IS IT TRUE that the theme of the World Energy Innovation Forum that is being held at the Tesla Factory in Fremont, CA this week is on returning to FIRST PRINCIPLES to innovate in an industry that has seen little innovation in over 100 years?…the industry that is often the subject of in need of innovation in this particular conference is the industry of power generation and distribution?…Jeff Immelt, the CEO of General Electric, the company that is most known for completing infrastructure projects all over the world said that when it comes to lack of basic innovation that the generation and distribution of electrical power is fundamentally no different than the days when Thomas Edison was the CEO?…Elon Musk of Tesla followed that up with the secret to his successes has not been as a result of adapting existing technologies but comes from returning to the FIRST PRINCIPLES to resolve problems that have been thought to have been solved before?…Mr. Musk who incidentally is a very shy and humble person went on to state that most people are capable of way more than they believe they are and thus create barriers in their own mind that limit their performance?

IS IT TRUE along those lines of thinking one could ask the question of what should cities do from a FIRST PRINCIPLES perspectives?…when it really comes down to the basics the things that cities should be doing are minimally Law Enforcement, Fire Protection, Roads, Sidewalks, Water Treatment and Delivery, and of course Sewage Treatment and Disposal?…one can add the Taxation and Management to accomplish those tasks to the list of basics functions that all cities must do to be functional and attractive?…in some cases K-12 education is under the umbrella of cities but does not necessarily have to be?…things like parks, arenas, zoos, water slides, convention centers, and other “extras” fall outside of the realm of FIRST PRINCIPLE needs?…given this we must ask ourselves why on earth many cities seem to obsess on fun and games projects and ignore the FIRST PRINCIPLE needs?…that one goes back to Elon Musk’s statement on “believing in oneself”?…the cities that have well functioning infrastructure will stand to attract outside things like fun and games, hotels, etc. to be completed by profit seeking private enterprises?…cities that are all about fun and games with non working infrastructure will continue to struggle to attract real game changers?

IS IT TRUE the management of a FIRST PRINCIPLES city involves having policies and procedures in place that comply with federal and state laws and having the people on the job to accurately and equally enforce those policies?…Evansville is facing a situation with the violation of federal comp time laws that makes it clear that we do not have the management side of this equation in place?…the federal laws on comp time accrual for police and fire are as clear as they can be yet the City of Evansville has not for many years complied with these laws?…accruals over and above the federal limits is so common that it seems as though Evansville must be in another country when it comes to compliant administration with federal laws?…this is most likely traceable to a lack of accountability and an unwillingness to face the reality of the amount of money it would take to reset the clock?…this policy was provided by the federal government more than 10 years ago and can be found online by a laymin in less than five minutes?…it is so easy and obvious that the “I didn’t know” argument from the people in charge just doesn’t hold any water?…this predicament is getting the fingers pointing but returning to FIRST PRINCIPLES is it obvious that the policy and management side of the City of Evansville is not willing to take the initiative to learn the law (try that with the IRS if you dare) and once the problem is pointed out they are not willing to comply (try that with the IRS if you dare), or they possibly have been so indoctrinated by the OLD BOY NETWORK that they think federal laws do not apply to Evansville?

IS IT TRUE the EPA should keep a close eye on whether or not Evansville even has the capacity to manage a payroll according to federal labor laws and reconcile the payroll and pension accounts before it gives any leeway at all to this cast of clowns when it comes to federal sewage treatment laws?…if one can’t understand that 480 is 480 and balance a checkbook, how on earth will they manage a billion dollar project spanning many years?