IS IT TRUE October 13, 2014

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IS IT TRUE that EVSC 1st District School Board candidate Jan Stricklin received two major political endorsements last week?  … .Jan Stricklin was endorsed by the entire area Trade Unions and popular State Representative Gail Reicken?  …in the recent unscientific but trendy CCO Readers Poll Ms. Stricklin beat her opponent Chris Kiefer by a 151 to 22 vote margin?  …it looks like the Vanderburgh County  taxpayers are getting tired of the State reporting year after year that we have many failing schools in our area?…it looks like a major political upset could be in the making concerning the 1st District School Board election?  …that every voter in Vanderburgh County can vote in the 1st District election?

IS IT TRUE that the budget cut showdown between the Evansville City Council and Mayor Winnecke is apparently set to go down to the wire as they are still pretty far apart on the amount of money that needs to be cut?…the $11 Million gap has only been tangibly closed by $2.6 Million leaving the two warring factions $8.4 Million apart?…the “Sunshine Five” are alleging that Mayor Winnecke is trying to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes by overstating revenues to sneak some extra fun and games spending through, but they are as guilty as Winnecke has ever been of walking all over Indiana Sunshine laws to form a budget coalition?…Mayor Winnecke has dealt the “layoff” card in an attempt to get his way?…the reality of the situation is that the most prudent thing to do is to budget to the lowest expectation of revenue, and if that requires layoffs and service reductions then so be it?…the private world rightly adjusted payrolls to meet revenue back in 2008 when the wheels fell off the economic bus, but government as usual has been afraid to bite the bullet?…if services are to be provided then someone must pay so if there are REAL cuts to the budget there should be REAL cuts in services?…the reality however is that even with the current cuts implemented the discretionary budget of the City of Evansville is still UP over 2014 by 1%?…that is not a widely publicized fact but it is a fact none the less?…Mayor Winnecke and the City Council need to prove that they could hold a job in the private sector and bite any bullet they must?…we suggest a wage freeze to service and employment levels?…that is exactly what a real business would do and the City if Evansville can easily take that action without upsetting the apple cart?…if Mayor Winnecke’s estimates of revenue turn out to be correct the across the board 2% raise can always be implemented later in the year?

IS IT TRUE another Fall Festival has ended with big success in spite of several sewer filling rainstorms?…the Fall Festival is one thing that Evansville can count on to repeat in a well managed fashion year after year?…it might be worth electing some of the Fall Festival management team to local government if we could only get them to throw their hat into the ring?

IS IT TRUE the scandal surrounding Florida State quarterback Jamies Winston has taken a new turn with Florida State which blunted last years criminal investigation now launching an investigation of their own?…now some are saying that the best course of action for Mr. Winston is to drop out of school to avoid the FSU jurisdiction?…the end game of all of this will of course be a lawsuit where Winston, FSU, and the Tallahassee Police Departments are respondents in a civil case targeting Winston’s alleged habitual criminal behavior and the local institutional behavior?…what this has in common with Evansville politics is that it is a product of a system without consequences?…we are not accusing anyone of the things Winston has been accused of but we are seeing a parallel between to bastions of no accountability and hero worship?…Winston does not seem to be learning from his repeated mistakes?…we wonder if the voters of Evansville will ever learn from theirs as it is the taxpayers who are bearing the burden of the Main Street Follies?

IS IT TRUE President Barack Obama lodged his worst-ever disapproval Saturday in the Gallup tracking poll another ominous sign for Democrats scrambling on defense ahead of the midterm elections less than a month away?…the 57 percent who disapprove of his performance marks a new high for the president, while his approval rating, 39 percent, is just a tick above his all-time low?…he is less popular in the Gallup poll than he was than during either of his elections or the 2010 midterms, when the Democratic House was wiped out?…the democrat party is now expected to lose seats in both chambers, with the president working daily to raise money to stem the losses and try and save the Senate for the Democrats?…this is why democrat candidates in red states and even in some usually blue states like Iowa and Colorado are treating the President like he is made of kryptonite?…with all of the dirty campaigning on both sides the projections of nearly every projector of elections have the republicans gaining 7 seats and controlling the senate when the dust has settled?…that number has not changed in a month and there is now only 3 weeks to go?…the only variable in the algorithmic predictors is the probability of a republican takeover of the senate with probabilities running from 59% to 78%?

