“IS IT TRUE” FEBRUARY 22, 2019

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We hope that today’s “IS IT TRUE” will provoke honest and open dialogue concerning issues that we, as responsible citizens of this community, need to address in a rational and responsible way?
IS IT TRUE we hope that one day soon that if our elected City Official would focus on correcting the major pothole problems currently looming over the City of Evansville and also ways to correct the poor maintenance issues at our city parks?  … its also time that our City Officials look for ways to make our Zoo and the Ford Center more profitable?
IS IT THAT we recently posted a comment about the City of Evansville “SMART WATER METER” project and received the following update from City councilman Dr. Dan Adams?  …Dr. Adam said; “When we started the AMI project we had targeted replacing approximately 47,000 meters out of ~63,000 meters, leaving ~16,000 meters to replace.  So with the AMI project, we replaced about 75% of EWSU meters.  The plan was to replace the remaining meters over about a 4 year period.  We have replaced about 8,000 meters and have 8,000 more to replace in 2019 and 2020.  The cost of replacing those meters is funded by our recent three-year IURC rate case.  The exact numbers may vary a bit but my numbers are directionally correct.”
IS IT TRUE during the campaign candidate Mike Braun publically stated that if elected he shall do the following things?  ..that United States Senate candidate Braun pledged if elected he will vote to enact strict term limits; pass a lifetime lobbying ban for members of Congress; eliminate the Congressional pension; make Congress follow the same laws as everyone else ?  …we look forward to the United States Senator Mike Braun to start keeping his campaign pledges?
IS IT TRUE we wonder when the Evansville DMD demolished the old streets and sidewalks located on North Main street and replaced them with new did they do extensive testing of that property to determine if they didn’t have a high level of heavy metals in the soil?
IS IT TRUE last year we reported that officials at Henderson Methodist Hospital and Deaconess Hospital were discussing issues of economic concerns? …we question if Deaconess Hospital had a strong interest in purchasing Henderson Methodist Hospital in the very near future? …that Henderson Methodist Hospital is the largest employer in Henderson County and has a major economic impact in the region?  …we still wonder if a deal between Henderson Methodist Hospital and Deaconess could be close at hand?
IS IT TRUE the solicitations by a public employee on behalf of a local political candidate during normal working hours could be a violation of the Hatch Act?

IS IT TRUE maybe the City Council would be more productive if they would look for ways to stop political pork barrel projects and political patronage hiring practices in city government?

IS IT TRUE that both St Vincents and Deaconess Hospitals are part of an important data gathering effort to learn more about Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome  (NAS)?   …that NAS is when a baby is born dependent on drugs (mostly opioids) due to mom’s substance abuse?  …the Commission on the Improvement of Children (CISC) has on its website a factual explanation of infant mortality, including an explanation of the survey our hospitals have volunteered to participate?  …attached is the link to the CISC for your review?

http://www.in.gov/children/files/cisc-2017-1108-pp.pdf

IS IT TRUE that one of more interesting blogger asks us to post this link of Congressional Pensions and Benefits for your review and comments?  …here is the link:
IS IT TRUE that no one would have guessed back when a small branch college was opened on Evansville’s west side called ISUE, that the day would ever come that working there would become a gateway to wealth?…that 7 out of the top 10 highly paid individuals on public payrolls are administrators and deans at the University of Southern Indiana?…even more shocking is that the list of 111 public employees being paid over $100,000 is full of USI administrators and staff?…that 29 of the top 50 are working for USI?…it may really take such big paychecks to attract college level talent but the real question is how are the students who spend their tuition dollars at USI doing?…the graduation rate at USI has been abysmal for years and while some graduates are finding local success, its alledged that some who graduated with high GPAs are waiting tables and struggling to pay off student loans?…paying teachers we’ll is a great thing if their efforts are truly raising the value of the local workforce and positively impacting young lives?…the performance of USI needs to be scrutinized quite closely to see if these big salaries are worth it?

