IS IT TRUE May 8, 2013
IS IT TRUE that Allen Mounts, Director of the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility gave the Evansville City Council a whopping 9 day notice that he will be hosting 6 public meetings next week to give updates on his plan to improve and modernize the city’s sewer system?…the City Council who will ultimately have to vote of funding any plan that is approved by the EPA to bring Evansville’s catacomb like sewer system into the modern world of compliance with raw sewage discharges into the Ohio River and the streets of the south side?…several members of the Council including the elected representatives of some of the most affected wards will not be able to attend these sessions due to previous commitments?…in the words of Mr. Mounts he will “finalize†his plan before asking the public for input?…those two objectives just don’t seem to work well together as the input will have no impact at all on an already finalized plan?…while Evansville is suffering from sewage discharges from the recent rains our Mayor Winnecke is off enjoying the pleasure palace known as Amsterdam with a small contingency of his supporters on their way to a sister city visit in Germany?…we must all understand that Mr. Mounts and his “final solution†do not have the approval of the EPA and do not even pretend to bring the City of Evansville’s sewer into compliance in the next 20 years?…this “final solution†is really just a half-arse band aid designed to avoid fixing the nauseating and disease spreading situation that predominately infects the south and southeast sides of Evansville?…Mr. Mounts’ “final solution†really kicks the can down the road for the lifetime of most of the people holding elected offices at the present time?
IS IT TRUE that one of the essential duties of any city worth its charter is to provide a clean and efficient sewer system?…Evansville has been failing in this duty for over half a century and the long arm of the federal government has finally come down on us and our leaders have acted like this project has no urgency at all?…starting with former Mayor Weinzapfel and continuing with Mayor Winnecke the focus has been on delaying this much needed repair that is estimated at between $500 Million and $600 Million of today’s dollars to be in compliance with EPA discharge standards?…it is mind boggling for any public servant to intentionally delay such an essential duty while handing patronage contracts out to build an Arena, the Centre, the Victory Theatre, while proposing to spend $53 Million to install new water meters on dilapidated pipes, close to $50 Million to subsidize a hotel, and $10 Million for a bark park and skateboarders?…all of these non-essential projects combined would have been enough to fix the sewers if the project had been started years ago as it should have?…what Evansville has become as a result of this sequence of follies is a shrinking city with dilapidated infrastructure that resembles Calcutta in areas that are less than a mile from over $200 Million in facilities for entertainment?…the leaders of Evansville have spent our lunch money on cotton candy and it not only shows but it smells to boot?
IS IT TRUE that the taxpayers of Evansville DESERVE AND NEED a compliant sewer system?…this is going to cost more than double what it would have if it would have been done years ago as it should?…it will cost less than half what it will cost if the Winnecke Administration is successful in kicking the can down the road for another 20 years when they will all be in a rest home or in one of our dilapidated cemeteries?…in 20 years at an annual price increase of 3.5% on construction this $600 Million project’s price tag will rise to over $1.2 Billion?…20 years ago it could have been done for $200 Million?…the citizens of Evansville are having our money, our economic base, and our health jeopardized by local government mismanagement?…the time is now to put a stake in the ground and demand that our sewers be fixed and fixed now?…with interest rates at an all time low there will never be a better time to embark on this project?…the debt service on 4.5% municipal bonds to fix this as fast as possible will amount to roughly $50 per month per meter?…this would be phased in as the project unfolds?…Evansville, Indiana can no longer afford to wallow in our own excrement while spending our tax dollars on playthings?…there will never be a better time to bite the bullet and clean our city of this legacy of neglect that has lingered for over half a century?…the powers that be are going to spend your money anyway Evansville so please demand that this time we should do SEWERS BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE?
Mr. Mounts needs to fire his CFO before the Utilities get themselves up in their heads with more do-do. She is worthless and incompetent and is not worth what they are paying her.
Wait, I thought you hated regulation and the EPA? Shouldn’t we be allowed to just dump sewage in the river as much as we want without federal tampering with free markets?
You have obviously not been reading anything written here about the sewer problem. We have advocated from a position of “sewers before toys” since we started. The CCO supports good public policy and having a functional sewer system falls into that category. So do roads, fire, and police. What free markets are you referring to with your sarcasm? Are there any private businesses competing to treat our sewage?
Please do not confuse our opposition to subsidizing hotels, restaurants, and apartments which are businesses that private companies compete in for sewers.
+1
Don’t conservatives complain about EPA restrictions on anything as they’re “hindering free market economics and job creation.” How’s dumping sewage any different than other forms of pollution? We don’t want them gol dern feds messin’ with us!
There you go attaching labels to the CCO again that it does not attach to itself with words or opinions. You are blinded by cynacism and probably despise pracitcality. There are places for government and there are places the government should stay out of. Basic services like sewers, roads, fire, and police protection are best provided by local government. Hotels, luxury apartments, and restaurants are not basic services and should never be.
You seem to have the barefoot, toothless, buffoon language down pretty well though. Do you have a moonshine still?
The same arguement works at the state and federal level. Government should handle the big basic things that benefit everyone like national security, energy policy, and immigration law. Government has proved they have no business in things like mortgages, housing, and venture capital.
The recent disclosures by high ranking democrats that ObamaCare’s implementation is a “TRAINWRECK” emphasizes how inept government can be. When the folks who wrote the bill run from it like a rabbit you gotta question their competence. We do wish the government could do things right though. It seems the only thing we do well is blow things up.