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72 COMMENTS

  1. When the repubs admitted 6 yrs ago they weren’t interested in working, none of you morons cared. Getting paid for nothing hmmm… welfare?

  2. If everything is so rosey in the American voters perception of Democrats and their agenda, why is Obama faring so poorly in the Polls and the Republican’s are expected to take over Congress? Inquiring minds are eager to hear the convoluted reasoning of the Liberals defending one of the worst Presidents ever. Let me guess, is it the 2nd worst, Bush’s fault, or are the Voters looking at Obama after 6yrs of incompetency, and his low regard for the Constitution?

  3. I’ll be voting for Jan but she needs to get her campaign out of low gear if she wants to win, Kiefer has name recognition and signs popping up around town, Haven’t seen anything from Jan.

    • I think the disparity in funding is to blame for lack of yard signs. That may change now that Jan has Union endorsement, but I’m not sure how much influence yard signs have in elections. Jan has been out meeting people and talking about what she brings to the table, which shows me that she is willing to work hard for the taxpayers.

      • She always has had union support. It was never a secret that she is a Teamsters candidate. At the Stepping Up luncheon last Friday, someone mentioned that Vaneta Becker was the person that first brought Ms. Stricklin to Stepping Up and you should have seen her squirm from being associated with Becker. Later on when she had the chance to speak, she cleaned it up by saying that Riecken, Becker and others have influenced her. I don’t think that it’s any better to have a union-backed candidate on the school board than anyone else. How about a candidate that just cares about the kids and what’s best for their education and future?

        • I believe there is a “very high percentage” of teacher/administration that do look out for what is best for the students. Why is it that if they belong to a union, they only think of themselves?

          A better comparison to what I feel your saying would be that all business owners and ceo’s think of themselves and the stock holders, then they do of the workers and the long term of their current business practice.

          • I also believe that there is a very high percentage of teachers and administrators that put the children first in their decisions and actions. I just find it odd that directly after a contentious labor dispute that there would be a candidate so closely associated with the Teamsters. To the point of when I was at the UNOE Candidate Night event that she attended, the first thing that someone whispered to me is that she’s the candidate that the Teamsters have put on the ballot. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but if it is where will her allegiances lie when it comes to the difficult decisions? With the kids or with the union?

          • Let me add, I don’t know Chris Kiefer and I don’t know Jan Stricklin. I’m just reporting on what I’ve seen/heard. I can’t vote for either. I did vote for Tony Ricketts for at-large. He seems like he really wants to be on the school board and I would like to see that enthusiasm from more candidates. I think that EVSC does a good job overall. The free/reduced lunch rate in the corporation is 62%. When you’re dealing with such a high percentage of students at or near the poverty line, you’ll see a low overall grade for the corporation. We drastically need improvements to the overall financial health of the community. Job creation is the key to improving the school system. We can increase job creation through better training programs in our schools. It almost becomes a chicken & egg situation.

          • Phyllip,

            Why is it odd about a union back candidate after negotiations? No different then a school superintendent backed candidate. This is how negotiations should work. Both sides are heard and compromise is settled and both move on, just like in a marriage. Seems you may get irritated by workers common bond?

          • Arm,

            I don’t want an union-backed candidate or a superintendent-backed candidate. I want a candidate that knows that they are working for the citizens of Vanderburgh County and their sole desire is to do what is best for the kids. I would hope that we can all agree on that as a goal for the school board.

          • Phyllip

            I believe we can agree that “either way” backed candidates “can” achieve the goals needed. We can also agree that a “R,D, or a L” behind a name can achieve the goals in other political races as well unless the voter is straight ticket/ straight union/straight anti-union/ or straight business minded.

        • Wow! You must be clairvoyant. Jan Stricklin had no idea that she might have Union endorsement until shortly before it was announced. It’s likely that the dirty tricks that David Smith and Chris Kiefer tried to play on the Teamsters helped win her the endorsement. I can see how they would support Kiefer’s opponent. The other problem I have with your observation is that Vaneta Becker usually endorsed by many of the local unions, so it would make no sense for Jan to “squirm” at being associated with her in the presence of union supporters.

