While we hope for stability and acceptable compromise we encourage those who wish to send a message to the White House to sign this petition and await a response.
Link to Petition for Indiana to Peacefully Seceed from the United States
Who Is Really In Charge?
Who Is Really In Charge?
by Teddy Johnson
Finally, the elections are over. Some of you are certainly very happy and some are probably unhappy with the outcome and that is to be expected. Every four years we Americans participate in this grand experiment called America and we elect a President to lead us. That of course spurs lots of different opinions and positions and people can become emotionally involved with the outcome.
One thing that I always find fascinating in all elections, but especially the presidential elections, are the many promises that candidates make to the electorate. They promise to make the economy better and to make health care more affordable for the masses. They promise to make the taxes better and to create jobs.
As I think about this, I want to challenge you to consider that while a President may have a general effect on your circumstances, they do not have a specific effect on your circumstances. Let me explain: While they may play a role in what direction the stock market goes, they do not have an effect in how an individual stock goes, or in whether or not you can make money in the stock market. So, while we certainly should vote and participate in the process, we must understand that no single person –other than you – will have an effect on what your individual life outcome is.
Let me give you some more examples:
A President may promise a better economy but you determine your economy. They may affect whether the dollar gains strength or loses it, but you determine what your financial position is going to be. The fact is that even in the worst economies, including recessions and depressions, there are those who will continue to thrive and even become extremely wealthy. In the great depression, there were countless people who, because of their individual efforts, became millionaires. So, no matter what the economy is nationally, you can become wealthy in the next four years. You don’t have to wait for anyone.
A President may promise to create jobs, but the only person who is going to create YOUR job is you! You determine whether or not you have a job. The President doesn’t, the economy doesn’t, and the industry doesn’t. No matter how bad things get, there are always those who have good paying jobs. You choose what kind of person you will be, and how valuable you will make yourself to the marketplace and thus, what kind of job you will have. So, no matter what the job situation is nationally, you can have any job you want in the next four years. You don’t have to wait for anyone.
A President may promise to do something about taxes, but no matter what the tax rate is, you can still build your personal wealth. Much of my wealth came to me when we still had extremely exorbitant tax rates. I have often said that if you want to be a millionaire and the tax rate is 50%, then just make two million. You determine how much you will have left after taxes, not the government. If you don’t like what you have left, make more. Now, am I saying we shouldn’t work to lower tax rates? No, but I am saying that we can be in control of our own lives regardless of the tax rate. So, no matter what the tax rate is, you can earn more money in the next four years. You don’t have to wait for anyone.
A President may promise to make your health care available to you but you can make health care available to yourself! It isn’t that people can’t afford it; it is that you can’t afford it. What is the answer to that? The empowering answer is to do what it takes to put yourself in a financial and career situation wherein it doesn’t matter what the cost is, because you can afford it. Again, I am not saying that we shouldn’t work to make health care affordable for people, but when you leave it in the hands of someone else, then you make yourself dependent upon them, rather than becoming independent.
The fact is that you control your life. You control your own destiny. You chart your course. Those we elect are not the givers of our financial lives. I sometimes think that many people think that if we can just get the “right†person elected, then their lives will suddenly take a turn for the better. Not true. You determine the outcome of your life.
Fortunes will be made in the next four years, no matter what. A lot of people will join the ranks of millionaires. That is amazing. The only question you have to ask is whether or not you will be one of them. A lot of people with high skills will always be in demand for high paying jobs. People who have a superb product or service to offer will always be in demand.
Did you vote? That’s great – we should as our civic duty. But the most important thing is not whether your candidate won or lost, but what kind of decision you will make about your own life, your own career, and your own financial situation, no matter who is in office.
Do that, and the world is yours for the taking.
VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES
Evansville, IN – Below is a list of felony cases that were filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office on Friday, November 9, 2012 and Monday, November 12, 2012.
