Burlington Is Crumblin’ Down, Crumblin’ Down, My Fair Dougie
Spike,
According to the published report on the delay in demolishing the Daisianna’s building, the city claims additional asbestos abatement is needed before demolition can proceed further.
According to my enlightened coffee shop sources, it seems there are larger problems afoot.
It seems Doug Worden never inspected the demolition contractor’s proof of insurance certificates before hiring the contractor. The contractor supplied forms to the city as per the contract. However, one insurance form was for part of the Manor demolition, another for something else and on top of all that, all the forms were out of date.
This latest saga started when the building owner adjacent to Daisianna’s was worried about his wall collapsing during the Daisianna’s demolition. When documents were checked, the falsified documents were discovered.
Not to be the only problem coming home to roost in Worden’s den of inept stupidity, a brick scavenger was allowed on the Daisianna’s job site and fell off scaffolding or a ladder severely injuring himself in his quest for the perfect brick.
Now the way I see it, if the brick scavenger is hurt, the wall collapses or the demolition contractor bails out; guess who pays the bills and medical claims?
That’s right, we taxpayers do! It’s the Burlington way.
Taxpayers left to suffer the incompetency and thrive on the detritus.
You can bet your bottom dollar all the organizations mentioned in TM’s letter read Derailed each and every day because they can’t help themselves. Only the lonely would skip reading derailed in Burlington because it’s the only source of accurate news and complete news about the one party of scoundrels who try to run the city and I might add, continually fail.
Burlington would be totally lost without the reporting published in Derailed since the Hawk Eye censors and edits most of its local reporting maintaining its blackout on the one party system of dimwits.
Other than the NYT the Hawk Eye leads the pack on whitewashing local politics and the promoting of the one party system. The Hawk Eye tries to emulate Pravda of the old Union of Socialist Republics. Otherwise they’d report the news on the up and up and stop trying to cover up the constant blunders of the democratic party of losers. Stalin would be proud that some newspapers of old are still publishing their censored versions of the news on a daily basis as the Hawk Eye does.
Just think, without the Derailed web site Burlington’s masses would still be living in the dark when it comes to local political misdeeds and the dimwitted local government.
Half the number of people call Detroit home as did half a century ago. Detroit is being forced to accept a heavy industries driven economy and U. A. W. political machine will never be what it was.
All Heland's yakking and 18% increases in taxing will only accelerate what is happening. Tapp, Hinkle and Senator Courtney's welfare based economic development did not work in Detroit. False hope and resulting frustration simply fuels a riotous rise in crime.
Like the auto industry that made its rise, Detroit is being forced to literally downsize. Detroit's experiment in retrenching is being watched with interest.
When will anybody in local leadership accept Burlington's reality?
It seems out of place trying to fix and regulate banks problems when we have a known tax cheat as Secretary of the Treasury.
Geithner is a know tax cheat and liar on his taxes but Obama thinks that’s okay and hired him anyway. What kind of a message does this send to the world, the country and our children?
Just how low can our government go when appointing a cabinet? Does this mean Obama will next look at our prisons for cabinet members? Why Obama would appoint a known tax cheat is beyond comprehension and is there a logical explanation? I would sure like to know why he would appoint such a person.
The GOP CD2 Primary - Curiouser and Curiouser - How Can This Be?
Spike
In honor of the Alice in Wonderland movie currently in the theaters, we seem to have our very own 'curiouser and curiouser' moment occurring in the 2nd congressional district GOP primary race. The Monday Cedar Rapids Gazette published an article online that Rob Gettemy, who just announced a week ago, already has more than 2,400 signatures and has met the signature requirements to be put on the ballot.
For those not aware, signature requirements in a congressional race in Iowa are 1% of your party's vote in the 2008 election, plus 2% of the vote in at least 1/2 of the counties. On the Republican side that is at least 1,224 signatures in the 2nd district. It usually takes several months, doing things like hitting central committee meetings, the caucus, and the county conventions to name a few. Often it involves the efforts of a contingent of volunteers and door to door work.
Which brings us to the $64 million dollar question - how is it possible that someone could get double that amount in as little as one week? Common sense says that if everyone who attended the March 6th GOP county conventions in the district signed Gettemy's petition - it wouldn't be near enough. It's doubtful they were mailed back in time to be counted for the article anyway.
Gettemy seems to have no volunteer team assembled at this date. It would take a signficant amount of organizing to put one together and mobilize across the district so quickly, a very impressive feat so late in the game when most activists already have their candidate. It's possible there's been an ongoing effort beneath the radar - at least since the caucus anyway. Gettemy's petitions were no where to be found there. Keeping the rumor mill quiet though would be an even more amazing feat, and require expending significant effort to avoid the usual GOP circles.
Either way, there are very few people I know of in GOP politics in the state of Iowa that can pull something like that off - someone bigger than Tim Palmer, Brent and Renee Schulte, and their local church. This has the fingerprints of the Iowa Christian Alliance and Steve Scheffler all over it, which means they've officially dumped their poster child Chris Reed in favor of a new Chosen One.
