IS IT TRUE January 17, 2014

27
Mole
Mole

IS IT TRUE January 17, 2014

IS IT TRUE that the traffic on the City County Observer has made a dramatic increase with daily average pageviews is up by 40% since December 2013?…big offsets have not been the growth model of the CCO over the 4 years of counting professionally with Google Analytics?…the growth has always been steady at about 2% per month with an occasional spike because we scooped a story or had the nerve to ridicule the ridiculous while other media sources were silent or courteous?…we have no real idea why this offset came with the beginning of the new year but we will take it and keep pushing the envelope?…one suggestion was that the CP may have had a group of subscribers whose subscription ended on December 31 that have made the change?…if this is so we welcome them all?

IS IT TRUE it seems as though the proposed refurbishment of the Old Riverhouse into a new Comfort Inn has been placed on hold by the property owner?…the front story is that another project must be completed first and we buy that explanation?…had the “code police” and the “tax rebate police” been more helpful with the Comfort Inn project it may have stayed the apple of this private developer’s eye and we may actually have a hotel construction project happening right now in downtown Evansville?…blunting the efforts of a self funded private developer to place a hotel in downtown Evansville while paying an incentive to the “preferred” developer of a downtown convention hotel is about par for the course in a town that maintains nothing and is addicted to subsidized construction projects?…we long for a day when subsidies are not the coin of the realm?

IS IT TRUE a study was released recently that counts Indiana as the #1 (as in worst) in smoking with pregnant?…the same study showed that during the 50 years since the first surgeon general’s report on the toxicity of smoking cigarettes that Indiana is still among the states with the highest smoking rates among adults?…with a smoking rate of over 50% above national averages and 100% above the “healthy” states it is no wonder that health insurance premiums in Indiana are off the charts expensive?…taking Evansville as an example the median household income is $35,949 and the currently available family health insurance plan costs roughly $18,000 per year (pre subsidy) something has got to give?…a market where health insurance for a family costs 50% of the median income is not sustainable and can be expected to collapse?…many other states and cities are in equally dire or worse situations?…without regard to subsidies this cannot work in the long term?…the best way to reduce the premiums is to get healthy?

IS IT TRUE this writer was attracted to California to establish the first Innovation Hub 2 years ago and was surprised yet encouraged to hear President Obama announce a national Innovation Hub initiative in North Carolina on Wednesday?…the President clearly had been in contact with California officials over the last week as there were calls coming in from “anonymous” sources asking detailed question about the program since the first of the year?…when California established the Innovation Hub program all funding was local and it still is?…the Innovation Hub in Palm Springs that this writer runs started with a budget of just over $200,000 per year all from local sources?…the Accelerator Campus that is 43,000 square feet and has the capacity to house 15 manufacturing companies was launched in the second year and is now FULL?…the cost to get the entire program into its third year with 50,000 square feet, 24 businesses, and the staff needed to sustain it has been less than $2 Million including operating expenses?…we are all wondering how the dickens the President expects the folks in North Carolina to spend $200 Million to do the same thing?

IS IT TRUE California was right to require exclusively local funding?…California was right to impose no bureaucratic reporting rules on the Innovation Hubs?…California was right not to impose Davis-Bacon laws on Innovation Hub construction projects?…California is now reaping great rewards with 16 Innovation Hubs in place and performing well?…with a single Innovation Hub budget of $200 Million this writer suspects that the national initiative is being set up for the failures that come with massive federal subsidies, arcane rules, and oppressive regulations?…we wish the President well with this initiative but will watch the implementation process closely?…if this goes the way the ACA website and the Jobs Act of 2012’s crowdfunding provision have gone there will still be no national Innovation Hub in place when President Obama leaves office 3 years from now?…this writer will be watching the State of the Union address and counting the number of times any reference to Innovation Hubs is made?…this has been a surreal week?…this writer has a date with national talk radio on this subject in about 40 minutes and will try hard to respect the Office of the President of the United States when responding to the questions on the cost differential?

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

27 COMMENTS

    • Indeed. California is not as pinko liberal as it’s reputation is in the Midwest. Notice the content of the credit. No state money, no federal money, all local support, etc. etc. etc. The California Innovation Hubs are practical job creation engines most of which are headed by people with a long history of private business success. The few that are headed by patronage people are not doing well. Things are going well for California right now. The abolishing of redevelopment commissions and enterprise zones by Governor Brown (formerly known as Moonbeam) were good decisions and have abated ridiculous spending by local jurisdictions. I find Governor Brown to be a practical leader whose zeal of youth has transformed into practicality through experience.

      By the way, I am Californian by choice and Kentuckian by birth. I found Evansville to be suffocating when dealing with politicians but rather likable otherwise. I still visit often and two of my native Californian children still live there.

      • What you describe here with respect to your Innovation Hub isn’t pinko liberal at all. It’s a free market solution.

