Created by Virginia Reyes of the Air Force News Agency with U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Lono Kollars
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Spike:

I think Burlington Derailed has really served the people and as long as those submitting articles feel what they contribute are truthful and not just malicious ramblings Burlington Derailed has basically replaced the printed news for our area and beyond; people that read Burlington Derailed can’t go anywhere without it.

The problem is I think many of those that vote in Burlington itself don’t have access to computers and never know what actually goes on with the dimwits they continue to reelect, cycle after cycle. These are the people that vote each cycle and only get their news from the Hawkeye and you know what that means. Many of those that are retired just don’t have computers or access to a computer or can’t afford a computer because of the continual rise in fees and taxes here in Burlington that eats away their income dollar by dollar providing them little or nothing in return.

Tax increases in Burlington have no “value added” because the increases are only to provide cradle to grave benefit to those in city government that are very much like a cancer eating away at the private sector livelihood.

People that grew up in this city and left are actually shocked when they return for reunions or other events and see what’s happened to Burlington and vicinity. They always mention the streets, run down homes and blighted neighborhoods that have spread like a cancer throughout Burlington. Most mention how their once nice childhood homes have been reduced to un-kept dilapidated wrecks. Not just their childhood home but entire neighborhoods. They also mention the new, SEIRPC-recruited, residents as one of the problems along with poor inept city government.

So, without Burlington Derailed Burlington would continue to decay politically and physically until nothing is left but memories of how it was before. Most of what’s happened to Burlington over the years has proven to be ass backwards and just plain brought about by dimwitted and incompetent city government along with taxpayer funded organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce, SEIRPC and the failure of school leadership leading us to the highest dropout rate in the state.

GH

If it wasn’t for our readers and contributors, we’d hang this up. Even though our readership grows every week people have to motivate each other now to make the change “they” so valiantly believed was miraculously going to happen without being screwed to the wall by new taxes and lost freedoms. We can only provide a forum.

We have no newspaper. The establishment would like to keep us that way - uninformed. People are not told the details behind the stories to make informed decisions. They are served the rehash of mediocrity in news gathering and dissemination by Publisher Steve Delaney’s Ad Vertiser.

Everyone complains about the rehash news writing style the Ad Vertiser serves up. Publisher Steve Delaney has to do that. People are so fed up they aren’t reading their drivel everyday (along with the ads). Delaney needs a continuity of the story line. And it works because Publisher Steve Delaney doesn’t have the column inches to write anything worthwhile in any real meaningful detail.

What really is going to forge a new direction is when the advertisers in this area wake-up, get their head out of their ass and look at the dismal return their ad dollars are getting along with the abuse from the Ad Vertiser’s ad staff. Smart advertisers have already made the move to KCPS 1150 AM, The Voice of The People. People said AM radio was dead. When the world comes crashing down and you’re told to tune to the last bastion of news and popular opinion, KCPS will be still heard.

The icing on the news cake will be when the cataclysmic demise of Obama’s reckless, unproven theories of change brings the larger crisis right into our billfolds. Even Mike Sweet is cowering in the corner looking on, speechless, at the lunacy each new day brings in Washington under Obama’s ride around town with the Parisian Prostitute Nancy Pelosi at his side. Even his staunch left wing ideals can’t tolerate this wholesale destruction of freedom and perverse thinking. But what can he say? He hated Bush so bad he never saw the character flaws of an unproven, inexperienced Obama.

Only when the tax hammer falls will people vote. Right after their march on city hall with torches and pitchforks. The local city council has driven reality from their minds by the mindless obsession to feel good. Slapping each other on the back at what a good job everyone is doing.

I don’t want the council to feel good. I don’t want the council to pat Mini-Me Worden, Son of Criminal Bruce Slagle, on the back for shirking his duties as city manager and giving him a raise. I want them to grown some balls and act like they know how to use them.

Wipe that pious smirk off our dumbass mayor Lost Key Bill Ell’s face. He’s a loser. Face it. You made a mistake when you voted for Ell and all the rest of the council. Learn from it. Fix it. Vote them out.

Any councilman that would even consider allowing the casino to repay their $1.8 million debt interest free over 10 years needs 100 people in every council meeting raising hell. The taxpayers have paid over $440,000 in interest on this delinquent loan. Yes, it’s a delinquent loan by every accounting rule I can think of. or, a non-performing, increasing liability for the taxpayers.

