IS IT TRUE? September 5, 2011

IS IT TRUE that we were pleased to express our great pleasure in yesterday’s edition of IS IT TRUE that there seems to finally be a wide recognition that Evansville looks pretty darn bad to outsiders?…that as our parents used to tell us “looks are not everything” when they were advising us not to fall for the Barbie Doll Bimbo or the Shallow Jock?…that looks are what makes most first impressions and it will be a positive step forward if and only if Evansville can do a bit of cosmetic surgery on the gateways to the city and pick up the litter?…that this kind of cleansing is really the minimum that is acceptable if Evansville is to ever develop any attractive force as a job magnet?

IS IT TRUE that most site selectors and businesses have already done a very rigorous amount of research before visiting an area?…that it is highly likely that these people are already aware of some of the problems that Evansville has that are well publicized like meth, suicide, dilapidated housing, and the looming $500 Million sewer repair?…that they already know about the performance of our school system, the new Ford Center, the crime rate, the problems that are being encountered in getting a downtown convention hotel, and the consolidation debate?…that how well the City of Evansville stacks up against other cities in a Google comparison is somewhere near the top of the list when it comes to getting that site selector or company executive to the airport in the first place?…that this is an area that is relatively inexpensive to cleanse and beautify and that it is in very serious need of some marketing help?

IS IT TRUE that cities like people look to a large extent as they are?…that If a person is obese, has ashen skin, rotting teeth, and smells bad these are symptoms of weakness and disease on the inside?…that cities that are ugly and have bad smells that are easily recognizable are really reflecting core problems?…that litter, graffiti, dilapidated housing, potholes in the roads, and foul smelling air are a city’s way of crying out for help?…that the skeleton and organs of cities are sewers, bandwidth, roads, utilities, and business friendly regulations. The blood of any economy is money? If there is a limited supply of money available and there is no heart to make it flow then this economy is much like an anemic person in need of a multiple bypass?…that dressing a corpse in its best clothing and applying makeup to the visible areas may improve the visual appearance for a few days but will not change the fact that it is a corpse that is in the casket?

IS IT TRUE that Evansville’s symptoms of civic sickness are easy for all to see?…that the “unattractive” attributes of this city are simply symptoms of insufficient infrastructure and a lack of capital?…that cleansing the gateways is a good and necessary first step but the real needs are on the inside of the patient called Evansville?…that the City County Observer does not think that Evansville is dead yet but upon examining the vital signs must conclude that Evansville needs much more than landscaping, litter removal, and four jetways to be a viable contender for real sustainable economic improvement from willful outside investment?…that unless the core of Evansville is healed that the people who litter our streets, graffiti our walls, pitch cigarette butts onto our public landscaping, and our government that tolerates squalor in our parks while building temples to sport will quickly destroy whatever cosmetic improvements that the good people of Evansville make?…that every good doctor knows that makeup does not cure cancer but that it may make the patient feel better about themselves which in some strange and little understood way does sometimes aid the healing process?…that the cleansing is a worthy process?

IS IT TRUE that what remains to be seen is whether the cleansing of the cities gateways and application of make-up are the work of an undertaker or the first improvements of a matchmaker preparing their client for that all important first real impression?…that all scientists are familiar with the terms “necessary” and “sufficient” when it comes to finding solutions to problems?…that cleansing the gateways and prettying Evansville up are some necessary conditions to be competitive but are not close to sufficient for Evansville to be a real player in the attraction, growth, incubation, or even technology transfer programs that other places do?