IS IT TRUE that the State of California in an attempt to collect some taxes that are overdue has released a list known as the 500 biggest tax cheats?…that in reality it not necessarily a list of cheaters but is a list of the 500 people or businesses that have the highest unpaid and delinquent tax bills?…that tax delinquencies are public documents and should anyone anywhere find out such information it is within their rights to publish such information?…that if you doubt this just wait to see if Pamela Anderson and Lionel Richie file any charges over having their tax delinquencies plastered on a bunch of front pages yesterday?

IS IT TRUE that the first week of the presidential campaign since it is now unofficially a two man race have really brought out the nastiness from political operatives and paid commentators?…that it was routine last week across the country to see President Obama and Governor Romney getting called idiots by people who could not hold a candle to either of these men in a cognitive thinking contest?…that President Obama and Governor Romney have both been estimated to have an IQ of between 130 and 150 with President Obama having scored 141 on an IQ test taken as a child?…that a score of 145 or three standard deviations from the mean of 100 makes both of these candidates for President of the United States 1 %ers or having a higher IQ than 99% of the population?…that they both earn more money than 99% of the general population too?…that you can disagree with either candidate, you can question the motives, the character, the honesty, or even the applicable training of either candidate?…that you can call them any name you like buy do not call then dumb, idiots, or fools because of all things they may be dumb is not one of those things?..that you should not call them poor either because they clearly are not?

IS IT TRUE that the average billing rate for a partner in a law firm has now topped $500 per hour for the first time?…that if a partner’s rates are at the top 25% point that the rate is now at $873 per hour?…that the poor underachieving partners at the bottom 25% of the billing rate curve are only knocking down a rate of $204 per hour?…that we hope these guys can find a way to survive on such rates?

IS IT TRUE that it has now been roughly 4 months since former Mayor Weinzapfel signed an agreement with Johnson Controls to make the billing for water easier and more accurate in the City of Evansville?…that this is asserted to be one of those contracts that pays for itself in savings so the normal bidding channels were not necessary to sign onto a $51 Million deal?…that private VETTING which seems to be the only kind of VETTING that ever turns up any real information in Evansville has found some unanswered questions in the Johnson Controls deal?…that some of the private VETTING has been made available to the CCO and more is on the way?…that the most glaring of the questionable claims is that over 40% of the asserted savings are “un-measurable” savings?…that it is hard to get a grip on what an un-measurable or an intangible of over $20 Million might be?…that if one commits to the numbers that one must be held accountable to the numbers and that it seems as though the Johnson Controls deal has the aura of “heads we win, tails you lose” insofar as the people of Evansville’s money is concerned?…that in a city that has rushed into deals for the McCurdy, the downtown Convention Hotel, the Earthcare Energy non-vetted loan approval, and now the un-measurable savings in the Johnson Controls deal there really needs to be a time out and reality check put into place before writing even one check for any of these projects?…that the Apple Computer Company has a slogan and it is “Think Different”?…that the City of Evansville needs to adopt a shorter slogan by one word?…that the City of Evansville’s slogan should simply be “THINK”?

IS IT TRUE we are hearing from reliable sources that people serving on the GAGE Board of Directors are required to sign a “Confidentiality Agreement” not to publically discuss that tax supported organization business with the public? …we are amazed that our local (City and County) elected officials are put in a position to withhold some information generated from GAGE such as audit finding and salary and bonuses paid to GAGE employees? …that conventional legal wisdom suggests that this agreement shall not be considered a legal and binding document if challenged by the media and/or elected officials?

IS IT TRUE that the CITY COUNTY OBSERVER is getting a great deal of un-solicited pressure to re-considering its policy of not endorsing political candidates for public office? …we are getting private e-mails, phone calls and face to face comments to re-consider this policy? …we are discussing this issue among ourselves and shall make a final decision sometime next week?…that whether we decide to change our policy with respect to endorsements across the board that we shall be making an endorsement in the Republican primary for the United States Senate?

IS IT TRUE that a person who does VETTING for a living has taken to reading the antics of the elected and appointed officials in Evansville, Indiana?…that this person found the observer by doing a Google search of the term VETTING and has been astonished many times over the last two years a just how regularly the Evansville City Council, the Evansville Redevelopment Commission, and now GAGE have failed to do the absolute basic things involved in the VETTING process?…that this person spoke with the CCO last week and wishes to ask the people in charge of VETTING in Evansville including Mayor Winnecke one simple question?…that question is “Have you ever heard of a thing called Google and do you know how to use it”?…that we agree that Google is the most basic thing to do in a VETTING process and that GOOGLE is free?…that is even more basic than checking credit, doing a background check, or even confirming a pulse?

IS IT TRUE that the Off Track Betting business in Evansville is going to close their doors in June?…that management is publically blaming the smoking ban that has now been in effect for 14 days for the demise of their business?…that this is the same management group that dropped the ball by not seeking an exemption that they may very well have been granted if they had been doing their job?…that OTB sights in other parts of Indiana have been struggling for years and some are even under the protection of bankruptcy proceedings?…that these OTB sites still have smoking?…that in truth when you become complacent in management, uncompetitive in the marketplace, or if your product or service just runs its course that businesses fail?…that in the case of the local OTB site that is blaming the smoking ban for their demise that it is a combination of factors totally unrelated to smoking that has lead to their decision to close?…that the smoking ban is just their excuse to do exactly that?

