Do we really need a license for all of the things that we are required to license up for?

IN 1941 Franklin Roosevelt added two new items to America’s ancestral freedoms of speech and worship: freedom from fear and freedom from want. Today’s politicians offer a far more generous menu: freedom from unlicensed hair-cutters, freedom from cowboy flower-arrangers and, most important of all, freedom from rogue interior designers. What is the point of enjoying freedom from fear or want, after all, if you cannot enjoy freedom from poorly co-ordinated colour schemes?

In the 1950s, when organisation man ruled, fewer than 5% of American workers needed licences. Today, after three decades of deregulation, the figure is almost 30%. Add to that people who are preparing to obtain a licence or whose jobs involve some form of certification and the share is 38%. Other rich countries impose far fewer fetters than the land of the free. In Britain only 13% of workers need licences (though that has doubled in 12 years)….

Link to Full Story:

http://www.economist.com/node/18678963?fsrc=nlw|mgt|05-18-11|management_thinking

For those of you who are thinking of investing someday, here is a link to the full report.

http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/919465/000091946511000014/bpc10q051111.htm

A VIRTUAL DEDICATON OF GARVIN PARK FOUNTAIN

Join Keep Evansville Beautiful, the Boat Monkeys and 100s of others!

Wednesday, May 25 at The Pub in the Party Room; doors open at 6:30!

Ad attached.

Donations at the door go entirely to the Garvin Park Fountain Fund.

Light up everybody!

Join us in the celebration!

Garvin_Park_Fountain_Invitation

IS IT TRUE? May 18, 2011 Evansville Professional Sports

IS IT TRUE that there are currently only two minor league professional sports teams that play in Evansville?…that the Evansville Otters play baseball at Bosse Field and that the Evansville IceMen play hockey at Swonder but seem destined to be the only professional team to play in the new Arena?…that there are two semi-pro teams in other sports?…that the Evansville Enforcers are a start up semi-pro football team that will be using the Goebel Soccer Complex as their home field and that the Evansville Crush was established last year and intends to start playing soccer at the Metro Sports Center during 2011?

IS IT TRUE that there is a long history of professional sports teams that have given it the old college try to make it in the Evansville market?…that the only sport that has been continually represented at the professional level in Evansville over a hundred year period is baseball?…that there have been exactly 20 different professional baseball teams formed in Evansville?…that the progression from the Evansville River Rats formed in 1901 to the pinnacle of Evansville professional baseball when the Evansville Triplets became a AAA affiliated farm team of the Minnesota Twins in 1970 was all upwards?…that the Triplets remained a AAA affiliated team until 1984 when the Detroit Tigers were there mother team?…that we almost got back to the AA affiliate level in the early part of the 21st Century during Russ Lloyd Junior’s administration but that when the downtown baseball stadium became a political target for current Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel Evansville’s opportunity to start back up the baseball food chain ended?…that Evansville is and has always been a town that supports baseball?…that some of the mascots associated with Evansville professional baseball have been River Rats, Blackbirds, Braves, Bees, Hubs, Pocketeers, Evas, Black Sox, Yankees, White Sox, Strikers, and Hoosiers?…that there were many starts, stops, and changes but that baseball has been constant in Evansville?

IS IT TRUE that Evansville once had an NFL (National Football League) franchise and played in a league that included the Green Bay Packers, the Chicago Bears, and the Chicago (now Arizona) Cardinals?…that the Evansville franchise was purchased for a fee of $1,000 and approved for membership by Papa Bear himself George Halas?…that the Evansville Crimson Giants played for only two seasons going 0-3 in their final season in 1922?…that the Crimson Giants travelled to Green Bay to play the Packers and lost 43-6?…that Mayor Benjamin Bosse was a shareholder?…that from 1922 – 2000 there were no attempts to resurrect professional football in Evansville?…that since Y2K there have been six attempts at professional football including one female team called the Evansville Express?…that the only team with any semblance of commercial success was the Evansville BlueCats that played arena football in Roberts Stadium for 5 seasons before calling it quits for financial reasons?…that certain high school rivalries still draw close to 10,000 fans but that professional football has never prospered here?…that Evansville also has no college level football teams?

