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10/10/2025

I said years ago they learned they can pass fees without the community voting on it. This will continue. Someone states in the article "well there's nothing we can do about it". VOTE THEIR ASS OUT.....
I've been approached about running but declined because right now, between retirement and teaching, I have it made.
I spoke with a current commissioner about someone who may run and told them that was great, but now I'm wondering.
I've been waiting for a third person to state of they would run or not but haven't heard anything from him...

This is something I may have to consider doing so as not to be the guy who complains but doesn't do anything about it..
These figures are atrocious and they should be ashamed.
VOTE THEIR ASS OUT
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https://www.wjbf.com/csra-news/augusta-taxpayers-face-new-fees-as-they-pay-tax-bills/?fbclid=IwY2xjawNWdMtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHk8Odkql4i2O0OWBEI2qhoZhzJf0TLirCkhUJ9EPOprQp1HifPNf6DREG-sr_aem_0Igj7ShPSvBQwXzMoWrLHw

Taxpayers in Augusta are facing increased fees for garbage and streetlights, which could have a significant impact on their household budgets.

10/02/2025

The government shutdown is never something anyone wants to see. It hurts workers, disrupts families, and shakes public confidence. But let’s be honest, this endless cycle of brinkmanship didn’t appear out of thin air. It’s the direct result of lobbyists, special interests, and politicians using the budget as a weapon to force through personal agendas that have nothing to do with keeping the government running.

The budget should be about funding essential services, paying our obligations, and keeping the nation moving forward. Instead, year after year, it becomes a political ransom note. Programs and policies that couldn’t pass on their own merit get tied to the spending bill, and if one side doesn’t cave, everything grinds to a halt. That isn’t governing, it’s blackmail.

It’s time someone stood up and said enough. Stop holding federal workers hostage. Stop putting veterans’ benefits, Social Security offices, food assistance, and national security on the line just to score political points. The American people deserve a government that serves them, not a playground for lobbyists and self-serving politicians.

A shutdown is painful, yes, but maybe it’s the only way to force accountability. Maybe it’s the wake-up call that we cannot allow personal agendas to hijack the very system meant to protect and serve all citizens.

At the end of the day, the budget isn’t a bargaining chip. It’s the foundation of trust between the people and their government. And it’s long past time that trust was restored.

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10/02/2025

Called this one when it happened. Just as with several here over the last couple of years. Seems to be a pattern.
There's a huge difference in Probable Cause to arrest and proof to prosecute.
This particular case would have never passed muster in criminal court.
This is why paying attention to the spirit of the law is as important as the letter of the law.
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https://www.facebook.com/share/1B39ihiHA1/

Your I-TEAM has the 911 calls from the day of Jeremy Huffman's arrest as we continue to dig deeper into this situation.

10/02/2025

🙏🙏 Prayers for the Richmond County deputy. I'm thankful for the job they do as well as all of our public safety personnel.

10/02/2025

I'm thinking of doing a series on law enforcement officers, firefighters and EMS personnel (active and retired) from the area. I notice several of the local news outlets doing stories on "public servants" but rarely are our officers recognized for the years of service and sacrifices. They seem to concentrate on the elected officials with little to no recognition of those who physically serve. Many have given so much to their community and I think it's time the community hear the real stories. The good, bad or otherwise.
I know most are too humble to step forward so I'm asking others to nominate someone. I'll contact them and see if they'll do it..
Thanks
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09/30/2025

The Crisis in Law Enforcement Leadership

Across the country, law enforcement stands at a crossroads. The men and women on the front lines, those who put themselves in harm’s way daily, face challenges: dwindling manpower, heightened scrutiny, and increasingly complex social pressures. Yet, as the stakes rise, the leadership meant to guide and protect these officers has faltered.

Too often, the leaders of law enforcement has become a stepping stone for political ambition rather than a call of duty. Leaders have grown comfortable appeasing public opinion, even when it conflicts with the law, constitutional precedent, or the fundamental principles of justice. They bend under pressure, forgetting, or perhaps never fully understanding, the critical tenets of Use of Force doctrine and landmark Supreme Court rulings that define the limits and responsibilities of police authority.

