IS IT TRUE: August 30, 2011 Special Evening Edition

IS IT TRUE that the minutes of the meetings of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission for August 12th and August 16th have not yet been posted on the ERC website?…that the agenda for the meeting that is scheduled for September 7, 2011 has also not been posted on the website?…that we are expecting to hear something about both the McCurdy Hotel plans for going forward at this meeting?…that we are anticipating that an elected official may be asking questions regarding the loan that Centre City Properties took from 5th 3rd Bank on the property that may just keep the City of Evansville from ever seeing even one red cent if the financing to turn the McCurdy into apartments never happens?

IS IT TRUE that some citizens of Evansville are sort of miffed that they learned recently that Mr. Tom Barnett, the Director of Metropolitan Development for the City of Evansville and the Field Marshall for the McCurdy and other ERC activities has never been inside the McCurdy?…that on the surface that sort of seems detached on Mr. Barnett’s part and that these citizens who contacted the CCO about this were quite upset?…that these citizens did not have the benefit of knowing that all of the deals with the McCurdy Hotel between the City of Evansville and Centre City Properties LLC were already in place before Mr. Barnett turned down the sunshine of Florida to accept his two paycheck deal in Evansville?…that the McCurdy Hotel is actually the property of Center City Properties LLC that holds a 1st Mortgage from 5th 3rd Bank on the property?…that Mr. Barnett does not have and never has had under his tenure the authority to go onto this piece of private property to do anything but trim some weeds and run off some rats?…that when it comes to the McCurdy that Mr. Barnett is just as much of a victim of poor business dealings entered into by the ERC and the Weinzapfel Administration as the rest of us are?

IS IT TRUE that last spring that Keep Evansville Beautiful did a masterful job of raising over $50,000 to refurbish the fountain at the entrance to Garvin Park?…that the dedication and the pictures of this work were both tasteful and beautiful?…that after securing private dollars to do this work and dedicating the fountain that the responsibility was turned over to the proven un-capable hands of the Evansville Parks and Recreation Department?…that during the last month that there is no water in the fountain?…that we are wondering if the Evansville Parks and Recreation department has set a new record for how fast a public entity could negate a great private effort by failing to operate the fountain?…that when private dollars and private efforts bail out local government entities that these government entities should darn well take the initiative to keep water in the fountain and turn the lights on so that we can enjoy its beauty when we attend Otter games or go to Garvin Park?

IS IT TRUE that up until about 3 pm this afternoon that Garvin Park looked like Hurricane Irene passed through?…that there were trash barrels overflowing and garbage blowing around like a fresh winter snow?…that this kind of negligence is what the people of Evansville are getting from the same organization that showed their arrogance when a father brought it to their attention that a drug addicts needle was in a City Park?…that the failures of this department are way too numerous to list here?…that this fountain that is not being used as a fountain and the multi-acres landfill that should be known as Garvin Park has been brought to you by some of the people who decided that Roberts Stadium is unrepairable because the water fountains don’t work and other maintenance has been ignored?…that it is time for this function to be placed into the hands of people who care enough to do their job?

IS IT TRUE: Part 2: August 30, 2011

IS IT TRUE that in pointing out the incorrect message that was sent regarding the overall performance of the EVSC we ran out of space and failed to offer praise where praise is due?…that the 8 EVSC schools that really did make the AYP (adequate yearly progress) standards Cynthiana Heights, Dexter, Harper, Hebron, Highland, Scott, Vogel, and West Terrace all are to be congratulated for their performance?…that furthermore all five of the EVSC schools that achieved a grade of A (Cynthiana Heights, Scott, Highland, West Terrace, and the New Tech Institute) along with the 2 that earned B’s (Reitz and Stringtown) deserve a pat on the back?

IS IT TRUE that we must point out that the word “ADEQUATE” is not to be confused as meaning or even implying “EXCELLENT”?…that a cheese sandwich is an adequate dinner but that a steak is excellent?…that a C is adequate but an A is excellent?…that making the team is adequate but that a gold medal is excellent?…that we know that there is excellence in some Evansville classrooms and offer those excellent performers (students and teachers) a hearty congratulations even though they seem to be surrounded by “adequate” and “failure”?…that we need more progress and we hope to see it?

