IS IT TRUE in a separate article today guest author Jordan Baer pays his respects to Evansville Mayor Hank Roberts at the Oak Hill Cemetery?…while doing so he was appalled at the level of havoc that negligence and time have wreaked upon this public cemetery?…as others have begun to notice the cemeteries of Evansville look more like the front yard of the Munster’s or the Spook House at Disneyland than a working cemetery that took people’s money through a perpetual care contract?…Locust Cemetery is in the same state of neglect as Oak Hill is?…human beings tend to mentally paint out things that are unchanging and part of their everyday life?…that means after driving by a pile of filth every day for a couple of years most people will lose the awareness of the pile of filth?…we humans do the same thing with beautiful things too?…it seems that which is familiar is not impressive for long unless of course it changes?…more people from Evansville need to start seeing the city vistas as they are to outsiders?…we can and should start with cemeteries and parks which are in absolutely pitiful condition?…our cemeteries and parks are the combed hair and brushed teeth of any city?…one would bet that Evansville would show up for a job interview with bed hair and yellow teeth and then be at a loss for why there was no job offer?…the City of Evansville may do that but that not many people would?…we all need to start treating our public spaces as our own because in truth they are?

IS IT TRUE the last crumbs and morsels of Roberts Stadium are being counted and tagged for the August 4th auction at 10 am at the old arena?…for those who wish to have some artifact from Roberts this will be the last chance to get on in a legitimate manner?…that if Roberts Stadium could talk it could tell us about the zenith of the City of Evansville’s relevance in this world and all about the slow but slippery slide into mediocrity that has occurred during the 57 years since it was opened?…Roberts has hosted the absolute cream of the crop in entertainment and been the home stadium of 5 NCAA basketball champion teams of the University of Evansville?…that in 57 years if the Ford Center can be seen as having racked up the accomplishments of Roberts Stadium then maybe, just maybe it will have been worth the $127 Million plus interest?…it will be a sad day when the wrecking ball hits the building soon after the auction?…the CCO is still disappointed that no investor group came forth to make a deal to do something prosperous with Roberts as has happened in some other cities with older stadiums?…we still think that the last auction of the day should be for the stadium itself and the 37 acres surrounding it as a city that can’t take care of what it has does not have any business building a new park that will probably fall into chaos and disrepair as the others have?

IS IT TRUE Evansville City Councilman John Friend, CPA is now calling for an audit of the Ford Center construction project?…as the Ford Center is finished and hosting events it is truly time to take this responsible step?…that another mid-sized American city has voted to seek bankruptcy protection?…this time it is San Bernardino, CA that has found itself incapable of paying its bills?…the case of San Bernardino is a bit of a departure from how Stockton and Vallejo came to bankruptcy?…that San Bernardino’s debt load is only 4% of its budget?…that the troubles in San Bernardino are traced to rapid growth and runaway housing prices in the mid 2000’s?…while other cities may have squandered their solvency on arenas, new city halls, opera houses, etc. what San Bernardino has is a large number of homes in foreclosure due to the housing bust that are not paying their taxes?…that San Bernardino grew from 91,912 people in 1960 to the 99th largest city in America (Evansville was 100th in 1970) of 209,924 in 2010?…that today houses are still at roughly 50% of their peak, unemployment is well over 12% and the city coffers that expanded to serve the growth are empty?…that cities have the responsibility to remain solvent but it is becoming apparent that the habits of the cities that mimic the federal government are catching up to them and rendering them insolvent?…we are lucky that Mayors do not have a printing press to make money or we would have seen this long before?

IS IT TRUE there is finally a situation where President Barack Obama kept his word exactly as he said he would and that the Tri-State will suffer the loss of wealth and jobs for his honesty?…that during the campaign in 2008 then candidate Obama uttered the following phrase?
“So if someone wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can. It’s just that it will bankrupt them.”

IS IT TRUE on Monday the Patriot Coal Corporation that has operated coal mines in Western Kentucky for a long time filed for bankruptcy?…that President Barack Obama kept this promise?…this promise has much to do with why President Obama is trailing by so much in Kentucky and West Virginia that he would really be wasting his time to even go into those states?…that it will be interesting to see what happens to the President’s support in Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania all of which have extensive mining industries?…it will be even more interesting to see his level of support in his home state of Illinois once you get south of Chicagoland?

IS IT TRUE that every item that will be worn by the US Olympic team in the upcoming London Olympic Games is made in China?…this is a personal insult to every American manufacturer, taxpayers and the over 20 Million unemployed and underemployed members of the American workforce?

IS IT TRUE that the Par 3 Golf course located at Wesselman Park has lights so patrons can play golf in the evening?…taxpayers couldn’t play golf at Wesselman Park because the past Mayor has made sure his workers kept the lights off for the last 6 years?…it looks like the new Mayor is presented with yet another negative surprise left to him by the last Mayor?…we expect the new Mayor and his Parks Director to address this issue in a timely manner and make the needed adjustment to allow evening golf to be played at the Wesselman Park Par 3 golf course?

IS IT TRUE that 5th Ward City Councilman and Budget Chairman John Friend, CPA just requested that the State Board of Accounts conduct an official audit concerning the total costs incurred in building the downtown Ford Center?…we can’t wait to review the audit findings as presented to the new Mayor, Councilman Friend, and his fellow council members?

IS IT TRUE we find it interesting that SMG doesn’t have a Consultant of Diversity in their employment but VenuWorks does? …that SMG has produced an impressive menu of diverse shows at the properties they are in charge of?…if City Council President Connie Robinson is intent on seeing shows that she approves of brought to the Ford Center that she should take this issue up with Mr. Tallmadge Vick and not the Evansville mainstream media outlets?