IS IT TRUE MAY 23, 2016

1. would have been nice if the Republicans had competed in the primary instead of being chosen by party insiders

   • + 1

2. ?? ” …we have been told the majority of the Evansville Neighborhood Association organizations are being subsidized by the City? …we also hear that they received around $5,000 a year from the City?”
   Wait.
   Aren’t we supposed to be for strong neighborhoods?
   Aren’t we supposed to stop investing in tax breaks for businesses and start investing in neighborhoods?
   Aren’t we supposed to stop investing in developer subsidies and start investing in neighborhoods?
   And the CCO Editor today is upset that Evansville is spending $5k on stronger neighborhoods?
   Upset at $5k?
   There is an entire paragraph in today’s IIT criticizing Evansville investment in strengthening neighborhoods….?

   • There is also a paragraph complaining about the provision of low income housing and Deaconess attempting to collect a bill. Admittedly, much of what Kelley Coures does could come from an episode of Southpark, however, I would think low income housing is something worth support. The bill may have been paid (when and how could be a reason they got the letter), but any business has to collect the money it’s due. Healthcare cost all of us so much, because some don’t pay their bills.

3. Often bill collectors have purchased debt they are trying to collect for pennys in the dollar. 10% is a high amount to pay for small debts that are not worth collecting by a big organization like Deaconess. My guess is that the $17.21 debt referred to was bought by the law firm for about $1.72 and that attorney fees are a threat that can be leveraged to collect the $17.21. Buying thousands of such accounts results in a 10:1 return on investment for these bottom feeders for having legal aids send demand letters. IS IT TRUE that flipping debt is a big business that is very profitable for the bottom feeders who build a profit center around it.

   • Hospital options:

     https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-Fee-for-Service-Payment/AcuteInpatientPPS/downloads/FAQ_Uninsured.pdf

   • They could also be renting the lawyer’s license.

4. IS IT TRUE we are hearing that the upcoming Vanderburgh County Republican party caucus will have two well qualified candidates to compete for the vacant County Commission seat? …the winner of this political caucus will represent the party in the November 3, 2016 general election?…we are pleased that the local Republican party leadership decided not to agree to an inter-party political trade-off concerning this vacant County Commission seat? … we are also glad that the local GOP has finally realized that inter-party political trade-offs is not good for the voters or the party? (CCO)

   * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

   The Indiana General Election date is November 8, 2016.

   Who are the two “well qualified candidates” interested in the office, when will this caucus take place, and when will the public be informed of the name of the new choice?

   • As of this past weekend, Sean Selby was the only person to file for the County Commissioner-District 1 Republican ballot vacancy. But people have through today to file, so there may be others. The county-wide caucus of Republican precinct committeemen will be held this Thursday, May 26, at 6:00 PM. I anticipate the media would report the results immediately.

5. What America would look like if Libertarians got their way
   (The Smirking Chimp) 2013

   http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/richard-eskow/53353/what-america-would-look-like-if-libertarians-got-their-way

   • THIS is what America would look like if Libertarians got their way:
     1. Smaller and less intrusive government
     2. Less regulated and more efficient and profitable business…and higher labor participation
     3. Lower taxes because government is smaller
     4. Elimination of government subsidies for religious organizations
     5. Privacy for the individual and protection of a man’s home as his castle.

     • Excerpts from the Libertarian Party website:

       “It is the only political organization which respects you as a unique and competent individual.”

       “Let peaceful, honest people offer their goods and services to willing consumers without a hassle from government.”

       “Let peaceful, honest people decide for themselves what to eat, drink, read, or smoke and how to dress, medicate themselves, or make love, without fear of criminal penalties.”

       “Americans want, and deserve, a political system which respects them as unique individuals; as people who can make their own plans, who can take responsibility for themselves, who are compassionate, and who can and will solve their own problems if allowed to do so.”

       I could go on, but it’s all some variation of the above. And it sounds WONDERFUL! It really does! The only problem I can see is that the people referenced (honest, peaceful, responsible, competent) make up a vanishingly small percentage of the human race, to the point that they are statistical non-factors. I suspect that a libertarian system has never really be successfully established because mankind is NOT by nature honest, or peaceful, or responsible, or competent. It has been my experience that your average person is an ignorant, self-absorbed monster who is barely held in check even by the myriad rules that libertarians find so unneccessary. Our capacity for cruelty and self-destruction and short-sightedness is stunning, and as far as I can tell it has been that way since we crawled down from the trees and sharpened our first stick.

