IS IT TRUE that just a couple of weeks ago Vanderburgh County Republican Chairman Wayne Parke wrote in a comment in the City County Observer that his endorsements for the three Vanderburgh County Commissioner seats are Marsha Abell, Joe Kiefer, and Democrat Steve Melcher?…all of these are already sitting commissioners and will be running as incumbents should they choose to do so?…it is probably safe to say that Wayne’s premature endorsement of Commissioner Melcher is about to bite him square on the backside now that Melcher has announced his candidacy for the House District 78 seat recently vacated by Suzanne Crouch and filled in a Republican caucus by Holli Sullivan?…Chairman Parke wisely endorsed none of the candidates who were seeking to finish out Representative Crouch’s term?…now Wayne is likely to have to deal with another election where he has endorsed the Democrat candidate who is running against a Republican candidate who he chose not to endorse?…between the implicit endorsement of Kathryn Martin and the explicit endorsement of Commissioner Melcher we are wondering if Mr. Parke may soon change parties and challenge Rob Faulkner for the Chairmanship of the Vanderburgh County Democrat Party?

IS IT TRUE on average, US workers with on-the-job individual health insurance coverage contribute $999 a year in pre-tax dollars and have a deductible of $1,135, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation?… on ObamaCare exchanges, all but the lowest earners will pay more (even after subsidies), pay with after-tax dollars, face deductibles of $3,000 to $5,000 for silver and bronze plans and lose access to many doctors and hospitals they’re covered for now?.. about 60 million Americans now get employer-provided insurance via small-group plans?… law firms and other high-end businesses are unlikely to drop coverage, but companies with lots of salespeople, receptionists and other lower-paid workers will say they can’t afford Washington’s “one size fits all” requirement which have been reported to $1.79 an hour to the cost of a 40-hour worker?… the penalty for not complying with the mandate would add only 98 cents an hour for a 40-hour worker?…in truth, the law discourages employers from insuring their workers, making it far easier and cheaper to send them to the exchanges to fend for themselves?…management consultants at McKinsey & Co. warned in 2011 that nearly a third of employers surveyed already were considering dropping coverage, with the figure rising among those familiar with the law’s requirements?…a conservative estimate is that 25 million people, out of the 60 million in small group plans, get dropped in 2014?…that is roughly 400% more than were dropped in 2013 that caused the massive brouhaha that humiliated the Department of Health and Human Services and got the President of the United States the distinction of telling the lie of the year?

IS IT TRUE the Democrats who wrote the Affordable Care Act in 2009 gave the Internal Revenue Service power to collect Obamacare penalties?… many Americans are quite familiar with how coercive the IRS can be?…fearing public opposition to IRS threats, the law’s authors forbade the IRS from bringing criminal charges or seizing houses and property from those who don’t buy government-defined “minimum essential coverage?”…about the only thing the IRS can do to collect fines imposed on people who fail to buy the new ObamaCare approved policies is to withhold any refund that one may have coming to them?…of course they can call and send letters but when it comes to these fines the IRS is a toothless dragon when it comes to doling out any real pain?…anyone who adjusts their withholding through the year so that they have no refund coming their way can sidestep the penalties until the law is changed to give the IRS the same collection authority that it has with taxes?…there is no more than a fat chance that will find any support in congress?…thinking people possess the means to ignore the penalties associated with ObamaCare if they just take the initiative to do so?

IS IT TRUE that the EPD Activity Report for yesterday is a near record 21 pages long and apparently Evansville is being widely victimized by a most unusual fetish bandit?…there are a rash of garbage cans reported stolen in both yesterday and Monday’s reports?…we wonder exactly what in the daylights would possess someone to steal garbage cans which have miniscule value as a recyclable item?…hope fully the Oscar the Grouch imitators will be caught soon and this menace will be put to rest?

IS IT TRUE we encourage all of our readers to circle the date of February 16th on their calendar because that is the day that the soon to be 4th ranked Wichita State Shockers come to Ford Center to play the Evansville Purple Aces?…there is a reasonable probability that the Shockers will be ranked even higher by then and maybe even #1 if Arizona, Michigan State, and Syracuse each lose one game on their difficult schedules between now and then?…the home crowd needs to make an effort to attend this game and cheer the Aces who defeated the Final Four participant Shockers two times last year on against this highly ranked team?…this will be the highest ranked team in a long long time to come to Evansville where the Aces historically have fared well when seemingly outmatched?…this will be a rare treat that we hope the people of Evansville will not miss to sit home and watch the idiot box?

IS IT TRUE that the Democratic Central Committee met last night to discuss which candidates should file against the Republicans in upcoming County wide elections? …we hear that former City Councilman and Evansville Fire Chief Keith Jarboe is considering running for the County Commission seat held by Marsha Abell?

IS IT TRUE that we wonder why past Vanderburgh County Sheriff and 8th District Congressman Brad Ellsworth has been attending the last several Democratic Party Central Committee meetings? …that Mr. Ellsworth is the new Division President of Vectren which is well known as the most Republican based corporation in Indiana?…that the new Vectren Division President Brad Ellsworth’s involvement in local Democratic back room political decisions is extremely confusing? …we believe that Division President Ellsworth would better serve Vectren and it’s customers by staying politically neutral?

IS IT TRUE that Mike Duckworth’s newest political patronage job title with the City of Evansville is called Evansville Water Superintendent? …he was the field rep. for U S Senator Richard Lugar…Duckworth was a past Vanderburgh County Deputy, past Superintendent of the County Garage, past Superintendent of City of Evansville Department of Transportation Services and presently a member of the Vanderburgh County School Board?

IS IT TRUE that Vanderburgh County Sheriff Eric Williams just selected Steve Bagby a retired City of Evansville police officer, past 2nd Ward City Councilman, present paid member of the Evansville Safety Board and presently employed as counselor for a company that receives some public funds that serves drug users? …Steve Bagby’s new political patronage job in the Vanderburgh County Sheriff Department is the Director of Community Corrections?

IS IT TRUE we hope that the voters will make political patronage and nepotism employment a major campaign issue in this coming County and City elections.

IS IT TRUE that late night satirist Bill Maher will be coming to town to do a show at the Victory Theater on March 29th at 8 PM?…this is the guy who openly makes fun of Christians and conservatives as mindless tools on a regular basis as the main part of his shtick?…we wonder if Mr. Maher has any idea what he is getting into with his upcoming trip to Evansville?