IS IT TRUE that just because the overall GPA for the EVSC is a 1.67 does not mean that there are not some very good schools in Evansville?…that we stand by our earlier assertion that putting ones head in the sand is bad?…that calling an F and A so that “Little Johnny” feels good today is just setting him up to fail in life?…that as long as community leaders are reluctant to admit that we have litter in the streets, a poverty problem, have no high crime areas, some schools that are failing, and continue to assert that we are average in areas that we are clearly failing like bandwidth (368 out of 370) and venture capital (tied for dead last with several other cities) that the big picture will not change?

IS IT TRUE that students who got their start in the EVSC and graduated from USI and UE routinely go out into the world and excel in their chosen fields?…that Evansville often sends gifted athletes into the professional ranks?…that these people who do this are sometimes blindsided by the level of competition that they have to rise to when they leave our protected boundaries?…that the students that have parents and teachers that bust their chops when they are young and demand excellence are the ones that have the highest probability of measuring up in the real world?…that the best of Evansville and its surrounding areas often work hard and push their talents to great levels when confronted with tougher competition?…that most of these rascals will only be seen in Evansville at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and a few birthdays for the rest of their lives?

IS IT TRUE that we understand how some private schools can get A’s by keeping the most challenged students out?…that what is really worth learning about is how the Catholic schools all get A’s on about half the money that the public schools get a D with?…that we believe that 1,000 Catholic 3 years old children will statistically have the same cumulative IQ of 1,000 3 year old children who are destined for the EVSC?…there is something more than genetics at behind these different scores?

IS IT TRUE that the State of Indiana has now been fingered by that cantankerous old Mort Marcus for losing its well heeled senior citizens?…that while it is bad to lose our best young people to brain drain it is even worse to lose our retirees of means to other areas because they pay lots of taxes that are needed to pay for infrastructure?…that maybe if these retirees children and grandchildren would have stayed in Indiana that the “Gray Drain” would not be depleting our future tax revenues so much that it is getting written about?

IS IT TRUE that today’s headline in the area’s most widely read print media newspaper boldly states “SCHOOLS GET GOOD REPORT CARD”?…that such headlines that are factually accurate yet send a very inaccurate message serve as a mechanism to enable the people of Evansville to be lulled into a false sense of security with respect to the performance of the EVSC?…that it has been stated that perhaps as many as 90% of people who read newspapers for the most part get their news and make decisions on what to read based on HEADLINES?…that this being the case that there are many citizens of Evansville who saw this headline and are feeling good about a report card that would result in ACADEMIC PROBATION and INELIGIBILITY TO COMPETE IN SPORTS if one of the students carried it home?

IS IT TRUE that when the EVSC schools are gleaned from the article the report card given the 34 schools in the report is 5 A’s, 2 B’s, 13 C’s, 5 D’s, and 9 F’s?…that when one takes these grades and assigns each school equal weighted value (as they should be), then assigns a number on the traditional college 4.0 scale that the combined performance shows that EVSC has a GPA of 1.67?…that such a score at even the easiest universities will result academic probation and ineligibility for extracurricular activities?…that the NCAA will not allow any freshman to participate in sports with a high school GPA below 2.0?…that if the EVSC was a college athlete that it could not even sit on the bench with a GPA of 1.67?

IS IT TRUE that the private schools, the parochial schools, and Signature School all got an A?

IS IT TRUE that that the headline writers and the EVSC get this need to put positive spin on negative performance honestly?…that earlier this year that a group of designated local leaders held a discussion with respect to what grade Evansville would get for its investment community activities with respect to angel and venture investing?…that this group courteously negotiated among themselves that Evansville is a 3 out of 5 or a gentleman’s C in angel and venture investing?…that there were some people in the room who know about such things that kindly expressed that the score is really a 1 or 2 (D or F) but that the GroupThink overwhelmed knowledge in awarding a C?…that the reality of the situation is that the score should reflect the actuality and that reality is ZERO?…that the propensity to grade ourselves as acceptable when the score is clearly a ZERO (F) and the need to proclaim that all is well in a headline when the numbers are really no more than a solid D is part of the problem when it comes to Evansville ever becoming competitive nationally in anything?