IS IT TRUE that one would think that professional basketball would have a chance to prosper in the 3rd largest city in Indiana?…that this has only been attempted two times and was short lived on both occasions?…that the Evansville Agogans played one season in what is now the YMCA gym downtown in 1950-51?…that Roberts Stadium was the home to the Evansville Thunder from 1984 – 86 and was coached by UE legend Jerry Sloan before he made his way to the real professional ranks as an NBA coach with the Utah Jazz?

IS IT TRUE that the Evansville IceMen are the first attempt at professional hockey in Evansville?…that it is entirely possible that this team could grow and prosper bringing Evansville a new professional sports team to enjoy?…that the initial deal for use of the Evansville Arena should be quite flexible and forgiving in the early years if this team is to survive?…that the track record for anything but baseball is not that great in this market and that we hope that the IceMen break with the fast start –fast death history of professional sports in Evansville that do not involve bases, bats, and balls?

IS IT TRUE that the grass and weeds at the McCurdy Hotel that face the $603,000 parking lot are nearly as high as the fence that surrounds the lawn?…that the landscaping and the grass at the McCurdy very clearly violate the City of Evansville’s weed laws?…that we wonder if the owners of record of the McCurdy Hotel have been notified by the City of Evansville regarding this violation?…that the owners of record are still Centre City Properties LLC of Carmel, Indiana?…that the property is classified for taxation purposes as parcel number 82-06-30-020-005.002-029?…that as of today’s date that the Vanderburgh County Assessor’s website shows that Centre City Properties LLC is behind on the last two installments of property tax in the amount of $21,040.21 including a $979.24 penalty for missing last November’s installment?…that there will now be an additional 10% penalty or $2,104.02 penalty added to the tax bill?…that we expect that the code enforcement department of the City of Evansville should notify Centre City Properties of the weed ordinance violation and get this eyesore taken care of immediately?…that every property owner in Evansville that has ever been fined for a week ordinance violation should keep an eye on the McCurdy to see if SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT is benefitting this loyal donor to the Weinzapfel for Mayor campaign?

IS IT TRUE that according to Mark Owen in an interview with the Courier and Press last fall that the Vanderburgh County Democratic Party exercised an automatic automatically five-year extension to a their lease at the Executive Inn parking garage in the Spring of 2010?…that it was known in closed circles and to the powers that be at that time that the Executive Inn parking garage would have to be demolished due to structural issues?…that at first Mr. Owen insisted upon being paid by the City of Evansville for the moving expenses but later reversed his position?…that the first 5 year lease expired on July 31, 2010?…that extending that lease while knowing that the building was to be demolished fits well into the category of “sneaky but legal”?

IS IT TRUE that finally there is a time established to start the demolition of the rest of the Executive Inn?…that the possibility of a refurbishment will officially start to disappear at about 4 PM next Monday May 23, 2011 after a long wait?…that John Kish is still insisting that the financing to go forward with the Hyatt Place is solid?…that the City County Observer intends to test this whole process by serving the City of Evansville with a Freedom of Information Act request for the contract between the Evansville Redevelopment Commission and Woodruff Hospitality LLC today?…that the City County Observer intends to test this whole process further by serving the City of Evansville with a Freedom of Information Act request for the contract between the Evansville Redevelopment Commission and VenuWorks today? ?…that the City County Observer also intends to by serve the City of Evansville with a Freedom of Information Act request for the details of Mayor Weinzapfel’s recent trip to Germany to visit Evansville’s sister city today?