Amie Farber Operating a Motor Vehicle While Intoxicated – Class C Misdemeanor
(Enhanced to a Class D Felony due to Prior Convictions)
Failure to Stop After an Accident Resulting in Damage to an Attended Vehicle –
Class C Misdemeanor
Quiney Greenwell Domestic Battery –Class D Felony
Battery Resulting in Bodily Injury –Class A Misdemeanor
Criminal Trespassing – Class A Misdemeanor
Anterrico Momon Dealing in a Schedule II Controlled Substance – Class B Felony
Dealing in a Schedule IV Controlled Substance – Class C Felony
Dealing in Marijuana – Class A Misdemeanor
Jeffrey Wall Criminal Recklessness – Class D Felony (Two Counts)
Pointing a Firearm – Class D Felony
For further information on the cases listed above, or any pending case, please contact Carly Settles at 812.435.5688 or via e-mail at csettles@vanderburghgov.org.
Under Indiana law, all criminal defendants are considered to be innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.
SENTENCE CHART
Class Range
Murder 45-65 Years
Class A Felony 20-50 Years
Class B Felony 6-20 Years
Class C Felony 2-8 Years
Class D Felony ½ – 3 Years
IS IT TRUE November 13, 2012
IS IT TRUE November 13, 2012
IS IT TRUE the staff of CCO watched the Evansville City Council meeting yesterday?…we are pleased that 2nd Ward City Councilperson Missy Mosby has officially admitted on WNIN that she is aware that whatever she says publicly could be printed in the CCO “IS IT TRUE” section?…that she also made a sniping comment about the CCO claiming to be an alleged media?…we welcome Ms. Mosby to write a scholarly article why she feels that an internet publication isn’t a bone-fide media outlet?…we wonder if Ms. Mosby also feels that the CCO recent printed newspaper that was distributed among the masses isn’t considered to be an activity of the media?…we also wonder if Ms. Mosby realizes that whatever she says in public is also subject to publication in the Courier & Press, TV, and Radio?…quite frankly the broadcast of her voice on WNIN constitutes publication of what she says?
IS IT TRUE that Mayors Chief of Staff, City Controller, and his DMD Director once again failed at the public relations game last evening trying to convince the City Council they have almost corrected the financial problems of the past?…that some of the above public servants seemly forgot that they pushed to give Earthcare a $200,000 cash advance without an performance a bond?…that the Director of Metropolitan Development needs to take a class in how to “Convince People” to support and believe his opinions and ideas?…that financial problems that were rooted in previous administrations are by definition the job of the existing administration to fix or pay?…to make such a statement has about as much credence as refusing to pay off the debts of the past administrations?
IS IT TRUE that the Mayor Winnecke and his Controller and Chief of Staff are extremely worried about the newly appointed “Accounting Liaison” hired by City Council yesterday? …we not surprised that City Councilpersons Weaver and Mosby voted against this extremely common sense move to force checks and balances concerning past and present financial deals?
IS IT TRUE that since last week’s election that 27 of the United States have had residents file secession petitions to leave the United States?…this growing list of states includes Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas?…if there are 25,000 signatures on any petition within the next 30 days the Obama Administration will be obliged to respond to each petition that meets the signature requirement?…the City County Observer understands the reasons that some citizens of states which voted overwhelmingly against President Obama would have this immediate reaction but hope to see compromise between the Congress and the President that will bring unity to this starkly divided nation?…at the time of this article that Texas secession petition already has 60,000 signatures?
IS IT TRUE that in a treaty after the Civil War secession was dealt with quite harshly by the federal government stating, “THAT IT IS THE MANIFEST DETERMINATION OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THAT NO STATE, OF ITS OWN WILL, HAS A RIGHT OR POWER TO GO OUT OF OR SEPARATE ITSELF FROM, OR BE SEPARATED FROM THE AMERICAN UNION; and that, therefore, each State ought to remain and constitute an integral part of the United Statesâ€?…maybe this is what the Eagles were talking about in Hotel California with the line “YOU CAN CHECK OUT ANY TIME YOU WANT BUT YOU CAN NEVER LEAVEâ€?
IS IT TRUE that Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City has gone off the deep end when it comes to operating a nanny state?…the latest move after banning Big Gulps and salt is to ban the donation of food to the homeless?…the reason given for this outlawing are food donations to homeless shelters because the city can’t assess their salt, fat and fiber content?…the CCO and much of the American public will likely agree that this is about as stupid and destructive of a law as a city can possibly pass?…this is what happens when social engineering driven elected officials are empowered to pursue their agendas?
Gavel Gamut
By Jim Redwine
BLISS
Hurricane Sandy knocked out twenty-five percent of the cell phone coverage in New York City. Land lines were immediately elevated from anachronisms to necessities. People who had never used a pay phone were converted from techies to dummies.