Today’s “Readers Poll” question is: Do you feel its time for the City to focus on correcting the pothole problems?

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22 COMMENTS

  1. Fox News’ Chris Wallace Lectures Viewers Over Blaming Smollett Hoax On Liberals

    During an afternoon appearance on Fox News, longtime host Chris Wallace lectured the network’s conservative audience for using the apparent racial attack hoax by actor Jussie Smollett to smear liberals

    Speaking with The Daily Briefing host Dana Perino, who brought up the ongoing exposure of Smollett for fabricating an attack that was blamed on supporters of Donald Trump, with the president weighing in on it on Twitter, Wallace had a different take on the matter

    As Perino suggested “So this is all playing out in a way that might lead to a bigger discussion” Wallace failed to agree

    “Yeah. I gotta say I’m not very comfortable with that. I think the people that should be held responsible for these activities are the people who actually did them” Wallace replied

    Wallace referenced Trump supporter Cesar Sayoc, who was taken into custody for sending letter bombs to liberal lawmakers and media personalities, saying that was limited to a “single nut down in Florida”

    “Smollett doesn’t show anything about victimhood or liberal politics. When anybody on the right tries to draw lessons from a crime they make a mistake”

    “Jussie Smollett is the person who’s responsible here, not liberal politics”

    http://bit.ly/2GH2xwI

    NOTE: Even the upper echelons of Fox can see that the right-wing under Trump is simply peddling hypocritical hatred and bigotry when blaming liberals

    • I agree with my namesake Mike Wallace. The person to blame for what Jussie Smollett did is Jussie Smollett. He didn’t even do what he is accused of for political purposes. He used the toxic politics of today to draw attention to himself so he could get a raise. He seems to be a very smart manipulator and a good actor to boot. Of course he is accused of a crime and will have to pay the consequences. If Jussie did it then Jussie will pay the price.

      The “left” is not to be blamed for Jussie’s actions. If the accusations are true, Jussie played the left like a bass fiddle to get the spotlight. Two prominent presidential candidates and a busload of journalists took the bait and now they look like biased fools. They will pay the price too, it just won’t be a criminal case, it will be at the ballot box.

      • Thank you, Joe, and it is wonderful that you have joined a number of folks who have said what Jussie did is absolutely the fault of Jussie. While I think he hatched his scheme because of the current political climate, the blame still comes down on his head without equivocation

        Joe, you are a smart man that many of us locally respect for your observations and endeavors, and I cannot imagine you would disagree with the issue that it bothers the hell out of me that Trump jumped on Twitter to berate Jussie with:

        what about MAGA and the tens of millions of people you insulted with your racist and dangerous comments!? #MAGA

        Trump’s comment to Jussie on Twitter have many already fearing hate crime allegations against MAGA supporters will be dismissed. I concede that Jussie’s incident was as it appeared, but I also think (IMHO) that it shouldn’t negate the hate-fueled actions and threats that have been made by people who support the president. Lest we forget the terrifying Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville that resulted in the death of a woman, the severe beating of several black men, and/or the death of children in ICE custody

        It further bothers me greatly that a Coast Guard officer is being held without bond for domestic terror charges, and it has been more than 48 hours after news broke that he was allegedly plotting to kill Democratic politicians and journalists, and Trump or the White House have not said a word. Trump sent Tweets to and about Jussie, and he has sent Tweets in support for the Catholic high school student lawsuit against The Washington Post, but nothing about the threats from a military officer. I know it’s very difficult to draw a bright line between what comes out of the president’s mouth or his Twitter account and action from other individuals, but that doesn’t mean we should accept a normalization of this rhetoric

        Trump’s self-absorbed Tweet on Jussie was viewed by many as a way for the president to indefinitely ignore any claims that his supporters have committed racist crimes. Notice the folks who are already gloating about Jussie today. Trump, Hannity, Dobbs, and the majority of Fox are already ranting on this. They never cared, they just wanted a reason to claim we are all overreacting to the very real bigotry in the country that Trump has emboldened. That’s still true even if this single instance was not

