IS IT TRUE the pre-season favorite to win the NCAA Football BCS Championship LSU Tigers have tossed their most celebrated player Tyrann Mathieu off of the team for violating “team rules”?…those of you who follow college football probably know Mathieu by his nickname “Honey Badger”?…the Honey Badger had a video made by a fan last year comparing him to the powerful animal of the same name that “takes what he wants”?…that Honey Badger was forced to sit out one game last year over being caught using synthetic marijuana or K2?…the team rules for which the Honey Badger was tossed for may very well be for another round of taking what he wants?…that all things aside Tyrann Mathieu will go on to the NFL and make some good money doing so?

IS IT TRUE that Mitt Romney has now chosen Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate?…Ryan is best known for having authored and passed two budgets through the US House of Representatives?…that is two more budgets than President Obama has gotten passed through any house of congress?…this year President Obama’s budget was shot down by a vote of 414 – 0 in the House and 99 – 0 in the Senate?…that in honor of the mascot of the University of Wisconsin and playing on the tenacious football player from paragraph one that we hereby offer up the nickname “MONEY BADGER” for Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan?…all that is needed now is a youtube video like the Honey Badger has stating “MONEY BADGER GETS WHAT HE WANTS”?

IS IT TRUE the cemeteries owned and operated by the City of Evansville are now advertising their services?…we wonder where in the budget of the City of Evansville that any line item for advertising on behalf of the Oak Hill and Locust Hill cemeteries would be hidden?…the City County Observer will not be holding our breath to be getting any checks from the Winnecke Administration for a banner ad offering the services of the cemeteries as criticism is never taken well in the halls of government?

IS IT TRUE that multiple moles are telling the CCO that GAGE president Debbie Dewey is asserting that there are no clawback provisions in place that will allow the City of Evansville to recover unearned incentives that Whirlpool has benefitted from at the expense of Evansville taxpayers?…in the old days GAGE was only responsible to score the tax phase in applications but any contractual relationships were the responsibility of the Evansville City Council as the taxing authority?…it is very possible that Ms. Dewey is not the right person to ask about the contracts or lack of contracts governing tax abatements and incentives?

IS IT TRUE that clawbacks are usually included in a separate memorandum of understanding between the taxing authority and the company according to the attorney at the training session on tax incentives conducted by the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance?…it is entirely possible that the Evansville City Council does not have any contractual basis on which to repatriate unearned incentives?…if this kind of incentive is granted with a nod, a wink, or even a handshake, then some serious reform needs to be taking place?…if there is indeed no way, no will, or both on the Evansville City Council to collect money that is due the people of Evansville that this is just one more fine example of doing things like bumpkins on the banks of the Ohio?…the time to keep electing bumpkins and good old boys (or girls) to majority positions over the people’s money should have ended 50 years ago?…maybe we should send Deputy Dog, Boss Hogg, and Barney Fife to collect our money?…maybe we already have?…we wonder where is Buford Pusser when you need him?

IS IT TRUE the City County Observer has confirmed with Mayor Winnecke’s office that Earthcare Energy has once again made the monthly interest only payment to the City of Evansville on the $200,000 loan that was made to them without so much as telling the Evansville City Council?…the outstanding balance remains at $184,000 in spite of the scuttling of the deal for an additional $4.8 Million loan that is still to this day authorized by the City Council?…no one should be surprised when this situation raises its ugly head again?

IS IT TRUE that last night’s Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner had a small fraction of the attendance normally seen at such events?…that many of the normal corporate table sponsors were either not invited or declined an invitation?…that unlike the normal swanky atmosphere, this one was held at Marina Pointe with a far more casual tone?…that we wonder whether the Democratic party chairman purposefully ignored corporate donors or merely forgot to ask them?….that surprisingly absent from much conversation was the issue of consolidation?…that emcee, Vanderburgh County Sheriff Eric Williams was wearing a “Yes” button and Rick Davis a “No” button but otherwise few activity related to that issue?….that we look forward to how the Republican Reagan Day dinner this fall will compare in size and atmosphere?

IS IT TRUE that missing in action at last night’s Jefferson-Jackson dinner was Joe Donnelly who is challenging Republican Richard Mourdock for the United States Senate?…Donnelly made an interesting choice in selecting someone to speak in his behalf was performed by former Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel?…Mr. Donnelly has stated early in his campaign that he could not win the upcoming election unless he carries Vanderburgh County?…that his close association with the former Mayor may just put an end to that possibility?

IS IT TRUE there are according to a few good CCO Moles some serious impasses in the City of Evansville budget that are not very close to being resolved?…one of the considerations on the table is to have more session to the budget hearings and to schedule them over a couple of months due to the difficulties anticipated with these impasses?…the idea of changing the traditional August budget hearings to “preliminary” budget hearings or even planning sessions has been floated?…that it seems as though material packets are still being handed to the City Council members a few minutes before meetings rendering the discovery process moot as the members do not have even close to enough time to read them before being asked to make a judgment?…that politics does not have an emergency room and that taking the time to read the bill before passing it is a good attribute?…that passing without reading as the US Congress was instructed to do by former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on the Obamacare bill, should not be tolerated in the Evansville City Council?…that this practice is why Pelosi is now the FORMER speaker and contributed to the election in 2010 of Congressman Larry Buschon to the Bloody 8th’s seat?

IS IT TRUE that the closing of the Dental Clinic for the indigent is sparking a feeling of disgust and confusion among nearly everyone who is asked?…even some members of the board of directors are getting into the fray for not having seen financial performance of the clinic during their time on the board?…the Evansville way with things like this is typically to seat a board of directors for ceremonial purposes but to let the executive committee run the show?…there are many instances where complete boards had the wool pulled over their eyes by their own executive committees?…that someone somewhere knew what the financial situation with the Dental Clinic was and either kept it quiet or was ignored?…waiting until there is a crisis seems to be standard operating procedure in the area and that someone was not as surprised by the closing as the other 117,000 of us were?…there are lots of ways to raise $200,000 through private channels and that with good full board involvement this may have been done without drama or closure of the free Dental Clinic?