So, we will be back, normally after Quincy City Council Debacle, err meetings. So no need to read the rantings of Took-a-licious. Or the left leanings of the of ABC.
Bring on the comments about my sabbatical, we just know that the content here is better than most.
And someone has to hold Doogie and Rodster accountable.
We rarely watch KHQA so don't expect much comment about their material. But They do have a nice new new set.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Utility RATE Relief? Not So Fast
Well there is way too much to talk about from the city council meeting. Heir Copely spending more money, on things he does not need, to impress people he does not like. What the H do they need a truck for?
Dougy Fresh Wilson (DFW) writes a story that for the life of me I don't know why is on the front page. Once again DFW writes a story but really has know idea what is really going on. There are 250 pages to this agreement between the state and the utilty companies, and I am guessing DFW has read zero of those pages. There is a bunch of wondering about how this will really happen and who will get what? And DFW answers none of those questions. But with a little work you can get the answers... here is what we found when we read the proposed document/agreement that was posted briefly on Emil Jones website. The agreement is very convoluted and will not be dispensed in a timely fashion. It will not be as simple as.......you used this many kilowatt hours so here is your refund. At the top of the list for refunds are major corporations and they are listed by the amount of electric they use and sited as examples in the agreement. No one and I mean no individual will see an actual reduction in the rate per kilowatt hour that they are paying for their current utility bill, it is simply not in the agreement. Large corporations may negotiate their rate but a city like Quincy will not be able to negotiate a rate for the citizens. And you as a citizen have no choice but to use the company that you have and pay the rate that is set. The so called rate relief is nothing of the kind. What you will have is a small credit or refund check that will be spread out over the next 4 years, that basically you are paying for with the higher utility rate. So the headline in DFW's story is an out and out falsehood..Let me say this so it can be understood......YOUR ELECTRIC RATE PER KILOWATT HOUR WILL NOT GO DOWN. See how much the utility companies donate to politicians and you will get physically ill.
Dougy Fresh Wilson (DFW) writes a story that for the life of me I don't know why is on the front page. Once again DFW writes a story but really has know idea what is really going on. There are 250 pages to this agreement between the state and the utilty companies, and I am guessing DFW has read zero of those pages. There is a bunch of wondering about how this will really happen and who will get what? And DFW answers none of those questions. But with a little work you can get the answers... here is what we found when we read the proposed document/agreement that was posted briefly on Emil Jones website. The agreement is very convoluted and will not be dispensed in a timely fashion. It will not be as simple as.......you used this many kilowatt hours so here is your refund. At the top of the list for refunds are major corporations and they are listed by the amount of electric they use and sited as examples in the agreement. No one and I mean no individual will see an actual reduction in the rate per kilowatt hour that they are paying for their current utility bill, it is simply not in the agreement. Large corporations may negotiate their rate but a city like Quincy will not be able to negotiate a rate for the citizens. And you as a citizen have no choice but to use the company that you have and pay the rate that is set. The so called rate relief is nothing of the kind. What you will have is a small credit or refund check that will be spread out over the next 4 years, that basically you are paying for with the higher utility rate. So the headline in DFW's story is an out and out falsehood..Let me say this so it can be understood......YOUR ELECTRIC RATE PER KILOWATT HOUR WILL NOT GO DOWN. See how much the utility companies donate to politicians and you will get physically ill.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Tort Fund....The School Board as it was in the 2003 knew they were on the wrong side of shady street when this accounting method was used. But the accountant at the time was using the old "but everbody else is doing it" rule. Somehow I don't remember learning that one in any of my accounting classes.
I recently posted on the School board's wreckless spending and wondered why they were spending this money and not setting aside for the eminent failure that was about to befall them. But know, they had to spend it before they even had it and now they need it and..you get the point. They borrowed $2.96 million dollars for a few projects and was going to pay it back with the 2007 levy...hmm guess where that money is going now.