       DB, do you disagree? Do you really think this nation of narcissistic, violent morons would comport themselves admirably under a libertarian system?

       • What a well-written thoughtful comment. Just fantastic.
         Yes, I agree with all of your explanations of man’s pursuit of his own self-interest, and while far from perfect (even Adam Smith acknowledged this), capitalism and free markets accept these things and are more productive and efficient than the highly regulated non-market economies throughout history. Are there people who struggle in that system? Yes. It’s not perfect, but it is the most effective in terms of efficiency and productivity.
         I disagree though about the capacity of a Libertarian leader to be effective. We still have the three branches of government, so it will never be fully unregulated. But I do think it would be more effective overall, and in the long run, with a Libertarian leader’s approach than what is currently being offered.
         People like Pressanykey posts uniformed, fearful information about Liberatarian Party…because HE is scared…and he believes anything Trump says, evidently. People at risk of losing the election will tell lies about what it means to be a Liberatarian. (And even though Trump changes what he says by the month. “I’m self-funding! No lobbyists can control me!” Well…that is DEAD…he’s not self-funding anymore. He’s the same. But the sheep who follow Trump can’t think for themselves.)

         • It is an extremely complicated thing to walk the line between minimally necessary regulation (or the rivers will catch fire and toddlers will be working in mines), and the sort of innovation stifling bureaucratic minutia that seems to self-propagate from our elected officials if you give them enough taxpayer money and time on their hands.

           Libertarian ideals are nice, but they are just that, ideals. I certainly don’t think anarcho-capitalism is the answer, nor is communism. It shouldn’t be that damn difficult to find a workable middle ground, should it?! 🙂

         • Mussolini was able to take power by appealing to everyone’s worst fears. Of course he later forced his way into it, but the APPEAL was….”I’m so tired. I just want something done. Anything.” Countrymen allowed themselves to be taken over BY THE SHEER FORCE OF HIS PERSONALITY – NONE of it was because of his ideas, plans or issue positions.

           While Trump will be no dictator, he is using ALL the same promise/tactics to get small-minded, ignorant people to vote for him. These people are being TOTALLY exploited – and are willing to abandon all of their personal values because they are willing to be exploited.
           And of course Mussolini was a disaster for Italy…..but as they said, “Yeah, but the trains ran on time.”

   • Thanks for the interesting reading, PAK.

6. “it looks like Deaconesses Hospital collections department are beating the bushes to generate additional money so they can pay their CEO the estimated $1.6 plus million dollar yearly salary ( not including benefits or perks)?”

   This is a mean, small-minded sentence, in an otherwise pretty good IIT. Instead of this reader wailing and gnashing their teeth (and dashing to The Editor to continue their whining) the person with the $17.21 bill probably could likely have just contacted the billing department at Deaconess (they’re actually pretty easy to work with), or contacted the attorney and provided documentation that the bill had been paid. Would have taken about 6 minutes on the phone and another 5 getting copies of reciepts made.

   I think The Editor (and most regular contributers) would agree that an entity deserves to be compensated for services rendered, including the EVIL Deaconess (not sure when they became evil, exactly, but…)

   • Thumbs up to you DeltaBravo

7. “he hopes that both taxpayers programs will not only clean blight from Evansville neighborhoods but also will provide our disadvantaged with affordable housing? ”

   Mr. Coures might try a driving tour of every Habitat home which has been built in Evansville over the past 10 years, and see how this ‘affordable housing’ has held up. IIT that some of these properties have become or are skirting the ragged edge of becoming ‘blighted’ properties? How many of the current occupants of these Habitat Homes are the original owners vs. how many have been sold or foreclosed on?

   • Excellent question and I have often wondered the same.

