AL JAZEERA????

OUR FAMILY NEVER, EVER, THOUGHT WE WOULD LISTEN TO AL JAZEERA BRINGING OUR CURRENT NEWS.  NEVER IN A LIFETIME.  WELL, **** HAPPENS (ONE OF OUR FAVORITE BUMPER  STICKERS).


REALLY, THE ONLY NEWS YOU MAY HAVE RECEIVED CAME OUT OF AL JAZEERA.  A NEWS CHANNEL WE NEVER THOUGHT YOU AND MINE WOULD HAVE RECEIVED OUR BREAKING, LATEST NEWS.  BUT, IT HAPPENED.  MY SON TUNED IN AL JAZEERA ON THE COMPUTER AND WE ALL LISTENED TO THE LATEST AND GREATEST, ABOUT EGYPT.  A REVOLUTION BEFORE OUR VERY EYES ABOUT UNEMPLOYMENT AND A LACK OF FOOD.  EVEN THOUGH WE HAD STUDIED THIS SUBJECT AND HEARD THE YOUTH WOULD BRING ABOUT THE REVOLUTIONS BECAUSE OF A LACK OF JOBS -- TRULY SOBERING NEWS.  A REAL LIFE REVOLUTION AND "PEOPLE POWER" TO THE MAX.    AL JAZEERA WAS THE ONLY TV ON THE GROUND, BRINGING YOU, AND OURS, THE LATEST, GREATEST AND CURRENT NEWS.


WAS THERE A LESSON IN IT TO ALL OF US?  MAYBE.  WE (OUR GENERATION) HAVE NEVER SEEN A REVOLUTION UP FRONT AND PERSONAL.   WE HAVE READ WHERE THE YOUTH OF OTHER COUNTRIES, AND OURS, WILL BRING THIS "UNEMPLOYMENT, LACK OF  (FOOD)  WHATEVER TO THE FRONT".  BUT, BY GOSH, IT HAPPENED BEFORE OUR EYES.  NO JOBS, LACK OF FOOD, ETC.


BACK TO NEW ALBANY, INDIANA.  WE HAVE HAD SEVERAL ISSUES BREAK CONCERNING THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, THE CANDIDATE WHO WILL RUN FOR MAYOR, WHICH CANDIDATE WILL RUN FOR COUNCIL, PARKING TICKETS (WHICH CAN NOT EQUAL SEWER BILL PAST DUES (WHERE BENEDETTI SWEARS IS NOT PUBLIC INFORMATION), AND PARKING TICKETS.  IT IS WHAT IT IS.  AND, WHAT ELSE IS NEW IN NEW ALBANY -- LACK OF ENFORCEMENT.  WHAT WITH RENTALS, SEWERS, PARKING, AND CODE ENFORCEMENT (BLAH, BLAH, BLAH).  NOTHING NEW EXCEPT A NEW DAY (UNFORTUNATELY FOR TAXPAYERS).  OH, AND DON'T LET US FORGET THE S. ELLEN AND JONES NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOW MUCH THIS REMINDS US OF THE OTHER FIASCO WITH SAME PEOPLE IN CHARGE.  ISN'T THAT A MIND BENDER?


MY ELDEST SON TAUGHT ME A LOT THIS PAST WEEK, TURNING THE COMPUTER ON AND LISTENING TO AL JAZEERA.  ANY OF YOU AS TO WHAT THE U.S.A. MAY BE FACING (OR NEW ALBANY -- JOKE, JOKE)?  CURIOUS TO SAY, AT THE LEAST!


BRING IT ON, BUT LET US KEEP IT CIVIL.  AMEN.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY (AND KITCHEN TABLE CRUMBS)...

INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!!

Happy 4th everyone! Here's to hoping everyone gets lots of hotdogs, beer and fireworks. You may need to throw a baseball game in too as baseball seems like a great thing to do for the 4th.

We've had some crumbs laying around on our kitchen table. I thought we'd touch briefly on those crumbs...

First off, the Tribune reported Messer ran a plate number for an abandoned car at his wife's business. Nope, not his wife's business. Zurschmeide's Asian Spa was the location; Messer's wife works for Zurschmeide and Zurschmeide asked her to call Jack and have the plate ran. The person called the Chief of Police and reported this. This is probably why some feel England has Messer and Zurschmeide right where he wants them.

Another crumb laying around is the annexation issue. How can property on Charlestown Road go into the 1st District (Coffey's)? Is this annexation coming in through Eagle Lane? If so, boy, a major sewer contract with Ruckman is/will be affected. Is this why Fifer said we would take a hit on the sewers if the annexation went through?

Well, have a great 4th of July and be safe y'all! God Bless.

NEW ALBANY TAX ABATEMENTS

NEW ALBANY TAX ABATEMENTS - HOW MANY ARE THERE?

We were reading the Courier Journal June 16th, 2010 about Indiana House Speaker B. Patrick Bauer and how he is seeking information from the state's top economic development agency to determine if it is lax in taking back tax breaks from companies that fail to create promised jobs.

New Albany's tax breaks (tax abatements) are off the charts. (And we wonder why our revenue is short!) When we investigated tax abatements for this City we found a whole lot of issues.

One, simply getting the report from the then Auditor was a tough job. When we asked for the report of tax abatements for the City we received four pages.

Knowing there were a lot more, we had to dig deeper. It took a person outside of government to tell us to ask for tax abatements broken by township. We then received over 20 computer print out sheets. The amount was staggering. Especially compared to one in the whole of Floyd County, SHOTS.

We see business and individuals come in to Council meetings and it seems as long as they appear, their abatements are extended. No questions asked, no paper work checked, no checks and balances.

There are people living in the County getting tax abatements. There are people who have sold their businesses and still get tax abatements (property sold on contract which doesn't tickle records). We know of non-profits (who don't file taxes) getting tax abatements. New Directions at first had one and the City actually called them trying to get them to come back and renew theirs. They declined.

At least the State is looking at business payroll to determine if the payroll is adequate to kick the tax incentives. Nothing like this exists.

You have to ask yourself what is the racket and how does the racket work? There has to be something in it for the individual handing them out yet citizens don't know his angle.

If England annexes Charlestown Road's businesses are we simply going to turn around and give them all tax abatements? How much you want to bet we will? Then, there goes our revenue to pay for the annexation.

Vicious circle.

This was a topic at the Mayor's meet and greet and we were discussing same today. How do you feel about this give away? To us it would be okay if citizens simply knew Council and/or the Deputy Mayor followed up or checked on any of these businesses. Until they do, we'll probably be discussing this issue until the cows come home.

What do you think?

(I have to apologize for this article running together. I appreciate the opportunity to blog on here but I can't get the paragraphs to space apart.)

Issues We Discuss At The Kitchen Table

Is there a need for another blog in New Albany? Why, sure. There is always a need for people to stand up and be counted no matter what. Too many issues; too many people ignoring the issues for the sake of their businesses; too many people beholding to people in office.

Our monies spent by local government will always be a hot topic. Too much of it is missing and unaccounted for.

I only ask you to try and stick to the issues or topics at hand; keep an even tempered keel; try not to cuss; and don't worry about who set this blog up. This blog is the peoples' blog and enables them to have a voice without fear of retaliation. It should work better than the other blogs where people do know who is publishing, I feel.

Not to change the subject, but a Political Action Committee (PAC) has been formed in New Albany and the powers to be would like nothing better than to figure out who belongs to this group. There is no way a PAC will ever be favorable to our local officials when it's purpose is to root out corruption, ignorance and greed. I say more power to them.

So, let the blogging begin and to all - SALUTE!