IS IT TRUE that a local “Homebrew Club” that prides itself in homemade craft beer was contacted by a local ABC officer advising them that they will no longer will be allowed to donate their “Brews” to such charity events as SWIRCA, the Evansville Museum, and the Evansville Zoo to name a few? …that the “Homebrew Club” products are free of charge and given to patrons in sample size?…that this is a subject that should be addressed by our locally appointed members of the Vanderburgh County ABC Board?…that 3 of the 4 board members are appointed by our local elected officials? …that the Mayor of Evansville appoints one (1) member, Vanderburgh County Commissioners appoints one (1) member and the County Council appoints one (1) member and the other is appointed by the State? …that it looks like that the powers that be don’t appreciate the time and effort our local “Homebrew Club” members go through to help our local charitable organizations? …that one notable member of this prestigious “Homebrew Club” is none other than the owner of “TURONI’S”? …that the City County Observer asks you to contract your local elected officials to ask them to encourage their locally appointed ABC Board members to correct this outrageous decision made by a local ABC State Trooper?

IS IT TRUE? PART 2 May 17, 2011

IS IT TRUE that the Evansville Redevelopment Commission was requested and approved spending $15,000 for the purpose of paying attorneys to negotiate with the Evansville Icemen to be the “official” hockey team of the new Evansville Arena?…that Arena project manager John Kish testified before the Redevelopment Commission that negotiating a lease with the Evansville Icemen was taking much longer than expected and that many 10 hour days have been spent attempting to reach an acceptable lease to both parties?…that at the customary legal rate of $150 per hour that the $15,000 which was approved will not pay for very many more 10 hour meetings if several lawyers are involved on behalf of the Arena?…that Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel announced the awarding of the home ice to the Evansville Icemen back in 2010 and announced that the Icemen were expected to bring over 100,000 people per year to the Arena?

IS IT TRUE that the Icemen played 31 home games at Swonder last year sometimes drawing capacity crowds of over 1,500 but usually drawing crowds in the 1,000 to 1,200 range?…that the Icemen drew something like 35,000 people to Swonder last year?…that some of the away games in places like Fort Wayne and Colorado that have long established hockey followings actually drew between 5,000 and 9,000 fans?…that with patience and a winning team that we agree with Mayor Weinzapfel’s assertion that the Icemen can average over 3,000 fans per game in the new Evansville Arena?…that we encourage the negotiators to take it easy on the Icemen and craft a contract that will allow them to prosper in the first few years with a 1,000 member fan base and to share the rewards as the quality of hockey played and the attendance increases?…that one of the largest reasons touted to build the Evansville Arena was the potential for hockey to prosper in Evansville?…that up front is not the place to hobble the Icemen with an oppressive contract?…that the Arena needs the Icemen more than the Icemen need the Arena?…that tearing down the Swonder Ice Rink is not an option to be considered to remove the competition with the Arena?

IS IT TRUE that if Evansville can (and it can) support two ice hockey stadiums then Evansville most certainly should be able to find a way to utilize two basketball stadiums?…that afterall this is Indiana and not Canada?…that good minds in search of profits or even feeble minds in search of utilizing Roberts Stadium can find a solution to keep it functional and to perform financially as well as the new Arena?…that a new Arena without a hockey deal would splatter egg on lots of faces?

IS IT TRUE that the United States of America has hit its credit limit?…that maybe we should say our credit limit?…that treasury secretary Timothy Geithner has immediately halted further investments in two civil service retirement and disability funds to keep the day to day operation of the government from needing to borrow further to pay the bills?…that this move keeps the government afloat until August 2nd?…that it is reported that the United States is now borrowing 40% of every dollar that it spends?…that we do not even profess to know what the right balance is but that we are certain that 40% is too much?…that the home town equivalent would be a family earning $60,000 spending all that it makes and then spending an additional $40,000 on credit every year to meet day to day living expenses?…that this is not any more sustainable for a government than it is for a family?…that as our grandparents used to say “the chickens have come home to roost”?…that we wonder just what the limit of borrowing for state and local governments is limited by?…that several local officials have been seeking that answer for about a year now and it is not so easy to find?

