IS IT TRUE August 16, 2013

IS IT TRUE there are some very powerful people in Evansville both inside and outside of political circles who have contacted us to express their utter disbelief that Jack Pate, the Publisher of the Evansville Courier and Press is a member of the Evansville Regional Business Committee?…each and every one of these people have also expressed an understanding of why the Courier Press has been so overtly supportive of nearly everything that the recent Mayor’s of Evansville have advocated for after learning of Mr. Pate’s membership in this manipulative non-profit corporation?…in a world where journalists are routinely fired for so much as making contributions to political campaigns it is astonishing that the publisher of a Scripps-Howard newspaper would pay $10,000 for a membership in a behind the scenes operation that contributes to political movements  that they deem to be part of whatever agenda they have?…this also flies in the face of promoting a free press and wreaks of a press that is for sale to the highest bidder or the most clever manipulator?…that a couple of our readers think the outing of  the membership list in the ERBC is the most important outing that the CCO has ever broken?…that would mean that this is more important than exposing the sneaky ways of Mayor Weinzapfel in paying Tom Barnett, the attempt to take away the Homestead Tax Credit, or even the underhanded way that the Johnson Controls deal was hoisted upon the City of Evansville?

IS IT TRUE since memberships in the ERBC are offered for an annual fee of $10,000 we wonder if the City County Observer, News 25, and WFIE 14 could join this exclusive cabal?…if we were to get a call from Ed Hafer offering to sell the CCO a membership that we would gladly cough up the bucks on the condition that we could report on the discussions held at the meetings in a transparent manner?…we do not however wish to participate in any initiation rituals as we think such things are for juvenile delinquents and fraternities?…we might consent to a secret handshake or a water buffalo hat?

IS IT TRUE that the propaganda campaign of manipulation for the affirmative votes of the Evansville City Council for the downtown hotel project began in earnest today?…City Council members had their mailboxes flooded with letters  supposedly sent by consenting citizens to all arrive on the same day?…we wonder who stuffed the envelopes and who paid the postage as the probability of this happening without a letter mill is pretty close to ZERO? …we are seeking a couple of these letters to analyze the handwriting to see if the same person signed the letters too?

IS IT TRUE that in 2007 the City of Fort Wayne handed out a pile of money about $25 Million bucks deep to get a Courtyard Inn built in downtown Fort Wayne to help them compete for convention business?…all of the same cases and promises that are being made in Evansville now were made in Fort Wayne then?…contrary to what was promised the overall occupancy rate in Fort Wayne decreased immediately after their welfare hotel was built?…the culmination of the Fort Wayne effort happened when the first Marriot in Fort Wayne file for bankruptcy in 2012?…this Marriot of coarse was located away from the downtown?…one of the reasons for the bankruptcy is said by many to have been because they lost business to the hotel that the City of Fort Wayne handed the bag of money to?…we can be assured if something like that happens in Evansville in a few years that the lawsuits will fly and the people who voted for taking from existing businesses to fund a competitor will be toast in their next election?

IS IT TRUE we wonder why so many people who hold a law license left volunteer positions in the Vanderburgh County Republic Party a couple of years ago?…this is something that has us quite curious?