IS IT TRUE that with regard to the ongoing vetting process to see which (if any) of the two respondents to the most recent RFP to build a hotel in downtown Evansville we have not yet been authorized by either the Kunkel Group or Prime Lodging to publish any Dun and Bradstreet report, personal financial statement of the principals, or any other vetting style document?…that we are hearing and even getting comments and emails from supporters of each proposal and that with only one exception the form of the comments is negative toward the other bidder?…that in complex and long term matters like this the fact that one thinks that his opponent is inexperienced and incapable is not the only key to winning this bid?…that if one of these bidders is disqualified for any reason it does not mean that the other one will vet well and get the job?…that the lack of positive statements backed up by performance and financial track record is leading us to think that there is a reasonably high probability that the City of Evansville is heading for the back to the drawing board option?

IS IT TRUE that our vote would go to the bidder that is able to convince us on paper with a verifiable history of a prosperous hotel project and operator on their team?…that we will be trying to start doing some real comparison’s of the two proposals and start posting that information this week?…that we expect that London Witte will be doing the same?

IS IT TRUE that the two candidates for Mayor of Evansville are starting to get attention from the civic organizations of Evansville?…that their lives are going to be getting busier as the voting public turns its attention from summer vacations to the fall elections?…that this will bring a thirst for knowledge about the details of the plans to tackle the real economic realities that Evansville will be facing in the coming years?…that the major economic realities that should be dominating the discussion are rooted in things like jobs, relevance, attractiveness, infrastructure, and education?…that of all of the talking points and abstract plans submitted thus far that the missing piece of the plans is always things like HOW and WHO will implement the outcomes?…that historically planning in Evansville has been infrequent but pretty good?…that where Evansville has always come up short has been in providing proper funding and focus so that the right HOW and WHO is in place?…that we are certain that in the next 10 weeks that we shall hear lots of good ideas that may find their way into plans?…that the questions of HOW and WHO need to be answered because presently the City of Evansville does not have salary brackets that are sufficient to attract the right WHO to the party for the new problems that need to be tackled?

IS IT TRUE that one of the most poignant comments heard or read over the weekend with respect to the meth related statements that the candidates for Mayor of Evansville released was regarding meth education?…that this comment was basically “if 17 house explosions in 6 months is not enough for the people of Evansville to be educated about the perils of a culture of meth, then what is it going to take”?…that we agree that the meth problem in the City of Evansville and beyond is a large enough problem that it will not be solved by education alone?…that solving the meth problem whatever that turns out to be is a job that is crying out for GOOD PUBLIC POLICY?…that it will take both continuously implementing GOOD PUBLIC POLICY and education to get this scourge of meth under control in Evansville, Indiana?

IS IT TRUE? August 14, 2011

IS IT TRUE that the latest SNEGAL trick that the banking industry has implemented is called the “direct deposit loan”?…that the “direct deposit loan” works like a fee based practice known as “payday” loans that have been documented to have fees and interest that can yield effective interest rates in the hundreds of percent?…that this latest little SNEGAL scam plays on loyal customers who happen to have checking accounts with direct deposit?…that the fees for calling or going on line to access this SERVICING are typically between 5% and 10% of the “direct deposit loan”?…that this SNEGAL trick was recently exposed by the Wall Street Journal with Wells Fargo Bank, US Bank, and Fifth Third Bank used as prime examples of businesses that are working hard to grow “direct deposit loans”?…that in the case of Wells Fargo the fee for such a transaction is $1.50 for every $20 advanced?…that for a person that is paid weekly and chooses to be SERVICED on a Monday to the tune of $37.50 to get a “direct deposit loan against Friday’s $500 paycheck that the effective interest rate is 7.5% per week?…that a person with a weekly need for being SERVICED in this SNEGAL manner would pay $1,950 per year to keep $500 in front of the payday for an effective interest rate of 290%?…that this excludes day to day interest charges and assumes a duration of a week for each loan?…that we encourage our readers to reject even the option to choose to be SERVICED by USURY and PREDATORY practices like “direct deposit loans”?

IS IT TRUE that our very own AK STEEL has been featured in a national publication as an undervalued company that may provide higher than expected returns when and if a recovery ever happens?…that no one smart enough to be interested in an investment like AK STEEL would ever consider allowing themselves to be SERVICED by a bank with a “direct deposit loan” with its exorbitant fee?

