IS IT TRUE December 3, 2012
IS IT TRUE the deadline to submit a plan to the EPA to correct the problems associated with Combined Sewer Overflows has now lapsed after two years without being completed?…two City of Evansville Administrations namely the Weinzapfel Administration and the Winnecke Administration twiddled their thumbs for two full years and did not respond with even a plan for review?…Mayor Winnecke may well have been hosed by Mayor Weinzapfel if he took office 13 months into the planning period with not a darn thing even started?…the first action taken was to float a trial balloon to half-do the job and put the other half off for 20 years?…it is widely believed that brilliant can kicking idea has or will soon be rejected by the EPA?…the latest act of desperation is to ask for another six months to finalize a plan for submittal?…in this case finalize is just a local government code word that really means to stop twiddling their thumbs and actually start putting thoughts on paper?…this whole two year episode without so much as a plan that could be rejected is just one more exclamation point on the ineptness, incompetence, and utter laziness of the government of the City of Evansville?
IS IT TRUE that today’s New York Times has an article in which the subsidies and incentives offered by state and local governments to businesses are analyzed?…the concentration of this particular article is Texas but the incentives offered and the consequence of doing so apply to any place including Evansville, Indiana that plays the “nick-nack-paddy-whack-toss-a-boss-a-bone†game in which taxes are forgiven or checks are written in return for the promise to create jobs?…Texas hands out incentives of roughly $19 Billion per year and has earned the distinction of being the biggest job creator in the 50 states?…the article really is about examining whether the gain is worth the pain when it comes to buying jobs with taxpayer dollars?…two of the other things that Texas is among the top in is low wage earners and people in poverty?…on the other side of that coin Facebook, Apple, and eBay have all expanded in Texas as opposed to their headquarters state of California that basically offers no incentives relying on a high tech workforce and great weather to keep companies within the borders?…this is an interesting read especially in a town like Evansville that has handed out incentives to call centers and other low wage operations that would probably have been here anyway?…here is a link to the full article on the granting of incentives?
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/03/us/winners-and-losers-in-texas.html?hp
IS IT TRUE the State of Indiana is starting to think a little bit about the legalization of marijuana and what such a thing means to the legal system and lifestyle of the state?…this got rolling last week when State police Superintendent Paul Whitesell said marijuana was “going to stay” and that if he could he would legalize and tax it?…local officials like Vanderburgh County Sheriff Eric Williams have dismissed this possibility and has even been quoted as thinking legalization of cannabis is about “Giving Upâ€?…there are several states that have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes and even a few that have given the green light to recreational use?…the states like California that went with prescription based medicinal use have not seen any increase in drug problems or crime as a result of the actions taken more than 10 years ago?…the “dispensaries†are not hang outs for dead beats as plasma centers are all across the country?…the impact on day to day life for a person who chooses not to partake is essentially zero?…the one mistake that California made is to forego taxing that which is called medicine?…if marijuana is to be legalized then at least one would think the local taxing authorities should collect something on each transaction?…the two most recent states (Colorado and Washington) allow casual use and have set themselves up very well for “weed tourismâ€?…for those who laugh at the prospect of “weed weekends†or “vacations with Mary Janeâ€, the economic impacts have staggering potential?…local authorities are touting ball fields, dog parks, and skateboards as a economic development tool of value?…that one wonders just how much money the “head shop on the Ohio†with a temporary license much like is done for fishing could bring to town?…sometimes losing battles are not worth fighting forever?…the money and manpower spent on the fight against marijuana could then go toward fighting real threats like meth, crack, and heroin all of which are already flourishing in greater Evansville?
The assertion that Mayor Winnecke may have been “hosed” on the sewer planning is just not entirely accurate. This guy has had plenty of time to plan a dog park, yet he hasn’t managed to get started on something of this level of importance. It helps nothing and no one to excuse him because the lazy f$%^#$ before him didn’t get it started.
Real men roll up their sleeves and get a job done. They don’t sit around bitching and pointing fingers at the failures of others to cover their own.
Let me put it another way… If he’s had time to make chicken fat dance party videos and scour neighborhoods looking for loose paper to pick up, he’s had time to get started on this.
He reminds me of the college student who spent the last week drinking instead of studying and now that it’s time for the actual test, he’s ready to blame the dog, his grandmother’s fake death, or call in a bomb threat.
