IS IT TRUE November 18, 2013

IS IT TRUE that the CCO wishes each of our readers this morning safety for themselves and their property in view of the tornados that swept through the Tri-State yesterday?…we wonder since there is still a job opening posted for the replacement of Sherman Greer as the Director of Emergency Management for the City of Evansville just who was watching over the City during yesterday’s tornado cluster?…we understand that the Mayor has the prerogative to fire appointees at will but we also know that it is the responsibility of the Mayor of Evansville to assure the people of Evansville that someone is in charge and on the job when inclement weather threatens the lives and property of the citizens of Evansville?…a report on just who is currently in charge at EMA and what their qualifications are is in order and it should come directly from Mayor Winnecke?…if the answer is “after all these months we have not hired anyone yet, but we are looking” that is an irresponsible and unacceptable answer?…we want to know just who was manning the store at the EMA on a day when six people died within a short distance and tornados were photographed less than 15 miles from downtown Evansville?

IS IT TRUE the topic of a problem characterized by former DMD Director Tom Barnett as “10,000 abandoned houses needing over $100k each in repairs to be habitable” is back in the news?…it is not the first time this condition of large blocks of the City of Evansville has been on the front pages?…despite over 10 years of front page exposure about the unacceptable number of ramshackle homes in Evansville, the problem does not seem to fix itself?…it is finally understood that the City of Evansville has a population that is roughly 25,000 below its peak in the late 1950’s?…that coincidentally is just about how many people would be expected to live in 10,000 houses?…this whole abandoned house phenomena is not just and Evansville problem but the other cities with such massive sprawling ghettos like Detroit, Cleveland, Gary, Youngstown, Camden, etc. all are cities that have been under single party control for 50+ years, have been victimized by cronyism, and have in general failed to adapt to globalization at the jobs level?…When people leave town because there are no decent jobs, houses get abandoned?…it also seems to be the young, the educated, and the ambitious who leave behind places that are increasingly older, less educated, and willing to settle for things like abandoned houses, dirty parks, and decrepit infrastructure?…abandoned houses in large numbers are a symptom of cities in death spirals?…we wonder when Evansville will cease doing “monkey see monkey do” projects that have failed in many other places and start concentrating on the things that end death spirals by creating good 21st century jobs that are based in intellectual property and critical skills?

IS IT TRUE it seems as though Indianapolis has finally learned that one of the biggest things that has been keeping the big conventions out of town was its kinda sorta chicken-$#!t smoking ban?…Indianapolis built a giant convention center, Lucas Oil stadium, an NBA arena, and a host of hotels only to see their convention business stay flat UNTIL in 2012 they finally broadly banned public smoking?…the conventions are now flocking to Indianapolis with the biggest ones being of medical nature?…once again the lesson to be learned is that bricks and mortar do not change the fact that good public policy matters?…the powers that be at the Evansville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau are hopefully taking note of the lifestyle reasons for conventions to make the choices they do and comparing what the winners have that cannot be built with bricks to what Evansville has to offer?

IS IT TRUE the President of the United States is now in a war of words to save his presidency?…people on both sides of the aisle in congress and in the streets of every city in America (even the liberal ones like San Francisco) are questioning the competence and the interest that the President has in doing his job?…here in Evansville a full 90% of respondents to a poll gives the President an F or D for the implementation of ObamaCare?…the negative ratings on job approval now exceed positive ratings by 13%?…the Sunday morning talk shows and the weekend articles were relentless in pointing out hubris, imperialism, and outright incompetence in the Presidents recent actions from the tangible failures of the website to the dismissive language of the neo-apology issued Thursday?…one writer poignantly asked “would you hire President Obama to manage anything?”…a well know Canadian writer Mark Steyn ended his weekly column by asking if the following was on the horizon, “IF YOU LIKE YOUR CONSTITUTION, YOU CAN KEEP IT. PERIOD. EXCEPT FOR THESE AMENDMENTS, WHICH ARE JUNK ANYWAY?”…the tragic thing is that the truth is that this President had demonstrated that when it comes to actually doing something he is inept AND that when it comes to following the laws of the land and even the Constitution that he does not?…it seems like that part of the Oath of Office to uphold the Constitution of the United States is about as true to President Obama as “if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. Period?”

IS IT TRUE the real question is whether or not the people of this country like the Constitution and whether they have the will to “defend and protect” the Constitution as the President is sworn to do but seems to need an intervention on?