The result is a dangerous vacuum at the top. Officers in the field are left without the confidence that their decisions will be supported, that proper training will be honored, or that their legal rights will be protected. Morale suffers. Recruitment stalls. Experienced officers walk away, leaving a skeletal force to confront increasingly volatile situations.

Law enforcement is not a popularity contest. It is a profession that demands courage, clarity, and a backbone of steel at every level of command. Leaders must not shy away from enforcing policy, supporting officers, and standing firm when the law, ethics, and duty call for it. They must resist the siren call of politics and remember that their primary responsibility is to the people they serve and the officers who serve beside them.

In these times of staffing shortages and societal pressure, we do not need leaders who seek approval. We need leaders who lead. Who uphold the law without compromise. Who understand that authority is not granted by public applause but earned through knowledge, integrity, and unwavering commitment.

The path forward is clear: law enforcement must reclaim leadership grounded in principle, not politics. Because without strong leadership, the foundation of public safety itself begins to crumble.

I am thankful for administration here in Richmond County as they have made law enforcement a priority and take care of the troops doing the work.
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09/25/2025

Thank You

I just want to take a moment to say how thankful I am for everyone who continues to support the Paying Attention Yet page. Your likes, comments, shares, and encouragement mean more than you know.
This page was created with the purpose of sparking thought, shining light on truth, and keeping us all more aware of the world around us. None of that would be possible without a community like this, people who are willing to engage, reflect, and challenge themselves to pay attention.
Thank you
Let’s keep pushing forward together.

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09/25/2025

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09/25/2025

Principles Are Optional… Apparently

It never ceases to amaze me how little the political world values principles. We live in an era where reputation means nothing if it gets in the way of convenience or ambition. People are criticized in private, called out for incompetence, corruption, or moral failure, and yet, when it suits the agenda, the same people are not only forgiven but hired, elevated, and even celebrated.
This isn’t pragmatism. This isn’t strategy. This is a demonstration of one thing, the inability, or unwillingness, to stand for anything. Words become meaningless when actions contradict them. Allegiances do not shift because of principle but because of opportunity. Criticism becomes performative, values become optional, and integrity is a commodity bought and sold at will.
If someone can talk trash about another person one day, then reward them the next, what does that say about the world they’re shaping? It’s a system where consistency is a liability, loyalty is transactional, and principles are irrelevant.
The political world doesn’t reward courage or moral clarity, it rewards flexibility, but not in the sense of adapting to new information. No, it rewards moral elasticity, the ability to bend, twist, and contort your convictions until they fit whatever serves your purpose in the moment.
And the rest of us? We watch, we shake our heads, and we wonder if anyone will ever stop treating integrity like an optional feature.
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09/24/2025

Great job Richmond County Sheriff's Office - Georgia

09/23/2025

Another violent crime in Augusta. According to reports, 17-year-old, Devon McClain, was shot and killed at Augusta Mall after a fistfight turned into gunfire. This wasn’t his first encounter with violence, just months ago, McClain was charged with aggravated assault and possession of a firearm after another shooting in Harrisburg.
Think about that. A teenager already facing serious charges involving a gun was right back on the streets, and today he’s dead. How many more cycles like this do we have to see before people realize the system is broken?
The Sheriff’s Office did its job, they’ve been consistent, arresting suspects, responding in minutes, and enforcing the law. But the judicial system has failed to keep pace. Violent teens are routinely charged, then released, only to commit more crimes. The result? More bloodshed, more funerals, more lives ruined.
This is not a blip, it’s a pattern.
June 2025: McClain, at 17, was reportedly arrested in Harrisburg for aggravated assault with a firearm.

August 2025: A 14-year-old killed in Meadowbrook; suspects included a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old.

September 2025: McClain, again at the center of gun violence, ends up dead at Augusta Mall according to reports.
How many more names do we need to add before the community accepts the reality?
The hard truth is you cannot reason with individuals who have already chosen violence. You cannot rely on a judicial system that seems unwilling, or unable, to hold them accountable.
The citizens of Augusta must face this truth, you are living in a dangerous area. The statistics may show a drop in certain crimes, but reality stars the violence is increasing. The days of expecting civil recourse and orderly justice are gone. If you don’t understand the danger you’re in, you’re already behind.
Protect your home. Protect your family. Protect yourself. Because survival mode is no longer a choice, it’s the new reality.
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