According to some insider sources Ed Mellett, the "expert" that was conducting meetings on the form district change, has privately stated that this issue was dropped only temporarily until after elections in November.
Apparently, the Abramson administration was concerned that it's rubberstamps on the Metro Council, Bob Henderson and Rick Blackwell, were having problems because of this change and they were worried they could not get reelected.
Abramson needs these rubberstamps to continue denigrating the South and Southwest portions of the old County for his gain.
Look for this issue to be revisited in the immediate future. Like we didn't know that would happen anyway.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
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I personally think that its time for a lot of the rubber stamps to be swept from the Metro Council. Either they need to resign in the best interests of the community or need to be thrown out on their ear come election time.
ReplyDeleteI'm really not interested in subsidizing their pet projects that are usually Jerry Abramson's pet projects. In this town, when they call him the Mayor for Life, it means Dictator for Life, just in how they package it differently. Really, is there any difference if the Metro Council is elected and follows along with King Jerry. Or if King Jerry did his own personal coup and ruled by decree.
Its about that way anyway because the Metro Council is a bunch of rubber stamps.
So I think its high time to vote out shills like Bob Henderson, Rick Blackwell, Madonna Flood and a whole bunch of the rest of them. They have done little good for the community at large both in economic circles and in quality of life issues. Instead, they are worried like most politicos about the next election and how they can pad their own personal bank accounts when many Louisvillians are in economic hard times, foreclosure, bankruptcy, job loss, and much more.
Its unfortunate because this was and has been in the past a middle class community based on middle class values of thrift, hard work, discipline, religion/morality, and bootstrapping.
The people in charge of this community now are more interested in their pet projects, personal economic greed, or in taking care of someone in the good old boy system. I'm not terribly interested in starting class warfare but I've noticed that the business community and higher classes would like to find further ways to dump on the average Louisvillian just to benefit their 401 K, trust fund, etc.
This community at one time had living level wages, quality jobs, jobs that put a good roof and food on the table, provided for retirement so you didnt have to work until you are 80, etc. We had quality schools, quality life, and still minor problems.
Today, crime is exploding in our faces, the schools are a wreck in so many places, discipline is nonexistent, and the community leaders here are at fault for allowing this and we as citizens as well because we have let people who are incompetent, corrupt, or downright ill educated on the issues run this community for too long.
The effects of this are job losses over the past 30 years especially as core manufacturing industries producing products people could afford dried up and left. The result was crime infestation, poverty, lowered wages, job loss, lowered tax revenues, tax base debasement, a system of patronage, etc.
Its obvious to me that schools have been an issue here for some time despite the rantings about the JCPS being one of the best urban school systems. I sincerely have to dispute that claim.
Another quality of life issue I see day to day in all districts of Louisville is a littering problem. I mean if you are too lazy to clean our your car at the gas station you must be really lazy that the roadways look like garbage. Interstates are even bad.
I find that a lot of this is due to the Metro having the cleanest cars in America. Its atrocious from my point of view.
Another thing that needs to be addressed is the poor state of roads in the city. Lack of infrastructure, lack of maintainance, etc. I live in the Outer Loop area, Madonna Floods district and the roads here are horrid in places. The Outer Loop looks like its been shelled by mortars. The area crossing I 65 to Grade Lane is pitiful and rough, talk about car maintainance.
Interestingly enough, these are also areas where Bud Schardein, MSD director focused a lot of money on fixing the sewer problems of 1997. You have to wonder what this guy does from a day to day basis to end up messing up the finances of the MSD. He's the one in charge of it!! Doesn't the buck stop at the top. To constantly blow money and not get anything accomplished is beyond me. I agree that Southwest and Southern Jefferson Co has some severe drainage problems. But people like Bud Schardein rather that fixing the problems just stand pat.