I guess the Board will appeal this decision, they could not have been in a more favorable court, I am surprised that Slattery did not ask for this be heard in a court outside of Quincy.(maybe they can't) Nonetheless Judge Schuering did a courageous thing, and made a decision that will not set (or sit)well with some Quincy residents and officials.
Questions that I would like to know....Holly Wagner from the local paper reports that Slattery will recieve 1/3 of $70,000 dollars, that is about $23,000(so much for the school board telling the taxpayers that this guy is out to make a big chunk of change)
What the story did not say in the Whig or on any media outlet is how much the School District spent on attorney fees and who the attorney was that represented the district.
Holly Wagner also reports that all you have to do to get a cut of the 70 gs is to bring in your 2003 tax bill.
But I am left a bit confused with the whole issue and maybe you can help me out here. The School Board was spending money that was collected for another purpose. So they had this surplus of money piling up in the tort fund. When in fact what they should have done with this money was to realize that the residents were being overcharged and refunded the money. Instead they tried to cook the books or maybe I should say Koch the books and use the money to pay for some salaries of some of our teachers.
So the school board, that is trying to gain the trust of the public, just got a huge public flogging to it's image. It makes them look like they were trying to do something underhanded.
But we really don't have too much to worry about because the school board is hiring this firm that is going to tell them how to save a bunch of money on theur utility bills and that should make up for the 4 mil they can't use.
This is a painful lesson for the citizenry and the school district of Quincy......What now will we all see a lower tax bill next year or is this just a matter of wording things correctly so they can use the money for whatever they want. I feel the board's heart is in the right place, but man what a colosal screwup this is
I think the school board probably feels like this is a case when the right decision is wrong...
I always hear teachers complaining that they don't get paid what they are worth. Next we will tear in to a few of these teachers salaries and break it down in to hourly pay and we will see who is not being paid their due.
I can also count on one hand the truly interesting and engaging teachers that I had growing up in the QPS system.
I recently posted on the School board's wreckless spending and wondered why they were spending this money and not setting aside for the eminent failure that was about to befall them. But know, they had to spend it before they even had it and now they need it and..you get the point. They borrowed $2.96 million dollars for a few projects and was going to pay it back with the 2007 levy...hmm guess where that money is going now.
I guess the Board will appeal this decision, they could not have been in a more favorable court, I am surprised that Slattery did not ask for this be heard in a court outside of Quincy.(maybe they can't) Nonetheless Judge Schuering did a courageous thing, and made a decision that will not set (or sit)well with some Quincy residents and officials.
Questions that I would like to know....Holly Wagner from the local paper reports that Slattery will recieve 1/3 of $70,000 dollars, that is about $23,000(so much for the school board telling the taxpayers that this guy is out to make a big chunk of change)
What the story did not say in the Whig or on any media outlet is how much the School District spent on attorney fees and who the attorney was that represented the district.
Holly Wagner also reports that all you have to do to get a cut of the 70 gs is to bring in your 2003 tax bill.
But I am left a bit confused with the whole issue and maybe you can help me out here. The School Board was spending money that was collected for another purpose. So they had this surplus of money piling up in the tort fund. When in fact what they should have done with this money was to realize that the residents were being overcharged and refunded the money. Instead they tried to cook the books or maybe I should say Koch the books and use the money to pay for some salaries of some of our teachers.
So the school board, that is trying to gain the trust of the public, just got a huge public flogging to it's image. It makes them look like they were trying to do something underhanded.
But we really don't have too much to worry about because the school board is hiring this firm that is going to tell them how to save a bunch of money on theur utility bills and that should make up for the 4 mil they can't use.
This is a painful lesson for the citizenry and the school district of Quincy......What now will we all see a lower tax bill next year or is this just a matter of wording things correctly so they can use the money for whatever they want. I feel the board's heart is in the right place, but man what a colosal screwup this is
I think the school board probably feels like this is a case when the right decision is wrong...