IS IT TRUE that in all of the celebratory mood surrounding the contract that has finally been signed by the Evansville IceMen that the reported agreement between the City of Evansville and VenuWorks has been overlooked?…that the IceMen’s agreement was for 5 years and thus needed the voting approval of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission to be valid?…that now that VenuWorks is under a not yet released contract that the sale of multiyear contracts for premium seating and sponsorships can begin in earnest?…that there are no minutes to any public meetings that contain references to the approval of any contracts for premium seating or sponsorships by the ERC, therefore there can be no valid contracts executed?

IS IT TRUE that we stand beside our opinion that much of the build up by Mr. Kish about sold out seats that mainstream media has swallowed like a pitcher of Kool-Aid is thus far hype?…that we expect in the very near future that these sweetheart deals with cronies will come forward for approval by the ERC and that the people of Evansville may never ever be offered the opportunity to purchase premium seating in the Arena that they borrowed money to pay for?…that this kind of cronyism is part of the legacy of the “OLD BOY POLITICS” that has substantially contributed to the arrested development of the City of Evansville?…that the premium seating should have and still should be exposed to public markets before approving even one private contract that was acquired by back room political tactics?

IS IT TRUE that a Facebook post on the site called “Evansville Community Tennis Association” is gleefully stating that the materials to start building the indoor tennis courts at Wesselman Park have been ordered?…that there is some level of complication and even controversy about whether or not their contract to build anything has been breached?…that there are other details like submitting a design for approval, getting permits, getting the approval of the appropriated government bodies, etc. that should certainly be completed and verified before any materials were ordered?…that if the ECTA is delusional enough to order materials before getting written permission and permits to proceed then that tells us something?…that the post is as follows:

“I received some very good news this evening from two (2) highly reliable sources…the materials for the indoor tennis facility at Wesselman Tennis Center have been ordered!!!! Sounds like the countdown to indoor tennis by ECTA has begun!!!! WAY TO GO, ECTA BOARD and all the other non-board members who’ve devoted much time/energy and more to making this dream a reality! On behalf of our entire tennis community, THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK and DILIGENCE!!!”

IS IT TRUE that the Evansville IceMen finally have a deal that they are pleased with that officially makes them the hockey team in the new Evansville Arena?…that the deal reflects much confidence on the part of Ron Geary and the IceMen that hockey will be a major attractor of fans in the new Arena?…that the deal is more complicated and a bit more risky than what the simple two sentence plan that the City County Observer had suggested?…that when it comes to private enterprise and negotiations that what we really wanted to see is a deal that Ron Geary and the Evansville IceMen are enthusiastic about?…that we plan on attending some games ourselves and encourage the people of Evansville to come out and support our hockey team?…that if Ron Geary is happy with the deal then the CCO is happy with the deal?…that we are even going to get out or our normal mode and offer congratulations and thanks to the Evansville Redevelopment Commission for intervening and accelerating the signing of a deal that the IceMen see as a partnership with the City of Evansville?…that we say THUMBS UP to the Evansville IceMen and the ERC?

IS IT TRUE that we are relieved and feeling safer already since we now know that both candidates for Mayor of Evansville opposed meth labs?…that at least 80% of the decisions that government makes are decisions that can be made by a rational mind and that opposing the manufacturing of meth is rational position?…that opposing meth making is not policy and that we encourage both candidates to get on board with Evansville City Councilman Dan McGinn in his crusade to disrupt the material supply chain of the key ingredient in the meth making process?…that over the counter products that contain pseudoephedrine should be prescription based

IS IT TRUE that with all of the drugs that are near the expiration date for their patents that some American drug companies like Pfizer and Merck should seize the opportunity to obsolete pseudoephedrine based medicines altogether with a new patentable formulation?…that maybe something in the Federal Lab Consortium patent portfolio would be applicable to such an effort?…that GAGE has a tech transfer agreement that enables them to make the FLC patent portfolio available to businesses within a 28 county area around Evansville?…that to do that they need the technical talent available to read and understand patents and to recognize the not yet identified potential of local businesses?…that politics and self limiting policies are keeping them from even considering such things?