IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer’s call for attention to be paid to the rubble pile in the 600 block of East Franklin Street has borne some fruit?…that we have learned that 2nd Ward City Councilwoman Missy Mosby has taken the initiative to report this dangerous mess to the proper authorities?…that for Councilwoman Mosby to go outside of her ward to report a problem indicates clearly the goodwill that she feels for the entire City of Evansville?…that we encourage 3rd Ward City Council candidates Stephanie Brinkerhoff Riley and Alan Leibundguth to get on the bandwagon to force the City of Evansville to get this mess cleaned up?…that we expect that outgoing City Councilwoman Wendy Bredhold should take an interest in forcing this issue?…that the current at-large members of the Evansville City Council Curt John, Don Walker, and Dr. H. Dan Adams have an obligation to carry this torch and that the six people seeking this at-large seats are not worthy of consideration if they do not show some interest in cleaning this unfenced and dangerous corner that is frequented by children?

IS IT TRUE that we are still somewhat dumbfounded by the fact that hundreds of tickets to the Bob Seger concert are available through online ticket outlets a full week before they have been offered to the public?…that the seats offered are good seats but are offered at high premiums to the $70 that the public’s seats are reported to be priced at?…that we would like to say that we are shocked and amazed that inside deals have happened for the first act in the Ford Center but we cannot tell a lie?…that inside deals and behind closed door arrangements have been a way of life in Evansville lately and that the premature allocation of some of the best seats in the Ford Center’s first event just serves as one of the final insults to the people of Evansville?

IS IT TRUE that there has been much discussion about how signing Project Labor Agreements (PLA’s) help a large construction project?…that there are indeed some advantages that PLA’s offer such as no-strike clauses, access to adequate skilled labor, cost certainty, and protection against having illegal workers on the job?…that these advantages in large cities where published prevailing wages are really the going rates essentially come at no or little additional cost?…that Evansville is not New York City or San Francisco and that to get these advantages we do indeed pay a premium?…that if Evansville is more like Denver, New Orleans, or Orlando than it is like New York City then having a PLA in place for a major project can be expected to add about 7% to the cost of the project?…that being the case the new Ford Center most likely cost about $9 Million more than it would have without a PLA?…that the pending new downtown Convention Hotel which has a PLA condition in the RFP will cost about $2.5 Million due to that contractual requirement?…that the best way to manage any project on budget and on time is to quote it HIGH AND LONG?

IS IT TRUE that we are eagerly anticipating some word (any word) to be released to the public about the findings and leanings of the vetting of the proposals that were submitted to build and operate a new downtown Convention Hotel?

IS IT TRUE that a novel idea came to the CCO today?…that this novel idea is “IS IT TRUE – The Book”?…that we are all ears and if there is an indication of demand that we a pretty well positioned to have a late 2011 publication date?…that we would like to hear from you?…that the pricing that we have been advised to consider are $12.50 for a pdf style downloadable e-book or $25.00 for a hardback?…that if we can reach a critical mass of early commitments this will happen?

IS IT TRUE that Evansville real estate professionals have been quoted as making the claims that the real estate market here has really not been adversely effected the way that other places have been?…that they go a step further to in stating that Evansville has really not seen any significant impacts to prices due to the widely publicized “housing bust”?…that most economists and investors are now of the opinion that there will not be a jobs recovery until the real estate markets in the USA stabilize from a price perspective?…that everyone that has a brain and a calculator agrees that the interest rates right now are as low as everyone under 70 has ever seen and are likely at a historical low?…that if one can actually get a loan that the one thing that all can agree on is that money is cheap and that right now is a good time to borrow?

IS IT TRUE that there is never a good time to borrow money to buy an asset that is depreciating with no financial support mechanism to stop the depreciation?…that borrowing $300,000 to buy a home that was at $600,000 5 years ago but is at $400,000 today in a market that is expected to lose as much as 25% more is a pretty good way for you to lose your hard earned $100,000?…that statistics do support the assertion that Evansville housing has held up better than fast rising and fast falling places like Miami, Los Vegas, or San Bernardino where contractions of over 50% are not unusual?…that never the less Evansville has contracted and has contracted as dramatically as Miami and Vegas at the high end?…that local statistics do not look very bad when foreclosures, distressed situations, and auctions are excluded from the data?…that the following is from a market assessment of the Evansville real estate market done recently by Trulia.com where all recorded sales are included?

