IS IT TRUE? PART 2 August 16, 2011

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IS IT TRUE? PART 2 August 16, 2011

IS IT TRUE that Mole #77 tells us that the Evansville Redevelopment Commission will indeed be hearing a report regarding the VETTING PROCESS for the hotel proposals?…that we wonder why this needed to be a part of the “other business” as opposed to a defined line item on the agenda?…that even if this is not sneaky and secretive that it certainly looks that way?

IT IS TRUE that on this coming Monday the Vanderburgh County Council will begin their 2012 Budget hearing?…that the County Council has $67.5 worth of budget requests and only $61.5 of revenue projected for 2012?…if the “CCO “MOLE 3” figures are correct, the Vanderburgh County Council “Budget Busters” are facing a $6.0 million dollar revenue shortfall?…that “CCO Mole #3” predicts that the Sheriff Department, Jail and the Information Tech. department budgets are going to get the “Budgetary Evil Eye”? …that the renowned County Council budget cutters -Lloyd, Shelter and Raben are ready to balance the County Budgets based on projected revenue?…that the county road paving budget and raises for county employees could also be on the budget chopping block?

IS IT TRUE that the City of Evansville budget will also raise allot of eyebrows not only by what is proposed for spending but for what may not get budgeted adequately?…that the normal things that municipalities do are all easy to budget for and lend themselves to cut and paste techniques with tweaks from previous years?…that things like the eventual actions regarding Roberts Stadium are pretty much limited to whatever is budgeted?…that democratic candidate for Mayor Rick Davis has talked about some things that he wants to do to improve the dilapidated Evansville Parks?…that if nothing is put into the budget RIGHT NOW that his hands will be tied next year should he become Mayor?…that the same is true for any proposed programs that Lloyd Winnecke proposes?…that the Weinzapfel Administration and the current City Council can easily tie the next Mayor’s hands behind his back by appropriating ZERO DOLLARS to fulfill campaign promises?

IS IT TRUE that an item of interest will be the financial allocation for the audit of the Information Technology department?…that this money should be in the IT budget as opposed to a line item of its own as we have been told that one certain “power that be” requested?

IS IT TRUE that one line item of interest that should be in the 2012 City of Evansville budget is a significant appropriation to do the design for the plan to bring the Combined Sewer Overflow problem into EPA compliance?…that if this vital function is punted again in this budget that the next Mayor will be dealing with default on the program and the reinstatement of fines?…that the Evansville City Council needs to assure that an adequate allocation of funds is budgeted for this task?

IS IT TRUE that the EPA is setting up an educational program to teach the people of Evansville about the dangers of lead poisoning in the Jacobsville Superfund area?…that heavy metal pollution in the soil has been positively correlated to conditions like autism?…that the link below is the official EPA website for the Jacobsville Superfund site?

http://epa.gov/region5/cleanup/jacobsville/

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

22 COMMENTS

  1. If there is a report on vetting today at the ERC meeting, will the members receive a rabies shot ?

  2. Why is there no mention of last night’s NAACP mayoral candidate forum? Slacking here CCO, C&P had it up right after the event.

    • That’s because last night’s NAACP forum was about jobs, and jobs are not a priority issue around here. Nope, we just need to hear more about the negative effects of building a new Arena and preparing downtown streets for anticipated traffic.

      • We were not advised by either candidate or the NAACP of last nights meeting. Of course we are interested in the “jobs plan” for each candidate and intend to cover this subject to whatever detail that the candidates choose to propose programs for.

    • “Between 2005 and 2009 the number of lab seizures—the best indicator of production—dropped an astounding 96 percent, from 192 to 10, according to a recent report by the Oregon Narcotics Enforcement Association. Even more astounding: to get these results the state simply restricted cold and allergy medicines with pseudoephedrine, making this key meth ingredient unavailable without a prescription.”

      People may not like it, but you cant argue with results. This is the answer.

    • It sounds like the issue here is that there is still a demand for the product, but it is being produced elsewhere and brought in through criminal organizations (who bring crime with them)

      Would you say it’s better to have the labs blowing up the house next door, or to have gangs bring the product in from elsewhere?

      I think the lesser of 2 evils is to force the supply come from somewhere else.

      • Yes, there still is a demand for meth which means requiring a prescription for pseudoephedrine will not work until every state has legislation in place to require a prescription. This is not likely to happen given the clout of big pharma lobbyist.

        No, I would neither want to have the house next door blow up nor gangs bringing in supplies. You nor I should have to make the choice between those two evils.

        • Like you said, there is still a demand for meth.

          So if you eliminate the source in your own town, it will need to come from elsewhere.

          Do you have a solution other than choosing between those two evils?

          Requiring a prescription is the most reasonable, least expensive option I’ve seen to fight this problem. More law enforcement is EXTREMELY expensive, and has not worked (if anything, our numbers make more law enforcement look counterproductive). Jail doesn’t keep people from using. Eliminating the source wont stop people from getting it, but at least our houses wouldn’t burn down at such a terrible rate.