IS IT TRUE that the Evansville Redevelopment Commission may have recently paid the Vanderburgh Democratic party an undetermined amount taxpayer money to relocate its headquarters from the Executive Inn parking garage to the old Welborn Hospital building owned by the Kunkel group? …that we wonder why this transaction wasn’t detailed in the minutes of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission?

IS IT TRUE we wonder when political people attempt to use their connections and influences to tamper with the activities of an on-going business it is considered to be an illegal act under State law?…this act could be considered to be “Political Tampering” with a business?…that selective enforcement of laws for political purposes is a sign of tyranny, constitutes abuse of power, and violates the rule of law?…that aside from being inherently unjust selective enforcement almost inevitably leads to favoritism and extortion, with those empowered to choose being able to help their friends, take bribes, and threaten those they desire favors from?…that selective enforcement sets a bad precedent, corrupts governance, and encourages corruption among the general populace?

IS IT TRUE that CCO MOLE #131 reports that all elected City or County officials must file a conflict of interest statement with the Vanderburgh County Clerk?…that these elected officials must report if they or their business entities do business with the political sub-divisions they serve? …that CCO MOLE #131 wonders why individuals who are appointed to serve on boards or commissions aren’t required to do the same?…that it would be great if our Vanderburgh County Clerk would compile a list of present city and county elected and appointed officials who do business with the entities they serve and release it to the media?

IS IT TRUE that our part 2 yesterday regarding the number of dollars spent per person for local governance inspired some researching on the part of two of our comment writers who took issue with the numbers published regarding the comparison of Fort Wayne and Evansville?…that the research that they (JC and Mole #411) did clarified and illuminated much about the Fort Wayne budget?…that due to different publishing habits the “Fort Wayne budget” that we referred to yesterday was not all of the spending that the City of Fort Wayne does?…that Fort Wayne has a separate budget for utilities that needed to be added in?…that adding up the City of Fort Wayne budget of $210 Million, the Allen County budget of $91.6 Million, and the operating part of the utility budget of $65.3 Million that it seems as though the full budget for Fort Wayne-Allen County is $358.8 Million that is spent on behalf of their 355,329 people?…that this works out to a total budget (excluding capital projects) of $1,008 per person?…that if the same exercise is done for Evansville-Vanderburgh (excluding Darmstadt) that the budget is $306.4 Million for 179,703 (including Darmstadt) works out to $1,719 per person, or just over 70% more than is spent in Fort Wayne-Allen County?…that neither of these budgets included the school corporations?…that we wonder if we are missing something?…that we wonder what do we get for the 70% premium on the cost of services?

IS IT TRUE that in the course of doing this research the subject of electricity costs came up?…that the residential rates for Fort Wayne and vicinity that is served by Indiana Michigan Power a unit of AEP that operates a power plant in Rockport are 8.3 cents per KWh?…that Vectren charges us poor locals a rate that is over 60% higher than what the people in Fort Wayne pay?…that your $300 electric bill in Evansville would only be $185 in Fort Wayne?…that while that price is not as sweet as the price in Henderson that it is still enough of a difference to pay for all of a student’s books at USI or UE for a full academic year plus some?…that the City of Evansville is a large customer of electricity?…that if the City of Evansville is paying the same rate as the people of Evansville pay to Vectren that could make up for part of the difference in our governmental costs with Fort Wayne?…that the word “electric” appears 24 times in the 2010 City of Evansville budget and that the line items equal $1.3 Million?…that street lights appears once and the amount is $2.3 Million?…that would indicate that the City of Evansville spends $3.6 Million per year on electricity?…that if the City of Evansville could save the difference in residential rates as compared to Fort Wayne that we could save $1.38 Million?…

IS IT TRUE that this is a link to the Fort Wayne electrical rates?

https://www.indianamichiganpower.com/global/utilities/lib/docs/factsheets/IMFactSheet2011.pdf

IS IT TRUE that it is time for the Vanderburgh County Council to give serious consideration to Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Nick Hermann’s $250,000 request for County funds to cover expenses in the prosecution of alleged child killer Jeffrey Weisheit?…that the County Council has approved over $500,000 to cover the expenses of defense attorneys?…that this same County Council has only appropriated $25,000 for the prosecution?…that the citizens of Vanderburgh County deserve justice?…that providing public defenders with more than 20 times the funding of those representing the family of the victims and the citizens of the county is not justice?…that the County Council should act quickly to correct this disparity? …that the CCO moles will continue to monitor this situation and will provide updates to our readers?