The national media reported numerous instances of people standing non-plussed in front of artifacts reminiscent of Easter Island. As one twenty-four year old man continued to pour quarters into a slot and berate the telephone for not responding, he failed to lift the receiver, other people encouraged him to push buttons and try different passwords.
My initial reaction to those reactions was to wonder how anyone could be so obtuse. Then I recalled a shower I attempted to take at a retrofitted motel in Reno, Nevada. After about fifteen minutes of standing in a tub type shower with hot water splashing only on my toes, I stepped out and called the front desk. The night clerk politely, but with barely hidden disdain, instructed me to pull down on the nozzle of the faucet.
That experience was not as humbling as the first time I made the acquaintance of a Turkish latrine in Volgograd, Russia. If you have had the pleasure of straddling an open pit without ready access to Charmin, you may be able to relate to my situation.
While bodily functions are involved in many of these out of touch dilemmas, we live in a modern world where numerous new devices have removed us from the ability to use older, albeit perhaps more reliable ones. I remember unlocking my 1956 Mercury with a key. Now my car locks are electronic and integrated with an alarm system. Ergo, about once a week I press the wrong button and a shrill alarm will awaken the area within a mile of where I am parked. So far, I have managed to shut off the alarm before I get arrested for stealing my own car.
These instances and a host of others have led me to wonder if instead of wasting our time and money on such conundrums as peace in the Middle East we should develop a federal agency whose charter is to catalogue all the arcane items that once were state of the art and have an 800 number, with a back up system, so we can access it in emergencies. You know, an emergency such as running out of gasoline in a storm and being unable to operate an electric gas pump. Some federal bureaucrat could explain to us how to put gas in a plastic boot then pour it out into our cars.
Such things as record players, televisions without remotes, mimeograph machines, recorders with plastic belts and tools without power cords may soon be as enigmatic as pay phones to modern society. Instead of studying the ancient pyramids for clues to past cultures, anthropologists need only go to the trash bins outside the Apple stores for clues to our ancient past of ten years ago.
Indiana Property Tax Dealine Approachingâ€
EVANSVILLE (Nov. 12, 2012) – Vanderburgh County Treasurer Rick Davis reminds taxpayers that the Civic Center is open on Monday, Nov. 12, and property tax payments can be made at the Treasurer’s Office until 4:30 p.m. today and Tuesday. The property tax deadline for the Fall Installment of taxes is Tuesday, Nov. 13. In addition to going to the Civic Center today, taxpayers may still make payments using the county’s web site, pay by phone, or use the drop box in front of the Civic Center in order to avoid enhanced Civic Center security.
On Tuesday, the final day of property tax payment, taxpayers may use any one of 18 local Old National Bank branches. To pay at Old National Bank, you must have the bill that was mailed to your home in the spring. If you do not have your bill, you cannot pay at the bank.
The traditional property tax deadline, Nov. 10, fell on a Saturday this year. Due to the fact local banks observe Veterans Day today, Indiana property owners were given an additional 3 days to make their fall payment. That means the Indiana property tax deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 13 this year.
The Treasurer’s Office will open at 8 a.m. on Tuesday and will accept payments until 4:30 p.m. To avoid potential long lines, parking issues, and enhanced Civic Center security, Davis strongly recommended that property owners make their payments at any Old National Bank branch in the Tri-State Area on Tuesday.
Davis also suggested using the convenient drop box in front of the Civic Center or by mailing checks, made payable to the Vanderburgh County Treasurer, at PO Box 77, Evansville, IN 47701-0077. So long as your envelope is postmarked on or before Nov. 13, your payment will be considered on time, said Davis.
Davis reminded last-minute taxpayers that the drop box will be open until midnight on Tuesday, Nov. 13. Missing the Nov. 13 deadline will add a 5% penalty to your amount owed if you have no previous delinquencies. That amount increases to 10% after 30 days. If you miss the Nov. 13 deadline and already have a delinquency that penalty is an automatic 10% fee.
