IS IT TRUE FEBRUARY 26,2019

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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 been told that the City Of Evansville may be $1,700,000 behind in paying their medical insurance bills for their employees?

IS IT TRUE we been told that the Water And Sewer Utitilites Board may be considering renegotiating established bonds that have lower interest rates?  …they are now considering giving up the more favorable rates for higher interested rates?  …if this happens this is like the man who finally figures out that his income cannot support his current debt payment burden and goes out and refinances his mortgage giving up a 3% for a longer term mortgage which jacks to the rate to 5% extending his obligation from 20 years to 35 years?

IS IT TRUE we been told that the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility paid almost $700,00 to Vanderburgh County to build a new lift station on Creamery Road?

IS IT TRUE we been saying for a long time that the ratepayers of the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility should start paying special attention to the spending practices of this rogue governmental entity?

IS IT TRUE at the rate things are going you might be able to purchase a gallon of “Jack Daniel” whiskey cheaper than you can purchase a gallon of water from the Evansville Water and Sewer Utilities Department?

IS IT TRUE the Vanderburgh County Commissioners will hold a meeting with their appointees to various boards on Thursday, February 28, 2019, at 11:30 a.m. in the Blue and Gold Room of Old National Bank Headquarters located at 1 Main Street, Evansville, Indiana.  The public is welcome to attend?  …we commend County Commissioners Musgrave, Shoulders and Hatfield for thinking outside the box by seeking input from the people they appoint to serve on important boards in Vanderburgh County?

IS IT TRUE the Republicans controlled Legislature recently rejected a proposal authored by Representative Ryan Hatfield (D-Evansville) that would have funded a pedestrian bridge over U.S. Highway 41 in Evansville near Benjamin Bosse High School?  …Mr. Hatfield said that “Children in Evansville have to cross Highway 41 to get to school every day?  …that he also said: “Students should not have to risk their safety in order to attend school.”   “We have a pedestrian bridge for nearly every other high school in town and it is time we protect Bosse students too.”  …we feel this entire situation goes beyond reason?  …we urge our readers to contact your local State lawmakers to request them to sign on as sponsors of Mr. Hatfield’s pedestrian bridge for Bosse High School students proposal? …all the State official has to do to find the money for this project is to dip into their political pork barrel projects funds?

IS IT TRUE we been told that the mission and purpose of the Public Education Foundation are to fund projects and programs in our local public school system, specifically EVSC schools (both public and charter).”  …their mission is to inspire and cultivate innovative education for all students while realizing a vision that students will be educated, engaged, and ready to meet the challenges of the world.”  …the grant PEF dollars fund classroom projects within EVSC schools for its students and teachers and never provided a grant to the Evansville/ Vanderburgh Public Library for any purpose?”

IS IT TRUE that the future success of the Democratic Party of Vanderburgh County is in the hands of Party Chairman Scott Danks, Sheriff Dave Wedding, County Commissioners Ben Shoulders and Jeff Hatfield, and State Representative Ryan Hatfield?  …that this core group could actually resurrect their party?

IS IT TRUE  we have been told if the Vanderburgh County Democratic party fails to field a Mayoral candidate it will be the first time in the history of the Vanderburgh County Democratic Party that this has happened?

IS IT TRUE we have been told when local GOP party Chairman Wayne Parke took an At-Large City Council candidate to task for attending the 1st Ward Democratic candidate official filing event at the Civic Center it caused a split in the Vanderburgh County Republican party?

Todays“Readers Poll” question is: Should the Republican-controlled State Legislature approved a pedestrian bridge for Bosse High school students?

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FOOTNOTE:  Any comments posted in this column do not represent the views or opinions of the City-County Observer or our advertisers.

 

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22 COMMENTS

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

    During an 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.

    “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 pointed to 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 left or the right tries to draw lessons from a crime they make a mistake” Wallace lectured

  2. Former Solicitor General: If This Is A Witch Hunt, Mueller’s Found A Coven

    Former Solicitor General Neal Katyal was on Meet the Press Sunday to discuss the Mueller report and all of the possibilities surrounding its anticipated final release. Asked about the potential magnitude and possible outcomes of the Mueller investigation, Katyal first reiterated the true size of this investigation, stating:

    “We know he’s indicted 37 people on 199 different counts, including Trump’s inner circle.If this is a witch hunt, Mueller’s found a coven at this point”

    “Mueller has indicted Roger Stone for conspiring with WikiLeaks, he indicted Papadopoulos for lying about meeting with Russian agents before the email scandal”

    Katyal was also critical of how many on the right have characterized the known charges and indictments “as so-called process crimes” saying that trying to denigrate those charges goes against what people in law enforcement know are really crucial crimes

    It was pointed out whether our bigot in chief and others would be indicted on these crimes might not come from Mueller’s office. Mueller may be laying the groundwork for indictments to come from the states, something that would potentially hamstring Trump’s ability to pardon certain bad actors

    https://youtu.be/ElDLpw1Rap8

    • Bad news for those far leftists suffering from Trump derangement syndrome:
      …………………….
      GALLUP: Americans Feel ‘Great Again’ With Trump In Charge

      WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a new survey of average Americans’ perceptions of U.S. image in the eyes of the world, the highest percentage since 2003 said they had favorable perception — shattering previous trends, and potentially revealing renewed confidence, according to reports.