          • My abilities at clairvoyance are about as good as yours at reading comprehension. I did not say that I knew that she was associated with any union. I said that at the UNOE meeting, they announced that there were two candidates for school board present. Jan Stricklin & Tony Ricketts stood up and introduced themselves. When Stricklin stood up, someone told me that she is supposedly the candidate that the Teamsters have chosen to go against Chris Kiefer. As for the other thing at the Stepping Up meeting, I don’t know why, but it appeared to me that she didn’t feel comfortable when someone said that she was first brought there by Vaneta Becker.

          • Phoenix at 11:22 a.m.
            ‘ I just find it odd that directly after a contentious labor dispute that there would be a candidate so closely associated with the Teamsters.

            He found it odd.

            Phoenix at 2:03 p.m.
            ‘ I did not say that I knew that she was associated with any union.’

            Said he did not say that he knew … ‘. Ho ho ho.

          • @Phyllip Davis:

            “She always has had union support. It was never a secret that she is a Teamsters candidate.”

            That sounds like a claim of direct knowledge to me. It is just remarkable that you knew this and the candidates didn’t. You appear to be clairvoyant, and

            “She always has had union support. It was never a secret that she is a Teamsters candidate.”

            I think that’s a pretty straightforward claim of direct knowledge. I have no problem with understanding what you wrote, but you now claim you’re just repeating what “somebody” told you as if you knew it was fact. I think both Jan and Tony hoped for any endorsements they could gain, but neither was a “Teamsters candidate”.

            I have no problems understanding what you wrote.

        • Do some people believe the backed canidates have no idea about their support until the official release? Because she said so? Did not work as a child and still doesn’t. Who knows how long she or anyone else knew. Keeping things behind closed doors is nothing knew in politics. These are the same people yelling Friend for Mayor and anyone else that does one good thing in the public eye. Only to ignore or forget they said it and crucify the next minute. They forget wrong doing on whom they choose and others get to walk the plank. These insulting voters are part of the problem. I may not always agree with your opinion but I welcome the fresh view. I too have a hard time believing a union backed candidate will be representing our children. It is a rare occurrence.

        • Please explain the negative support. Seems not to long ago that the FOP supported the “NO” vote on the merger plan as well allow CORE2012 to conduct their meetings at their building.
          The merger plan went down in flames, 2 to 1!

    • Jan has already spent more time in the buildings – you know, in actual SCHOOL buildings, in her brief campaign, than Kiefer has in his entire tenure on the board. That’s a fact. It’s way past time for him to GO.

  4. THE EXTREME CHRISTIAN RIGHT – Editor points out today Congress may tip for Republicans this election cycle.

    For many Democrat and independent voters (certainly not all…) the idea of a Republican takeover of Congress was unthinkable, but this time, that is simply not the case.

    Why? The veil has been lifted in the US on the hate-wing…the bigots of the extreme Christian right….of the Republican Party. And the GOP, even Fox News, has lost trust in the hate-Christian voters.

    It happened again Sunday morning on the Sunday news shows. Fox News Sunday yesterday made Tony Perkins from the Family Research Council look foolish and insignificant during a debate on the merits of the Supreme Courts rejection of the State’s appealing same-sex bans. The Fox News’ moderator was appalled by Perkins’ arguments for bigotry. THAT was eye-opening…Fox News calling out a bigot Christian.

    (Additionally, It was highly weird noticing that the Tony Perkins’ frivolous and bigoted arguments were identical to the strange things INDIANA ENOCH often says about same-sex marriage here in the CCO comments section.)

    The point is the Republican Party no longer feels it has to cater to the extreme Christian right hate voters. The same-sex marriage debate exposed these hate-voters as bigots trying to use the Bible and the Constitution to deny citizens, they merely dislike, their inalienable rights in the country.

    The Supreme Court has validated all of this. And what has become obvious even to Fox News and the Republican Party is the hate-voters of the extreme Christian right, the Tony Perkins Christians are just more of the same-old bigots who say their faith is under attack when they want to be hate-bigots, who tried to say the Bible justified slavery, who tried to say the Bible justified bans on interracial marriage, who tried to say the Bible justified bans on interfaith marriage, who tried to say the Bible justified bans on same-sex marriage.