Keep your eyes open, and as always in politics when curious things happen - follow the money. It will tell you very quickly who's the controlling hand of the puppet.
I agree with the letter to the editor in Sunday's Hawkeye where the writer asks what the governor is thinking of by supporting adding 3 or 4 more casinos to Iowa. The last thing lots of Iowans need is another place to lose/waste their money.
I was struck by the last line though - "How many gamblers does he think live here?" or words to that effect.
I consider myself a gambler extraordinaire a/k/a a Burlington, Iowa resident.
1.Everyday when I wake up here I'm gambling one of the taxing bodies isn't going to make some exceptionally stupid decision that will cost even more money, which in turn will raise my taxes.
2. Then too I'm gambling that the home we built 20+ years ago is worth at least what we've got in it, so if we did decide to sell we could get our investment back.
3. Next, if we were to sell our house and decide to build again, I'd be gambling that the contractors hired to do the construction would be at least somewhat realistic in their charges - Not! Been there - done that. They're not even remotely realistic when you consider cost of living here and possible income potentials.
4. Finally, on a very basic level, when I get in my car to travel somewhere in town I'm gambling that it isn't seriously damaged driving on our streets (a loose use of the term for sure). The one to our house right now has mud ruts in it even though we live in town.
We Iowans are gamblers, trying to eke out a living in a long forgotten state that few people care about or want to visit. We freeze in the winter and deal with snow up our b - - - s , and then when summer arrives we put up with extreme heat, and that's if we haven't been swept away during a spring flood.
We are the original gamblers, and for most of us that makes us losers with a capital "L".
"Only 36,000 lost their jobs today," Senate Majority Leader "Dirty Harry" Reid.
That's about how many people used to live in Burlington. Where should those 36,000 who lost their jobs go?
Once their unemployment runs out, tell them to come here. Not that they will find a job that pays better than minimum wage. Thanks to State Senator Courtney, Iowa is a better deal on welfare.
After loosing all hope and self respect, new prospects abound. You can always supplement your income dealing drugs.
The Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission will provide your transportation. Grow Greater Burlington will declare your being here a sign of growth opportunities. Senator Courtney will sign you up to vote, more than once every election day if you please.
Dirty Harry Reid will likely be out of work after the next election. Don't look for Dirty Harry to join his bush league Democrat buddies here. Unemployed Senators and Congressman get a better deal for life than almost everybody else.
As for everybody else, yakety-yak, you need taxed.
Lost Keys Bill Ell Still Incompetent, Ineffective Mayor; But Still Good Beer Buddy
Spike,
I see the city council set their goals for the next 2 years. In fact, the council set a new #1 goal to build a new joint law enforcement center according to the Ad Vertiser.
If the council works as diligently on this as they did the 2008 #1 goal of improving the city's image, suffice to say, SOS for 2 more.
These Huckleberry's can't finish a thing they start.
A Capital Idea for Iowa's Late Great Capitol - Let's Bring 'Em here
Spike,
The Sioux City Journal reports that Iowa Republicans may hold their State Convention there. Burlington is equally geographically unhandy. Where is Grow Greater Burlington on bringing that business here?
Consider what Iowa's first capitol has to offer Iowa Republicans. Burlington would be down right inspirational. Democrats have ruled Burlington for over a generation. Examine the results.
Businesses and productive residents have fled in droves. Buildings in the city's heart crumble into the streets. Vital infrastructure decays. An important bridge is closed for fear of collapse. Taxes are sky high and 18% annual increases are demanded as a matter of course. Crime is above the national average. Welfare clients are brought in from Chicago as economic development. School achievement scores are dropping. We in the midst of dire distress know the rest.
Those ruling Burlington now control Iowa. They advocate for the entire state what has worked so well in Burlington. The rest of the state should experience first hand what could be their fate.
The Des Moines County Republican Party counts angels dancing on the head of a pin. Meanwhile, pinheads like County Supervisor Heland prick taxpayers in their opposite end with another hefty tax hike.
The waste and decay of Burlington should be put to a purpose. Burlington would scare the hell out of Republicans across Iowa.
Let Iowa's Republicans see what will be when ruled by one party. May they return inspired to save their communities from the same fate and put State Senator Courtney back in the minority where he belongs.
"The casinos would create hundreds of construction and permanent jobs, which are critical to the state, Culver said. Voters in each of the counties – Lyon, Webster, Tama and Wapello – have approved the licenses."
Chet the Debt Culver is a spendaholoic. Chet and his party pals like Senator Courtney simply can not stop spending to pay off their political allies.
Chet wants to expand gambling and skim the top just like the infamous Mafia, Teamsters Pension Fund alliance during the golden years of Vegas. The difference, taxation is legal.
Chet and his pals spending addiction will have a direct effect here in Burlington. City taxpayers were muscled to invest in Catfish Craps, Huck's Hole Division. More competition in a saturated market means Burlington will take a hit.
The spread must be covered. There is no alternative but the Heland solution.