        I support the abolition of our local Redevelopment Commission. If it works in California, it could work here as well.

        On another note… I have been away from home since Nov. 20th. We just got our online Vectren bill for Dec. Before leaving I unplugged all electronics. I turned off the breaker to my washer and dryer. I set my thermostat to 60 degrees, and guess what… My bill has gone UP! Someone explain this to me.

          • Yup,that to,another balance,and again a utility.
            Oh boy,does that need some balance in your area,Blanger. Again,however thats a problem many communities are having to deal with kinda suddenly.
            Main thing is we can do better,we have to balance our environment “First”(my own F-bomb, there) to become sustainable with any viability, moving forward.
            Exactly, why myself and concerned Climatologists and Scientists all over the planet are faced with the stark reality that we are running out of clean fresh water resources as per/applied to population centers globally. Preventable situations, such as, the incident in West Virginias basin to the Ohio river,and thus you should be a touch point, or a “splotch sized dot” connected with the 2012 Clean Water Act,as well.
            Look today,at the fires in southern California,that regional drought,the one the midwest experienced in 2011.
            The dots all connect…Climate Change,largest standing global issue, for clean water infrastructures.
            How will this affect the worlds global migration patterns/pathways and the border regions most affected?

            While thinking about that,and your projected increased sewer and water bills,think this, anything metered per cost is supplied per rate as set by the provider,anything. So,once that passes through the beforementioned metering device,its yours to control as best you can.
            Once the stuff comes through the meter,you bought it,do with that as smart you must to seek balance and sustainability with cost viability.

            Shopping for best source is also good, once thats found get the most value from, the use or,–>uses<–.
            The good ole American way.

            Liken that to:["my motto"] Why,create a five year plan,Why sustain a 15 year plan,lets balance,a 500 year plan*". 😉

          • The climate has always changed and will always continue to change. There is no need for fear-mongering over it. If Evansville, Infiana turns into an ice sheet or a sauna, it will happen over the course of hundreds or thousands of years barring some cosmic or volcanic event, which we cannot control anyway, and all we will do in response to such an eventuality is what human beings have done since our species first climbed down out of the trees and started walking upright – adapt and migrate. This is absolutely nothing new. It doesn’t justify a hysteria, or new taxation, or more putative regulations, it just requires a little insight, that the earth will eventually shrug us off like a case of feas without regard for what we do. All the good intentions and sustainable living in the world will not change this mathematical certainty.

            Most people are, rightly, more concerned about whether they’re going to have a job tomorrow to feed their kids, or whether their kids will have the education and opportunities before them to feed themselves when they become of age and want to raise families of their own.

        • Brad; Take a thermodynamics approach to an understanding with that. Heating degree days,[NWS?NOAA Paducah]. has those records,property R-factors,climate thermodynamics and those extensive conditionals,now think what one can accomplish to but a balance to the utilities one pays for sustainability*,moved forward. You know one can even find through,observations about when a door opens the most,or when the buildings use is at peak or low points of usage,people,lights,electronics give of btus to. and thus provide sensible heat. (open windows or other less restrictive pathways of convection),can be controlled by timing and insulation,seal improvements. Even the position of your mini blinds can induce convection,or reduce its affected conditionals when cooling is required.
          Its pretty simple,with the extreme temperatures,and pressures accompanied with them, the maintainable difference in inside and outside increased incrementally by temperature vs time span. Heat loss and gain verses your HVACs btu rating. 60 inside,sub-zero outside,with less radiant conductive solar contact,and sustained wind signatures wiping the outside affecting heat radiant layering per conductive exposed walls transferable thermal energy. Roof lines are also insulated or conductive/reflective,per snow cover.as well.
          Ask,a HVAC,professional to give you an assessment,for some incremental improvements.
          Heck,get 3 estimates,just as if you were repairing a vehicle,for the best cost and perceived economic operational factors.

          Having sustainable infrastructures goes way beyond the Energy provider.
          Developing viable utilities with balanced sustainabilities* as a community are lacking directions through plenty of misapplied plans everywhere on the planet.
          I’m not defending anyones rates or services,however,Climate Change is a planet wide issue like it or not, 97% of all the climate scientists globally, on this planet agree on this,and this IS going to be the driver of many changes as we move forward to elevate our sustainable balances,* forward.

          • Temperatures have dropped, yes, but my thermostat has dropped 13-15 degrees from normal. No doors are being opened. No other appliances or electrics are being used. Usually I’m washing clothes, turning on lights, going in and out, using a computer, a monitor, and all the other usual suspects of modern living.

            I’ll check my meter when I get home and I’ll see if I’m being ripped off.

          • What I said,The temperature span between the inside and outside incrementally increased not only by temperature but also by time,you cut off or lowered the residual watt use,therefore lowered the residual btus they would create if on,as well.

