# Need to vent



## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

Well, we just received a email that says it is official. 

As of September 30th we will no longer have 4H in our county.  

El Paso County Fair is the oldest county fair in Colorado and it will be over soon. 104 years this year.

The reason for this is our county ran out of money to help fund the fair. HOW you ask. Well they decided to keep the USOC (United States Olympic Community) here in Colorado Springs. In order for them to do that the USOC people wanted all this stuff. WANT, WANT, WANT. :hair: They have a beautiful facility that they have been in and was JUST remodeled for them at OUR expense. Now they wanted more. Well a new facility was built for them and they went $4 million over the budget, so ourt kids have to suffer now. 

Don't get me wrong it is not JUST our kids. They have made all these budget cuts all over El Paso County. Like we have one Health inspector for the whole county so that means restaurants do not ever really get inspected. The head of the health dept told people NOT to go out and eat anywhere because the restaurants know they will not be expected and there for they do not follow the rules.
The one inspector they do have has to do new restaurants and when he is not doing that then he has to follow up on all the food poisoning cases now. They have gone from 32 complaints in 2003 to 1347 in 2007 and as of August they were already up to 971 for this year. There is a reason I NEVER eat out
They have cut back our Police officers, Sheriff officers snow plows for this winter and the list goes on and on. So I do know it is NOT just the kids that are going to suffer but that is who I am thinking about. 
The news letter says that as of September 30th our county's kids can not even go to another county to sit in on clinics just to learn. 

Sorry, I just needed to vent. I was a part of this county 4H when I was a kid and I just hate to see it be swept under the rug like this. My daughter went to all the commissioners meeting to fight for 4H. She told them that this is what some of the kids do. They have nothing else but do live stock and to please think about the kids that are involved in 4H, they have nothing else. that is when one of the commissioners (Amy) told her that it was not their fault that kids limited themselves to 4H. There is other things like sports out there. My daughter said 'Well, not all people do sports and can do sports" Amy said and why CAN"T you do sports? Are you crippled? my daughter said "No I have a bad heart and if I was to get hit just in the right spot it will kill me". Amy shut up after that. Then we did have some kids stand up that do have MS and show hogs, I swear Amy was going to scrawl under the table.

Well, I just want to thank you for letting me vent. I was hoping I would feel better, but I just feel so bad for those kids that will not be able to ever experience the wonderful world of 4H in El Paso County


----------



## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

That is just horrible, I can't believe they would do something like that :angry: 

Is there a way you can privately fund a club or the fair?


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I"m so sorry to hear that sweetgoats,,that is terrible news for you................ :sigh:


----------



## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

I have been told that I can have kids from other counties in my county 4H club............how would anyone know that they are going somewhere else --- thats just crazy

I am so sorry for you Lori! :hug:


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Lori...that really stinks!! And to be the cause of selfish people stinks even more! :hug:


----------



## enjoytheride (Oct 5, 2007)

That is just awful- just what does the state get from this Olympic Community thing anyway? 
I can't imagine losing a 104 year old fair much less that other things.
I know how you feel though- as money gets tight politions here can't let their pet fluff ideas go- they just raise taxed and cut things they don't see are important. 
:veryangry: :veryangry: :veryangry: :veryangry: :veryangry:


----------



## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

I would certainly get the "minutes" from that meeting and send them straight to the newspaper! That woman Amy should not get off having made a statement like that "are you crippled" without the whole county hearing it. When are these county commissioners up for re-election? Maybe you should run for office?!


----------



## Cinder (Mar 3, 2008)

Lori - I'm so sorry that El Paso County is in this situation. My daughter is joining 4H for the first time this year. 4H is a mainstay ... like apple pie and baseball in the US and should never be stopped until there's nobody that wants to participate.

I'd threaten to never eat out in El Paso County again ... but we never eat out anywhere.  

The County should find other ways to continue 4H, this is so wrong. Can you go to your local State Representative and get them involved? If you march 100 kids into his/her office ... that would get some attention. Go to the local TV stations also. A good human interest story like that would bring this into the spotlight and get some people motivated.


----------



## deenak (Oct 10, 2007)

My daughters are in 4h in the next county over from where we live. I would call the extension office in a neighboring county and tell them that you want to join a club. It certainly won't hurt to ask.


----------



## badnewsboers (May 9, 2008)

Wow, this really surprises me. It is widely known that out of cooperative extension programs, 4-h has the biggest political pull. It is the one branch legislators try to appease.

I'm afraid I'm just not getting it though. How can they not have 4-h? Did they pull the funding for the extension service? I know you can always be a 4-her at large worse comes to worse.


----------



## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

Well to answer some questions. The media is all over it. Like i said it is not just the 4H it is getting rid of, it is a lot of things. Yes the county cut out all the funds for the 4H so all that is life is what the mane extension office does in Ft Collins and they have tried to help us stay afloat but they can not fund it all.

They have put a ban out so we can not go to any other county to show. I do totally understand that. We are not paying taxes in that county so we would not be paying out way into this. I do understand. 

Yes that County commissioner is up for re election and believe you me we are fighting to get her the h*** out of the office just for her statements, not because of the cuts and us loosing 4H, it is not just her that is behind it, is all the commissioners. Like I said it is not just the 4H that is affected but that is what hurts the kids. 
I have been a 4H leader for the Fiber goats for 6 years. When I took over there were only 4 kids in the project, this last year we had 11, and we were still growing. The funny thing about the news letter that went out was it said as of September 30th there is no longer 4H, BUT you still have to get you record books in to the office or you will not be able to show next year. WHAT? Show where they have already told the kids it was over. I told all my 4Her that they still have to have there record books in to be graded just because that is finishing the project, and we are not quitter.

Believe me all us 4H moms and dads are not going to let 4H die without a fight and a major one at that. So just keep us in your prayers that El Paso County can somhow find a way to keep 4H.


----------



## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

Listen, we are having a mini "taxpayer" revolt here in Pennsylvania. It is extremely important that you get this "lady" "unelected". See, they don't think they have to do the "will of the people" if we just keep re-electing them. When you kick a couple of them out of office the rest of them stop and take notice. So, even if you have to run yourself, you have to give people another alternative. Make as much noise as you can about all this. It's not just the 4-H thing so maybe you can find other votes she's cast that are controversial. Good luck!


----------