Payments can also be made online at www.vanderburghtreasurer.org with a major credit card for a 2.6% convenience fee or by using the office’s E-Check feature for a flat $1.95 fee. Payments are also accepted over the phone by calling 1-800-2PAYTAX (use the following “jurisdiction code†– 2405) with a major credit card and by paying a 2.6% fee. Visa Debit users are able to pay a flat $3.95 fee. Davis noted that the Vanderburgh County Commissioners recently signed a new contract with the county’s credit card provider that reduced credit card fees from 2.75% to 2.6% and reduced the E-check fee from $3 to $1.95. The new rates took effect on Nov. 1, just in time for the fall payment period rush.
If you cannot find your bill, visit the Treasurer’s Office web site and look up your information online. You can mail your check in with the correct payment amount so long as you put your parcel ID number in the memo section. You may also contact the Treasurer’s Office at 435-5248 for any questions concerning your property tax payment.
Below are the Old National banking centers accepting the Vanderburgh County Property Taxes on Tuesday, Nov. 13, with lobby hours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
1. Evansville Main
2. Evansville North Side
3. Washington & Kentucky
4. West Side
5. 41 North
6. Hebron
7. University Square
8. North Brook
9. Darmstadt
10. Red Bank
11. Burkhardt Rd
12. Lakeside Commons
13. Bell Oaks
14. Boonville
15. Princeton
16. Mt Vernon, IN
17. Henderson, Ky., Main
18. Henderson, Ky., North
Local Emergency Management Agency Officials to Aid in Hurricane Relief Efforts
Sherman Greer, Director of the Evansville- Vanderburgh County Emergency Management Agency along with John Pease, a volunteer in Logistics Support for the local EMA will travel to New York to aid in Hurricane Sandy relief efforts today.
Greer and Pease will join 5 other trained professionals from District Ten of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security in Indianapolis at 6 pm today and deploy to New York for a 14 day mission in and around the Long island area. They will be joined by Tonda Dixon, EMA Director in Pike County, Stephanie McKinney, EMA Administrative Assistant in Gibson County, Al Perdue, EMA Director in Spencer County, Dallas Scott, EMA Director in Warrick County, and Kent Winkler, Assistant Fire Chief in Princeton Fire Territory.
District Ten is made up of 12 counties: Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Knox, Martin, Pike, Perry, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick. District Response Task Force Ten Incident Management Team personnel are being activated along with District Response Task Force One from northwestern Indiana which includes Lake County and the State Incident Management Assistance Team to join Incident Management Teams which provide command and control functions.
NIMS (National Incident Command Systems) is a FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) certified emergency management system used across the U.S. to coordinate preparedness, incident management, and response among public and private sectors. By using this system trained people can plan, prepare, prevent, mitigate, respond and recover from incidents of any size, cause, location, or complexity, to reduce loss of life and property and harm to our environment. NIMS enables trained government, not–for–profit, and private sector responders from across the country to work side by side during any incident in a predictable and coordinated manner, because the terminology, structure, process and procedure is standardized.
Hurricane Sandy made landfall October 29, 2012. Government, not for profit, and private sector employees and volunteers in the impacted communities made sure their families were safe and immediately opened Incident Command Centers. It was clear this incident was too massive to be handled locally and responders and outside resources were needed. Persons from nearby areas not impacted by the storm were mobilized. Now, 12 days after landfall, resources from further west are deploying to aid in response and recovery. Like any workplace, staff changes are necessary at the end of operational periods. To preserve staff health and well-being, breaks, sleep, food, and time away are vital. The seven people from southwestern Indiana will join people from other Districts across the country to provide the needed trained backup.
UE Named One of the Nation’s Top Study Abroad Programs
The nation’s leading voice on educational and cultural exchange has again named the University of Evansville among America’s top study abroad programs.
Today, the Institute of International Education released its annual Open Doors report, which ranks the top study abroad programs in the nation. This year, UE moved up one spot on the list, ranking 12th for study abroad participation among master’s degree-granting institutions. For 2010-11, the academic year covered by this year’s report, 50.7 percent of UE students studied abroad.
“The opportunity to study abroad is one of the hallmarks of the University of Evansville experience, so we’re very excited to earn national recognition for our study abroad participation,†said Earl Kirk, UE director of study abroad. “The life-transforming educational experiences our students gain from studying abroad – at our British campus, Harlaxton College, or anywhere else in the world – give them a cultural awareness that is vital for success in today’s global marketplace.â€
The University of Evansville proudly welcomes international students from around the world and encourages students to pursue cultural and academic experiences abroad. This semester, 217 international students from 46 countries are enrolled at UE. During the 2012-13 academic year, 285 UE students are expected to study abroad in approximately 20 countries.
