IS IT TRUE April 13, 2012
IS IT TRUE that there are a couple of old sayings that are very appropriate in the activity that Evansville officials just learned the word VETTING to describe last year?…that since that time they do seem to know the word but have not yet even approached mastering the practice?…that “you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink†and “you can send a kid to college but you cannot make him think†are the two old sayings that are particularly telling in what is hopefully a metamorphosis if Evansville officials from going from a town that never heard of VETTING to a town that may someday figure out how to put it into practice?
IS IT TRUE that not supposedly not a dime has changed hands yet as a result of the over $51 Million contract that the Weinzapfel Administration shoved through last December with Johnson Controls?…that right now is an excellent time for the Winnecke Administration to step back and do some VETTING on what the cost/benefit analysis for this project really is?…that other towns have done such projects and some report success and others report disappointment?…that one of the claims of the benefits from the project is that it will bring Evansville from 368th out of 370 in internet capability all the way into the top 90?…that this is claimed to be achieved without competing with or displacing the current services that have earned us the distinction of 368th out of 370?…that this claim makes about as much sense as an owner of the slowest horse in the upcoming Kentucky Derby claiming to increase his farms probability of winning the Derby by entering a Shetland Pony as a field horse to shore up his entry?…that if one is not capable of competing with #368 then one is certainly not top 90 material?…that there are many other questionable and unverifiable claims made by advocates of the water bill raising Johnson Controls deal and they all need to be thoroughly VETTED in a public hearing?
IS IT TRUE that North Korea bulled right ahead yesterday in trying to test a long range ballistic missile?…that reports from space and from reporters on the ground say that the launch failed after about 90 seconds?…that missiles are pressure vessels that require precise engineering, exotic materials, exemplary couplings and seals, and above all very good program management?…that this was just the last in a series of tests by the North Koreans but eventually if they have the materials, the skills, and the diligence they will eventually get one of these things to work?…that the North Koreans seem to understand the value of doing real world testing but just don’t have the right combination of expertise to successfully make a long range missile happen yet? GOOD!
IS IT TRUE that the first salvos of mud in the campaign for President of the United States were thrown at of all people Mrs. Mitt Romney?…that the paid political advisor that threw that salvo claiming that a stay at home mother of five “had never worked a day in her life†was quick to apologize and was marginalized by her own bosses for her gaffe?…that any person of either party or either gender who thinks that being a full time mother constitutes “never having worked a day in their life and being out of touch with economic realityâ€, IS AN IDIOT?…that anyone who sanctions such words IS ALSO AN IDIOT?…that we are sure that those words did not just fall out of Hillary Rosen’s mouth?…that was a trial balloon from the Obama Campaign that had the same success as the North Korean missile launched on the same day?
With the first bit of mud being thrown this is a good time for us all to remind ourselves of our duties as good citizens to ignore the mud and slander that is cast by either political party so that we may stay focused on the issues and the abilities of each candidate to lead our country in a positive direction for the next four years. We need objective, non-emotional debate between citizens to decide what defines “positive direction.” We need to remind the candidates whom they work for and whom they answer to regardless of which letter follows their name. We do this by our votes and with our responses to their actions (both negative and positive). We cannot keep our country from tyrants if we allow the candidate with the most yard signs, the most money, who’s willing to trade our country’s assets for votes, or who slings the most mud to earn our vote. I ask myself, and you my neighbor and equal citizen, to ignore any slanderous mud and negative campaigns and remain focused on the real issues and true abilities of each candidate, both in this presidential election on down to our local elections.
Let us get one thing straight. My party’s ads are factual. It is the other Party that slings the mud.
I don’t get what makes us 368th out of 370. What specifically are we missing?
The ranking was for the region. There are rural areas around here that have dial up internet or none at all. That would contribute to the low ranking. Also the bandwidth available is low compared to many places. When are offered 20 Mbs service many other places are offered 50Mbs. 368th of 370 does not mean the service is terrible. What it means is that there are 367 other metro areas that are faster, broader, and better than Greater Evansville when it comes to internet. We are like the excellent high school runner who got dropped into the Olympic trials and comes in last.
I understand your point about availability in rurual areas, but Insight offers 10, 20, 30, and 50 Mbs service. Of course the price goes up with each increase in bandwidth. Is the cost not comparable to what it is in other areas just like Vectren’s electricity?
I do not know about the cost in other areas except for where I live in Southern California. Both the electricity bills and the internet access fees are about half of what they were in Newburgh. I had 20Mbs service in Newburgh and the same here. It is fast enough for me. The ranking came from a study that Greg Wathen’s group had done. If you like you can probably go to the website of The Southwest Indiana Coalition for Economic Development and download the study. I read it last year when it came out. It is important to note that this ranking is how we stack up relative to other metro areas and may not necessarily be bad.
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