        And folks should watch, and don’t underestimate the possibility that Trump refers to Jussie at his “rallies” and throughout campaigns because it fires up the aggrieved blood lust in his rally crowds

        Let’s not make the Jussie situation negate from the fact that Trump supporters have been violent and committed hate crimes. The MAGA crowd should not be doing victory laps and patting themselves on the back because of a hoax. People have still suffered because of Trump. It is always easy to “jump on the bandwagon” to try and curry favor, and that is exactly what many people did

        • Another Violent Leftist: Woman Arrested for Assaulting Man Over His MAGA Hat

          “Once again, we see that the only political violence being committed in the U.S. today comes from the left as a woman in Massachusetts has been charged with physically assaulting a man because she didn’t like his “Make American Great Again” hat.

          Like all leftists, Rosaine Santos, 41, decided to resort to violence because she doesn’t like someone’s politics.

          Santos was arrested after attacking a man at a Mexican restaurant because he was wearing a MAGA hat.”

          https://godfatherpolitics.com/another-violent-leftist-woman-arrested-for-assaulting-man-over-his-maga-hat/

          https://godfatherpolitics.com/another-violent-leftist-woman-arrested-for-assaulting-man-over-his-maga-hat/

          • Joey, Joey, Joey, what pharmaceuticals are you sampling? A link from this idiotic website, which is a link from “The Stupidest Man On The Internet” at Gateway, we should all drop what we are doing to read this…NOT

            Violence is never the answer, but the hypocrisy and BS that anybody wearing their KKK hood…I mean their MAGAt hat…and complaining about being picked on is too stupid for words

            When people quite logically connect the people who wear MAGA hats with the white supremacist ideology of Trump, this is considered painting with too broad a brush. The same Trump who egged on violence against Black protesters at his rallies, stereotyped Mexicans as rapists, referred to African and African-descended nations as “shithole countries,” referred to Senator Elizabeth Warren as “Pocahontas,” and for years has rattled off a near-endless litany of ad-libbed comments that place him squarely in the white nationalist camp, that is the Trump with which a person openly signals kinship when they put on that garish red hat in public

            How about Trump and the MAGAt crowd apologize for the deaths that have happened over the last two years because of MAGAt supporters? Or the spree of hatred and violence that continues DAILY because of the vile and reprehensible bigotry of Trump?

            Just like a red octagon warns us to stop, a yellow light tells us to be cautious, a skull and crossbones warn us of poison, a white swoosh authenticates Nike products and a siren lets us know the police are nearby, the MAGA hat was produced and marketed to represent all things Trump. Those things include racism, white supremacy, xenophobia, misogyny, sexual assault, Islamophobia, greed, lust, and bigotry, to name a few. Pretending the hat is “just a piece of clothing” or merely a political symbol of conservatism is intellectually dishonest and insulting

            When you couple the racist symbolism of the hat with the rise in hate crimes and viral posting of videos depicting bigoted Trump supporters accosting, harassing and attacking black people, it should be easy to see why the MAGA hat symbolizes a threat and makes a statement that the wearer embraces the ideals of a president who is hostile toward non-white people. All the president’s ideals are now sort of wrapped up in that one wearable symbol. No matter what one does, they have to understand that historically repressed communities or vulnerable communities now feel more under duress when they see those images

            So, let me say it again for those in the back, the MAGA hat is JUST LIKE the Klan hood. It represents anti-black racial animus, bigotry, violence and white supremacy. It absolutely matters that it is associated with a man who won the presidency by spewing racist rhetoric, trying to de-legitimize the nation’s first black president with a racist birther narrative and kicking off his campaign saying Mexicans were rapists.

