IS IT TRUE we all are grieving today for the loss of life and the large number of injured as a result of the explosion of a fertilizer plant in the small town of West, Texas that only was home to 2,800 people?…this explosion did a great amount of damage to adjacent properties that just happened to be an apartment complex and a nursing home that housed many people?…if there is one thing that we should all learn from this tragedy it is that fertilizer plants have no business being located anywhere close to where people live or work?…with the kind of explosive power this plant has demonstrated the only people who should be close to any plant that has this kind of explosive power are the people who CHOOSE to be there for their own paychecks?…it is a good thing that there was not a gas station, a rail yard containing explosive materials, industrial chemicals that react, or something like an ethanol plant within an appropriate blast radius of such a plant?…the people of Mount Vernon, Indiana and Rockport, Indiana need to consider this as they move forward with their consideration for accepting fertilizer manufacturing plants into their towns?…in this economy as we are reminded constantly the creation of jobs and commerce are of upmost importance?…if it is fertilizer plant jobs that we must rely on to attract then those plants need to be completely segregated from the day to day life of non-employees or anything that has the potential for explosive capacity?

IS IT TRUE we shall know by the end of the work day today whether the dealers of Casino Aztar will choose to go forward with their United Auto Workers contract as is until January of 2015 or if they will negate the union security clause effectively adopting Right to Work on the boat immediately?…it is unlikely that many people even knew there was a grandfather clause for existing contracts?…if the dealers vote out the UAW’s ability to force dues from their pockets to keep their jobs they will each save about $600 in payments from now until January 2015?…this vote is of much local interest?

IS IT TRUE that there have been several suggestions from our extreme right of middle readers for new names for the City of Evansville if the Evansville City Council goes along with Mayor Winnecke and the Evansville Redevelopment Commission in their quest to disrupt the free markets by spending taxpayer dollars to subsidize commercial real estate?…the first suggestion of some merit is Evanszuela to parody the habits of Hugo Chavez?…another is the USSE for the United Soviet Socialist of Evansville?…of course the People’s Republic of Evansville was suggested as it always is for places where such activities come from the top?…the reality of the situation is that the actions of a few who fancy themselves to be elite do not reflect the views of the people?…in the case of Evansville the opposition to putting nearly $50 Million of public money into commercial real estate is about as strong as the opposition to the Consolidation Committee’s recommendation to join the governments of Evansville and Vanderburgh County?…there is a high degree of seriousness to cavalierly spending $50 Million on commercial real estate, $11 Million on a dog park, over $10 Million on ball fields, and enough other willy nilly play things to raise the tab to $100 Million?

IS IT TRUE the City County Observer respectfully suggests that the City of Evansville put a referendum on the ballot that rolls all of these proposed play projects into one all or nothing vote of the people of Evansville?…if the people who do not wish to even know the will of the people are to cowardly to put such a large number of taxpayer dollars into fun and games without seeking public approval they all need to go in a future election?…if they can put together a winning campaign for $100 Million worth of investment the let them keep their jobs and may God help the economic future of the City of Evansville?

IS IT TRUE April 18, 2013

IS IT TRUE that tomorrow there will be a vote of the dealers at Casino Aztar on whether or not to eliminate a provision in their contract commonly referred to as a “union security clause”?…what this means is that the recently passed Right to Work law in Indiana does not fully apply to the dealers at Aztar?…it seems as though the state legislature put a provision in the Right to Work legislation that grandfathers in existing contracts and that until the end of the current contract for the dealers of Aztar in January of 2015?…there is also a provision that will allow the dealers (or other workers with grandfathered contracts) to hold a vote to allow themselves to opt out of paying union dues?…such an action would essentially move the clock forward to 2015 as that is how the rule will be then anyway?…the City County Observer is aware of dealers on both sides of this issue so it will be interesting to see how this vote goes on Friday?…if the vote passes dealers who wish to opt out of paying the $34 per month that is currently mandatory can stop paying now as opposed to waiting until 2015?…the dealers are represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW) which begs the question of why there are not any cars or car parts coming off of the boat?

IS IT TRUE that the CCO continue to be mystified as to why any municipality and especially the City of Evansville would seriously consider entering the world of private real estate development with borrowed taxpayer dollars?…kicking in a tax abatement and some sidewalks to promote private investment is pretty commonplace and can actually have the desire effect but direct investment of confiscated taxpayer dollars crosses the line?…for an elected body like the Evansville City Council to knowingly and willingly use money that was gotten from businesses in downtown Evansville through taxation and to give it to their direct competitors sounds more like something that the late Hugo Chavez of Venezuela would have done in that communist dictatorship that what a mid -sized city in the United States would engage in?…a new retail area in downtown Evansville with energy efficient design will provide a great competitive advantage over the much loved old buildings along Main Street?…the problem with the old retail buildings is that they are not designed to save energy?…in one particular instance several years ago a small shop on Main Street was dealing with $2,000 per month energy bills and moved out to a newer building on the East Side where the bill was reduced to $300 all due to efficiency?…if there is such a stark difference in the new retail that the City of Evansville is planning to subsidize in the downtown Convention Hotel this difference will kill any existing businesses on Main Street’s ability to compete and earn a profit?…we should not be surprised to see businesses leaving Main Street in droves to relocate in any new development up on MLK Blvd. as a survival mechanism?

IS IT TRUE the checks went out this week that were part of the $3.6 Billion settlement agreed to by the nation’s large banks for inappropriate and likely illegal foreclosures, wrongful evictions, and even abusive policies back during the housing crisis?…it was quickly learned that many of these checks were returned due to “INSUFFICIENT FUNDS”?…if these wronged homeowners would have done such a thing these very banks then and now would have socked them with usury fees that would make a sane person blush?…we are certain that the last insulting act in the foreclosure fiasco will be blamed on some subcontractor to a subcontractor not making timely transfers?…if we have reached a point in time when a “TOO BIG TO FAIL” bank cannot even figure out how to write a check to a wronged person that will not bounce then the American economy is in some serious condition?…we hope the insufficient funds fees that the banks have to pay to these homeowners will be 7 times whatever each given bank charges for NSF checks as its own policy?…these banks are doing their best to make the US Government look smart and efficient?