IS IT TRUE that the average price per square foot for Evansville IN was $30, a decrease of 46.4% compared to the same period last year?…that the median sales price for homes in Evansville IN for May 11 to Jul 11 was $65,870?…that compared to the same period one year ago, the median home sales price decreased 9.1%, or $6,565, and the number of home sales decreased 95.7%?…that there are currently 1,313 resale and new homes in Evansville on Trulia, including 62 open houses, as well as 207 homes in the pre-foreclosure, auction, or bank-owned stages of the foreclosure process?…that this 3rd party assessment does not paint a picture of confidence or vibrancy in the market?…that accurate and timely information about any market is valuable to investors or potential homeowners and marketing programs that are designed to send an inaccurate message confuse buyers even more and prolong any recovery that may be in the works?

IS IT TRUE that one of the things that brings real estate to its knees is when a potentially toxic pile of rubble is allowed to lay unabated for an extended period of time?…that about 3 weeks ago the City County Observer identified just such a pile of rubble in the 600 block of East Franklin Street?…that this potential for harm and liability on the part of the owner AND the City of Evansville is still there and now children have been spotted playing on it?…that it is time for the City Council member from the 3rd Ward, the two candidates for the 3rd Ward seat, all three at large members of the City Council, the candidates for at-large seats, the Mayor of Evansville and both candidates for Mayor to do something about this?…that you can like them or not like them but if this kind of a hazard were in the 2nd Ward or the 4th Ward that Councilwomen Missy Mosby and Connie Robinson would be grilling someone’s backside over this?

IS IT TRUE that our first order of business today is to remember the victims and survivors of the attack on our beloved country that occurred 10 years ago today?…that most everyone can tell you where they were that day just like they remember where they were when President Kennedy was assassinated?…that the 911 attacks have changed life in the United States for the paranoid worse?…that before 911 we had an easier life when travelling, less costly regulations, a better economy, two less wars, and a more future driven population?…that before 911 people believed that things would be better for their children and now most expect that things will be worse?…that we as a nation should remember the day and honor the victims but that it is time to stop letting that handful of terrorists dampen our spirits?…that call this a bottom and start to come back up the performance curve?…that the best way to honor the victims of 911 and the victorious dead in our many wars is to live in triumph and continually make America a better nation?…that these people died so that we can do so?

IS IT TRUE that recent weeks have been punctuated with story after story about the financial travails of the United States Post Office?…that for the entire time that this country has had a postal service that the daily mail delivery has filled people with anticipation and that letter carriers in general are seen as vital and productive members of our neighborhoods and towns?…that postal workers are a part of Americana?…that the faces of the United States Post Office are mostly pleasant and the service provided is quite impressive?…that if you think about it to take letter from Evansville to Los Angeles for less than 50 cents in two days time is a pretty impressive feat?…that the USPO does this millions of times per day and very rarely messes up?…that the financial travails of the post office are very much a “made in Congress” type of problems?…that Congress and the upper management of the USPO have failed to respond to the changing dynamic of technology driven changes that have made communication and transactions much easier and even cheaper?

IS IT TRUE that the job of carrying letters cannot be outsourced to other countries but it also cannot be made mandatory for people to use?…that the USPO is rapidly becoming unnecessary and therein lies the problem?…that in the overnight delivery business that companies like UPS, DHL, and FedEx have simply out innovated, out-marketed, and for the most part outperformed the USPO to capture the high end profitable part of the delivery business?…that until someone commercializes a way to email or beam merchandise that overnight delivery will continue to be a growing and profitable business?…that the USPO is not the only government entity that has seen the revenue stream that has failed to respond to the economic changes of globalization of trade?

IS IT TRUE that local and state governments that depend on revenue from sales taxes has been caught with their pants down on being able to enforce sales tax collections from interstate and intercontinental purchases?….that they have known this for 20 years and still have not been able to devise a solution?…that the rank and file of the USPO have been carrying out their duties faithfully for the last 20 years but that the drummer whose tune they have been dancing to is obsolete?…that dancing to the tune of obsolete management whether at the USPO or a private company always leads to obsolescence in the ranks?…that the time for taking the easy road until the wolf is at the door is over if America is to honor all those who have passed before us by going forward into the future in a relevant and prosperous way?