            It matters that, after taking office, the same president defended white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia as “very fine people” and derided black women as “dogs” and “low IQ” while at the same time called African nations “s**t holes” and referred to Black athletes protesting injustice as “sons of bitches”

            You can neither divorce the context of Trump’s campaign nor his illegitimate presidency from what the MAGA hat epitomizes. Just as the horrors of chattel slavery are embodied in the Confederate flag and the swastika is emblematic of the brutality of the Holocaust, the MAGA hat suggests that the wearer agrees with the vile bigotry wrapped up in Trumpism

            If the people who wear the hat feel unfairly maligned, that’s just plain unfortunate for them. Maybe they should examine their politics and their own hearts

            In other words: If the hood fits, wear it

        • Thank you. Jussie, Trump, AOC and a herd of others are experts at driving attention to themselves through Twitter and making sensationalist statements that are based on nothing but their own delusions. All are manipulative and have learned how to game the media that doesn’t seem to check anything anymore. It is all disgusting. They are also each a conspiracy of one. None of this nonsense is good for the country.

  2. It is respectfully suggested that EVPL should consider taking reasonable steps to ensure that the adults that bring a child (supposedly age 11 and under) to the Drag Queen reading hour, have the legal right to bring the child to this “educational” event at the Library. If the adult is divorced with joint legal custody under Indiana Code 31-9-2-67 and the child is his or hers, the other parent should be in agreement for the child to attend this “educational” event. If the divorced adult does not have sole legal custody as set forth in their Decree or Court Order, the parent with legal custody can provide written permission for the child to attend this “educational” event. If an adult is taking a child that they have no legal custody rights over such as a child of a friend or relative, the parent with the legal custody should be in agreement for their child to attend this “educational” event, as best evidenced by written permission.

    • Good point. Also after reading the local paper’s story on the performer who will be reading to the children, a couple of other valid points were brought up in the comments. It seems the library has at least two fabrications surrounding this event. The public was apparently lied to on the story of how this event came to exist as well as the library suggesting that they would be picking out the books to be read. Both of these “facts” seem to be disputed by the Drag Queen “itself” in the article. I was also just a bit uncomfortable with this person describing it’s second personality.

      From WebMD – Dissociative identity disorder (previously known as multiple personality disorder) is thought to be a complex psychological condition that is likely caused by many factors, including severe trauma during early childhood (usually extreme, repetitive physical, sexual, or emotional abuse).

      • Really? From bouncing around on websites you are suddenly qualified to diagnose “multiple personality disorder” based on a few comments in an article? That is some exceptional psychoanalysis

        We understand you are homophobic and bigoted, and you need to find something to hold onto to support your “belief” system. However, find a typo or unclarified fact does not mean you are capable of parsing the issue, and unless you have MD behind your name, I doubt anyone wants to hear your cyberchondria

      • JPL, let’s call this what it is. Children’s introduction to Gender Bending 101, sponsored by the taxpayer funded library. I’m beginning to wonder if “Ronald Reagan” either works at the Library or will be a DQ performer.

    • Denny

      Respectfully (or maybe not) you are 100% wrong on this, and this is another thinly veiled method from the homophobic crowd locally to further meddle in the event

      Indiana places the incredible focus in every aspect of child custody on what would be in the child’s best interest. Under Indiana Code § 20-33-7-2 and the federal statute Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) both the custodial and noncustodial parent are entitled to review their child’s educational records and be involved in their education. And the mandatory Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines dictate that “A parent shall not interfere with the opportunity of the other parent to volunteer for or participate in a child’s activities”

      In terms of your “legal suggestions” you clearly have no idea what you are talking about, and meddling in child custody cases could have repercussions to you for custodial interference

      The IC that you threw out for “joint legal custody” means that the persons awarded joint custody will share authority and responsibility for the MAJOR DECISIONS concerning the child’s upbringing including the child’s education, health care, and religious training

