IS IT TRUE? Part 2 July 21, 2011 Paralysis by Meaningless Analysis
IS IT TRUE that with respect to the post this morning that discussed the insurance recommendation study that ONB was paid $100,000 to perform for the Evansville Redevelopment Commission, Mole #16 has informed us that the entire study has not been posted on the ERC website?…that we are relieved to hear that there is more to a $100,000 study that 3 spreadsheets that for all practical purposes could have been completed with a dozen phone calls and 2 hours on the computer?…that we anxiously await the release of the entire study and hope that we will be impressed by the amount of work that one needs to do to earn a $100,000 fee for making a recommendation?…that as was pointed out by CCO poster Beerguy that we are quite curious to find out if there were any commissions earned on any of the insurance purchases made by the ERC based upon the paid recommendations of ONB Insurance?
IS IT TRUE that the University of Southern Indiana and GAGE are working together on a study that has the purpose to help Evansville “find its identityâ€?…that this statement alone that is attributed to a USI marketing professor sort of implies that whatever that identity is that it is wandering in the wilderness lost?…that this could be good fodder for Hoosier comedian David Letterman if he were to hear of this metropolitan identity search?…that all joking aside, how does a city find something that it does not seem to have ever had?…that the method chosen is to survey 200 residents about what they think Evansville’s identity is and also what their “ideal city†would be?…that GAGE and USI are planning to concoct a list of words that will be carefully chosen to draw out the identity of Evansville from these 200 people?…that these touchy feely perceptions are alleged to have value to augment the recently released “Competitive Realities†study?…that we really wonder how one study based on uninformed perception using a protocol of “leading the witness†would have any value whatsoever to an outside assessment done by experts in the field?…that if any taxpayer money is being spent on this that we would like to know how much and where it came from?…that some of the hoards of obese people that will most surely be included in the study make be offended at the president of GAGE’s metaphor about taking “one bite from the elephant at a timeâ€?
IS IT TRUE if you want to know what Evansville’s identity is just read the “Competitive Realities†report?…that it is all there for the reading?…that it is not flattering?…that a better use of tax money would be to spend it teaching the people of Evansville how the world sees us and letting the chips fall from there?…that if you want to know what a current snapshot of Evansville is, think about Snooky with a southern accent?
IS IT TRUE that one of the positive attributes that the Competitive Realities study identified was our central location?…that it pointed out the well known fact that Evansville sits nearly at the center of the population of the United States?…that A third grader can look at a map and identify that Evansville is closer to the center of the country than Chattanooga and Davenport?…that the center of the US population is in a corn field in Pike County?…that the question of interest is what does that really mean to anyone’s economic potential?…that this trivial dot on the map started being tracked in the 1800’s when it was near Dayton and has been migrating across Indiana since then?…that it has not magically created even one crumb of prosperity anywhere.?…that it its present migratory trajectory it will be in Arkansas in 30 years?
IS IT TRUE that why people think this is of economic importance is just mystifying…that it is of no more significance that the world’s largest ball of twine unless you invest in something that gives people and capital a value adding reason to stop here on their way to someplace else?…that capitalizing on a central location with a state of the art airport, multiple interstates, and intermodal logistics as Louisville, Memphis, and Indy have done is what matters?…that the dot in the cornfield means nothing?…that strategic infrastructure is required to capitalize on location?…that finding a way to create or find an identity to create a few jobs or enable some entrepreneurs to start a profitable enterprise near the transitory dot on the map would be worthy of spending some thought and public dollars on?…that if we don’t the ball of twine will pass us by like it has Dayton, Muncie, Anderson, etc. etc. etc. without bearing any economic fruit?
IS IT TRUE that this is a link to a map of the median center of population of the United States from 1880 until now?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USCenterPop_Median2010.png
So the Evansville metro area is what 150k people? and they are going to sample 200 in their study, and derive what from the sampling of these 200 people? our identity? if it wasn’t so hot I’d be rolling on the floor laughing….truly sad.
Evansville’s identity: Drive people off, for whatever reason, into Warrick County, but entice them to return for shopping, drinking, gambling, and enjoying the Fall Festival.
Does that make us a “detestation city” or a “gateway/getaway city”?…lets not forget to add the new arena to the list. Personally I’ve always liked just being called a “River City” it’s the crux of what Evansville is, was, and always will be, at least till the new madrid fault pops.
I think that we are known regionally as a place to gamble and little else. Thus the theme song should be the Guns and Roses Anthem “Pair of Dice City”
Home of no forward thinking or planing in concern of public projects ( let alone the Arena, Roberts, Hotel Debacle:
– paving a road, then cutting it up a few days, weeks, or even months to level out the Manhole covers, or whatever they seem to always do!?!?
– Still using “utility poles” instead of burying wire systems and eventually removing the annual excuse for a rate hike.
– The lack of using the centre or Victory Theatre for public forums where a large crowd is expected
– Putting in a longer turn lane to learn weeks or days after it opens it is still way to short to keep traffic flowing safely.
Allowing a company to pay to have a stoplight installed so people can turn into their business one block short of the next stoplight where they can also access their business!
I’m sure many people could add to this simple list of tail chasing.
And what about those attractive chain link fences along the Lloyd Expressway? I know that’s a state highway and Evansville may not have much of a say, but those are ugly and don’t reflect well on our community.
For the Ruling, psuedo-intellectual, inbred politicos of Evansville, the answer is simple,–THEY are in control, and old downtown Evansville IS the Center of the Universe!
Maybe THEY could get one of the retired Space Shuttles to display in old downtown as an attraction, and the Taxpayers could build a Galactic Spaceport where the Civic Center now stands, that would guarentee a steady clientele for the “Hotel-by-The John”.
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