IS IT TRUE January 11, 2014 (Weekend Edition #1)

IS IT TRUE the United States has a serious skills gap in our society that is preventing jobs that are readily available from finding worthy candidates to fill these jobs?… in 1970 when 11% of adult Americans had bachelor’s degrees or more, degree holders were viewed as the nation’s best and brightest?…today, with over 30% of the adult population having degrees, a significant portion of college graduates are similar to the average American?…that is to say that your average college graduate is not demonstrably smarter or more disciplined than anyone else?… declining academic standards and grade inflation add to employers’ perceptions that college degrees say little about job readiness?…easy access to college loans and self-serving college recruiters have enticed many people who were not traditional college material into higher education and have diminished the value of their product while raising the price in a shameless manner?

IS IT TRUE the 2013 study by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, found explosive growth in the number of college graduates taking relatively unskilled jobs?…the United States now has more college graduates working in retail than soldiers in the U.S. Army?…the United States now has more janitors with bachelor’s degrees than chemists?… in 1970, less than 1% of taxi drivers had college degrees now four decades later, more than 15% do?…applications to top universities are booming, as employers recognize these graduates will become our society’s future innovators and leaders?…the earnings differential between bachelor’s and master’s degree holders has grown in recent years, as those holding graduate degrees are perceived to be sharper and more responsible?…this has happened at a time when the earnings between bachelor’s degree holders and simple high school graduates has closed to nearly nothing?

IS IT TRUE unless colleges plan to offer master’s degrees in janitorial studies, they will have to change and change quick to stay in business?…colleges and universities currently have little incentive to do so, as they are often strangled by tenure rules, spoiled by subsides from government and rich alumni, and more interested in trivial things like second-rate research by third-rate scholars and ball-throwing contest than they are in imparting knowledge to the next generation?…colleges will have to constrain costs in the near future as the value of their product is diminished and as the wealth of the paying parents is taken away to expand the federal government?…electronic and online learning are coming and coming quick and are sure to disrupt the traditional business model of brick and mortar universities?…with colleges like Georgia Tech, Stanford, and others entering the online education business at a fraction of the cost of a traditional education others will have to respond?…the American education system from K – Ph.D. may well be the last of the buggy whip business models to see itself decimated by failing to innovate and adapt?…it is ironic that these are the very skills that were taught in schools before the bureaucrats took them over?

IS IT TRUE a press release sent out by the mayor’s office said the expansion will result in hundreds of new jobs in Evansville?…this press release will be followed up with a news conference this morning at 10 to provide more details?…the Civic Center Moles tell us this will involve Berry Plastics adding between 250 and 280 jobs and that the pay will average of $18 per hour? …these jobs for the most part will be relocated to Evansville from other American cities that have already experienced the hollow feelings of layoffs or outsourcing?…this is a local win but in the big picture of the American economy it is just moving the chairs around on the deck of a ship with a confused captain?…we do celebrate the local shot in the economic arm that this will bring but realize that this does not necessarily merit dancing in the streets and singing “happy days are here again?”…Evansville was on the other side of this musical jobs game several years ago when Whirlpool and many other businesses closed up shop here to move our jobs elsewhere?…today is a good day in Evansville?

IS IT TRUE one excuse for the delay in the official groundbreaking ceremony for the downtown convention hotel was given to be that when the ground is frozen you can’t dig into it?…groundbreaking ceremonies do not really dig anyway so that is just another silly and distractive bunch of nonsense?…real digging is seldom ever done by the golden hardhat crews as nice fresh dirt or even a pile of sand is imported for such events so some week member of the golden shovel team is not exposed for being a wimp?…the reality of the situation is that something has been discovered on or under this lot that has tossed the golden shovel crew a curve ball?…there are those that say it is moorings and there are those that say it is contaminated soil but the bottom line is there is something that will have to be remediated and it will cost money that is not in anyone’s budget to clean yet another mess?…the other stark reality is that cleaning this mess whether it costs $10,000 or $10 Million will not add one red cent of value to the end product?…one would think that the site would have been tested before issuing an RFP (request for proposal) but NOOOOOOOOO, that would have taken planning and thinking in advance?…we are not one bit surprised but are once again disappointed at the City of Evansville’s failure to VET?

IS IT TRUE one of our readers pointed out to us that the lot where the Civic Center is now was once part of a downtown rail yard named after the L & N (Louisville & Nashville) Railroad?…given that is true it would make sense that the soils in that immediate area could have seen some contamination at some point in the past?…rail yards by their very nature have a high probability of spillage of diesel fuel and even some of the materials that are passing through?…that category of materials just passing through would most certainly include coal, grain, aggregate, agricultural chemicals, and even industrial chemicals associated with the industries in Evansville during the time the L & N Yard was operating?…that would include plastics ingredients like phosgene, now banned refrigerants, and even asbestos that was standard practice in the ship building industry?…the point being made is that downtown Evansville’s soils have been subjected to all sorts of potentially problematic substances so no one with two brain cells should be surprised if some mitigation of substances is necessary?…what is mystifying is that no one seems to be thinking about such things?…these problems if they are upon us can be solved by throwing enough money at them?…the real sideshow will begin if this becomes an expensive problem to mitigate?

IS IT TRUE one would think that soils analysis would have been done before the Ford Center was built?…that also goes for the Civic Center, the Centre, and the Central Library?…all of these properties are adjacent to the lot where the hotel’s announcement sign sits?…the CCO formally requests that the City of Evansville release the soils testing done prior to the construction of the Ford Center?…this should shine some light on the state of the soils of downtown Evansville?