Is this guy looking out for your taxes down there?

Hmmmmmm..................

Turnipseed was a farmer but not a very good one. Now he just whines about taxes as the head of the Kern Taxpayers Association (whatever the heck that is), and wants to approve an unsafe refinery expansion. He apparently had no problem with using unmodified hydrofluoric acid. And his voice is irritating.

I wonder if he has an ulterior motive(s) in the refinery expansion (using unmodified HF)??

Wonder if RonMexico might have some intel?

I dunno, Chico. I don't know if Turnipseed has an ulterior motive, or not. I've met him. He's not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer...a gossip, mostly, with usually uninformed opinions. (If that's character assasination, so be it.)

There's a letter circulating around down here with about...oh, I dunno, maybe 50 or 60 names on it with names of semi-prominent locals on it, with titles like "community organizer" and what not, all talking about how wonderful this expansion would be.

Today's paper has a story about how now they need to rush the approval process before air quality credits are devalued.

You know, I don't oppose the expansion, but I do insist it be done right, and it strikes me that Flying J is trying to do this on the cheap, and we'll be the ones who wind up paying for it.

If he were getting anything from Flying J to do  "commercial" (or PSA or whatever it is considered to be), would that be a confict of interest as President of KernTax?

Just wondering...................

He does make some valid points about some of the expenditures in Kern though.

From a purely taxpayer point of view. If he was a farmer (like most of the Turnipseeds I know), then he is certainly familiar with building up  "rainy day reserves" and whatnot. On that score, I have to say he may be right.

I just wonder about conflict of interest in this current refinery issue is all.

Morally, yes. Legally, probably no. The KTA is just a group of folks, from what I can tell, without any real political power or influence, short of attempting to shape public opinion. I doubt Flying J paid him anything, or any of the other folks that have been in the ads, but you never know.

The whole Big West refinery deal is being slammed down our throats, albeit in a nicer way, like the General Holdings-Bluffs controversy. A number of the same people seem to be involved.

It just galls me that their expansion automatically went with the most dangerous option, and it was only after public opposition that they switched to something slightly less dangerous. I find that outrageous and reprehensible.

I just wonder if Turnipseed actually thinks that distallates refined in Kern will actually stay just in Kern?

(and not become part of the overall supply mix State-wide)

He does say that in the ad. He must no know much about the industry.

Maybe he just knows farming.

From what I heard, he didn't know a whole lot about farming, either, which is why he doesn't farm any more. Or so I've been told.

 Maybe he's a pimp for anyone who will pay him.... Hmmmm?

I know some of the Delano Turnipseeds. They were into farming. Not sure if he's not from the Fresno bunch or not.

I know some of them sold out some holdings up around Fresno.

Selling out farm acreage in the People's Republic of CA doesn't necessarily mean you can't farm anymore. These days it can just be indicative of a  "snootful" of putting up with over regulation, Franchise Tax Board harassment, and general  "Farming PC" impositions by pinhead bureaucrats who couldn't grow a wart though........

Chessie -- sometimes its instructive to find out just who is paying the pimp though.

As well as affiliations of the pimp.

After all, in this case, aren't we all  "John's" ??

Turnipseed still calls himself a farmer, or at least he did when he contributed money to GWB re-election in 2004. But mostly he's into "government relations."

I've edited this list, and put some emphasis on a couple of things, but interesting, perhaps, is this:

KERN CITIZENS FOR PROPERTY RIGHTS

Leadership Committee

Assemblyman Bill Maze, California's 34th District

Assemblyman Maze has long been in the forefront on federal, state, and regional issues concerning land management and non scientific environmental protection policies. He is a particularly strong advocate for private property rights and has been a leader in the drive to reduce government regulation on agriculture and business. Maze represents citizens in Tulare, Inyo, Kern and San Bernardino counties.

Chad Vegas, Sovereign Grace Church of Bakersfield

Chad is a pastor and an elected trustee for the Kern High School District Board. He is also the Chaplain and vice president for the California Republican Assembly, a frequent guest host on talk radio and holds a Bachelor's degree in Social Science with an emphasis in political science, two teaching credentials, and a Master's degree in Biblical and Theological Studies from Talbot School of Theology.

Hank Londean, Retired

Hank is the retired former head of Corporate Public Affairs for the former Getty Oil Company. He has held a variety of high level communications, advertising and governmental affairs positions for a variety of corporations including Weyerhauser and the Times Mirror Company after getting his journalism start at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Hank also served two years in the Marine Corps active reserve and holds a BA from the University of Washington. He and his wife Lois have four grown children and are dedicated Republican volunteers.

Ken Mettler, KLM Homes

Ken is president of his own homebuilding company and has spent nearly 30 years in business and real estate. He earned a Master's of Public Administration degree from the University of California in 1975, served in the Peace Corps, worked in the oil industry and was recently elected to the Kern High School District Board of Trustees after serving as a Rosedale School Board member for twelve years. Ken has been active in community affairs, politics and private property issues for most of his adult life.

Gordon Downs, Downs Equipment Rentals, Inc.

Gordon founded Downs Equipment Rentals, Inc. in 1977. He has been President of the company for 30 years. The prior nineteen years were spent working for the Tosco Petro Refinery as a unit operator and trainer. He has always advanced strong conservative principles in his many community service endeavors and has had first-hand experience with issues regarding respect for private property rights. This is also the guy behind the whole Bluffs thing.

Cal Rossi, McMillin Homes

Cal is manager of Community & Governmental Affairs for McMillin Homes. Prior to that he served on the staffs of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Senator Chuck Poochigian and Assemblymembers Robert Prenter and Trice Harvey. Cal serves on the board of the Homebuilder's Association of Kern County, Kern County Taxpayers' Association and the Bakersfield Chamber's Governmental Review Committee among other volunteer community endeavors.

Mike Turnipseed, Kern County Taxpayers Association

Michael Turnipseed is the Executive Director of the Kern County Taxpayers Association, a member-supported, non-partisan, 501 (c)4 nonprofit corporation, whose purpose is to bring about greater economy, efficiency and effectiveness in government, basing its recommendations upon the analysis of facts obtained through research. So why is he supporting Republican candidates?

Jim Lopez is a good un though

Brian Todd, the guy who had to resign from the Builders Association when it was learned he was behind the negative ads for city council candidates, lists Turnipseed as a reference on his resume.

Your last two posts..........

Verrry interesting indeed.

Especially link........ Food for thought...........

(and I was going on a diet)

He was also supposedly on the payroll of those pushing sludge into Kern.

Finally, Gene Tackett, who's on the board of the KTA, at a Dec. 2007 EPA hearing, read into the record a letter from Turnipseed advocating for the expansion of the Big West project. Now, why exactly, would a self-described "member-supported, nonpartisan, non-profit corporation, whose purpose is to bring about greater economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in local government " (emphasis mine) be pushing a refinery expansion? How exactly does that fulfill the mission of KTA? Could it be he's using the association as a front for something else?

A local Turnipseed killed James Dean..one of Mikes relatives.

http://listing-index.ebay.c...

Aha! The plot thickens.

Turnipseed is the reincarnation of James Dean whose soul melded with Turnipseed's during the auto accident as his spirit passed from his lifeless, mangled body.

The elder Turnipseed then passed along the embodiment of Dean's spirit DNA to the rest of the family progeny who are still seeking vengeance for the accident that took his life.

So the angry, vengeful Dean/Turnipseed figures he'll bemoil Kern hillsides as punishment.

Maybe it's time to call in a team of clairvoyants, priests and such for an exorcism or something.