IS IT TRUE our “ADMINISTRATION MOLE” tell us that the Mayor shall be leading a delegation to visit “Branson Landing,” in Branson, Missouri in a day or so to see if this development could be duplicated as a possible project for a new downtown hotel in Evansville? …that all members appointed by the Mayor to vet the proposed downtown hotel project had to sign a confidential agreement not to discuss this trip with anyone? …since the city is seemingly being charged with the responsibility of funding the entire cost of the proposed downtown hotel, we wonder why the President of the Vanderburgh County Commission is going on this trip? …we wonder why the Chairman of the City Council Finance Committee wasn’t invited to attend this fact finding trip? …we wonder how what type of transportation will be used by the Mayors “Ad Hoc Hotel Vetting Committee” to get to Branson, Missouri? …that we hear that this group could walk, take a cab, ride a Greyhound bus, drive in personal cars, hitchhike, or fly in a plush multi-million dollar private jet? …that the trip may be taken on a private jet? …if this trip is on a private jet, we would like to know who is paying for it?

IS IT TRUE that the City of Grand Rapids, Michigan along with several other cities in Michigan are pleased to be the home of branch campuses of the Michigan State University Medical School?…the address of the Grand Rapids branch appears to be right in downtown Grand Rapids?…the Main Street Mole tells the CCO that there is a forthcoming announcement from the Office of Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke and others that Evansville will soon join the ranks of cities with a branch medical campus in the downtown?…the Indiana University School of Medicine has long had a presence in SW Indiana tucked away on the campus of USI?…there is an expansion planned and other locations have been under consideration including the soon to be empty lot where Roberts Stadium is being demolished?…the idea of developing a medical campus on that site with future expansion opportunities for medical device innovation was quite appealing?…it is not impossible to do the same thing downtown and a medical campus for 30 – 50 students in downtown Evansville will be positive as any location would be?…that will add to the ranks of the 300 or so Signature School student who already spend their lunch money and parking fees downtown?…the only question for a medical school downtown will be the distance to the hospitals that must be partners in the educational programs?…we are surprised that the new Warrick County medical park right past I-164 where Evansville’s hospitals have expanded are not trying to attract this Medical School to locate there?

IS IT TRUE that just a year ago the CCO and Attorney Les Shively teamed up every Thursday morning on a radio show broadcast by WGBF 1280-AM to discuss the antics of local government?…the CCO and Mr. Shively being somewhat kindred spirits often agreed on where tar and feathers should be applied and even on what was being done well by local government?…today we would like to take the opportunity to congratulate our friend Les on his appointment by Governor Mitch Daniels to the Vanderburgh Superior Court?…we are certain that “Judge” Shively will bring his quick mind, his creative nature, and his deep sense of fairness to the bench?…we close with the simple words “congratulations Les, you are most deserving”?

IS IT TRUE the County Commissioners are contemplating doing something to make Burdette Park become a “destination”?…depending just what they mean by “destination” for 3 or 4 months a year this idea may just have some merit as the basics for family recreation seem to be in place and have been for years?…the pool at Burdette provides a favorable experience in so long as the babbling hoard that goes there keeps dirty diapers out of the water and the maintenance crew does their job?…maintenance and cleanliness have been a repellent to many to go to Burdette for many years now but much of that blame lies with a small number of slovenly people who are allowed by the staff to soil the place without consequence?…prior to spending $25,000 on a marketing campaign there needs to be some basic maintenance and upgrading done and a written operations plan to assure that the new visitors drawn to this “destination” by the marketing will have a favorable experience and come back?…the stewards of Burdette Park can take some lessons from Holiday World in keeping a park clean, being user friendly, and running a tight ship?…that Burdette Park will be competing with Holiday World for customers and will have to offer an equivalent experience per dollar to make any new promotion a success?…we wonder where the Evansville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau stands on Burdette Park as a tourist destination?…if it is so great and the ECVB has missed this hidden pearl there should be some discussion about that?…we also wonder how on earth there could possibly be any hope of success without a $40 Million hotel sitting right next to it?

IS IT TRUE the saga of the socialist regime that was voted to lead France just continues to get more amusing?…when newly elected President Francois Hollande ran on a platform of soaking the evil rich to the tune of a 75% marginal income tax rate he probably did not think that the incidence of out migration of wealthy French people would increase by 500% in the first year of his reign?…a very prominent actor named Gerard Depardieu is the latest defector to renounce his citizenship and leave France?…his choice of residence for tax purposes did indeed shock a few people when he chose to leave French soil for RUSSIA where he was embraced by President Vladimir Putin?…many will be surprised to learn that RUSSIA has apparently learned its lesson from its 70 year failed experiment with Communism and now has a 13% FLAT RATE for INCOME TAX?…if the Ruskies had a decent place from a weather perspective they may just be in a position to recruit many of the world’s best minds with earning capacity to their shores?…that while France does not have an EXIT FEE associated with leaving their country, the good old USA does indeed charge people of means a pretty stiff fee to leave as was shown when one of the Facebook founders did exactly that in moving to Singapore to minimize the future tax bite of selling his billion+ worth of shares?

IS IT TRUE the exodus to minimize taxes is happening with a select group in California too?…the lock up period for selling Facebook shares by employees has lapsed and the phenomena of “cashing out” as is a Silicon Valley tradition for stock option millionaires has begun?…there are perhaps thousands of every day workers at Facebook who have stock options worth millions of dollars?…California just passed a referendum to tax these evil performers at a 13% marginal rate on their state income tax?…most of these people have been earning below the $250,000 billionaire threshold set by the Obama Administration and have a “one time” event in the millions to deal with?…if they remain on their jobs in California and cash out a cool $10 Million in stock options the State of California will be standing there smiling to take $1.3 Million of those dollars?…if they rent an apartment, get a driver’s license, and register to vote in Nevada, Florida or 5 other states that have NO INCOME TAX before cashing out that tax burden goes to ZERO?…after a year on hiatus that paid them $1.3 Million they can then return to Silicon Valley and get a different job if they wish because jobs there for techies are plentiful and there is not a damn thing the California legislator can do about spending a year out of state on a tax vacation?