Is it possible that Evansville’s sewage discharge into Pigeon Creek and the Ohio River is a problem that is so gargantuan that there will never be enough money to completely eliminate the illicit discharge? That to accomplish 100% elimination of illicit discharge requires such extensive retrofitting of Evansville’s sewer infrastructure that user rates would soar to such heights that liens for payment would take half the homes in this town, and business would avoid Evansville as if it were Sodom and Gomorrah?
Is it possible that rather than submitting a plan to totally eliminate the illicit discharge and begin imposing totally rediculous user rates, the more economically effective course of action is to formulate and submit a plan to EPA that limits the illicit discharge to a level that the EPA will declare acceptable? Say 70% or 80% of the current illicit discharge rate, rather than 100% elimination?
Is it possible that the water and sewer board, and their engineers and consultants are taking steps to negotiate a more economical plan with EPA, and that such negotiations take time? That the CCO, the City Council, and others should all think and act like promoters of economic development as well as supporters and fellow stakeholders in home ownership and business ventures in our community? And that for CCO writers, bloggers, readers, and supporters to pressure for submission of a plan to quickly may be capricious and reckless, and may unduly cause economic harm to homeowners, businesses, workers, and rate paying citizens of Evansville?
And it is true that the sewer rates only can be increased for work already under contract or accomplished, not on work proposed by an unfinished, unsubmitted plan. So surely it’s true that it pays to take measured and cautious steps towards a plan that will not result in unnecessarily crushing rate hikes.
Agreed. All solid points. So let’s start down this more cautious, less capricious road with a few more eyes toward fiscal prudence and austerity, rather than new sports stadiums and dog parks, and while we’re at it, let’s also perhaps get the books balanced.
Agreed?
I don’t see anything wrong with dog parks so long as they are small enough and located strategically enough to be fully utilized. I understand there already is a dog park somewhere in town. Maybe the Animal Control Board can run a survey to determine if it’s being used to its potential before investing in another dog park. Agreed?
Books balanced? Yep, that’s the law. Get it done. Agreed!
Sports stadium before sewers? Whether we agree on that or not is moot. It’s history. Move forward. Agreed?
Spending $10 million plus on tearing down a surplus structure (that has not been torn down yet) to build a sizable dog park that has not been built yet? It’s in the future. Agreed?
Also, as long as we’re on the subject of businesses locating in Evansville, Indiana, let’s agree that having such an unresolved, impending financial burden lingering over all our heads while the City leaders appear both oblivious and inactive is probably the LEAST attractive thing imaginable for prospective businesses.
Agreed?
Yes, it’s unresolved at this time, much like it is with any older city located on a river, and under the same federal mandate. But I’m not sure the city leaders are exactly oblivious and inactive. Rather they are painted that way to some extent unfairly by persons who, in their rush to judgment, have not made themselves fully aware of the facts.
And surely any business person prospecting for a location in Evansville should be diligent enough to approach the right people from whom to get the full story.
Agreed?
I concede you are probably correct our leaders aren’t oblivious or inactive, but have an appearance of being so. You must also concede there is a possibility that by condoning their current approach of failing to plan that they are, as the CCO editor often puts it, “planning to fail”. Agreed?
As for a business talking to appropriate people before locating here, I’m sure any business worth its stock price will do just that, and will likely conclude that not only is Evansville a gamble, but so is the United States as a whole at this juncture. Agreed?
Why aren’t these “right people” keeping the public informed of their plans? If they are truly being diligent and trying to save the residents money rather thank kicking the can down the road it’d be nice to know that. All we can complain about is what we know and see. It’s easy to think the worst when deals are made behind closed doors, bad loans are made in the name of job creation, incompetent developers are chosen, overpriced parking lots are purchased and given away, arenas are built in the wrong location and incorrectly sized, buildings are town down to make room for a freaking dog and skate park, etc… Likewise, we can’t give credit for someone possibly doing something good or fiscally correct if we know nothing about it.
I think you may attend the water and sewer utility board meetings. Then you’d avail yourself of the oppotunity to complain regarding something you’re informed about. Right?