      It is absolute rubbish that a parent who is exercising weekend visitation has to get permission to attend a book reading at a local library. Taking YOUR child to the library on a weekend would not achieve the “major decision” legal status, and it is ignorant to even suggest such

      The level of stupidity in this suggestion boggles the mind! This would require the EVPL to post a guard or officer to check marital status and custody for every parent attending an event

      Is there no end to what the bigots and hypocrites in this community will do to detract from a library function? Doing a Yahoo search for Indiana laws on custody does not mean you know what the hell you are reading

      So let me summarize: There is ZERO case law, ZERO legal framework, and ZERO common sense for this. It is simply another harebrained suggestion from someone who has no understanding of the family law that surrounds custody

      • “Ronald Reagan”, you are delusional if you really believe the idea that taking small and impressionable children to Drag Queen story hour at the library is not a major or important decision. Sure, you like it and support it and if you had legal custody of your children, no one could stop you from taking them. For you it would be like your ex taking the kids to a Trump rally without your permission. But, not everyone is like you. Not everyone is pro-Drag Queens mixing with their kids, and if they were divorced or never married, their ex without legal custody should not take their kids without full agreement. It’s really not hard to understand, if a logical thought process is used.

    • I liked the interview that Noah Stubbs did with the performer and I am happy that it is actually a local volunteer. I still disagree with the library using its resources to help promote the event, but the flyers and other promotional items probably didn’t cost that much. I will also redact my earlier comment on the Public Education Foundation. I hope that the event goes off without adding any stress or trauma to the lives of the children due to petty adult bickering and we can put the whole thing behind us. Good luck all.

    • Denny and JPL, good points indeed. Hopefully the Library contacted there insurance company and got this unusual event approved for coverage. The Drag event would seem outside the scope for coverage for usual library activity, especially since the Library itself appears the Drag event promoter. This is nothing like a community organization meeting in a library room.

  3. Both St. Vincent and Deaconess Hospitals stopped allowing Remicade infusions for those patients whose lives have been saved by the treatments. They did this without informing patients or referring gastros. Someone will have to die and lawsuits will follow for this arbitrary decision being made solely on money by both. Sad, dangerous, and ludicrous decision. And what is also soon to be extremely costly for both.

    • Can you advise further? I have contacts at the Indiana Department of Health (who oversee hospitals) but I need more in order to send this to them. What were the Remicade infusions diagnosed for, and what was the reason that both facilities stopped providing them. If you give me some more info I would be glad to check on this. I hope I can help

  4. California: Three-Time Deported Illegal Alien Accused of Trying to Kill Officer

    A suspect killed by a Napa County, California police officer after attempting to shoot and kill the officer was an illegal alien living in the United States who had previously been deported three times.

    On February 17, illegal alien Javier Hernandez-Morales opened fire on Napa County Undersheriff Jon Crawford after she asked the man to roll down his window, as body cam footage reveals. Upon opening fire on the officer, the illegal alien was shot and killed by Crawford.

    The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency confirmed to local media on Thursday that Hernandez-Morales was, in fact, an illegal alien who has been previously deported three times — twice in 2007 and once in 2010….

    “This is an impactful, scary example of how public safety is affected by laws or policies limiting local law enforcement agencies’ ability to cooperate with ICE,” the ICE statement said.

    The shooting comes nearly two months after 33-year-old Newman, California, police officer Ronil Singh was gunned down during a traffic stop and allegedly killed by 32-year-old illegal alien Gustavo Perez Arriaga.

    Last year, alone, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency arrested nearly 2,000 convicted and suspected illegal alien killers, leaving behind countless American and legal immigrant victims.