Just ask yourself. How long would it take for any bank in this town to repossess your home, car, boat, motorcycle if you went 3 years without paying off the loan? 10 seconds you say? What's the difference except you pay twice. Tax dollars given to Morgan Stanley to keep them afloat for holding under performing loans like the casino.

Our local banks won’t give a dime to small business without 150% collateral. Then the bank tells you how to run your business and who you can do business with. All the while, choking the life out of your entrepreneurial spirit.

Years ago, Senator Chris King said Spike sat in the basement with greasy hair and wrote crap. Funny thing about that remark (other than King is long gone and forgotten except for the nut job he is) it was so indicative of the loons that are recruited to run for public office. They don’t have a brain cell in their head. If they do have a brain, their ideas are sucked out by their self-righteous know-it-all vacuum cleaner after they’ve been in office for 3 weeks.

The 4th of July was about change. Now, more than ever, everyone needs to do their part to change the way our lives are shaped by meaningless, political nitwits.

And the only real way to do that is to vote. And vote with a vengeance. Let the politicians know who the boss really is. And who is the servant.

Yeah, you political boneheads, you're the servants and we are the masters.

Spike

When you need a weekend away to suntan your bare butt, try St Bart's.

If you go, fly with the pros at Winair -



If you don't -

Spike,

For $25,000 to $250,000, The Washington Post is offering lobbyists and association executives off the record, non-confrontational access to "those powerful few" —

Declining and desperate, an icon of the establishment liberal media is selling off their badly bruised body of ethics. Pay the newspaper and get access to the powerful.

Will this practice spread?

The increasingly shrinking to invisibility Ad Vertiser probably will not be able to wring much revenue from the practice. There is nobody in Burlington making decisions anybody anywhere else cares much about. There is no need for a media middle man to gain access.

Follow the City Council to the bar after their official meeting. This is where the real debate and decision making takes place. Buy a round, or seven. This will get you a seat at the table.

If you buy enough drinks, perhaps you too can get a $180,000 loan interest free for 10 years.

Burlington's fourth estate must not be totally ignored. Keep Jimmy Olson in Shirley Temple's.
Drop a dime. Call Jimmy's bosses and threaten to withdraw your advertising.

Add up the bar tab and phone call. Figure the rate of return on your investment. Who says Burlington is not a good place to do business?

Charlie Weaver

Spike:

We have a big wig senator, Chris Dodd high up in our government financial affairs that has used his position to bribe or force his way into favorable mortgages on three different occasions and apparently he’s gotten away with it because democrats refuse to investigate one of their own.

This is just another example of the crooks we have in Washington that have been lying, cheating and misusing their authority for personal gain while screwing the American people who are dumb enough not to demand their removal.

CG

Spike:

The quote below is directly from the mouth of Mayor Ell and anyone that believes it must have his or her head stuck in the ground.

"The waterworks doesn't need it to be paved. It was the county who decided to pave it. There's no way in hell city taxpayers would OK us spending tax dollars to pave that road," he said.

I base this on Huck’s water park, the Manor, the library, the Rec Plex, where the taxpayer was never consulted or represented at all. The library was voted down a couple of times yet there it sits as do the other non-taxpayer consulted entities.

Where was taxpayer concerns when all this other stuff was jammed down our throats? This Ell dimwit is lying when he says he’s concerned about taxpayer money. It’s been years since a mayor or council had any concerns about the taxpayer and they still don’t. Now they want to add on to that loser WrekPlex an entity that has lost, on average a $100,000 per year since it opened its doors and it could even be higher.

Ell and the loser city manager haven’t a clue about anything concerning taxpayer money otherwise the states losingist lawyer would be itemizing his bills.

These elected officials have no shame or concern about anything but themselves; so what’s new in this run down town?

Sick of It

Spike:

Here's a photo of what Crapo Park will look like in just a few years. This scene will be brought about by city hall, the state and our Obama friend in Washington. Of course the dimwits in congress will be included although they've stolen so much money from the American people they'll be living like kings compared to this family.

We need new blood in the Burlington city government, Des Moines and a new president that doesn't favor communism over democracy. To think Iowa started us down this road to communism by their caucus fiasco. How could Iowa voters be so stupid and ignorant to be flim flamed by this nobody?