            (1 btu/hr.=0.3 watt) (metric kW system 1kW=3415 btu/hr) Human avg/250btu/hr(75w) sleeping 400btus/hr.(120w) awake light work 650btus/hr(190w),heavy work 2400btus/hr.(700w).

            Your heater uses the same energy/btus to maintain temperature difference set at 72,or 60 degrees
            When the thermostat demands heat it runs to maintain cut off temp setting,the rate at which your home or any other space conducts heat doesn’t unless you create a pathway,or in retained temperature this would be adding R-Factor or insulation to the conductive surface.
            So.once your units controlled space falls to 60 degrees that is the cycle point to be maintained,your space loses its heat,at the same conditional through its static atmospheric conductivity and if the difference of temperature span is greater, and for longer the unit runs as much or more to keep up.

            Take a look at the average min.temperature/evansville during the last two months,the look up the heating degree days numbers, theres the answer.

            The next time it snows much and sticks check out the neighborhood rooftops compare the rate at which one retains or loses the snow on the roof,factor in shade and wind. The one that has the most snow the longest,likely doesn’t lose the greatest amount of heat conductivity through its roof. (ei: more attic insulation less conductivity.)

            http://www.nowdata.rcc-acis.org/PAH/

        • Yes Press. I think the debt of the past may be the driver of the responsibility of the presence.

          • Would that it was the “debt of the past.” Unfortunately, it is the debt of the present.

            I am glad to see your start-ups flourishing. Wish we could say the same here.

            __

    • California is grasping at anything to grow and runs a budget surplus today not because of Moonbeam but due to capital gain taxes driven by Fed inflation of the stock market; this is not sustainable and even Moonbeam knows this and has stated so. If the typical Psychometo Dem had not been driven to their knees to consider this type innovation by the reality of people moving out of state, this would not had even been considered. Same thing for NY state’s 10 years of no taxes if you relocate a business. These are simply attempts to stop hemoraging taxpayers to pay for social programs that are bankrupting these states. Because of the small scale of innovation hubs and other types of incubators in relation to these states financial issues, and throw IL in there as well, it is too little too late. Thank goodness CA has good weather for the most part which is something not even they can screw up.

      • By the way I support these types of incubators. Small businesses drive employment and GDP growth.They have yet to recover enough to supply sufficient jobs to lower the U6 rate of unemployment, which is a better gauge of the labor market, given we are in a 6th year sub par economic performance.

  3. Hey CCO why haven’t you reported anything about the Mayors 2013 political fund raising report? We need an in-depth analysis submitted by the CCO on this report because it’s obvious that the Courier and Press isn’t going to.

    • Eric please read next week CCO because we have 5 people going over this report with a fine tooth comb. I can tell do that we have already discovered a few political bomb shells in this report. Stay turned.

    • Indy always cherry picks everything coming into the State.

      There really should be some law suits filed by some of Indiana’s other municipalities when it comes to luring businesses to the State with taxpayer paid incentive packages. Indy hogs it all and no one says shit. I don’t get it.

      __

      • No, Indianapolis does things the right way such as revamping an inner city neighborhood and facilities while towns like Evansville go off on some disaster of a project along I-69. They’re also completely overhauling their GM Stamping Plant district w/o demolishing it.

        Smaller cities in the Tri-State area always claim the bigger cities hog all the money but Chicago, Louisville, and Indianapolis are all assets to their states not liabilities. I can’t imagine anyone with a straight face trying to say Evansville is moving in a better direction than Indianapolis.

        • @Rails

          I agree with your “straight face” assessment. Like you I cannot say Evansville has ever moved in a “better” direction concerning just about anything done by its politicians.

          If Evansville was playing a game of darts and it sometimes seems how taxpayers monies are used; the darts nearly always land outside the outer ring with the occasional one inside. Once in a blue moon the dart gets reasonably close to the bulls eye but never hitting the mark.

          It seems to me Evansville politicians have always tired to put on “big boy pants” and end up looking like teenagers of today with their belt line hanging at the mid point of their gluteus maximus; an ugly sight for both groups.

        • Give me $1 billion next door to an IUPUI type of university and I can make it work as well. This is leveraging the fact that Indy is the fat hog and does get better opportunities. That said, we need to develop our strengths, which we are doing with the IU medical school. It is a start and we need more direct investment driven by investment hubs. We need to look beyond it just being a place to train doctors and medical techs. This will take vision and leadership and working with existing companies like Mead Johnson to fully take advantage of this opportunity. I don’t know if we have the leadership to do this and we don’t have the capital yet by and measurement to fund it.

        • You can look at the Lucas Oil Stadium project and make the statement that Indy doesn’t hog state tax dollars? Evidently you do not know squat about THAT project, for which every taxpayer in the state had to pony up!

          ___

Comments are closed.