IS IT TRUE the City County Observer Mole Luncheon is completely sold out and has been forced to expand into two rooms in the Tropicana Convention Center?…there are three political parties that have bought tables including the Democrats, the Libertarians, and the Tea Party?…only a few Central Committee Republicans chose to avoid the “Mole Awards” from a party perspective?… that many other responsible Republicans will be there as individuals and we welcome them along with the eclectic mix of independent thinkers of all kinds who frequent the CCO?
IS IT TRUE on this writer’s recent walk through downtown Evansville to see if the Ford Center has stimulated a renaissance, it is blatantly obvious that very little has happened as a result of that $127 Million “investment”?…there have been some business started and others closed but the net change is essentially zero?…on a second walk around after dark, I must admit that the vibe has changed dramatically for the worse?…for the first time in many years a walk through downtown Evansville was sort of disturbing from the number of aggressive acting people just hanging around?…several even had pit bulls on a leash either for their own protection or to intimidate others?…the city leaders have always said they wanted lots of activity downtown and Friday night they sure did have it?…I somehow think this was not what they were hoping for as one downtown loft dweller shared that she would not be staying beyond the term of her lease?…maybe a new movie called “Fort Apache Evansville” can replace the similar file about The Bronx form the 70’s?
IS IT TRUE the Meijers hyper store situation is clearly that there will not be a store in the near future?…this has been confirmed by the Meijers Corporation that did confirm they do own the land on which a store could be built?…with a construction cycle of up to two years even if the store were started next spring it would be 2017 before it opens?…this evokes the memories of the on again – off again downtown convention hotel which started with a bang in 2008 and still has not really broken ground?…deals like these should be kept under wraps until they are real?…were it not for the impatience of headline seeking fools in political office they would be?
IS IT TRUE the latest RCP Senate poll averages are looking hopeful for the democrats chances of holding onto the Senate?…during the last week the projections for republican pickups has dropped from 8 to 6 which is still a control position but it is only by one?…the overall probability in Nate Silver’s 538 analytic has however risen to nearly a 2/3 probability for a republican take over?…the one thing that seems the most probable in this writers opinion is that some races are so close that some surprises will happen?…some old timers like McConnell may get sent packing which would be a surprise, an independent may win Kansas, but New Hampshire may flip to republican?…the only certainty is uncertainty?
IS IT TRUE Three million dollars can barely buy a new townhouse in Brooklyn these days, but it could be enough to purchase a bundle of more than 6,000 foreclosures up for auction in Detroit?…the cost of dealing with the many blighted buildings included in the Detroit mega-auction means a $3.2 million bid received last week—roughly the minimum allowable bid of $500 per property—will likely prove too high to turn a profit?…“I can’t imagine that you are going to make money on this,†says David Szymanski, chief deputy treasurer of Wayne County, which is selling the properties?…with tens of thousands of dilapidated homes to support brand new temples to sport, Detroit seems to be the poster child for Evansville, Indiana in the decision making category?
The Ford Center does have a big event on November 8th as Wabash is coming to town to beat the hell out of the University of Evansville that night.
Well, ok. Maybe not. But they’ll get close though. Maybe. Well, basketball is stupid anyway.
Yes, that ought to be a “big” event. The usual five hundred or so Aces fans and maybe half of the 902 students at Wabash will make for a rollicking good time in the Dead Zone. I can’t help but wonder if having to go downtown for a game might be one reason that there are so few student fans showing up for them.`
Webster’s–“Downtown”–the Main Business section of a city or town–
Nothing but a Rat hole for public monies for sometime now, Old Downtown certainly doesn’t meet Webster’s definition, and hasn’t for years , nothing but a mis-no-mer to call it “Downtown”!
You’re absolutely right, Crash! According to Webster, “downtown” is now on the East side.
Wait a second? YOU think that basketball is stupid? Where are you from? ha ha You must not be from Indiana!
It was a reference to the fox and the sour grapes. Wabash is D-3 and doesn’t stand a chance w/ the Aces. This exhibition game is a PR event essentially…..
Although far from perfect, this isn’t your father’s Detroit. Most of the negativity surrounding Detroit is due to what they HAVE DONE not what they ARE DOING.