I always hear teachers complaining that they don't get paid what they are worth. Next we will tear in to a few of these teachers salaries and break it down in to hourly pay and we will see who is not being paid their due.
I can also count on one hand the truly interesting and engaging teachers that I had growing up in the QPS system.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Love American Style
Patriotism means love of country (patria, in the Latin) and implies a readiness to sacrifice for it, to fight for it, perhaps even to give one’s life for it. In the traditional sense, patriots are those who love their country simply because it is their country--because it is their birthplace and the mansion of their fathers," as Alexis de Tocqueville put it in his Democracy in America. It is a kind of filial piety. Fortunately for Americans there are more reasons to love this country than just being born here and more reasons to be patriotic. We may not see "eye to eye" on all issues and we may express our patriotism differently but that is just another reason to love this place, America, the United States the place we all call home. Have a great Independence Day and remember that the fireworks are a celebration of our freedom and freedom is the reason for the celebration.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
K-9 Means $9000 or more
Once again we had our clandestined MicroMini Spy Bug V3.0 - model: MMSB-3 super secret microphones in operation and at the scene of a recent press conference. This one involves the QPD spending more money but you would not know it from the latest news coverage.
The players are officer Gibson(the Canine guy), our voice recognition also picked up what we thought was Forrest Gump but it was in fact Officer Gibson. Then there are a few reporters, we weren't sure if there were any reporters there because of the lack of questions coming from the press.....
Gibson: Thank you all for coming today, this is Uno, he is a Dutch Shepherd. I love dogs and my wife said it was okay because it is a big commitment.
Now all the money spent to train myself and get a new car and all the gear did not cost the taxpayers one dime. The $36,287 was all money raised by Citizens Academy.
Forrest Gump: When I first got him we were like peas and carrots.
Gibson: We had to get another dog because we went to 12 hours shifts.
he does some neat tricks and I have used him at the summer park program to entertain the kids. And my kids love playing with him too.
Well that about sums it up. Any questions?
Funion: How do you spell Uno?
end of press conference....
Questions that should have been asked but were not ...
Gibson says they had to get another dog because they went to 12 hour shifts and the other dog was not available. Besides the obvious WTF?question..How about; What do 12 hour shifts have to do with getting another dog?
#2 How many drug busts did Max make last month?
#3 What is the annual cost for one canine unit?
#4 Will the Citizens Academy pay for the new K-9 unit's cost over the life of the dogs service.
#5 With the dire need for a new K-9 unit how do you find the time to entertain the kids and do public relations instead of making drug busts?
#6 How much has been spent on vet bills?
#7 Wouldn't it be more economical to get a big SUV to drive around than the standard Monte Carlo, I mean with the price of gas and all?
I could go on but why? It just turns my stomach.
City officials budget like crack whores. I know it is provocative but it got your attention.
Crack whores screw people for money, spend more than they make, on a habit they can't kick, and think the payday loan place is a good deal. If that does not work they screw more people.
Please someone have some cajones and stand up for the little taxpayer. Yes, we need to be safe and we need a police department. But the Population of the city has not grown since the Motorola days and yet the police department is about twice the size. Why?
The players are officer Gibson(the Canine guy), our voice recognition also picked up what we thought was Forrest Gump but it was in fact Officer Gibson. Then there are a few reporters, we weren't sure if there were any reporters there because of the lack of questions coming from the press.....
Gibson: Thank you all for coming today, this is Uno, he is a Dutch Shepherd. I love dogs and my wife said it was okay because it is a big commitment.
Now all the money spent to train myself and get a new car and all the gear did not cost the taxpayers one dime. The $36,287 was all money raised by Citizens Academy.
Forrest Gump: When I first got him we were like peas and carrots.
Gibson: We had to get another dog because we went to 12 hours shifts.
he does some neat tricks and I have used him at the summer park program to entertain the kids. And my kids love playing with him too.