          • meth rose to fill the demand for cocaine and crack after the post 911 security shut down a sizable flow from across the border… law enforcement now has to deal with a decentralized production and distribution system whereas before they could shut down a whole system by following the trail to the source … there is some advantage to pushing production out of the community … the more the product has to move, the better chance law enforcement can catch it…. eventually we need to figure out that it is a spiritual issue that fuels this demand for mind altering experiences …..

          • Eliminating the source wont stop people from getting it, but at least our houses wouldn’t burn down at such a terrible rate.

            So the required prescription only focuses on the supply side of meth economics and would have no effect on the demand side? That does nothing to resolve the issue. What would be required is the complete elimination of the production of pseudophedrine in the form in question. This is a very profitable niche for big pharma they would not likely give up unless required by law to cease production.

            I am not only concerned with houses burning down in this community and families being destroyed. But also any community experiencing this problem. This is why I found the original article I linked to be disconcerting.

          • Rwtrax: So you dont think PSE should require a prescription? What is your solution?

            Pharmacies wont stop selling it altogether, and if they do, junkies will find something else to abuse. I’m not saying that requiring a Rx will solve it entirely, but it will reduce the damage caused by it.

            How do you propose we improve things? Or at the very least control the damage that comes as a result?

  5. @Bgrafton on 8/16/2011 at 4:02 PM:

    “eventually we need to figure out that it is a spiritual issue that fuels this demand for mind altering experiences …..”.

    Bgrafton–would you care to enlighten us on what seems to be an absurd comment ? Are you suggesting “spiritual people” (i.e., those who attend church and believe in God) are those prone to getting hooked on meth ? How can you believe that ?

  6. “I’m not saying that requiring a Rx will solve it entirely, but it will reduce the damage caused by it.”

    In an earlier post you indicated requiring a prescription is “the answer”. Now, you indicate it will not resolve the problem. As I have clearly indicated the solution is to eliminate the supply by discontinuing the production of pseudophedrine. That is not likely to happen. With any problem there is usually not a single solution.
    Other ideas:
    1. Law enforcement does a great job in detecting and shutting down meth operations. If everyone on this thread believes meth is the serious problem it is, then there should be no argument that law enforcement should have the resources needed to continue their efforts.
    2. The judicial system should apply the statutes provided by law to make meth production unattractive. I’ve seen it first hand that individuals charged with meth production have been hit with small fines, suspended sentences and maybe probation. Rarely do they face jail time even if found guilty.
    3. Create a web registry for meth offenders. This is done for sex offenders. Society has determined that a rapist or child molester should be closely watched. If meth is at least as serious a problem as sex crimes, then those violators should be monitored as well.

    No system is perfect but requiring a prescription only places the burden on the individual who wants to take care of their personal health and is only a bandaid solution to the real problem.

    • I never said that requiring a Rx would resolve the problem, but it clearly does reduce the home-grown labs (which explode and cause damage)

      1) Do you think the EPD is currently underfunded? Do you have any evidence to suggest that throwing money into law enforcement improves the situation? We’ve been increasing our budget in Evansville, and meth seems to be a bigger issue than ever.
      2) People already do get fined for buying too much PSE in a certain timeframe, whether or not any connection to meth production is proven. I’ve never heard of someone who was caught with a meth lab being hit with “a small fine” or just “probation”. Can you find any articles or recent stories that supports this claim?
      3) The web registry I can agree with you on.

      Like you said, no system is perfect. Throwing money at law enforcement costs every taxpayer more money. I think the judicial system is already pretty strict on Meth (unless you can prove me wrong) and not stopping the problem – here or elsewhere.

      It is interesting that you’d rather push for bigger government than restrict a drug that is already known to be potentially dangerous.

      I’m sure it would be more convenient for average joe if they could get tylenol-3 or other codeine pills, hydrocodone, etc. for their personal purposes. We require a Rx for these things because they have a high tendency to be abused. PSE is no exception in my opinion.

    • Dealing meth is a class B felony if under 3 grams. Class A felony if over 3 grams. How much stronger do you think the judicial system should be?

  7. With the cut backs for funds coming from the federal government, local and state law enforcement agencies will have to rely on alternative sources of funds. The COPS program does provide some ideas.

    http://www.thehawkeye.com/story/BC-US–Meth-Cleanup-Crisis-5th-Ld-Writethru

    Not as funny as drunken animals. But more to the point. No, I never indicated the EPD or ISP is underfunded. And no, I’m not pushing for bigger government. What this article and many other articles indicate is states reliant on federal assistance see a decline in number of meth busts.

    1.So if local law enforcement does not have the resources and there is no funding for cleanup, then the problem only gets worst. Law enforcement has to be the frontline of this battle.
    2. Having done criminal background investigations for 14 years, I have found and recorded the sentencing for Mfg of Meth. Yes, it is a felony. But can be reduced to a misdemeanor. Many times the individual can be right back to operating a meth lab almost immediately. Purchase of > 3 grams is a misdemenanor.
    3. Glad to see we have an agreement on one thing. Having a meth registry would also require resources to maintain and enforce.

    Unless pseudophedrine is no longer available, the meth epidemic will continue. If cost to the taxpayer is a concern, then what cost is there in properties and lives destroyed?

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