      The survey, conducted by GALLUP, reports that 58% now say the U.S. rates very or somewhat favorably in world’s eyes. And a staggering 45% are now satisfied with U.S. position in the world.

      https://bigleaguepolitics.com/gallup-americans-feel-great-again-with-trump-in-charge/

      • As usual, Joey just read the right-wing hate blogs instead of looking at the actual survey, because BushLeaguePolitics gorked on giving the real report. Maybe we post the REAL headlines by Gallup:

        “Most Remain Dissatisfied With U.S. Standing in the World”

        “Most Americans Still Say Foreign Leaders Don’t Respect Trump”

        “Though Americans as a whole feel relatively positive about how the U.S. is viewed abroad, most don’t think foreign leaders respect the president. Just 31% currently say President Trump is respected, similar to the 29% saying this in polls taken during the first two years of his term”

        “Trump has also received low ratings from the world’s adult population, which Gallup will update in its annual world leadership ratings on Feb. 28”

        Yeah, the only “derangement” is by Trump supporters

        http://bit.ly/2NsEFO8

  3. 26 GOP Lawmakers Urge Republicans To ‘Honor Your Oath’ Over Donald Trump Wall Emergency

    The former GOP lawmakers have penned an open letter calling for the termination of the president’s declaration, joining together to call on current GOP representatives in Congress to terminate President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency to pay for his promised United States-Mexico border wall.

    Some 26 former GOP members of Congress penned an open letter, subtitled “Honor Your Oath and Protect the Constitution” which was published on the Project On Government Oversight watchdog’s website on Monday

    The missive states that the oath they made “to put the country and its Constitution above everything, including party politics or loyalty to a president” still “burns within us”

    “That is why we are coming together to urge those of you who are now charged with upholding the authority of the first branch of government to resist efforts to surrender those powers to a president”

    It sets out by stating they are “against allowing a president, any president, regardless of party, to circumvent congressional authority”

    And it ends with a plea:

    We who have served where you serve now call on you to honor your oath of office and to protect the Constitution and the responsibilities it vested in Congress. We ask that you pass a joint resolution terminating the emergency declared by the President on February 15, 2019

    https://www.pogo.org/letter/2019/02/former-gop-lawmakers-honor-your-oath-and-protect-the-constitution/

  5. Behold a leftist that recognizes the new socialist platform of the Democrat party will lead to a Trump reelection. However, the Democrat party has doubled down on socialism and can not pull out of that death spiral before 2020.
    ……………………………………

    “I don’t quite know what a handbasket is, but the Democratic Party is heading in one to electoral hell with its talk of socialism and reparations. Given a Republican incumbent who has never exceeded 50% in Gallup’s approval ratings poll and who won the presidency thanks to a dysfunctional Electoral College, the party is nevertheless determined to give Donald Trump a fair shot at re-election by sabotaging itself. In fact, it’s veering so far to the left it could lose an election in 1950s Bulgaria.

    Democratic socialist ideas appear to be making significant headway in the party. The Democratic part is fine, the socialism part is not. It suggests a massive government intrusion in the economy that has not worked elsewhere — post-war Great Britain or that contemporary mess called Venezuela — and that, in a cultural sense, is un-American. Time and time again, the American people have shown they want nothing to do with socialism. While socialist movements have at times been politically strong in Europe, such has not been the case in America. This, in fact, is one of the original meanings of the phrase “American exceptionalism.”….

    Trump is a rotten President who needs to be replaced. That is the solemn task of the Democratic Party. The President is a divisive, unpopular figure who can be defeated. But imprecations of socialism and endorsements of reparations are anathema to the electorate, socially and racially fragmenting a nation that urgently needs unity. They are both worn ideas — nostalgia trips for the radicals of old and freighted with failure. They ought to come boxed and nicely wrapped for what they really are — not a gift to the economically anxious or the racially aggrieved, but to Donald J. Trump.

    https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-socialism-talk-will-sink-democrats-20190225-story.html

    • Gee, Joey, did you like the opinion column this same author published last week? I really, REALLY liked this one