The entire country is going to be ruined by this man and the loons that elected him, what a total disgraceful mistake.

Worried

Spike:

Looks like every tin horn country in the world is testing Obama and now we can throw in Honduras for him but I sure hope he doesn’t hire another Czar to manage this one.

We have a president that’s hiring Czar’s as though there were no end but the problem is none of them are accountable to the people, the congress or anyone but Obama. Why does the guy even have a cabinet, the one we never hear about?

This guy is setting himself up as though he were a king and the dimwit, spineless congress just lets him throw bills at them as though they were snowballs, and the idiots pass them unread and never comprehended by anyone.

Congress is predictable down to a fine hair and that is they will never read, view, listen to or comprehend anything the messiah throws at them for approval. We as Americans are watching our representation throw us down the drain and destroying our American way of life.

People better start contacting these congressional dimwits and letting them know how you feel about what’s to come and what we’re going to do about it. Wake up and start acting like American’s instead of sheep. These people are destroying our country and it’s time we put a stop to it.

Very Disgusted

Spike,

On the deal with Huck's Harbor, let me see if I have this right. For two years there is no profit at all, in the third year we are showing a little profit at the fourth quarter.

Then Mr. Hoyer comes to the coucil meeting and ask the city to stay one more year and with Mr, Worden's expertise in business he tells us we need to stay the course. So in the fourth year now there may be a little profit.

Now Mr. Hoyer is asking the city to pull out of the park and they will pay us back 180,000.00 over a ten year period without any interest.

Anybody with any sense would see that this is no deal for the taxpayers. And for Mr. Worden to tell us this is a good deal is utterly stupid.

With Tim Scott praising the city's partnership with Huck's Harbor I believe he spent too much time in the sewer fumes. Mr. Thomas disagrees with this deal so it would seem that he has more sense than Tim Scott or Mr. Worden.

What this amounts to is the city taking care of someone who takes care of them. I'd like to see how much free golf play Mr. Worden gets a month.

Envious

Worden is utterly stupid. This is a sham, rotten ass deal of the first order of stupidity. We keep paying interest and they keep screwing the taxpayers to subsidize the gambling industry.

But this council of expert financial managers think this is a wonderful idea. Maybe that's why Scott is subsidizing his business with picnic tables.

As for Worden, he's as dumb as they come. Thirty years of slopping in the public trough has filled his belly to the point his brain is the size of a wienie.

Go get the cash you boneheads. You've pissed away enough money now.

Spike

Spike,

"The area has been blocked off, and the curious are urged to stay away for safety reasons."

Warning: The City of Burlington maybe hazardous to your health.

Old buildings are crumbling into our streets. Their downfall is the most graphic demonstration of the direction Burlington has been headed for the last 40 years.

Not only is dereliction of duty likely to kill somebody, it is not healthy for what few businesses remain downtown. Nearby there is an excellent restaurant and well patronized bars. This latest collapse can not be good for their business.

Where the hell is City government? Why are building codes not enforced?

The crew at City Hall's primary concern is their upcoming casting call. Put lots of make up on so your nose does not glow for the camera. They're gonna make themselves big stars in an internet video.

It follows the pattern of a vacant lot Mall, a Wrecked-Plex, etc. Direct your energies and resources at frills. Claim the frills will cure all ills. Meanwhile, death stalks Main Street.

This next election must be a wake up call. Take care of the basic needs City government was founded for in the first place. Cut the crap.

The sky is literally falling. The time has come to cut the heads off some Chicken Littles.

GH

Spike,

Mayor Ell is wearing his litigation face. Precedent should warn proceed with caution. "Without merit" becomes mirth for those not paying the legal bills.

We know it will be Power for the City of Burlington. Who will represent Des Moines County?

The criminal parties battling will not be involved in a criminal case. Mr. Jackson will not be plea bargaining vehicular manslaughter down to failure to wear a seat belt. Will Pat be pitted against Power?

There is one with some knowledge of such matters on the County Board who is smarter than all others involved combined. If the County has any sense, they will trust his council.

If it does end up with Power and Jackson arguing the issue, the result may end up as the Karma Sutra of law libraries.

Shiva

I'd hate to face Jackson and Cahill on this one.

But Iowa's Losingist Lawyer Scott Power sees nothing but stupid humans in his path to the court house. And he's right.