"A North Korean factory worker has been executed by firing squad for sneaking news out of the country on his illicit mobile phone, Seoul-based radio said today."
This is what happens to those who tell the truth in a single party workers paradise. When are they coming for you?
NH
Not much to worry about. When Southeast Iowa has emissaries like Courtney, Courtney, Heland, Tapp, Hurd, Fraise, Ell, Hoschek, Massner, Edwards and all of the rest of the wannabe power brokers it doesn't take long for word to leak on its own.
What in the name of God is going on in Linn County?
Spike,
Thanks to Publius for informing us about the new candidate for Congress, Mr. Gettemy. Did whoever is running his campaign tell the press? I had seen nothing in the Ad Vertiser, nor the Des Moines Register. Does the press figure Gettemy doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell?
I looked up the Iowa Independent article. Is the Antioch Church in Marion a church, or a political action committee? Has Rev. Hurd mailed them his resume. Or is he still too busy with the Federal Elections Commission?
One Congressional District, under God, as ordained by one church, no thanks.
Holey T. Shirt
What in the name of God is going on in Linn county? Did the Antioch Church successfully launder money and this is the reward; a T-shirt franchise?
And where did this Linn County Kommisar and Disciple of Satan Scheffler Tim Palmer come from? He acts like Kommisar Massner. What a conniving scumbag. After he destroys the local primary, Palmer installs Satan Scheffler's handpicked 666.
"Gettemy has not necessarily been an unknown local political force. His attendance at Antioch Church places him in proximity of several key social conservatives — not the least among them being Linn County GOP Chairman Tim Palmer and Vice-Chairman Brent Schulte, a minister at Antioch, and Schulte’s wife, state Rep. Renee Schulte."
What is more troubling is that Tim Palmer removed a GOP member from the central committee for questioning Palmer's total disregard for the rules and making himself Kommisar. You can listen to it here.An edited version is coming soon. Listen at about an hour 10 minutes. Thatis when Palmer shows his ass.
It's time to stand up to Satan Scheffler and his dens of these bible thumpin' money launderers, thugs, petty thieves, stock swindlers and brainless nitwits that make me believe I am listening to Jeff Heland expound on not having a gambling problem.
If you think this is the way the GOP is going to win an election, go play with your snowballs in Hell Tim!!
"A staff member of First United Methodist Church in Des Moines scooped up four pieces of conduit pipe and two spools of wire as they were apparently about to be stolen."
Could this generate new leads on a computer missing from a local church?
GGL
Did the good samaritan look around in the basement to see if they were installing any new washing machines? Any pallets of Tide or Cheer? Used wrappers from $100 bills?
"The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating why a child was allowed to direct air traffic at John F. Kennedy airport, one of the busiest airports in the country."
Arguably the busiest airport in Southeast Iowa, has it happened here? If not in the control tower, what about the Airport Board meetings?
"It makes me feel like the city cares more for the thugs than they do me, and I'm the one paying taxes," McDonald said of being barred from owning a gun in his own house. "
Being brought to Burlington by Tapp, Hinkle, Senator Courtney and the rest of the single party ruling you.
GOP On The Outs - Satan Scheffler Tries to Extend Christian Grasp
Spike:
Anyone paying attention to the Republican 2nd district congressional race knows that a bomb was dropped over the weekend when Cedar Rapids businessman Rob Gettemy announced that he was joining the field with Mariannette Miller Meeks, Steve Rathje and Chris Reed. It looks to be the fat lady singing for Reed, who's been sucking wind behind the other two clearly superior candidates.
According to the Iowa Independent it looks to be an effort of a group of Linn county GOP players including Tim Palmer and Brent and Renee Schulte, state house representative in Cedar Rapids. Speculation is that David Chung is part of that group as he announced Gettemy on his blog. It looks to be an effort to put up a more viable Christian Right candidate.
All this is bad news for the Reed campaign, which has already been sputtering along with no money, little support, and a great deal of baggage from the '08 campaign. Reed has no traction despite being the self-styled 'true conservative' and constantly attacking his opponents, especially Miller Meeks, such as in a recent article in the Centerville Daily Iowegian where he claimed without proof that Miller Meeks described herself as 'Jim Leach in a skirt'.
The level of desperation is pretty evident, because despite the sniping Reed has taken to parroting Meeks' positions and phrasing out on the campaign trail, copying Mariannette's stances on immigration, abortion, and health care. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and for an intellectual lightweight like Reed, a necessity to keep appearances that he's in the same league. He also tried to grab the spotlight at a Bob Vander Plaats event recently and hijack the question-answer session that was going on, in a vain attempt to draw attention to his campaign in the social conservative circles.
Gettemy jumping in the race might be the death knell in Reed's campaign. It says a lot when the leaders of your own GOP organization have to prop up another candidate because they have no confidence in you. Unless he decides to go Independent in June as has been rumored as well as implied in some of his recent statements, stick a fork in Reed - he's done.
Publius
Iowa's 2nd Congressional District has a messiah. The church connection through current Linn County "leadership" is reportedly strong. Buy a tee shirt save a soul.