      How Trump Diminishes America: Before Our Eyes, We’re Becoming A Smaller Country

      There will be no Mount Rushmore for Donald Trump. But if there’s a presidential library, it should contain a Hall of Tweets, a Hall of Lies, a Hall of Insults and, with the “Marines’ Hymn” softly playing, a Hall of Montezuma, with a section of his border wall. Finally, there should be a Hall of Consequences, the grandest in the place

      Trump has remade the Republican Party. It is no longer the party of Lincoln or Reagan, but increasingly a snarling, sneering collection of score-settlers, white nationalists, immigrant bashers, homophobes, science-deniers and religious reactionaries who praise a President who has lived a squalid personal life but who promised them a Supreme Court in their own image

      In foreign affairs, the Trump presidency has had a huge impact. By fiat, by insult and by a dazzling display of historical ignorance, Trump has diminished the Atlantic alliance which every President since Roosevelt has supported and nourished. The lessons of World War II and of the implosion of the Soviet communist empire, signal achievements of American involvement and leadership in the affairs of Europe, are being discarded. At the Munich Security Conference last week, much of Europe stood to applaud German Chancellor Angela Merkel but stayed seated for Vice President Mike Pence. Merkel reproached Trump’s foreign policy, Pence defended it. The symbolism was stark: America may not yet be isolationist, but it is isolated

      It’s hard to know which of Trump’s actions have had the greatest consequence. But maybe the most damaging is how he has soiled the presidency itself. His incessant lying (The Washington Post counted 8,459 false or misleading statements as of Feb. 3) has turned the presidency into a gong show. He sits at the desk of Presidents who took the truth seriously, who may have lied on occasion but never routinely. Trump, though, spouts lies like a drunken parrot, with, approximately, similar plumage. He has diminished the importance of truth, making it indistinguishable from lies, just more noise

      Will America recover from the Trump era? Not soon, maybe never. The wounds to the environment may never heal. Inept judges serve for life. Our erstwhile European allies will move on, finding their own way, which, we must pray, will not be the old way. The planet will cook and despots will thrive. Bad days are coming

      But maybe the most terrible consequence of all is the growing realization that Trump mined a vein of meanness in the American electorate. We are not the country we once were. As we see politicians act like cowards and a malevolent presidency grow at the expense of Congress, our once-unbounded faith in our own goodness is shaken. These are the consequences of Trump’s presidency

      Trump has not made America greater. Instead, he may have put greatness out of reach

      https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-after-the-damage-done-by-trump-can-america-ever-be-great-again-20190218-story.html

      • Ron, the only way the United States of America (America encompasses a lot more than the United States) can recover from our recent political embarrassments is if BOTH the Republican and Democratic political parties realize it is imparative to offer competent candidates to the voters.
        Trump is not a viable candidate.
        Clinton is not a viable candidate.
        Biden is not a viable candidate.
        Pence is not a viable candidate.
        Sanders is not a viable candidate.

        Kaine might make it if he distances himself from Hillary.
        Kasich could be a white knight for the Republicans.

        • See, I would not disagree with who you said are not candidates. Hell, I agree with your list

  6. Bravo and THANK YOU to the fine folks at the CCO for publishing the truth about the Public Education Foundation (PEF) and for strongly showing that the assertions by Phyllip Davis that PEF was someone providing grant money to the Evansville/Vanderburgh Public Library were nothing but hot air and lies

    A refresher for Phyll, since I can see him already posturing that he did not mean any of that since his “Letter To The Editor” on here on 02/09/19 clearly pointed to PEF as providing funding when he stated:

    “Additionally, part of the funds being used has come from the Public Education Foundation who awarded a grant to EVPL for LGBT programming”

    Phyll told everyone that the Drag Queen Story Hour was an “event is being put on by a touring production and they are being paid for their appearance through funding” by EVPL

    I think Phyll owes the Public Education Foundation (PEF) and Evansville/Vanderburgh Public Library an apology for blatantly telling untruths about this situation

  7. Ah, what would we do without our daily dose of the Ron and Joe Show rants and ravings.
    Can we maje arrangements for them to be locked in a closet, together?

  8. Dear Editors

    Hey, just an FYI that the blurb above about “the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility paid almost $700,00 to Vanderburgh County to build a new lift station on Creamery Road” is not completely accurate.

    I checked with the County Commissioners just now, and they tell me the Evansville Water & Sewer Utility (EWSU) added a project to the existing Creamery Road project to deliver sewer to an area. It was outside the scope of the original project. Vanderburgh County was FORCED to pay for the engineering of their portion. EWSU will only reimburse Vanderburgh County for the construction. This means the University Parkway TIF district got saddled with EWSU engineering costs in order to get them (EWSU) to sign off. EWSU would have saddled Vanderburgh County with the construction costs as well, but the TIF revenue was insufficient to pay for it

    The University Parkway TIF has been in place for close to 20 years, and the Creamery Road project has been on the project board for a long time as well. The plans to extend utilities to the area are not new. I’ve been working with folks along University Parkway for well over 20 years (including when it was initially started using funds from Major Moves) and the County Commissioners should be applauded for helping with this project.