Spike

Spike:

In the July 6th issue of Time magazine there’s an article on page 15 in the right hand column about Oelwein, Iowa titled, Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town, written by Nick Reding.

In this case study journalist Nic Reding examines how the meth epidemic decimated Oelwein, Iowa (pop. 6,159), where police at one point were dismantling two crank labs a week.

For Reding, who spent four years reporting among Oelwein’s addicts, officials and residents, the drug is more than just a small-town scourge. Meth, he writes, is a metaphor for the “cataclysmic fault lines formed by globalization.”

After agribusiness bought out local farmers, the once booming town declined, and its inhabitants turned to meth’s “biochemical ecstasy” to stay awake during double shifts, feel alive after clocking out or make ends meet by brewing their own batches.

America’s addition to meth is “as much about the death of a way of life as it is about the birth of a drug,” he notes. After all, for those with low-paying jobs, little money and no prospects, there’s not much left to feel good about.

Somehow reading the article sort of reminded me of the direction Burlington is taking because of low paying jobs, rampart blight an a influx of poorly educated people brought in to replace the illegal aliens in another county. On top of those examples we have the highest school dropout rate in the state, a large drug problem, a declining population with the educated people leaving for greener pastures and being replaced by the out of county workers Burlington so desperately needed. Burlington has a crime rate above the national average yet our chief says crime has not risen in Burlington but has been steady for several years; really.

Things are looking so bad that the industrial park will be the future home to a funeral home, which is ok but it’s not an industrial organization that will hire much more than a hand full of employees. Very similar to the first organization that bought that spec building several years ago and hired only three people at best.

Have the taxpayers ever broken even on any of the firms operating in the industrial park? Do they all pay a livable wage with full benefits? Do any of them hire temps rather than full time employees? Why it is the taxpayers are kept in the dark on the financial status of those firms that received tax breaks leaving the individual taxpayer obligated to make up the difference? The Sun never shines in Burlington or West Burlington when it comes to freedom of information.

Not that the Oelwein syndrome has hit Burlington yet but it’s definitely waiting in the wings. Our city government is doing a poor job in just about every aspect of local government. They even rehire retired police and others instead of hiring citizens that need a job to survive. Nothing is ever on the up and up in this city such as the drunken mayor who gets a free ride home from his wife from a drunk driving charge which would probably have sent him to prison. Who else in town has gotten a free ride for being a drunk driver? We’ll never know because the local paper is expert in not reporting what it doesn’t want the people to know. An example would be leaving the name of one of our councilman’s sons out of the paper after a brawl at the high school.

We have the distinction of living in a town that’s past its prime with no relief or potential leaders in sight.

Depressed

Spike,

I see the sock puppet Mayor Ell has his litigation face on.

"I didn't ask the county board to come to our meeting. It's open to the public, so they can come if they want. I don't need them there. Right now, it's between us and our attorney," Ell said

"There is no argument they (Des Moines County supervisors) can give me that would make me want to assume responsibility for that road," Ell said. "I'm a little shocked..."

Ell says there no argument he can be given to assume responsibility.

Boy does the echo like a fart in the Grand Canyon or what?

KT

Don't disgrace our National Parks like that. Fact check? It was a liquor store fart.

Spike

Spike,

Imagine the visit Burlington video.....

Scenes of the Burger King parking lot
Guess the biggest pothole tour highlights
The RecPlex
School system admin office to show off highest drop out rate
The empty railroad shops
Walking tour to avoid Cascade Bridge
The city's water park
Eminent Domain Mall
Maple Street Moonlight Stroll
The RecPlex - listed twice because they are going to expand it
Central Fire Station to see where current city leadership learned to lie
City hall crime tour with the Son of Slagle
Lock & Dam 18 electricity tour

I can't wait.

Ready

Spike,

"Mandeville drunken mayor Eddie Price gets pulled over on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway after his dumb drunk ass ran through the barricade in the toll booth. He did not get a DWI. Only had to pay a $200 fine. What a loser he and the police chief of the Causeway, FELIX M. LOICANO are."

A drunk Mayor gets pulled over and off easy. It was shot where a local newspaper rides herd to see public records are just that.

Since Burlington no longer has a real newspaper, this is as close to full public disclousre as we will ever get.

KL

"You gonna drive me home?"