Mr. Jeffers, I think you have read enough posts by me to know I believe in accurately calibrated and informed criticisms. I am not prone to knee jerk reactions. I don’t feel like I’m wildly firing into the air here. The crux of my critique lies in the continuation of the philosophy that local government should be in the business of spending money it doesn’t have or has to take from profitable businesses to complete projects that have little measurable benefit, all while imposing liabilities loom in the not-too-distant future. Despite what MIGHT be occurring in closed door negotiations, the appearance is of nothing being planned to avert a Greek-like fiscal disaster.
The 1:22 comment was directed at BigPappa, but there was no reply button available, so I had to go down the same margin.
In that case, mea culpa.
So the difference between 80%, and 100% (your figures), represents the difference between “Sodom and Gomorrah” and economically feasible rate increases? Come on. Have grant or low interest loan applications been filed? Have plans been developed showing a 10-20 year implementations, based on current overflow rates by trunk, projected growth areas, rainfall runoff and sanitary discharge rates (ie “bang for buck”),… and with funding/rates, been developed? Has the stadium been paid for yet?
I am guessing that the current admin is trying to figure out how to float any kind of reasonable plan, with proposed FEASIBLE funding while carrying the Jon across the street, and not get laughed out of the courtroom by the EPA.
To capture that last 20% before it spills over the CSOs may require an inordinate expense. The closer you get to the river, downtown, the more expensive the fix gets. Get it?
Marijuana should absolutely be legalized. Anyone saying otherwise makes their living in the prison industrial complex or is just ill-informed about the actual risks and effects associated with use its use.
Prohibition didn’t work for alcohol and it hasn’t worked for weed, anything else. In fact, every study ever done on the subject concludes that prohibition merely transplants control of the trade of the banned substance from legitimate, taxpaying sources, to black market, often violent, ones.
Let’s put this into perspective… As a society we are saying thus: “In America, you are not free. You cannot make a personal choice about what substances you put into your body. We, the State, will make that choice for you, and in an effort to prevent you from the effects of laziness and the munchies will lock you up behind bars, ensuring you become the burden upon society we feared you would be become if we’d left you alone.”
Need I even say it? Madness. Eric Williams has proven once again why he is just another backward-facing, thoughtless, spineless hack who deserves to see his political career ended before it proceeds further.
Agreed! Well said and as usual directly on target!
There does need be a way to determine a level at which it is safe to drive. I don’t think anyone can argue that Marijuna does not alter your senses.
Will, that’s a point well taken, but it’s also a bit of a red herring…
There are already people on the road under the influence of marijuana. Prohibition has not changed that. Short of a police state, Naziesque approach with checkpoints at every street corner and technological sensors in automobiles that disallow starting a car’s engine without a blood test, there is NEVER going to be 100% certainty the guy on the road next to you isn’t half baked on 100 different substances, including LEGAL ones.
No one is arguing for the right to jeopardize other people with their bad habits, we are just saying in America, people should have the right to their bad habits when they are hurting or jeopardizing no one but themselves.
I agree, it’s just a slippery slope that needs to be watched closely. I also agree that there are people driving on the road today that are “overdosed” on persciption meds, legally mind you. I agree that Americans have the right to cause harm themselves if they want, I just dont want to “green light” more people driving under the influence, that’s all.
I think if marijuana were legalized, you’d actually see LESS road fatalities as a result of intoxication. Instead of choosing alcohol, which is by far more dangerous and incapacitating at its worst, many would choose to seek their kicks from legal pot instead. Marijuana is a drug that causes the user to want to relax, not go bar hopping.
A 1993 US Department of Transportation study actual concluded thusly:
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION
DOT HS 808 078 NOVEMBER 1993
MARIJUANA AND ACTUAL DRIVING PERFORMANCE
CONCLUSIONS
The major conclusions from the present program are summarized as follows:
* Current users of marijuana prefer THC doses of about 300 ug/kg to achieve their desired “high”.
* It is possible to safely study the effects of marijuana on driving on highways or city streets in the presence of other traffic.
* Marijuana smoking impairs fundamental road tracking ability with the degree if impairment increasing as a function of the consumed THC dose.
* Marijuana smoking which delivers THC up to a 300 ug/kg dose slightly impairs the ability to maintain a constant headway while following another car.
* A low THC dose (100 ug/kg) does not impair driving ability in urban traffic to the same extent as a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.04g%.
