Transcript for Podcast: "I Feel Snitty," Episode 115: "Dissecting a Rat Named Tim Boyd," is now available!

Podcast: I Feel Snitty

Episode 115: Dissecting a Rat Named Tim Boyd

Premiere Date: 2/25/21

Length: 9:32 (1,691 words)

Link: https://ifeelsnitty.podbean.com/e/dissecting-a-rat-named-tim-boyd/

Transcript: 

 

Welcome to I Feel Snitty, episode 115, entitled, “Dissecting a Rat named Tim Boyd.” I’m your host, Craig Rozniecki.

 

For those of you who have heard the name “Tim Boyd,” I think you know where I’ll be heading in just a moment. For those of you who haven’t, however, here’s a basic rundown.

 

Tim Boyd is, or, well, was mayor of Colorado City, Texas until he recently decided it’d be a genius move to post a typo-ridden message on Facebook, which basically told Texans to stop whining about the government’s epically pathetic response to the winter storm which struck the state, leaving millions without heat, water, and/or electricity. I say “was” mayor, because Boyd resigned due to the inevitably severe backlash he received due to the aforementioned post.

 

Having said all that, allow me to dissect Ratty Boyd’s initial Facebook post, as well as his follow-up message to the backlash he received.

 

Boyd’s post has a promising start, as it begins with, “Let me hurt some feelings while I have a minute!!”

 

Little did he realize, because of this post, he’d be provided several more minutes of free-time. He continued:

 

“No one owes you are your family anything; nor is it the local government’s responsibility to support you during trying times like this! Sink or swim it’s your choice! The City and County, along with the power providers or any other service owes you NOTHING!”

 

First of all, I have to ask, what did he mean when he literally wrote, “No one owes you ARE your family anything”? Secondly, what does he think the responsibility of elected government officials is? Based on his, I’ll be kind and call it 2^nd-grade rationale, it seems

as those Boyd is contending that while it’s the responsibility of the people to vote for and elect public officials to lead and take care of cities, counties, states, and the country, it’s also the responsibility of the people to take on the responsibilities of these elected public officials. If that’s the case, what then is the point of having elections? What is the point of having a head coach, boss, president, or even parent?

 

A mother to her infant son: “Hey, why aren’t you going to work? Your medical bills aren’t going to pay for themselves! Chop chop!”

 

Moving on, Boyd wrote:

 

“I’m sick and tired of people looking for a damn handout! If you don’t have electricity you step up and come up with a game plan to keep your family warm and safe. If you have no water you deal without and think outside of the box to survive and supply water to you family. If you are sitting at home in the cold because you have no power and are sitting there waiting for someone to come rescue you because your lazy is direct result of your raising! Only the strong will survive and the weak will parish.”

 

Well, if politics isn’t in Mr. Boyd’s future, I think I know what his ultimate calling will be – motivational speaking. According to Boyd, in addition to working full-time jobs; raising children; going to school; and you know, eating and sleeping; every person in this country should work for the cable company; build houses; and be electricians. If you don’t do all that, and more, you’re a moocher; it’s really as simple as that.

 

Here’s how this particular paragraph read to me. As I haven’t heard Mr. Boyd’s voice, I will impersonate the man as I envision him.

 

“If you don’t have electricity, you make electricity! All’s you need is a filled up bathtub, a hairdryer, and an electric sponge. If you don’t have water, drink what the good lord gave you – urine. Don’t just think outside of that box, stand outside it; aim your dingalings inside it; piss away; and then pass the box around to the family. If you’re sitting at home in the cold, just build one of them spacecrafts; fly up to Venus; and you’ll be all warmed up in no time! Electric sponges, urine, and spacecrafts. It’s really as simple as that, folks!”

 

Boyd concluded with this:

 

“Folks God has given us the tools to support ourselves in times like this. This is sadly a product of a socialist government where they feed people to believe that the FEW will work and others will become dependent for handouts. Am I sorry that you have been dealing without electricity and water; yes! But I’ll be damned if I’m going to provide for anyone that is capable of doing it themselves! We have lost sight of those in need and those that take advantage of the system and meshed them in to one group!! Bottom line quit crying and looking for a handout! Get off your ass and take care of your own family!