The release of the Open Doors report falls this year on the first day of International Education Week, a joint initiative of the United States Departments of State and Education that promotes the benefits of international education and cultural exchange. For its sixth annual observance of International Education Week, the University of Evansville will hold a series of events, including a keynote speaker and the International Bazaar. A full schedule is available on the IEW website.
To view the complete Open Doors report, please visit the Institute of International Education’s website.
VOICE session at USI on Wednesday
VOICE is Evansville’s community-wide, citizen-driven vision process that allows community members to share their ideas, hopes, and visions for Evansville’s preferred future.
Through sessions facilitated by Leadership Evansville, VOICE aims to bring together diverse members of the community to discuss their dreams for Evansville in an open forum. The facilitation is led in such a way that respectful conversations will occur, all voices will be heard, and opinions will be documented, ensuring that the entire community has the opportunity to take part in creating a desired future.
“This is really about building trust amongst the members of our community and learning that if we all join together and have civil dialogue about our future desires and current issues, we can create a strong society that will thrive and grow,†said Mayor Lloyd Winnecke. “Through this effort, I am confident that Evansville will become a place where people from all over will want to live, work and play.â€
Multiple VOICE sessions have been held throughout the year to obtain feedback from people of all ages, ethnic and religious backgrounds, and neighborhoods.
The VOICE Process:
• Leadership Evansville will facilitate discussion sessions at easy-to-access public locations, such as Evansville Public Library System branches and Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation schools. The sessions will be advertised in neighborhood newsletters, the newspaper, television, radio and Internet.
• Comments from each session will be available to the participants and the public. A summary and detailed notes will be posted on the VOICE website within one week of the session.
• Once all comments are collected, additional community sessions will occur to verify that the information collected truly represents participants’ opinions.
• Then, common themes and ideas will be grouped by topic area to serve guidance for those organizations, businesses, universities, individuals and government bodies with interest in that topic to move forward with further research and planning toward a common goal.
“I firmly believe that communities with a shared vision, and appropriate processes to capture, record, and inspire action around common goals can achieve healthier, more vibrant futures,†said Lynn Miller-Pease, executive director of Leadership Evansville . “The approach we are taking with VOICE is allowing citizens to actively create and participate in envisioning their own their own future so they can dream big and be part of making it happen.â€
For more information, contact Leadership Evansville at 812/589-3682.
Former Tavern to be Demolished for Community Improvement Project
(EVANSVILLE, IN) – It was a saloon before Prohibition, and then it was converted into a restaurant. Over the years it alternated between serving food and liquor, eventually becoming a pet grooming business and most recently an eyesore.
On Tuesday, Mayor Winnecke will use a sledgehammer to take the first swing at the old Paddock Tavern, as demolition crews begin to raze the dilapidated structure at 1510 N. First Ave.
The building was recently purchased by Bootz Manufacturing, which opened a distribution center at 1600 N. First Ave. in 2010. Bootz President and CEO Pete DeSocio said the company completed extensive landscaping around the distribution center and was recognized with the 2011 Community Improvement of the Year Award by Keep Evansville Beautiful.
DeSocio said the company views purchasing and tearing down the old tavern as a community improvement project and a way to enhance safety. He said the building blocks the line-of-sight for truck drivers making deliveries to the distribution center off First Avenue, causing drivers to miss the entrance and have to turn around.
Floyd Staub, Inc., has been contracted to raze the structure. The work is set to begin tomorrow, Nov. 13, at 8 a.m. Staub will be closing the inside southbound lane of First Avenue for one hour. According to Historic Preservation Officer Dennis Au, the structure was built sometime between 1905 and 1910. Before Prohibition, it was Emerson B. Baldsdon’s Saloon. During Prohibition it was converted into a restaurant. One of the eateries was owned by Abraham Schick in 1929.
After Prohibition, in 1939, William Kirsch ran a tavern at the location.
Au said during World War II, George Kirsch (1942) and Nellie Piper (1944) operated restaurants in the building. In 1983, it was listed as Art’s Post and Paddock Tavern. After that, the building was vacant for almost a decade. In 1997, Country Charm Pet Grooming opened at the location. The building was purchased by Bootz Manufacturing in 2012.