* Drivers under the influence of marijuana tend to over-estimate the adverse effects of the drug on their driving quality and compensate when they can; e.g. by increasing effort to accomplish the task, increasing headway or slowing down, or a combination of these.
* Drivers under the influence of alcohol tend to under-estimate the adverse effects of the drug on their driving quality and do not invest compensatory effort.
* The maximum road tracking impairment after the highest THC dose (300 ug/kg) was within a range of effects produced by many commonly used medicinal drugs and less than that associated with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08g% in previous studies employing the same test.
* It is not possible to conclude anything about a driver’s impairment on the basis of his/her plasma concentrations of THC and THC-COOH determined in a single sample.
Link to the USDOT study cited above: http://druglibrary.org/schaffer/misc/driving/driving.htm
Another European study on marijuana and driving found that many of its subjects’ driving performance actually IMPROVED, perhaps, they speculated, due to “overcompensation and possibly the sedative effect of the drug”.
http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/4414573/reload=0;jsessionid=5070MVxJjCg7pkpJSpJN.0
It quite reminds me of the classic Bill Hicks skit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZqYV9KKOZQ
The truth of the matter is this – the public has been summarily exposed to a propaganda campaign against marijuana for decades and the possible reason behind this has more to do with the CIA’s secret profiteering off of illicit, multi-billion dollar trade than any actual detrimental effects on society. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but the facts are on my side here.
This exactly why the Mayors high school class mates called him “Tippy Toes”.
He is a sissy without backbone.
Next time the Mayor comes into my civic center office, I shall pay more attention to how he walks.
Tippy Toes, the guy who talked like he smoked 5 packs a day, and Rumplebeancounter. That’s some fine people that Evansville has elected Mayor in the past 12 years.
Tippy Toes explains the Mayor McClintock thing though…
Brad, while I don’t know about less fatalities, because not everyone that drinks will decide to but down the bottle and smoke weed, you make some very valid points with facts to back it up.
Will, I have another comment awaiting moderation, which includes the following exerpt…
Another European study on marijuana and driving found that many of its subjects’ driving performance actually IMPROVED, perhaps, they speculated, due to “overcompensation and possibly the sedative effect of the drugâ€.
http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/4414573/reload=0;jsessionid=5070MVxJjCg7pkpJSpJN.0
Very interesting facts.. I must admit, I never looked at any studies, just a knee jerk gut thought.
From what I could read of that article, it doesnt seem definitive enough to make a judgement for me…But I will keep researching before making a final judgement.
If you’re serious about learning the facts, read the entire USDOT study from 1993. While marijuana is a sedative and an impairment to drivers, with its degree of impairment depending on dosage and individual reactions, on the whole it represents a far lesser threat than driving under the influence of alcohol, mainly due to the fact that marijuana users perceive their impairment to be greater than it actually is, and compensate their driving accordingly, while alcohol users do not perceive their impairment and tend NOT to compensate. That is not some stoner folk tale. That is the United States Department of Transportation’s own conclusion on the matter.
This is not meant to be an endorsement of driving while high on pot, it’s merely meant to show that marijuana smoking poses a far lesser degree of danger than alcohol consumption in just about every way imaginable, including driving risks.
Our Sheriff Williams undoubtedly knows all the facts, but chooses to proliferate the same misinformation that’s been proliferated for decades out of political expedience.
Brad…..
“Our Sheriff Williams undoubtedly knows all the facts, but chooses to proliferate the same misinformation that’s been proliferated for decades out of political expedience.”
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You may be giving Mr Williams too much credit, I mean no disrespect to him or his department but law enforcement officers are sometime not as well versed in the law they are enforcing as lets say a lawyer. LEOs are notorious for making up laws or portions of laws, or applying the wrong set of circumstances to a law.
And then we do have the political aspect of the elected job of sheriff…..and other political aspirations.
JMHO
Back in the 80s I heard the same excuse for not fixing the sewers. that the cost would be more than the rate payers could afford. But it seems to me if we had started then it would have been done now. We have made no effort to fix this problem that we have known about for decades. Or to even START to fix the problem.
As for Mr. Williams and marijuana. It is always hard to convince a man of a fact when his livelihood depends on not believing it.
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