The next question is why are people like Rick Blackwell, Bob Henderson, and the like used as rubber stamps of the mayor rather than serve as guardians of their districts. Instead of telling the rest of the city to find a new dumping ground somewhere over in the East End, they always want to shift these sorts of developments to Southwest and South Jefferson.
Maybe instead they should start building chemical plants in the middle of Prospect, Anchorage, Greymoor Devondale, Hurstbourne,etc. I know that would not go over well because there would be such a fit thrown over that. People with their 200K to 500K homes having a fit.
Instead its more convenient to trash the Southwest and South End. That way the Jerry Abramson's and their likes don't have to live with the consequences of their actions. The same could be said of much of the business community not giving a care about their workers that allow them to make obscene profits. A good example of this is places owned by the wealthy of this community that won't give raises, pay insurance, or fund anything but the latest home project for some executive.
The downtown arena project is a waste for this community and corporate welfare such as the type that they are proposing to give to the Cordish group. Instead, its time to fix the infrastructure, the schools, and the needs of the community. Let these private enterprises form their own businesses and fund their own dreams. Not expect the taxpayers of this community to fund special projects to fix up downtown while leaving anything west of 9th to be a impoverished and high crime area. Meanwhile, whole areas of the city have been left industrially and business deprived especially west of 9th. Meanwhile, poverty increases, joblessness increases, wages decrease, and the area has many issues such as crime, dropout rates, teen pregnancy. But where are the elected leaders of the West End on these issues. I watch the Council meetings regularly and you don't see one of them talking about fixing the economic issues, creating jobs, promoting education or opportunities.
They are more worried about getting elected next time as incumbents as Jerry' little rubber stamps. Rather than focusing on crime issues, drugs, etc. They've focused on closing down a couple of liquor stores. Thats not going to fix the problem because the alcholic is going to drive 3 miles down the road to get some more booze.
I guess Cheri Bryant Hamilton doesn't realize that when you make alcohol illegal that means that the drunken driver is going to get in his or her car and drive to get some booze. Its not going to make much of a difference at all.
Same goes for a smoking ban in bars which is why people go to bars, to drink, smoke, cuss, and behave badly in some cases. Its a fact of life that behind those doors a lot of things go. Outside of the doors on city streets, its a different ballgame. But that doesn't mean that everything is clean and good there either.
But instead of fixing the economy and job market in this city, which should be our number one concern, they worry about a smoking ban or some other overreaching and unconstitutional decree. When is it that a business should have its affairs excessively regulated by the state considering that it already pays taxes through the nose.
A lot of this problem has been caused by career politicians in Frankfort that believe that you should pay 6 percent of your income to Frankfort for state income taxes. 2.2 percent to Jefferson County for local income tax. Excise taxes, business taxes, permit taxes, ad valorem taxes, etc.
In Indiana across the border the state charges 3.4 percent for income tax, 1 to 1.5 percent for local taxes, then property taxes, etc, etc. Permits are cheaper, business licenses are cheaper, etc. Yet in Kentucky we want to be the more socialized state without the services or benefits of which socialism isn't such a great deal but still if you are going to be taxed, then you should get some services for your taxes.
Another issue is the University of Louisville constantly raising rates on instate students, meal programs, and the such. A university without proper financial oversight due to some recent scandals that have been investigated. Its time to fully audit U of L since it is a taxpayer funded university and to open the books and find out where every cent goes. A university that wants 8 and 9 percent tuition hikes without the market and job market to justify that sort of raise. Zero accountability exists when someone can be taking money from school coffers and no one seems to know about it. In fact, that should lead to university administration to either step down or fired.
The same can be said of the Louisville Metro Government. A city department did not know that they were being shorted federal funds for housing. How is it that people such as that can be running a government or even in private business. A city government that leaves firehouses dilapidated, roads unrepaired, trash not picked up, downed trees left by the road, etc.
Its really time for Louisvilles leaders and business community to get its act together. With a plodding economy and financial crisis here, we as a city and people cannot afford not to get things right.
Very well said and thank you.
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