Well that about sums it up. Any questions?
Funion: How do you spell Uno?
end of press conference....
Questions that should have been asked but were not ...
Gibson says they had to get another dog because they went to 12 hour shifts and the other dog was not available. Besides the obvious WTF?question..How about; What do 12 hour shifts have to do with getting another dog?
#2 How many drug busts did Max make last month?
#3 What is the annual cost for one canine unit?
#4 Will the Citizens Academy pay for the new K-9 unit's cost over the life of the dogs service.
#5 With the dire need for a new K-9 unit how do you find the time to entertain the kids and do public relations instead of making drug busts?
#6 How much has been spent on vet bills?
#7 Wouldn't it be more economical to get a big SUV to drive around than the standard Monte Carlo, I mean with the price of gas and all?
I could go on but why? It just turns my stomach.
City officials budget like crack whores. I know it is provocative but it got your attention.
Crack whores screw people for money, spend more than they make, on a habit they can't kick, and think the payday loan place is a good deal. If that does not work they screw more people.
Please someone have some cajones and stand up for the little taxpayer. Yes, we need to be safe and we need a police department. But the Population of the city has not grown since the Motorola days and yet the police department is about twice the size. Why?
Why Bud Selig Sucks
Jones trade hits a snag over debt
WASHINGTON D.C. -- The New York Daily News, citing unidentified sources, reported that Commissioner Bud Selig nixed the Jacque Jones-to-Florida deal because he did not want the next owner of the Cubs to incur any more debt.That means it will be difficult to trade Jones, who's owed around $7.2 million through 2008 unless the Cubs receive a similar contract in return.
Manager Lou Piniella insists Jones will not have to sit because of his status, though he hasn't started a game since June 20, a span of 11 games."We'll give him an opportunity to get out there," Piniella said. "That's a tough situation. In Jacque's defense, I think he's handled it quite well. I don't know what happened with the trade to Miami and why it didn't go through. All the players I have here play, and he's not going to be the exception."If Selig won't let the Cubs dump Jones while paying the bulk of the freight, they'll also have a difficult time trading anyone who isn't performing well and has a contract that runs past 2007, including Scott Eyre, who has a player option for $3.8 million in '08. Eyre has a limited no-trade clause, meaning he can block a trade to 10 of the 30 teams.A little day offPiniella gave Mike Fontenot a rest on Monday and defended his move during Saturday's game when he switched Fontenot from shortstop to second after he booted the first grounder he fielded, just as he did in Friday's game. Piniella was criticized on ESPN's "Baseball Tonight" for messing with Fontenot's confidence."We didn't want any problems," Piniella said. "He's doing fine at second base. I just gave him the day off today. He's played about 15, 16 days in a row. … Fontenot will be back in there (at second on Tuesday). I wanted to take a look (at him at short)."I was trying to figure out how I could get [Cliff] Floyd, Fontenot and [Mark] DeRosa in the same lineup [Saturday]. That's all I was trying to do, and when I saw that it wasn't right, why compound it by leaving him there? We just switched him and just let him relax and play. He's done a fine, fine job for us."Piniella also rested the struggling Felix Pie, but said Pie isn't in danger of being sent down to Triple-A Iowa."It's a little more dangerous to play a young guy that's struggling rather than sitting him down a while and letting him get the cobwebs out," Piniella said. "A veteran player knows. He's been through it before. He can handle it better."Pitching changeWashington right-hander Tim Redding will start in place of injured lefty Micah Bowie on Tuesday.
Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune
WASHINGTON D.C. -- The New York Daily News, citing unidentified sources, reported that Commissioner Bud Selig nixed the Jacque Jones-to-Florida deal because he did not want the next owner of the Cubs to incur any more debt.That means it will be difficult to trade Jones, who's owed around $7.2 million through 2008 unless the Cubs receive a similar contract in return.
