IS IT TRUE much to many people’s surprise the latest CCO reader’s poll regarding our reader’s intention on supporting or rejecting VandiGov 2012 resulted in a narrow victory for the supporters of consolidation?…the voting patterns do seem to indicate that there may have been some robo votes or monkey business at certain times on both sides of the issue?…most of us would have bet some good money on this poll reaching a NO victory but that is not the way it happened?…the forces on both sides of this issue are mobilizing and that we expect that between this and the election for President of the United States that Vanderburgh County may be in for a record turnout this year?

IS IT TRUE Mole #11 has advised us that two well known locals will be throwing their names into the ring for the democrat candidates running for the Vanderburgh County Council?…we have been told that Tim Schaffer (don’t know if this is a relative of Steve Schaeffer, Mayor Winnecke’s Chief of Staff) and that crusty dude Clark R. Exmeyer who is believed to be a regular caller to Les Shively’s radio show on WGBF?…Mr. Shively always seemed to enjoy sparring with Run DNC who surely had the sound of Clark?…that we here these two gentlemen will be well funded and give the incumbents a run for their money this fall?

IS IT TRUE of all 50 of the United States only four have employment levels that are at or above their peak employment levels?…the names of these states are Texas, Alaska, North Dakota, and Louisiana?…that eight states are not projected to reach the previous employment highs until the presidential election of 2016 or later?…the names of these lagging economic states are Nevada, Florida, Michigan, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Ohio, Alabama, and Arizona?…that this statistic does not get the unemployment rate back to its previous lows because it does not account for population growth?…that a little realized fact about lowering the unemployment rate in a city or state is that when people move away for a job elsewhere the place they left can claim a lower unemployment rate while the place they move to sees little change at all?…that is counter intuitive but true none the less?

IS IT TRUE it works like this?…that if City A and City B both have 10 people wanting jobs and 90 who have jobs they both have an unemployment rate of 10%?…that if one of the unemployed people from City A moves to City B for a newly created job that City A now has 99 people who want jobs and still has 90 who are employed lowering the unemployment rate from 10% to 9.1% (9/99)?…that City B still has 10 who need a job but now has a population of 101 so they only see the rate drop to 9.9% (10/101)from the previous 10%?…that statistics do not always tell the real story and the statistical fact that a city with a shrinking population has an inherent advantage in the statistical calculation of unemployment over a growing city?

IS IT TRUE that given that mathematical truth that the best way for an unemployment obsessed politician to improve his numbers is to find a way to get the unemployed to pack up and leave town?…that running one unemployed person off has the same statistical effect as attracting 10 employed people to town?

IS IT TRUE there is much wailing and whining about the recently announced increases in the water rates in the City of Evansville?…even the guy who is in charge of the utility has gotten into the act of marketing the coming increases saying they are “needed”?…”needed” is the understatement of the decade when it comes to the services provided by the City of Evansville when it comes to sewer and water?…that those who read between the lines on the recent press release regarding looming increased noticed that 600 miles of cast iron pipes are in need of replacement and that a well run water provider in a city the size of Evansville “should” have been replacing 10 miles of the old pipes per year at a cost in today’s dollars of $750,000 per mile or a budget of $7.5 Million per year?…the total immediate needs seem to be 60 years of deferred maintenance that will cost an estimated $450 Million in 2012 dollars?…that this is not something that can be blamed on Mayor Winnecke, Mayor Weinzapfel, even Mayor Russ Lloyd Jr.?…this is a collective failure of all of the people who have worn the hat of Mayor of Evansville and all of the people who have been citizens of Evansville since the 1950’s?…the condition of the infrastructure of Evansville and some other cities is absolutely appalling and the chickens are coming home to roost?…that this is just the tip of the iceberg?

