again to come up with such a ridiculously high number. Same with the so-called economic impact calculations. All hooey and phony baloney!)
The rest of the Star article is Major League BS. Read it and believe it at your own risk. I am not going to say anymore until after the Elections this coming Tuesday. Make you decisions and vote as you please, for Eddie Holbrook or not. After the elections there might be more information forthcoming. But maybe not. We will just wait and see.