Ironically, the “temples to sports” area is going to have FIVE revitalized neighborhoods around it with the closest being Wildcat Corner. And no, this isn’t some pie in the sky dream plan, this is actually an agreed to plan from the Ilitchs who have signed on the dotted line and are now acquiring all the property to make this happen in exchange for financial support for the new arena.
The M-1 Rail Line which is mostly privately financed is under construction. It is just phase one of what will ultimately be the replacement tracks from when the General Motors Conspiracy against the streetcars wiped out all of the tracks in Downtown Detroit.
Add to that, Mayor Duggan came out with a very pro-preservation stance when he said the city (paraphrasing) “has to get past the tear everything down mentality.” Detroit is leveling blighted houses at a record pace, but these truly are the worst of the worst, nothing even remotely historical about them.
But most important of it all is that Downtown Detroit has finally found its private investor to correct all of its past mistakes with an endless amount of cash. It’s Quicken Loans owner Dan Gilbert who has dumped more than $1.5 Billion into Detroit with much more to come. I don’t know how anyone, conservative, liberal, or independent could be against the new direction Detroit is taking.
If you want to have something to be mad about, be mad that Joe Louis Arena on the waterfront is going to be torn down because the city lost the facility to its creditors. Spending $6 million to tear down what has transformed Detroit income Hockey Town is a disgrace. But overall, Detroit is on the right track.
From what I have read on the subject of Detroit, I think you’re right about the direction it is headed. That being said, the Motor City has a very long way to go. I think we will see it come back, smaller and better, in the next couple of decades.
I think the crowd that downtown is drawing right now is one huge reason why IUMS students will NOT want to live downtown. Another is that the location is extremely inconvenient. A few “niche” shops and a couple of bars will not trump the convenience of being near shopping and entertainment that is available a few miles east or west of “Pitbull Plaza” that is downtown Evansville. On Sundays, those who do not have cars would be stuck there, as there is no bus service on Sundays The whole idea of turning Kennedy and Buckner Towers into dorms is ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS.
If the sane, sensible people of this town show up at the polls in 2015, Mayor McClintock and her husband are in trouble.
Those “aggressive people” with pit bulls head downtown because of Hammerheads “Hip Hop Night.” Hammerheads continually brings problems downtown and the city does nothing. Hammerheads has shootings and gang fights regularly.
Who owns the Hammerheads place? Who do they know in politics and why are the police not cracking down on this type of behavior at any place in town?
The police are not cracking down because they are trying avoid a Ferguson. The exhibited behavior amongst the targeted group is common and mobile, Hammerhead now, west Franklin or north 1st Ave next. Besides this group is protected because they’re democrats. To most of us the rowdies are criminals to democrats they’re easy votes for a baggie or a small bottle.
Do they contribute to the TiF ? How much, and how steady, even that horse has a mouth. Might take a look, and BTW what’s your added revenue increment?
$127 million does not tell the story, we must include;
Purchase of the “Big E”, money spent on foundation work of Big E on arena side when it was still suppose to be reused. Cost of demolition of the building. Any money given to developers when the building was to be reused.
Purchase of remainder lots for the arena.
Future cost of building something for “storage” that the arena lacks.
Total cost to service the bonds for the arena.
Cost to demo Robert stadium and parking lot. Future cost to convert the area into something useful. Cost of playing “musical chairs”.
Purchase price and demo of parking garage
Purchase of remaining lots for future hotel site that ties to arena.
All money forwarded to developers for that hotel.
We could add the cost of all new curbs, wheelchair ramps, sidewalks, street signage, new traffic lights ect. for that downtown area out side of the block the arena sits on..
Lastly, at what cost, and lost of service/and or jobs to/for city residents, by the budget cuts in a attempt to satisfy the above cost?
A penny here a nickel there it all adds up. Is it NOT time to stop throwing away good tax payers money on downtown toadies projects?
Fix your infrastructures useful balance for logistical value in this century. The location would be a easier sell. You’ve wasted truck loads of opportunity to accomplish just that with the ridiculous spot focus on that downtowns old failed logistics and outdated base utility balances.
That’s atrocious in anyone’s expectation the infrastructure can support investment and growth on top of it without the system upgrades in place and operating, first in. Not only that, your misguided project governance does a pretty good job in fouling up the entire clean water balance of the [Nationally Strategic Ohio River Drainage Basin] by historically disregarding those requirements set forth decades ago by the [United States Clean Water Act.] The methods you’ve conjured up to address that’s funding is at the core of your city and counties problems.