 

Bottom line-DON’T A PART OF PROBLEM, BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION!!”

 

Yes, according to Tim Boyd, any form of government is a socialist government. Okay, so Boyd despises socialism and thinks any form of government constitutes as socialist. Based on that, here’s a question: Why in the hell did he decide to get a job in government? Does that not then make him part of this alleged problem? Well, I suppose he did resign, so perhaps that was him being part of the solution. You can’t see it, but I’m rolling my eyes right now… Now that Boyd is no longer working for the government, it’s a wonder how long it will take for him to start asking it for, as he calls them, “handouts.” I’ll tell you one thing; if Tim Boyd really thinks clean water is a government handout, he should visit Flint, Michigan. Just sayin’.

 

Moving onto Boyd’s response-message to the backlash from the first, here it is in full:

 

“All, I have set back and watched all this escalating and have tried to keep my mouth shut! I won’t deny for one minute what I said in my post this morning. Believe me when I say that many of the things I said were taken out of context and some of which were said without putting much thought in to it. I would never want to hurt the elderly or anyone that is in true need of help to be left to fend for themselves. I was only making the statement that those folks that are too lazy to get up and fend for themselves but are capable should not be dealt a handout. I apologize for the wording and some of the phrases that were used! I had already turned in my resignation and had not signed up to run for mayor again on the deadline that was February 12^th! I spoke some of this out of the anger that the city and county was catching for situations which were out of their control. Please understand if I had to do it over again I would have just kept my words to myself and if I did say them I would have used better wording and been more descriptive.

 

The anger and harassment you have caused my wife and family is so undeserved…..my wife was laid off of her job based off the association people gave to her and the business she worked for. She’s a very good person and was only defending me! But her to have to get fired from her job over things I said out of context is horrible. I admit, there are things that are said all the time that I don’t agree with; but I would never harass you or your family to the point that they would lose there livelihood such as a form of income.

 

I ask that you each understand I never meant to speak for the city of Colorado City or Mitchell county! I was speaking as a citizen as I am NOT THE MAYOR anymore. I apologize for the wording and ask that you please not harass myself or my family anymore!

 

Threatening our lives with comments and messages is a horrible thing to have to wonder about. I won’t share any of those messages from those names as I feel they know who they are and hope after they see this they will retract the hateful things they have said!

 

Thank you

Tim Boyd(citizen)”

 

Okay, as I don’t know the full story pertaining to Boyd’s wife’s firing or the alleged threats made against the family, I won’t comment on them. I’ll just work with what the former Colorado City Mayor wrote here.

 

First off, it’s quite the accusation for Boyd to accuse others of taking him out of context with his first Facebook post. His entire message is there for the world to see. Did some people’s interpretations of his wording not match up with his intent? Possibly, but since he posted the full message on Facebook, for everyone to see, it’s hard for me to see much legitimacy in his taken-out-of-context complaint. You know, for a guy who seems to love bashing alleged “whiners,” he sure does whine a lot.

 

More importantly, Tim Boyd appears flummoxed on what all a job entails. Like any other job, a government official has responsibilities. When such an official fails to follow through with said responsibilities and the people suffer as a result, these responsibilities aren’t then magically transferred to the people. Also, if the cable stops working for a customer who’s paid their cable bill, them getting their cable back is not a government handout. Just because Tim Boyd and other Republican officials didn’t properly prepare for such a storm and failed in their response to it; that doesn’t suddenly place the onus on the people. The fact of the matter is Tim Boyd was part of the problem. If Texans want to be part of the solution, they’ll vote these failed Republican legislators out of office. Until then, everything will continue to be bigger in Texas – even outages.

 

That’s it for today’s episode. I’ll see you again next week. Until then, you can check me out on Podbean, Twitter, Amazon, and Blogger. This has been I Feel Snitty, with Craig Rozniecki. Take care.