IS IT TRUE that in a review of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission minutes that their minutes do NOT disclose the dollar amount of approved contracts and appropriation of funds?…millions of taxpayer dollars are spent without the official oversight of any elected officials?… that even though there is no elected official on the ERC that it is well known that the members are all appointed by the Mayor of Evansville and behave in lockstep with the Mayors demands?…that if any elected City Council member request information from this apparent secret organization, it is like pulling teeth?…that some think that an individual with the distinction of CPA after their name should have subpoena power to extract the necessary information from the apparent secret organization?… that if the requested information would be supplied to a City Council member with the initials CPA after his name that he would have the expertise to wade through the documents having the taxpayers’ interest paramount?… it’s past due that the taxpayers’ of the City of Evansville have some oversight of the free-wheeling expenditures of the ERC?…that it seems odd that one of the members of that organization is himself a CPA and is employed by a firm that the Chairman of that firm is the president of the City’s utility board that was also appointed by Mayor Weinzapfel?… that the people deserve transparency and demand that Councilman John Friend, CPA and head of the Finance Committee of the Evansville be granted free access to the financial dealings of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission?

IS IT TRUE that the day of the puppetmaster and his loyal puppets in the City of Evansville should come to an end?…that for an appointed entity like the Evansville Redevelopment Commission to operate in secrecy and to publish incomplete minutes where the financial details are withheld from the public?…that in the case of the demolition of the Executive Inn and its parking garage that John Kish said the price would be $1 Million total in an August 2010 meeting?…that when questioned he said he had a quote?… that he said it would be $1.5 Million in a later meeting?…that neither number was recorded in the minutes nor was the second number questioned by any of the members of the ERC?…that rubber stamping is not the purpose for such a commission?…that if all we need if 5 bobbing head dolls that rubber stamp the Mayors wishes on the ERC that we could just round up 5 random hobos to provide that service?

IS IT TRUE that there is a recent case of what would certainly qualify as selective enforcement of the law when it comes to campaign finance is driveling itself out in Evansville?…that some campaigns receive the benefit of a wink, a nod, and a look the other way from a certain law enforcement agency and others are watched like a hawk?…that if the widely witnessed antics of the past are ever the subject of a deposition that some high ranking heads may just get thumped pretty hard if equal justice prevails?

IS IT TRUE that on April 29, 2011 that the City County Observer was the first to publish a Gallup Survey that awarded the Evansville MSA the distinction of being the most obese MSA in America?…finally today 16 days after this survey was released that the Evansville Courier and Press has decided that this distinction is worthy of publication?…that being singled out as the most obese MSA (metropolitan statistical area) is really some pretty bad news from an economic development perspective?…that such a distinction tells outsiders who may be considering moving a business to this area some things about our workforce?…that what it tells them is that our workforce will take more sick days than less obese places, will cost more provide health insurance for, will move a bit slower on the job, and will pass away at an earlier age?…that none of these things are viewed as positive by potential employers?

IS IT TRUE that the broad statistic of 37.8% of our population is obese does not apply to any individual?…that there are some people who are technically obese (Body Mass Index > 30) that are quite healthy, full of energy, and are very productive?…that when it comes to the herd that statistics do not lie?…that taking a sample of 10,000 people with a BMI of over 30 and comparing it to a sample of 10,000 people with a BMI of 20 will be quite accurate in predicting sick days, insurance premiums, and energy level 100% of the time?…that Evansville will be judged by this distinction for the foreseeable future?…that if this distinction is not overcome by exercise, healthy eating, and living an active lifestyle that this could become a permanent situation?…that Evansville did not just lead this infamous statistic, but we were first by a wide (no pun intended) margin?