Manager Lou Piniella insists Jones will not have to sit because of his status, though he hasn't started a game since June 20, a span of 11 games."We'll give him an opportunity to get out there," Piniella said. "That's a tough situation. In Jacque's defense, I think he's handled it quite well. I don't know what happened with the trade to Miami and why it didn't go through. All the players I have here play, and he's not going to be the exception."If Selig won't let the Cubs dump Jones while paying the bulk of the freight, they'll also have a difficult time trading anyone who isn't performing well and has a contract that runs past 2007, including Scott Eyre, who has a player option for $3.8 million in '08. Eyre has a limited no-trade clause, meaning he can block a trade to 10 of the 30 teams.A little day offPiniella gave Mike Fontenot a rest on Monday and defended his move during Saturday's game when he switched Fontenot from shortstop to second after he booted the first grounder he fielded, just as he did in Friday's game. Piniella was criticized on ESPN's "Baseball Tonight" for messing with Fontenot's confidence."We didn't want any problems," Piniella said. "He's doing fine at second base. I just gave him the day off today. He's played about 15, 16 days in a row. … Fontenot will be back in there (at second on Tuesday). I wanted to take a look (at him at short)."I was trying to figure out how I could get [Cliff] Floyd, Fontenot and [Mark] DeRosa in the same lineup [Saturday]. That's all I was trying to do, and when I saw that it wasn't right, why compound it by leaving him there? We just switched him and just let him relax and play. He's done a fine, fine job for us."Piniella also rested the struggling Felix Pie, but said Pie isn't in danger of being sent down to Triple-A Iowa."It's a little more dangerous to play a young guy that's struggling rather than sitting him down a while and letting him get the cobwebs out," Piniella said. "A veteran player knows. He's been through it before. He can handle it better."Pitching changeWashington right-hander Tim Redding will start in place of injured lefty Micah Bowie on Tuesday.
Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune
Friday, June 29, 2007
Park Board Budget
I looked over the budget and it is hard to really tell anything by the way it is broken down. I wish they would split the pro-shop at Westview off to it's own entity so you could see how it is being run. It is hard to see where the problems are developing.
Other things of note....outside of payroll..the biggest expenditure is INSURANCE. Cason, Huff and Schlueter has that game wrapped up to the tune of $183,407 I am not sure what kind of commission they make but I can't imagine is more than 5-10% so no real scam there.
Health insurance paid to Health Alliance $25,589 only question I have here is what portion of the premium do the employees pay and how many are on the health plan.
AFLAC they pay that damn Duck some money why I don't know.
Why they pay the Illinois State Police $2500? anybody?
Klingner get their fingers in he pocket book for over $20 Gs what for?
And why they would have $14,856 in attorney's fees to Hooty and Rapp is beyond me. again anybody?
The debt scares me a little..
I am trying to figure out how to add pictures to these posts. But because I am a computer illiterate I don't know. Itried it and it just is not working for me.
Oh I almost forgot Mast, Keck and Barnes with the most relatives on the payroll.
Other things of note....outside of payroll..the biggest expenditure is INSURANCE. Cason, Huff and Schlueter has that game wrapped up to the tune of $183,407 I am not sure what kind of commission they make but I can't imagine is more than 5-10% so no real scam there.
Health insurance paid to Health Alliance $25,589 only question I have here is what portion of the premium do the employees pay and how many are on the health plan.
AFLAC they pay that damn Duck some money why I don't know.
Why they pay the Illinois State Police $2500? anybody?
Klingner get their fingers in he pocket book for over $20 Gs what for?
And why they would have $14,856 in attorney's fees to Hooty and Rapp is beyond me. again anybody?
The debt scares me a little..
I am trying to figure out how to add pictures to these posts. But because I am a computer illiterate I don't know. Itried it and it just is not working for me.
Oh I almost forgot Mast, Keck and Barnes with the most relatives on the payroll.
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