That sure rings a bell. At least the mayor paid a fine.

Spike

Spike,

"The Southeast Iowa Regional Bus, which is operated by the Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission in Burlington, known as Region 16, is the recipient of the 2008 “Most Improved Regional Transit System of the Year.”"

Do they give awards for having the highest high school drop out rate in Iowa? Is there a trophy for the greatest increase in crime for the year?

When will people recognize a cause and its effect?

LFL

Spike,

I see the Burlington's City government plans to propagate its vision of betterment to the world. Rising from the ashes of depression, an inspired leadership brings hope, prosperity and fills the promise of a better future. The world will be impressed via the miracle of selectively edited, moving pictures.

Burlington's leadership harvested from local beer halls has not hit upon anything new. They really should study the old masters.

They don't make 'em like they used to. Financing Burlington's video project with local advertising guarantees that. The work of the true masters will not be challenged by anything Burlington's leaders commission.

One should not be too harsh on little men of little means in their little kingdom. After all, it's the thought that counts.

Love and kisses,

Leni

Spike,

"To finance the project, the New York-based company sells advertising linked to the videos. Worden said the videos are "a means to attract new residents and businesses."

The City of Burlington is expanding into web advertising. The draw, propaganda fluff and lint about Burlington.

This means more competition for ever tighter local advertising dollars. Why did the Ad Vertiser not try this video angle? Will competition sour the love affair between City Hall and the Ad Vertiser?

If public records are again made public and idiotic antics in the wee hours by City office holders are no longer ignored, we will know the romance is over. If unrequited love makes the Ad Vertiser do their job again, they may draw an audience and attract advertisers like the Hawk-Eye of old.

Such a divorce would be the best thing to happen to this town in decades.

Krammer V. Krammer

Free internet movies? Have you ever seen anything Burlington does that's free work? Nothing that costs money works. Just another feel good move to deflect Worden's incompetency.

Maybe we could buy an ad.

Spike

Spike,

Well the House of Representatives today took the first step to destroy our way of life through their total ignorance of global weather along with the messiah Obama and his complete lack of understanding anything. Liar Pelosi and her gang bribed many other loser democrats in order to swing the vote that will destroy the American way of life.

We need to vote all those that voted for this loser bill out of office in 2010 a feat that was done to the Democrats in 1994 for their stupidity whence they lost 57 seats. How this unknown Obama person was ever elected president is beyond comprehension and just goes to show how ignorant Americans actually are and how poorly educated Americans have become via the government school system to even believe all the lies Obama and the loser Democrats are feeding them.

It’s just too bad we have to wait until 2010 to get rid of him along with Al Gore, GE, and the entire den of tax evaders Obama hired to reduce our country back into third world status.

The schools and news media have lied to the American people for so long we now have a country of dead heads incapable of thinking for themselves and actually think big government is good and the current stooge in the oval office is doing his best to destroy our country.

Just Sick

The Democrats stuffed a 309 page amendment to the bill in 35 minutes before the committee voted. Every real Democrat better change their party affiliation now. When this hits the barn lot it's gonna be sloppy.

A disaster of epic proportion.

Spike

Spike,

"You have the skills base to grow engineers and welders," he said. "You need more career development. You need to attract educated and experienced people."

Another consultant. Another report. The results are the same.

What of collaboration and coordination of efforts to bring about positive change. We have the Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission. What do we get?

Tax subsidized bus rides are provided to attract poorly educated, poorly skilled workers. Our schools become bedlam and the state's highest drop out rate becomes Burlington's booby prize.

Such success demands more space. Tax dollars to buy a building far in excess of the SEIRPC's needs is in the works. One more property off the tax rolls.

Concentrated efforts by the SEIRPC will eventually end the need for further consultants' studies. Nobody will have the money to pay consultants to tell us we keep doing the wrong thing.

MNB

Isn't this the 4th economic development study in the last 4 years? All these reports but nobody does anything else. They just continue to throw taxpayers' money to the wind. Nobody cares.

Hell, the last consultants did a drive-by with their report when they threw it on the curb at city hall and ran all the way back to Texas, never to be seen or heard from again. I wonder why? They do work all over the world.

Pretty soon, at the rate we're going, no one will want to even do consulting work for Burlington.