IS IT TRUE that we wish the 50 people who work at the OTB site Godspeed in finding new employment by June when they lock the doors?

IS IT TRUE April 13, 2012 Part 2

IS IT TRUE that yesterday the CCO included a line in our morning column stating that stated the following?
”…that the CCO would like to encourage each of our readers to consider making a donation to help Al deal with the unbudgeted expenses that he will have to bear from this overly publicize lapse of judgment on his part?…that we do not condone what Councilman Lindsey did and certainly do not condone his cover-up but we also realize that to get on with life he needs some financial help?…that if you would like to help please contact the CCO Publisher Tim Eckels by email at timeckels@gmail.com?”

IS IT TRUE that a small but vocal number of our readers did not appreciate the fact that we openly solicited donation to relieve Councilman Lindsey of some of the debt he has accumulated due to civil actions that would not have happened except for a political vendetta?…that during the 2011 Democrat primary now Councilman Lindsey was legally attacked by his opponent and supporters of his opponent and that he had to spend money to protect his right to run for office?…that the tattling to the Mayor that happened after the Indianapolis consultant paid for over 40 drinks for some of our Democrat elected officials would never have happened except for a childish political vendetta?…that this is the reason that we encourage our readers to assist Councilman Lindsey and WE WILL DO THE SAME THING FOR ANY LOCAL OFFICIAL WHO IS ATTACKED FOR PERSONAL POLITICAL REASONS?

IS IT TRUE that the CCO is a free online publication?…that we stand by our words of yesterday?…that those of you like Mr. Jack Waldroup (waitamin) and a few others who do not like what is written here have the right and privilege as Americans to stop reading the CCO?…that sometimes a political strategy revolves around outspending ones opponent and distracting an opponent with lawsuits?…that such things undermine the election process and lend credence to people’s belief that elections are rigged and that local politics is corrupted?

IS IT TRUE that Al did wrong?…that Al spent considerable money to be given what most people think is a fair punishment?…that whomever consumed the remainder of the 40+ drinks that night in all likelihood drove home drunk and had no consequence at all?…that no one tattled to the Mayor, no one called the cops, and that is business as usual in River City?…that one person bore the punishment for the whole Democrat team that night and the name of that person is City Councilman Al Lindsey?…that if some people can’t see that then they need to do some self-examination?

IS IT TRUE that there are a couple of old sayings that are very appropriate in the activity that Evansville officials just learned the word VETTING to describe last year?…that since that time they do seem to know the word but have not yet even approached mastering the practice?…that “you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink” and “you can send a kid to college but you cannot make him think” are the two old sayings that are particularly telling in what is hopefully a metamorphosis if Evansville officials from going from a town that never heard of VETTING to a town that may someday figure out how to put it into practice?

IS IT TRUE that not supposedly not a dime has changed hands yet as a result of the over $51 Million contract that the Weinzapfel Administration shoved through last December with Johnson Controls?…that right now is an excellent time for the Winnecke Administration to step back and do some VETTING on what the cost/benefit analysis for this project really is?…that other towns have done such projects and some report success and others report disappointment?…that one of the claims of the benefits from the project is that it will bring Evansville from 368th out of 370 in internet capability all the way into the top 90?…that this is claimed to be achieved without competing with or displacing the current services that have earned us the distinction of 368th out of 370?…that this claim makes about as much sense as an owner of the slowest horse in the upcoming Kentucky Derby claiming to increase his farms probability of winning the Derby by entering a Shetland Pony as a field horse to shore up his entry?…that if one is not capable of competing with #368 then one is certainly not top 90 material?…that there are many other questionable and unverifiable claims made by advocates of the water bill raising Johnson Controls deal and they all need to be thoroughly VETTED in a public hearing?

IS IT TRUE that North Korea bulled right ahead yesterday in trying to test a long range ballistic missile?…that reports from space and from reporters on the ground say that the launch failed after about 90 seconds?…that missiles are pressure vessels that require precise engineering, exotic materials, exemplary couplings and seals, and above all very good program management?…that this was just the last in a series of tests by the North Koreans but eventually if they have the materials, the skills, and the diligence they will eventually get one of these things to work?…that the North Koreans seem to understand the value of doing real world testing but just don’t have the right combination of expertise to successfully make a long range missile happen yet? GOOD!

IS IT TRUE that the first salvos of mud in the campaign for President of the United States were thrown at of all people Mrs. Mitt Romney?…that the paid political advisor that threw that salvo claiming that a stay at home mother of five “had never worked a day in her life” was quick to apologize and was marginalized by her own bosses for her gaffe?…that any person of either party or either gender who thinks that being a full time mother constitutes “never having worked a day in their life and being out of touch with economic reality”, IS AN IDIOT?…that anyone who sanctions such words IS ALSO AN IDIOT?…that we are sure that those words did not just fall out of Hillary Rosen’s mouth?…that was a trial balloon from the Obama Campaign that had the same success as the North Korean missile launched on the same day?