IS IT TRUE that the State of Illinois blew the deadline of passing a budget by July 1, 2017 and is now moving into its third year without a budget?…having their debt downgraded to junk ratings is now imminent which will make infrastructure and maintenance improvements more expensive by raising the interest rates to banana republic levels?…Illinois still is not caught up on $16 Billion in routine expenses and another Billion in fees and penalties?…the financial meltdown of Illinois is run from Chicago and the rest of the state is locked into the bus hat Chicago drove off a cliff?…Chicago is also being assisted to fight street crime by the federal government because they can’t seem to keep murders and shootings down to video game levels?…it is a sad state of affairs across the Wabash River?
IS IT TRUE last week the City of Evansville was grappling with a request to allocate $100,000 tax dollars for the purpose of helping poor people with repairs to their homes?…one writer even opined that $100,000 is like buying a cheeseburger to a city with a budget of over $300 Million and the writer is correct?…what the writer conveniently ignores is that $100,000 tossed into the sea of disrepair that makes up several areas of Evansville isn’t even enough to repair broken mailboxes much less a significant number of homes?…it is enough to show favoritism to a fraction of a percent of the people struggling with dilapidation and favoritism or downright cronyism is always at play when public money assists private problems?…from “who gets a “Front Door Pride” house to who gets to rent a $180,000 house at below market rate, to what contractors get approved to do the repairs at inflated prices, there is always the appearance of cronyism and corruption with such programs?
IS IT TRUE that former DMD Director Tom Barnett gave the CCO a tour of some of the areas of worse dilapidation once?…Director Barnett’s statement to the CCO was that Evansville has 10,000 houses that need over $100,000 in repairs to be habitable?…that amounts to a billion dollar problem with dilapidated houses?…$100,000 is 0.01% of what was needed to address this problem 7 years ago?…what the magnitude of this problem should drive home is that there is no damn money for nonsensical things like penguin exhibits, ball fields, and welfare hotels but our elected leaders keep obsessing over fun and games which the roofs fall in?…tossing $100,000 at a crony driven housing assistance program makes about as much sense as putting a cup of boiling water into the Ohio River to warm it up in January?…it does however make more sense than spending millions on a penguin park?…saving the money for real collective benefit is even better?…we know the hungry sharks are circling the potential for $100,000 if graft,to be authorized, and it probably will be, but it just perpetuates irresponsible management to do so?
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“Evansville is expected to absorb more than $16 million in local income tax this year, so the $100,000 needed for the housing fund is the equivalent of buying a cheeseburger with your next paycheck. Even if you have other bills to pay, the burger ain’t gonna break you.” This is the direct quot. Very clever using the word absorb in this sentence. The writer conveniently leaves out our town debt also. He seemed to be all for helping people with our tax dollars. But nowhere did he use his column to tell folks to donate if they could or did he offer to give to this cause himself. I am all for helping those less fortunate if I am doing good financially. But when I owe debt I pay my bills first. This town reminds me of the grandmother who is about to lose her house but keeps giving money to her grandkids.
HOUSING
“Director Barnett’s statement to the CCO was that Evansville has 10,000 houses that need over $100,000 in repairs to be habitable?…that amounts to a billion dollar problem with dilapidated houses?” (CCO)
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I am quite sure it would be great to live in a city where no home was worth less than $100,000. I think
former DMD Director Tom Barnett is savvy enough to know just what a pipe dream that is when it comes to what is practical and doable, especially in a city like Evansville, which was incorporated 200 years ago this year (1817-2017). I hope Mr Barnett’s motivation was a desire to see people living in better homes, and not just a desire to increase the residential property taxable base so local government would have more money to wast………. ah, spend.
Tom was fully aware of the fact that the houses in question would be worth less than $50,000 after having $100,000 in repairs. A similar situation existed with the Front Door Pride homes where they cost $240,000 to build but we’re sold for roughly $100,000 less than the cost to build them. This is why people won’t build in the areas and landlords only do enough repairs to get a rent check. Many are just abandoned because they aren’t worth the lot they sit on. It is a frustrating situation.
The $100,000 figure may be indicative of our building codes. Almost all homes built before 1974 are environmental hazards They would easily cost that much if cleaned up to EPA standards for new housing. That is why much of the housing stock in the downtown area is not qualified for section 8 housing.
It is inclusive of the building code requirements.
Obama in Indonesia criticizing patriotism on our July 4th weekend:
“While most Americans are gathering with family and community this weekend to celebrate the most exceptional country in the history of the world, Mr. Hope and Change is halfway around the world talking doom and gloom — and criticizing his successor.” ….“What we will see is more and more people arguing against democracy, we will see more and more people who are looking to restrict freedom of the press, and we’ll see more intolerance, more tribal divisions, more ethnic divisions, and religious divisions and more violence,†Obama asserted. While former presidents rarely criticize their successors at home, Obama took the unusual step of going to a foreign country to do it….
http://www.theamericanmirror.com/obama-warns-americans-much-patriotism-july-4th-weekend/
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