    Michael Lockard, Chairperson
    Growing Responsibly On University Parkway (GROUP)

      • Editor – You folks had the right information, and I’m glad you published it. I just added a little more info since I am familiar with the project

    • If you’re familiar with the University Parkway project, can you explain who is responsible for the dumb-ass decision to deadend the Parkway at USI and thus negating any way it can be extended further south to Broadway and even further south to a potential (and much needed) bridge to Kentucky from the west side of Evansville?

      • DancesWithWomen:

        As a lifelong resident of the Westside, as well as an alumnus of USI, it may surprise you that USI was in existence for close to 30 years before University Parkway was built.

        Back in the mid-80’s there was a left-turn lane direct from 62 into ISUE before it got the cool USI name. As the student population skyrocketed, Vanderburgh County bonded a project to build what is currently the USI overpass. Traffic would stretch from the campus to Schutte Road and beyond during peak hours.

        So around 1985 Vanderburgh County bonded the overpass, and it was done in time for the 1987 school year. At the time the left-hand turn at the top of the interchange had nothing to the right. There was a guard rail there, and the flow of traffic just moved into campus, with the current left-hand turn retaining the same right-of-way the exists today.

        Now here’s my soapbox moment: As soon as Vanderburgh County finished that overpass, INDOT swooped in and took control. The reason is that the overpass is over a “State highway.” This means that INDOT is in control of it. Never mind that Vanderburgh County spent 20 years paying off the bond, INDOT allowed Vanderburgh County to build it and pay for it. Seems INDOT did not think college students crossing a State highway, and the numerous accidents at that old entrance, it was a “local” decision.

        In the late 90’s it was once again evaluated for there to be a North/South bypass thought, and the University Parkway project was begun. That project was built in multiple stages, and a lot of that money came from the Mitch Daniels “Major Moves” project. That helped a large portion of the University Parkway to be completed with State and Federal money, with certain matching funds from Vanderburgh County.

        One tidbit of info is that Vanderburgh County has requested INDOT assume maintenance and control of University Parkway more than a few times in the past. However, because the goons at INDOT want Vanderburgh County to take over maintenance of “to be named” State roads that include a multitude of bridges and overpasses (most of which have been a Grade F for a while) Vanderburgh has wisely passed on that deal.

        Another tidbit: Around 15-20 years ago when the topic of the Indiana/Kentucky overpass was discussed, there was talk of instead of the current University Parkway route, it would have stretched further West to cross the Ohio River.

        Final tidbit is that the USI Foundation owns ALL the land from Highway 62 to Broadway. The school owns in excess of 2,200 acres of land. This is why USI will never be a “landlocked” campuses like UE and IU kinda are. This was a big reason why I personally advocated for the medical school to be placed on the USI campus. They have virtually an unlimited amount of land to expand.

        Hope that helps

        Michael

  9. IS IT TRUE we have been told when local GOP party Chairman Wayne Parke took an At-Large City Council candidate to task for attending the 1st Ward Democratic candidate official filing event at the Civic Center it caused a split in the Vanderburgh County Republican party?
    ++++++++++++++
    Republican Chairman Parke is not aware of any split in the Republican Party because he will not be supporting Alex Schmitt.

    Alex Schmitt filed to run as a Republican in a City Council At-Large position. Then Alex Schmitt turned right around and supported a Democrat candidate running for a City Council position. Republican Chairman Parke believes if your running as a Republican you should be on the “Republican Team” and support Republicans–not Democrats. Republican Chairman Parke suggest voters support the 3 other Republican At-Large Candidates ( Ron Beane, David Christmas, and Zane Clodfelter) and not vote for Alex Schmitt,.

    • I vote for democrats and republican no matter who recommends them, that is for people so uninformed they don’t know who to vote for. Donate funds and support for individuals not the party.

  10. If you’re familiar with the University Parkway project, can you explain who is responsible for the dumb-ass decision to deadend the Parkway at USI and thus negating any way it can be extended further south to Broadway and even further south to a potential (and much needed) bridge to Kentucky from the west side of Evansville?

  11. Why should the democrats run anyone against Winnecke, he’s the best democrat they could have in office. He has followed the democrat playbook and put Evansville deep in debt. Give him another 4 years, run against his runaway spending and debt accumulation and get another democrat in office to follow the same democrat policies. I think the rate people are leaving Evansville but staying in the area will have a negative effect in the future.

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