The bailout of the zombie infrastructure and the properties all over that isn’t the responsibility of everyone’s tax base revenues to support the bail. That’s “dramatically unfair” and preposterous to present to the entire population of the metro unit. Projects in design to progress with urban redevelopment should address those needs as an balanced and overall revenue return increment. You are failing, and simple, however aggressive “Metro planning evolution” is the only direction the Evansville metro has to move forward with any viability in becoming revenue sustainable again.
Well that’s the major, and that simply is, its past time so do it, start building a viable Metro logistical balance do that and the crumbling old downtown will eventually see sustainable private investment.
con·jure
verb
past tense: conjured; past participle: conjured
r/. 1. make (something) appear unexpectedly or seemingly from nowhere as if by magic.
“Anne conjured up a most delicious homemade stew”
synonyms: produce, make appear, materialize, summon
“he conjured a cigarette out of the air”
call (an image) to mind.
“she had forgotten how to conjure up the image of her mother’s face”
synonyms: bring to mind, call to mind, evoke, summon up, recall, recreate; More
(of a word, sound, smell, etc.) cause someone to feel or think of (something).
“one scent can conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake”
call upon (a spirit or ghost) to appear, by means of a magic ritual.
“they hoped to conjure up the spirit of their dead friend”
r/. 2. archaic
implore (someone) to do something.
ri·dic·u·lous
rəˈdikyələs/
adjective
deserving or inviting derision or mockery; absurd.
“when you realize how ridiculous these scenarios are, you will have to laugh”
synonyms: laughable, absurd, comical, funny, hilarious, risible, droll, amusing, farcical, silly, ludicrous;
Why should we care if Meijers comes to Evansville. According to Hilliary companies don’t create jobs and we have enough grocery stores.
Hillary didn’t say that .. YOU DID. Are you that stupid to think that people think you talk for Hillary? I think not!
From Bloomberg;
Hillary Clinton has flip-flopped on whether companies create jobs—and she’s done it since her book came out in June.
Here’s what she said Friday, as she tried to bask in the populist sun of Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren at a Boston rally for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley:
“Don’t let anybody tell you that it’s corporations and businesses that create jobs.â€
Soooo, what is it about reality that you don’t get ?
Hillary may not believe it but she said it, echoing Elizabeth Warren and President Obama. It was probably trying to ingratiate herself with the far left, just as Warren and Obama have done.
moveon- As Sgt. Shultz would say “You know nothing!”
Nice try to deflect moveon but I saw the unedited video & she darn sure DID say that.
Get off the Jenkem, it makes you strange. Surely you are well enough connected with your people to get some good stuff.
On RCP’s latest poll averages read Larry Kudlow’s view;
The vast majority of political journalists — and I include some of my conservative colleagues — are missing a very big story.
The Republicans are going to recapture the Senate, picking up more seats than most any forecaster expects. And the House GOP is going to add to its majority. But then comes the big story: The beginning of a new conservative revolution.
The idea that nothing much will change if the GOP captures the whole Congress is just plain wrong. The politics and policies in Washington are about to change in a major way.
Obama may still be president. But he is going to be immediately confronted with a flood of new bills that will change the debate on tax reform, energy, health care, education, international trade, and regulations.
Obama will no longer be able to hide behind Harry Reid, who has stopped all voting on these matters. And Mitch McConnell, as Senate majority leader, will be able to move forward the reform ideas of his caucus and House policy leaders like Paul Ryan, Jeb Hensarling, Kevin Brady, and many others.
Obama’s head will spin with all the new paperwork on his desk. He may even have to cut back on his golf game.
Of course, because of his left-wing ideology, Obama may veto everything. But if he does, he’s setting up a new Republican agenda for the 2016 presidential race. Either Hillary Clinton completely jumps the Obama ship, or she’s pulled way left by the Democratic party’s Bill de Blasio/Elizabeth Warren/Sandinista wing. Either way she’s in trouble.
And maybe some Senate Democrats vote to override Obama’s vetoes, with some even converting to Republicanism. An Angus King or a Joe Manchin may cross the aisle after the likely midterm GOP landslide.