IS IT TRUE that City of Evansville is under order of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to do improvements required to stop dumping raw sewage into the Ohio River and the yards of the citizens of some Southside neighborhoods every time it rains more than an inch an hour?…that this cost has been estimated to be between $500 Million and $700 Million in 2008 dollars?…that the mounting cost to do two simple things that will enable the City of Evansville to deliver good potable water to its citizens and avoid fines from the EPA over Calcutta type conditions in the sewer system is now well over $1 Billion?…that rather than do the things that we need our City government has invested $127 Million in a temple to sport and is planning to dump another $80 Million so that they can read the water meters through the internet?…facility after facility from Roberts Stadium, to the parks, to the recently disclosed failure to spend a paltry $100,000 to paint and bleach Mesker Amphitheatre has fallen into disrepair as the sewers and water pipes have?… the state of the infrastructure in the City of Evansville has the appearance of willful and intentional neglect?

IS IT TRUE if Evansville is to even purport to be a city at all well over $1 Billion in deferred or neglected maintenance will have to be done in the relatively near future?…the EPA has roughly a 20 year window in which this can be done to avoid fines?…a fixed rate bond over 30 years for $1 Billion will add roughly $150 per month to the water and sewer burden of every house in the City of Evansville?…as much as the CCO feels for the household budgets and business budgets of Evansville this must be done and the people who choose to live here will have to pay for it?…the only real way to reduce the monthly burden is to increase the number of households substantially to spread the cost over more housing units?…that unless there is a commitment to get this done, jobs will not be prone to come here, educated professionals will not choose to live here, and the decline of the last 60 years shall continue?…it is crunch time when it comes to Evansville infrastructure?

IS IT TRUE May 25, 2012

IS IT TRUE

the New Orleans Times Picayune a daily newspaper with a history going back over 100 years has faced the reality that printing a daily hard copy is a good way to lose money?…the Times Picayune announced yesterday that they will be printing a copy of the paper only on three days per week?…the focus of the great American paper is being shifted to providing online digital news content to the people of New Orleans?…that this half step will become a full step at some point as the business model for traditional print media has been disrupted forever?

IS IT TRUE the forces in support of and opposing next November’s vote on unified government in Vanderburgh County are both finally out in force trying to convince the voters to support their cause?…that both Mayor Winnecke and Sheriff Eric Williams are vocal proponents of VandyGov 2012 and are widely thought to be the candidates who will face each other to become Mayor of the County in the event that consolidation passes?…that the theory of consolidation is a very hard concept to argue effectively against?…that when one has a tangible plan in place that ignores the two most fruitful areas to provide the voters with the savings associated with consolidation and actually forbids that these sacred cows be discussed for 10 years, opposition forces can make a pretty good case that the planning process was partisan, selective, and really provides none of the benefits that could have been provided?…that the next 5 months will be quite interesting as this may come down to good theory vs. poor planning in the minds of voters?

IS IT TRUE the City County Observer is pleased to see that one of our favorite public servants, Ann Ennis who headed Keep Evansville Beautiful for many years has chosen to fire her distinguished career of service back up as opposed to heading out of town for greener pastures?…Ms. Ennis will be leading Ruth’s House and that we are sure that Ruth’s House will be better for her presence?…that Ms. Ennis’ decision is a counter to a recent pattern of exodus that has seen 12 adults with master’s degrees leave Evansville for better opportunities just since January 1st?…it is bad enough to lose the young educated professionals that all cities covet but losing people in that 40 – 60 age grouped of accomplished educated professionals with children poised to follow in their footsteps is in many ways much worse for a community?

IS IT TRUE the Kentucky Democrat primary came very close to dealing President Obama a loss in his own primary with no opposition?…if two of the 120 counties in Kentucky are removed from the totals that “Uncommitted” would have defeated President Obama by roughly 5,000 votes?…the two counties that pulled out the win for President Obama are Jefferson (Louisville) and Fayette (Lexington)?…this narrow win against no opponent was brought to you by the people of a state that depend very much on coal mining?…another state to watch for an indication of a shift from Obama to Romney is Wisconsin that is mired up in a recall election of Governor Scott Walker?…polls are tied in Wisconsin for president but that the probability of Governor Walker surviving this recall election are now at 94% on a website that allows gambling on elections (www.intrade.com)?…that if Wisconsin rejects this recall attempt that was initiated and bankrolled by the public employee unions it will not bode well for President Obama in Wisconsin?…that President Obama did make a 2008 campaign promise to walk the picket lines but thus far has not delivered on that promise?