    But the Supreme Court called out this trash…and the extreme Christian right’s hate-votes are no longer an indispensable part of the Republican Party’s future plans….and for many voters in the Democrat party….with the hate-voter Christian wing of the GOP correctly on its own these days….the GOP takeover of Congress is no big deal.

  5. Considering the obscene amounts of Money being spent to pin down a November victory by both Parties, to assert it’s “No Big Deal” for the Republicans to control both houses of Congress is laughable.

    • There is a theory that the GOP taking over the Senate would be a plus for the Democrats in 2016, because the Tealiban leaders that are already there would absolutely tear the GOP to ribbons because real Republicans won’t go along with their agenda A Koch-sponsored third party wouldn’t bode well for the future of the GOP. Can you imagine the Ted Cruz tantrums on the floor of the Senate?

      • That theory seems to have proven itself several times in recent history. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The arrogance of President Obama and his minions Pelosi and Reid in the defying the will of the people to pass the ACA without a single republican vote set the stage for the takeover of both houses of congress. If their actions had been more inclusive this may not have happened. The next full takeover will come in 2016 when an unnamed republican wins the White House. Of course they will then become arrogant and set the blue team up for a good midterm in 2018. In the meantime the American people are paying the price for the arrogance of the simpleton president.

        • Totally makes sense, especially given the whole concept was a republican idea. “Eye roll”

        • Bean pole, leverage doesn’t provide much force. And, obstruction didn’t work the same issues stand.

          The analytics bases don’t believe your estimate, as usual you’ve left out the majorities not included in your “casting.” Women will set new balance to the “poll” controls much as they grade the “poles” for the tipping point settings.
          And, its a recorded fact that more than half of the eligible voters in the United States are in fact single as well as busy enough working trying to keep up with incurred costs they’ve saved the hammered leverage until they actually do go to the polls. “Hear Us” will then become, “Heard me” didn’t you.
          Sorry for the abstract, however, only with a workable vision, that’s usually the first step one takes forward to establish a factual progression in any given balance.

          • It’s really ridiculous when the righties start citing a simple slip of the tongue as “proof” that POTUS is not legitimate. All you do is make yourself look silly.

      • Indiana’s governor “Pence” is in the Koch’s “back pocket” should he run in 2016, from a recent article in print.

        • His big economic idea is to cut income taxes and start making food subject to the 7% sales tax.

          What a guy!!!

        • He leaped into the Koch’s pocket at the first opportunity, but they can buy a much more viable presidential candidate than him. I expect the Pence family are the only people on earth who believe he has a shot at the White House.

      • Just too many ifs and buts to make any prognostic/inspired projections in my books, getting inside the Mind of anyone has proved difficult. Most Realists know Spock is the only one with that talent.
        Conjecture is just that,— Conjecture. Fantasy is just that,— Fantasy. Take your Pick.
        I hope Evansville has a good turnout of Voters, I despair when a small turnout lets the “Special Interest” groups prevail.

  6. Could it be true that the “Nut Club” members would not lower their morals to be involved with the dis functional city government? I would think there may had been a few who had, past and maybe present?

    Would it be fair and true that if city budget is struggling, that if business (the “real world”, your words, not mine) model is being pushed, is to recall all business abatements inside city limits. Why hurt(cut) the average city resident when it is the business sector “wheeling and dealings” with city government that may be the root of the problem?

    Is it not true that the “political pendulum” swings both ways over time? Does one remember the past president at least 15-20 points below the current one? Would it not be true we are not really electing that particular candidate, but the lobbyist that are pulling the strings of them? Is it not true if you don’t have mega billions or a high profile lobbyist, your just a “pawn” like those AM station political talk show host and their constant babbling?

    • I’m not so sure about the talkers just being “pawns”, Arm. I suspect that Rush Limbaugh really is one of the most influential thinkers in the Greedy Old Poop-head movement, and may well be a paid leader when/if they form a party to split the Grand Old Party.