   • My understanding is that there are very few Habitat Homes foreclosed upon, and the owners are required to remain in them for five years before they have saleable equity. Too many of the homes are not maintained well, but there are many reasons for that. The truth is that the city requirements for maintaining appearance of a private home are very low, and “small government” conservatives should be fine with that. Maybe a volunteer group from each neighborhood association should be formed to help their neighbors to maintain the homes, instead of reporting them to Code Enforcement, but that is just my opinion.

     • I didn’t know about the 5 year rule, that’s good scoop. Thanks for that, LKB.

       Not so sure about the volunteer group thing, though. Sounds great, but not many of my peers have the time to go around cleaning out other peoples choked gutters, hauling off junked cars and trashed patio furniture, or weed whacking around never used trampolines. Because, you know, they’re busy at work and/or taking care of their OWN property…

       If a person can’t be bothered to mow their grass or isn’t bright enough to know that you should repair the siding your unneutered pit bull chewed off, maybe they should have stayed in a government subsidized apartment?

       • DELTA BRAVO and ELKAYBEE:
         Habitat is intended to work by giving people a “hand-up,” not a hand-out. Working poor (they must have some minimum levels of income) living in substandard housing are identified, volunteer their own free sweat equity hours building someone else’s home (usually 500 hours), go through household budget training, and once approved…become a “partner family.” Innovative tactics make this possible: the Bible says when lending money to a poor man, you don’t charge interest, and a 30-year no-interest mortgage is created for a new HFH Home. Volunteers working for free build the home using a pre-planned, structured construction process. The home? It ends up a lower price because you’ve saved labor and interest costs: price is equal to material costs. The mortgage payments? They go to buy building materials for new HFH homes.
         This process is designed to “teach a man to fish.”
         The Partner Family? Created a homeowner. With a real mortgage. They have to be responsible, cause the mortgage is real…albeit created less expensively using innovative HFH tactics.
         But this is a real world homeowner who WILL BUILD EQUITY with mortgage payment…..AND is restricted from selling for a minimum number of years.
         HFH holds the mortgage.
         Family defaults? (Every effort has been made to help them…so they shouldn’t.) Yes. It happens.
         Foreclose if defaults? YES. It’s a real home. It’s a real mortgage. It’s what happens if you default.
         Overall……..it is a good process…..organized smartly…..but humans are human, and that means there can be mistakes…..like defaults.

         • …by the way, poor maintenance on a home, this is not an issue unique to HFH homes. It happens to all neighborhoods. (And no HFH Affiliate is supposed to be helping to maintain ANY HFH Homes. HFH Partner Families “graduate” to home ownership…and after that, must be treated as any other homeowner.) The whole idea was to create “new homeowners” for neighborhoods who need the dedicated stakeholders that “new homeowners” represent. You’ve improved the quality of the neighborhood by adding “a homeowner.” It’s an admirable nonprofit…HFH.

8. I know our tax codes is a mess. IMHO a large part of that is because of loopholes provided under heavy pressure from lobbyists. But I just can not let a preceding post go without making this observation.

   It was said that a goal of libertarian ism is the “elimination of government subsidies for religious organizations.” If by that statement the author means their tax exempt status, such a move would be deplorable and despicable when one considers that organizations like the Evansville Regional Business Committee also has a tax exempt status. Is it even possible to make a comparison between the two organizations history and capacity for doing good works for citizens and the community in general?

   Does placing a full page color ad in the newspaper congratulating the 2016 local finalists/winners in the National Merit Scholarship Competition compare with funding missionary work both here and abroad, or ministering to the sick and the home bound, or conducting funerals or weddings, or baptisms, or providing moral instruction, marriage counseling, providing food banks, free meals, and all of the innumerable things a church does that sustain a community? Would doing such a thing as removing a church’s exempt status benefit the community, or would it be more likely to do just the opposite?

   • That answer depends solely on the church involved. Some do much more for their communities than others, but anyone who preaches for or against any political candidate or party from the pulpit should be shunned.

   • People do not contribute to an organization like a church expecting the government to tax the money they earned once again. Churches must pay employment tax like any employer.

     I have always been against taxing religious organizations because a tax could be used to subvert religious expression. However, the loss of the tax exempt status is now being threatened as a way to force churches to accept homosexual marriage.

9. I would like to make a correction to your paragraph about public subsidies. It is the Westside Improvement Association, Inc.

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