    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/02/21/california-three-time-deported-illegal-alien-accused-of-trying-to-kill-officer/

    • Joe, Joe, Joe…

      Yes, an officer being shot is horrible. However, your constant diatribes and demonization of immigrants is just further examples of bigotry, racism, and hypocrisy. Your allegations are fake and false and just more right-wing blog pablum

      From Oxford Criminology and Criminal Justice:

      In the context of crime, victimization, and immigration in the United States, research shows that people are afraid of immigrants because they think immigrants are a threat to their safety and engage in many violent and property crimes

      However, quantitative research has consistently shown that being foreign born is NEGATIVELY associated with crime overall and is NOT significantly associated with committing either violent or property crime

      If an undocumented immigrant is arrested for a criminal offense, it tends to be for a misdemeanor, and researchers suggest that undocumented immigrants may be less likely to engage in serious criminal offending behavior because they seek to earn money and not to draw attention to themselves

      A recent 2013 study considered whether increased immigration in the city had an impact on serious property crime in Austin, Texas. Using Austin city tract-level analysis and the city police department’s crime records from 2004 to 2006, they found no relationship between new immigration and serious property crime rates. They outlined that the new arrivals might have revitalized neighborhoods by causing a bottom-up growth among Mexican immigrant commercial enterprises in the city. Thus, an increase in immigrants in the city’s tracts where high concentrations of new arrivals lived DID NOT INCREASE THE CRIMES of burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft

      A 2014 study analyzed the relationship between crime and immigration between 2000 and 2010 using Uniform Crime Report data. They found that although U.S. cities experienced an increase in their populations during the 10-year period, there was a decrease in the overall crime rate and a reduction in both in violent and property crime. Their research was similar to the Texas 2013 study that showed crime was not associated with cities that had large immigration populations, regardless of whether there were long-established immigrant communities in the city, or if there were large foreign-born immigrant settlements formed within the previous 5 years

      ANother recent study analyzed the relationship between homicide and immigration in San Diego during periods of major increases in the foreign-born population over 20 years (1980–2000). They wanted to test the “immigrant paradox” that despite social disorganization theory’s prediction that people living in socially disorganized neighborhoods will have higher crime rates, communities with large immigrant populations have lower levels of crime. The study results were that immigrants exhibit strong social controls (education and mental health attributes) and rejuvenate neighborhoods that had been previously considered to be high-crime inner-city communities

      Finally, a 2014 research project looked at the relationship between homicides and immigration. They analyzed Uniform Crime Report data from 156 cities for four specific years and covering four decades (1980, 1990, 2000, and 2010). To determine if various subtypes of homicide were related to immigration status, they distinguished among homicide offenses committed due to an argument, drug-related offenses, and gang-related offenses. They researched if certain subtypes of homicide would be associated with immigration status, like cities with a percentage of foreign-born and Hispanic residents. They found that cities with increases in recent immigrants have the lowest rates of homicide, and also found that cities with above-average immigration populations also experienced sharp decreases in all subtypes of homicide

      The United States focusing on border security may be misplacing efforts during global crises that result in forced migrations. Poverty and war, among other social conditions that would “encourage” a person to leave their homeland in search of a better life, should be addressed by governments when enforcing immigration laws and policy

      The perception that “all” undocumented immigrants have nefariously crossed the border is not accurate. Despite the research findings on crime and immigration, the public mistakenly believes immigrants to be dangerous criminals. Researchers in the United States have shown, with peer-reviewed data from statistically proven sources, that the urban crime problem is NOT generated by immigrants, legal or undocumented, and that immigrants are NOT increasing crime rates

      bit.ly/JoeDoesNotKnow

  5. Democrat lawmakers seek probe of ICE force-feeding of immigrants

    Nearly 50 Democratic lawmakers called for a watchdog investigation of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday after the agency confirmed it had been force-feeding immigrant detainees on a hunger strike.

    Reporting by The Associated Press revealed late last month that nine Indian men who were refusing food at a Texas detention facility were being force-fed through nasal tubes against their will….

    https://www.lmtonline.com/news/texas/article/Lawmakers-seek-probe-of-ICE-force-feeding-of-13628667.php

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