I do wonder, though, why The Editors would trust such items that are so fundamental to our society (public safety, utility and transportation infrastructure, national defense) to an organization that they feel is largely incompetent. Why should those activities not be left to the private sector as well? If the government can’t be trusted to spend $37 million on a hotel, why would you trust them with a $600 billion defense budget?
Seems a basic disconnect in the conservative mindset.
Come on man, there is no private company that can defend the country at any price. We don’t trust the government to be efficient or even competent in their stewardship of our tax dollars, but we need defense and government is the only viable provider in the modern world. Hotels on the other hand are built and managed by everything from a high school grad to a Ph.D. It is not the job of local government to play small business entrepreneur or to fund one instead of another one. It is not a disconnect, it is a practical mindset for fairness in government.
You guys got way off topic. My point was strictly about the EPA and how conservatives complain about the cost of protecting our basic resources like clean water. If the private sector was completely unregulated, like most people around here seem to advocate, we might as well go live in Bangladesh.
You think if Uncle Sugar decided to put out a RFP for provision of the national defense (we’re talking a guaranteed, multi-year, multi-trillion dollar contract), that NO company or consortium of companies would bid on it? I respectfully disagree.
Your answer is covered in weak-sauce. The private sector can be trusted to provide, can it not? Either interference by Big Gubmint is abhorrent to the conservative mindset or it is not. Settling for the worst option simply because it’s the only option isn’t what made this country great! Ask any boostrapper out there!
Visions of our soldiers with corporate logos emblazoned across their body armor too disturbing? U.S. Marines raising a flag with the Wal-Mart logo over the next Mt. Suribachi too weird?
DeltaBravo-
Most conservatives I know believe in “limited government” not “no government.” Your argument is reductio ad absurdum. It is akin to a conservative saying that liberals believe EVERYTHING should be done by the government.
Not that it really matters going forward anyway…these idiotic distinctions between “liberal” and “conservative” aren’t going to continue to dominate our politics for another 50 years.
John Doe, off-topic stuff is the best stuff of all. I’m having a bit of fun with The Editor. It’s all good. I’ll let things return to the exciting topic at hand… 🙁
It is fun from this side as well. Thanks for your participation. It is only through being challenged that we can all improve.
This is a bit off topic but its importance requires that it be known:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr1764
We all know that the only way to stop HLS from continuing to manipulate the ammo market is through a legislative fix. Well, here it is. Demand that it be given a fast track to approval.
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Ammunition Management for More Obtainability (AMMO) Act of 2013
Sens. Jim Inhofe, and Rep. Frank Lucas, both Oklahoma Republicans, have introduced in their respective chambers the Ammunition Management for More Obtainability (AMMO) Act of 2013.
The bill, according to a statement from Sen. Inhofe, would require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a report on the purchasing of ammunition by federal agencies, except the Department of Defense, and its effect on the supply of ammunition available to the public.
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More feel good legislation that is not needed. Even the NRA doesn’t think government agencies are manipulating the ammunition market. The editorial in the last issue of American Rifleman says as much.
Newsflash: Numerous local/state/federal government agencies purchase ammunition for training and duty use. They typically put in bulk orders and multi-year contracts to take advantage of bulk pricing.
We were fighting two serious shooting wars in 2006-2007, and the level of violence (i.e., ammunition consumption) was at an all-time high in those theaters. Multiple government agencies were also ‘up-gunning’ their training due to overseas commitments and perceived homeland threats. However, ammunition was plentiful and cheap. What changed? Knee jerk panic buying by the public because they think da gubmint is coming for their gat-sticks.
This is a ‘crisis’ made by the public. Legislation is not needed.
Now, back to the discussion of Poop on The Ohio…
The American Rifleman
Where have all the primers gone.
by: Mark A. Keefe
” Major firms have been hesitant to purchase additional new tooling or add permanent employees out of uncertainty over future legislative issues from the current administration and Congress-and this is true of many firearm manufacturers with record backlogs as well.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Are you talking about this article?
And now back to poop in Washington.
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No. This one, also by Mr. Keefe:
http://www.americanrifleman.org/blogs/where-has-the-ammo-gone/
Primer production, etc. was just fine until the public started panic buying.
Why is our mayor spending our tax dollars in Amsterdam when the same service is available in Colorado and Vegas; buy American when you can.
Before we get too far from the Bolin-Brooks issue, I would like to say that I don’t know what area encompasses the area the Rev. is looking to revitalize but if it’s the entire inner city I would like to challenge him to come out with his support of placing the ball fields at Kleymeyer Park. One of those reasons is due to the fact that African American participation in baseball is declining (an unintended consequence of hispanic and latino participation increasing).
If we were to replicate the fields like the vintage MLB fields done in California, one of those fields would be Ebbets Field which is where Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and is currently being remembered with the movie “42”
The African American museum could sponsor an annual Civil Rights game at this field each year….
http://rememberrobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2012/09/kleymeyer-park-ball-fields-would-enable.html
If we are going to be successful in stopping Bob Warren from building in the county we need the Reverend to speak up for the inner city youth. Thanks.
There is a tragic, wonderful kind of symmetry to this:
Cities that wallow in their own excrement politically end up wallowing in their own excrement literally.
#smh
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