Unfortunately, the current GOP never put together a clear national-policy election agenda. Not even a downsized Contract with America. But I suggest two Big Think thoughts for the first 100 days of the new Congress.
First is optimism: We know what the problems are, we know what the solutions should be, and we can make these changes quickly. Second is a re-energized evangelism by the Republican party for pro-growth, market-oriented, consumer-driven, pro-family policies.
“We all see this coming,†House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan told me in a recent interview. “Energy and tax reform are going to be at the top of the list.†And House Financial Services chairman Jeb Hensarling told me, “It’s time to put up or shut up for tax reform. Fairer, flatter, simpler, so the American people will at last know what the GOP would do for economic growth to rescue the country from the worst recovery since World War II.â€
Hensarling also emphasized the need to expand the energy revolution and to stop the massive overregulation that has stunted growth. “The regulatory red-tape burden, which violates the Founding Fathers’ Federalist paper 47 by diminishing the rule of law and increasing bureaucratic power in the executive branch at the expense of the constitutionally mandated legislative branch, has got to be stopped.â€
Brilliant! You are #1 countryboy. Unfortunately for the country, even if Republicans do win a majority (I’m not convinced), given their current leadership, I’m not optimistic the changes you suggest will happen.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
A lot scarier than Ebola!
I will bet you a steak dinner than energy and tax reform WILL NOT be at the top of the priority list.
McConnell will do away with the filibuster for all legislation
Craft a spending bill that defunds the ACA, the CFPB, Dodd-Frank and the EPA
If Obama doesn’t meet their demands they will shut down the government.
Sue or impeach the president
TP loons eager to establish their RTL bona fides will clamor to sponsor personhood amendments
Craft a National Right to Work law
“Massive overregulation” and “regulatory red-tape burden”
Oh sure they will throw out the corporate tax cut nonsense too.
Translation: Orwellian double speak for “Let our rich corporations and donors” pollute. rig the system and cheat with impunity.
You do paint a Utopian picture, for sure, BB Brains.
You’re on.
Wishful thinking by a rich greedy power monger. This could easily describe the wishes of the Governor of Wisconsin who probably won’t be in office much longer.
Remember it was Mitch who lead the Senate Obstructionist and did nothing while it was Obama that got this country out of the recession that Bush put us into when he was in office for 8 long years. Bush left the economy in shambles after Clinton gave Bush a balanced budge with a Surplus.
I doubt if Mitch even is still a US Senator after this coming elections. Maybe his palls in the Coal Industry can give him a Lobbying job on the hill. The people of KY won’t want him back home. He won’t fit in with the regular people living in KY.
Your assessment of the change in downtown business since the Ford Center was built as being essentially zero is probably accurate. That gives the lie to the claim TIF money (increase in property tax revenue due to expanded business because of the Ford Center) will help make payments on the bonds. Someone needs to give a full accounting of the reality of TIF income as opposed to projections.
Factor in the loss of property taxes from D Patrick due to a phase in of taxes at their new location and the picture gets worse.
The City Council will be on the “Hot Seat” tonight, concerning an “Honest” budget,
their vote may turn it into an “electric chair”, frying some of their re-election fantasy’s to a crisp.
Tonight’s budget vote will be very telling. I can tell you this, there are two groups of people on our council. Those trying to better Evansville, and those trying to settle vendettas.
“… we welcome them along with the eclectic mix of independent thinkers of all kinds who frequent the CCO?”
Isn’t “eclectic” the adjective that basically means “of all kinds?”
https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=&oq=eclectic&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4RNRN_enUS439US439&q=eclectic&gs_l=hp..0.0l5.0.0.0.17899………..0.kTPMMceLjpM
Speaking of mixes, our global social economic environmental Analytics would suggest some priorities involved, all the while, trying to focus on the similarities they covered, as well.
http://www.weather.com/news/update/detroit-summer-rains-caused-10-billion-gallons-sewage-overflow-20141027
sim·i·lar·i·ty
ˌsiməˈlerədē/
noun
the state or fact of being similar.
“the similarity of symptoms makes them hard to diagnose”
a similar feature or aspect.
“the similarities between people of different nationalities”
synonyms: resemblance, likeness, sameness, similitude, comparability, correspondence, parallel, equivalence, homogeneity, indistinguishability, uniformity; archaicsemblance
“the similarity between John and his daughter”
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