  7. If layoffs are on the City budget table, maybe we should first look at reducing the City’s outrageous legal expenditures. After that, the first job to go should be a reclassification of the Mayor’s Chief of Staff, IMO. It seems to me we could cut some fat in ERC’s spending, and cut pay of the various Board and Commission members to $1 per year. Somehow, I can’t imagine a Mayor being willing to cut City services in the year before he stands for re-election, but Hizzoner needs to remove the rose-colored glasses and look at reality. Then, I suggest he take the clothespin off his nose, wakes up, and smells the poop in the streets of our not so “vibrant downtown.”
    I wonder if the Mayor-In-Name-Only (MINO) is still enjoying the sky-high approval ratings reported by Wayne Parke some months back.

    • LKB, you are spot on re: attorney fees.

      IS IT TRUE that our fair City pays a Ziemer attorney (Dirk Stahl) to review EACH Public Records Request which is submitted to the City Controller’s Office, DMD, etc. ??

      Groundbreaking idea to save ONE JILLION Dollars in Legal Fees: just give the public the public records to which they are entitled by State Law. Only exception: if active litigation matter is being requested.

      Hiring an attorney named Stahl to attempt to rationalize why public records do not qualify for public release: aptly named lawyer ! By chance, does the City also employ Attorney Lye, Attorney Cheet and Attorney Steele ??

    • The legal costs exposure on the horizon are haunting. The Legal Zoo Handgun Carry fiasco is rescheduled again and has been put off until March 2015. At the treble attorneys fees recoup that is denoted in the 2011 State Preemption Statutes overhaul, every time this administration delays and cajoles versus settling is crippling for the taxpayer.

      My understanding is that the morally bankrupt actions by the administration to impune and harm the petitioner has not endeared the petitioner to settle.

  8. Doesn’t the new budget include more spending than the current budget? Only in government is that a cut.

  9. I’m noticing a lot of the usual right wing trash on here playing the victim card lately. Kind of ironic.

  10. If Obama killed every terrorist in the world except one, the headlines on all stations would be, “Obama fails to kill terrorist,” “Obama leads from behind in trying to kill lone terrorist,” “Obama incompetent in trying to kill terrorist in tan suit,” “Obama’s reluctance to kill lone terrorist driving poll numbers down.” “Polls show Romney would have killed lone terrorist first.”

    “Only 36 percent of Americans can identify which political party controls the Senate and which controls the House of Representatives.” – Gallup

    From the Smart Grid that the media never reports on to the mileage standards Obama has imposed to the ACA which has added 10 more years to Medicare’s longevity, all remind me of this Greek proverb: “Societies become great when old men plant trees whose shade they will never sit in.”

    And in the mean time: http://www.forbes.com/sites/adamhartung/2014/09/05/obama-outperforms-reagan-on-jobs-growth-and-investing/

  11. I think that the voters are intelligent enough to realize that Obama is not running for office in this election cycle and that they will be voting for US Senate and House or representatives that might help Obama get more done and thus get his approval ratings up.

    BTW the do nothing congress led by the GOP has stalled each and every proposal of the Obama Administration and blocked most all his appointments and done everything including shutting down the Government again. They are the one’s who should be looked at by the local voters not Obama.

    We need to vote for people that will actually do work in the Senate for the vast majority of the Hoosiers living in Southern IN. We need to vote in more Democratic US Senators and House Members and get rid of people like GOP Buschon.

  14. Is it O.K. if I don’t like the Fall Festival ? How might I be ostracized for this ?

    Is it O.K. that I think that just because the Nut Club has ironed out the bugs in the Festival over the years in running that event, that doesn’t mean they would make a good mayor for the city ? Or that having known some of the Nut Club members, find some to be snobs and jerks ?

    Is it O.K. if I don’t like Dave Wedding because I don’t like the man who mentored his career to a degree that Wedding did not need to get any post secondary education in law enforcement, and has been given numerous other advantages in his career, because I he subscribes to a value system others might rightfully see as ignorant, arrogant, and wrong ?

    Is it O.K. if I don’t like this retired cop mentor who has a cult following in Evansville but is able to get me harassed on my job for making posts such as this on a public website, or because I tell the truth about some of the despicable things he has done ?

    Is it O.K if it find some of the good o’ boy Evansville networking & politics despicable, ignorant, and pray those that administer torment and one day pay for their ignorance ?

