IS IT TRUE? December 19, 2011

IS IT TRUE that Habitat for Humanity is celebrating the fact that they have now put the finishing touches on their 400th house in Evansville?…that this accomplishment punctuates 400 stories of people who have worked hard putting sweat equity into a home of their own?…that each of the 400 Habitat for Humanity home represents a big win for one individual or family who found a path to the American dream of home ownership through Habitat for Humanity?…that it would be nice to report that such programs has as positive of an effect on a community as they do on the individuals who are selected to benefit personally?

IS IT TRUE that while Habitat for Humanity has completed what sounds like a very large number of homes in a town the size of Evansville yet according to Tom Barnett, the Director of Metropolitan Development there are still 10,000 abandoned homes 8,000 of which need over $100,000 each to be made habitable?…that if Habitat for Humanity were planning to solve the problem of abandoned or uninhabitable in Evansville that they would now be 4% completed after 20+ years of efforts?…that according to the US Census there about 3,000 more abandoned homes in Evansville than there were 10 years ago?…that those who are naïve enough to think that 17, 42, or even 100 Front Door Pride homes are going to have a far reaching effect on the community need to examine the big picture impact of Habitat for Humanity?…that programs like Habitat and FDP do indeed create personal successes for the few at the expense of the many, there are very few cases where such programs have been truly transformational in the big picture of community?

IS IT TRUE that the CCO has heard talk of a real project that is considering incorporating the McCurdy Hotel, the River House, and the adjacent property to put together a high quality privately financed lodging complex that will be named McCurdy Place?…that at least this does not have the name Center, Central, or Centre proposed for it?…that we hope there will be more news soon on this innovative alternative to the downtown Evansville monopoly game of buying hotels and condos with government money?…that the Evansville Redevelopment Commission has the McCurdy on tomorrow’s agenda?

IS IT TRUE that the leading economic indicators for kicking of a campaign for President of the United States are at the most negative points ever since the end of WWII when an incumbent president was on the ballot?…that the present “official” unemployment rate of 8.6% is 20% higher than the previous high for a winning incumbent (Reagan) of 7.2%?…that Presidents Bush I, Carter, and Ford were all defeated with unemployment rates in the mid 7% range?…that the current change in household net worth from the previous year is negative 1.7%?…that there has never even been an election since WWII where this indicator was negative?…that the change in after tax income per person is currently Negative 0.8%?…that this metric has also never been negative since WWII?…that taking the big picture metric of GDP change from a year earlier that the current number is an anemic 1.5% which is the second lowest since WWII?…that only President Carter in 1980 ran with a lower GDP change of NEGATIVE 0.1%?…that given the record setting overall lowest rankings for economic indicators if people truly vote with their pockets it would appear that President Barack Obama is heading for the speaking circuit and book tours in 2013?…that this guy would not bet against a second presidency for President Obama in spite of the state of the economy?…that the reason is that the non-working and non-tax-paying class seems to have improved their lot during the last 4 years and their numbers are large enough to determine the next election?