IS IT TRUE that the first steps to prosperity will only come when the people in charge of Evansville take their head out of the sand and local mainstream media ceases to be an enabler in spreading the myths that result in people thinking things are fine when ACADEMIC PROBATION and a score of ZERO is the reality?

IS IT TRUE we would like to take this opportunity to tell Mike Duckworth, Vanderburgh County Road Superintendent and the Vanderburgh County Surveyor, BILL Jeffers thanks for doing an outstanding job for the public good?

IS IT TRUE that it’s time for the Evansville Housing Authority to start considering to market the large vacant lot located at Lincoln and Governor for new site for affordable homes?

IS IT TRUE that we hear the 1st Ward City Councilman, Dan McGinn-Attorney shall be meeting with the City of Evansville Controller this Friday to review the entire budget of the City of Evansville General Legal Counsel in detail. …we wonder way Councilman Dan McGinn, Attorney has not been afforded the opportunity to to view this budget request in detail for the last 9 months? …City Councilman Dan McGinn, Attorney has pledge that he will make his findings available not only to area media but also to every Evansville City Council member? …we can’t wait to see a detail breakdown in the overall expenses of this department but how much his key people are being paid by the taxpayers to fund this important department?

IS IT TRUE: Part 2 August 29, 2011

IS IT TRUE that the gasoline prices in Evansville last weekend went particularly out of sight when compared with what was being charged in Kentucky?…that Evansville gas magically jumped up in price by roughly 30 cents per gallon to $3.79 in the middle of last week?…that just across the bridge in Henderson the price on Saturday was as always which is 10 cents less that it is in Evansville?…that a longer trip into the Commonwealth of Kentucky yielded an even greater differential?…that in Madisonville, KY and points south that the price of gas was only $3.49 on Saturday?…that either the people of Evansville got hosed by the stations because the Frog Follies was in town or we have another case of being fast to respond to upward price pressure but very slow to respond to dropping commodity prices?

IS IT TRUE that one or our readers has supplied us with a response they received from Indiana Senator Jim Tomes to a recent inquiry about how the state government may be able to represent the people of Indiana regarding the excessive pricing of electricity by Vectren?…that the text of that response is as follows?

“Your thoughts and opinions are an important part of the legislative process and I respect your comments. I understand your feelings very well. During the last legislative session (which was my first session), the lobbyist for Vectren came into my office to make introductions. I spoke very direct to them. I explained that I understand their situation with federal government mandates that imposes more cost on them to comply with more emission controls. However, I pointed out that my first concern is the ratepayers and the folks who are struggling, deciding whether to pay their electric bills or buy groceries. There is a lot more to all of this than what was in the newspaper article. I will always do my best to keep the citizens’ interest first in line. If I may ever be of assistance to you, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Jim Tomes State Senator 200 West Washington Street Indianapolis, IN 46204 (317) 232-9489 senator.tomes@iga.in.gov”

IS IT TRUE that as long as big business pays people to go into the offices of our legislatures and our legislators receive them, governmental will continue to defer to big business?…that Vectren is but one of many companies that employs lobbyists to pester elected officials to do what they want them to when it comes to a rate increase?…that most private businesses that employ lobbyist actually have to compete in free markets?…that the free market for electricity in SW Indiana does not exist?…that the former USSR was about as free of a market as we have here when it comes to electricity?…monopolies that are granted by the state would make Karl Marx proud but have no business engaging in advertising or lobbying?…that all of those dollars spent on billboards, advertising, sponsorships, and LOBBYING are really paid for by the ratepayers money?…that government granted monopolies seem to act very much like governments and that is something that we already have enough of?

IS IT TRUE that the only local elected official that seems willing to even question Vectren on behalf of the people of SW Indiana is State Representative Gail Riecken who is currently doing speeches at civic meetings to advise citizens of their rights when it comes to questioning their utility bills?