    Is if O.K if I wonder if the CCO content lost in the recent website hacking might only appear after the Sheriff’s elections, because secretly it might not have been a hacking, but someone wanted that information to go away, at least until after the election ?

      • Here’s why all locations in the fight against the Ebola outbreak need to get together and sport reliable training pathways. Right now a body fluids borne vector pathway, just a reminder from the global environmental analytics, due how fluids and gravity have an affect on that.
        The expression for the need is obvious by simple observation of the stream dynamics in this articles illustration. Who ever happens to be the deity this group prays to, give that a humanistic additional boost from yours. Looks like they’ll need it…..

        http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/

  15. Editor:

    This entire edition of IIT, including your editorial, is secured in negativity on the local political scene. The slight exception concerning Obama and the other puppets in Washington and the nut club. Why are we here ?

    Is this what you strive to discuss and be discussed ?

    Anything positive out there ?

    I guess tomorrow we will be back on the downtown hotel, and LKB telling us that Indiana University should listen to her, and that they should plan their location to her liking, or another dribble by V, which the majority of your readers questions what has been said ?

    Even the humor I normally find in responses is gone 🙁

    • Tomorrow’s IIT says nothing about the hotel. We are saving that for later in the week when the 4th groundbreaking is supposedly set to happen. Sometimes we do profile positive things as we have the Fall Festival.

      As for being negative, as a controls system engineer, my fundamental belief is that improvements in outcomes is only possible through negative feedback. That is the tenor of what IIT is about. Quite frankly the only path to greatness, or even to goodness is through appropriately responding to negative feedback. This is true in all walks of life from athletics to spelling, to war, to keeping the peace. Highlighting things that need to be improved is our chosen form of delivery. It certainly drives internet traffic better than sunshine and lollipops stories. There are enough sunshine and lollipop stories in Evansville without us joining the praise. We are content to point out where things are done wrong and hope that something changes for the better.

      • Yep, the planet is giving your Evansville city council its opinion on the Evansville downtown priorities as the meeting goes on. Good timing. Another load of it straight into the Ohio river drainage basin and all over the downtowns old lackey type combined sewer infrastructure. Enjoy, the climate migrations. They are only going to increase as the planet changes and the elemental balances migrate. Better get real guys its far past time.

      • I have seen Editor use positive reinforcement. Such behavior also reinforces best outcomes.

        With respect, and acknowledging Editor is a nerd as am I, but your defense of saying only negative things as a rule….because you are trained for code-testing or the strict process/procedure thing to do so, and thus negativity should be your only focus…is pure B.S.

        You’re getting older Editor…and your back is stiffening. It is why most innovation comes from younger generations who have not been swimming in the soup.

        • Yes I do after good moves are made. I work with mostly young entrepreneurs so they help loosen me up. I do remember filing a half dozen patent disclosures a year in my 20s when I was a pure engineer though. That doesn’t happen any more but occasionally something original does still pop into the old mind. I understand that Einstein did everything he did of significance before age 30. I hope to keep innovating until I die.

          • ” I hope to keep innovating until I die.”
            Nickola Tesla did. I’ve been privileged by group gatherings and inclusion on some of that, the general public has no idea of its existence , none the less understand the conceptual. Its simply amazing, what the Man thought others didn’t always agree with. In the last few years this particular conceptual idea of his has indeed been proven. One must always remember Tesla didn’t always agree with Einstein as well as some other theoretical scientists of his day either. However, before he passed away some balance was struck and sustained due a theory and some modeling the fellow explained and demonstrated to some.

            The Fellow thought it was that important to communicate the conceptual theory as the end of life his loomed , He studied and picked the audience, as well.
            It is.

  17. Is it true the city meeting on the budget is going on right now?
    Mayor said the city finances are stable.
    A councilman said there was a 80% decline in taxes.

  18. If city wants to make cuts I have 1 idea: I live between Mt. Vernon and New Harmony. Between my house and Posey County Fairgrounds lives an Evansville police officer who drives his patrol vehicle home every day.

  19. I am hoping CCO takes on Amy Word and Lamasco again. That was exciting!!! Thanks Amy

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