IS IT TRUE that when you combine this distinction with being the suicide leader, the much publicized problems like litter, ugliness, park degradation, and low educational attainment that this picture is not very pretty?…that the other side of this coin is that 62.8% of us are not obese?…that there are larger numbers of motivated healthy people who choose to call Evansville home?…that the 37.8% who seem to have defined us as the cellulite capital of America need to take this as an intervention and do something about this?…that there are plenty of good examples around to follow?…that the negative attributes of the first sentence are all indicators of low self esteem, lack of pride, and an unwillingness to better ones self?…that some type of mass encouragement needs to be followed to right this wrong?

IS IT TRUE that just this week a person was observed planting flowers in a public area?…that several people are now being observed picking up litter of their own free will?…that these are positive steps and that the obesity problem can be solved the same way through the same efforts?…that resolving to do something positive like picking up litter or planting a flower in public will also burn off calories?…that the City County Observer encourages all of the people of Evansville to better themselves and our community through activity, awareness, and pride?…that if we do this for 5 years that we will lose this dubious distinction and that many of our other maladies will vaporize as well?…that civic pride often starts with personal self esteem?

Link to the full study:

http://city-countyobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Obesity-Study.pdf

IS IT TRUE that the saga of at-large City Council candidate Jonathan Weaver and his on camera SIGN THIEF allegations has resulted in his not taking the City County Observer up on our more than generous offer to make a $2,000 donation to the charity of his choice IF HE BACKED UP HIS ALLEGATIONS WITH CHARGES AND CONVICTION of any of the broadly accused thieves?…that this was not a personal vendetta against Mr. Weaver?…that the CCO has a policy to attack the deed and not the person?…that for a candidate for public office to make allegations of criminal activities against their opponents is downright irresponsible?…that any future allegation by any candidates in the 2011 elections will be met with a bounty and continuous posting?

IS IT TRUE that our week of offering a bounty for Mr. Weaver to come forward is over and that we have an offer to make a donation of $100 to his favorite charity if he will do the right thing and apologize publically to the unnamed group of campaign workers that he accused of thieving?…that this is the right thing for Mr. Weaver to do and that he has one week to do so and still get the $100 donation for his favorite charity?…that this can be a lesson to the other candidates that if they “CRY WOLF” that they had better be able to back it up with names, time, pictures, and charges or they too will be offered a bounty by the City County Observer?

IS IT TRUE that in the first 13 days of May that the City County Observer has been read by enough ABSOLUTELY UNIQUE VISITORS to win any election that is going to be held in the City of Evansville in 2011?…that we are quite pleased with the growth in our readership?

IS IT TRUE that the minutes of the meetings of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission that are posted online do not include the prices that they have discussed and approved in their meetings?…that even members of the Evansville City Council have difficulty getting their hands on the numbers and contracts?…that even when members of the City Council ask they are not often accommodated?…that it is time for a financially astute member of the Evansville City Council to be appointed to the Evansville Redevelopment Commission as at least an ex-officio member?

IS IT TRUE that it has now been 1,472 days since the announcement was made on May 14, 2007 that the McCurdy Hotel was to be refurbished into luxury apartments?…that it has now been 1,326 days since the Evansville Redevelopment Commission at the request of Mayor Weinzapfel approved the spending of $603,000 to purchase the parking lot?…that City Centre Properties and Scott Kosene the developers of the McCurdy project are both listed as contributors to the Weinzapfel for Mayor committee for 2010?

IS IT TRUE that there are now 537 days remaining in the two years that the EPA had given the City of Evansville to present an acceptable solution to the Combined Sewer Overflow problem?…..that this plan is an expensive and complex endeavor that needs immediate attention to avoid the embarrassment and expense of another round of fines?