Spike

Spike,

AnsaldoBreda Inc., a unit of AnsaldoBreda S.p.A. of Italy, has submitted a proposal to Milwaukee-based Super Steel to buy the plant and all its equipment, according to officials at the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority in Buffalo.

There has not been a recent performance of Burlington's long running, comedic horse opera, Hinkle of Italy. Are we not about due for another grand tour with some Chamber of Commerce Board members and spouses in tow?

An Italian company is interested in a railroad equipment rebuilding operation in New York. As I recall, there is an under utilized facility of a similar nature around here. Would it possible for our development experts to take some time from seeing the sights and see if anybody would care to see what is available in Burlington?

Despite the "without merit" lawsuit local leaders pulled on the BNSF, the railroad may take interest in a proposal to wring some profit from a largely idle asset. One of the guilty is no longer around to derail any deals.

Mr. Slagle will not be traveling to where his role model made the trains run on time.

After paying my taxes, I can hardly afford to drive to Rome, IA. Will we ever see much return from Mr. Hinkle's eternal trips to the eternal city?

Childe Harold

Spike:

In my opinion SEIRPC wanted to bolster the liberal voting base and supply people to rent all the dumpy homes standing empty in Burlington and of course ensure for themselves a supply of taxpayer funded money.

Since the advent of the subsidized busing for Tyson my neighborhood has suffered a huge increase of new people that have entirely different standards of living than do the long time neighborhood citizens.

With two apartments in one building we have about eight autos, over ten children and a slew of mixed races coming and going at all hours of the day and night. I must admit that the children are dressed nice and do respect others property; so I’m well pleased with that; however the yard is trashy, the adults are loud and just plain have basically nothing in common with the local residents in our neighborhood.

I know for a fact the owner of the rental would never live next to people he forces on our neighborhood and you can bank on it. This is what happens in Burlington – once a home is purchased for a rental the landlord will rent it to anyone regardless of how they’ll fit into the neighborhood and the next thing you know the neighborhood turns to a blighted area just as other neighborhoods have done in Burlington. Just look around and you’ll see the blight everywhere in this town and to top it off the Manor was nice compared to some of these inner city blighted areas. There’s blight on the same block as city hall and nothing is ever done to enforce the canned city codes that are apparently on the books for show only.

Burlington has a spineless city council and dimwits as department heads who have been on the job so long they think their unique and can’t be replaced. These people just sit back and get their raises every year based on nothing more than filling space and wasting time, while our taxes just keep climbing. All government has gotten to the point where the taxpayer can no longer afford the excessive costs and lack of performance. All government employees should be given a 25% wage cut and a 35% increase in their portion of the benefit costs. We should also look at the retirement these dimwits are getting in Burlington because I would imagine it’s totally out of line with the private sector. I would pay government people the same as the military with the exception they pay for a third of their medical benefits. After all aren’t military people government employees? Why do we treat the civil servants as sacred cows?

We then have retired police and others working for the city after retirement but that’s another story for another time.

Sick of It

Spike,

"You have the skills base to grow engineers and welders," he said. "You need more career development. You need to attract educated and experienced people."

Another consultant. Another report. The results are the same.

What of collaboration and coordination of efforts to bring about positive change. We have the Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission. What do we get?

Tax subsidized bus rides are provided to attract poorly educated, poorly skilled workers. Our schools become bedlam and the state's highest drop out rate becomes Burlington's booby prize.

Such success demands more space. Tax dollars to buy a building far in excess of the SEIRPC's needs is in the works. One more property off the tax rolls.

Concentrated efforts by the SEIRPC will eventually end the need for further consultants' studies. Nobody will have the money to pay consultants to tell us we keep doing the wrong thing.

MNB

We study everything and never heed anyone's advice.

Spike

Spike,

Why is the Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission in the bus business? Propriety of subsidizing Tyson's Foods aside, there are other government agencies better capable of handling the job.

For starters, there is Burlington Urban Service. Count the school districts between Burlington and Columbus Junction. All of these government transportation systems have long experience, personnel and facilities to accomplish the task. Why not give a grant to them to provide the service?

There are private transportation companies capable of providing the service as well. Would giving them a chance to bid would be socialist sacrilege?

Tapp's federal grant grab relies heavily on the transit business to justify buying a building far in excess of the SEIRPC's needs. There is neither need, nor reason, for SEIRPC being in the bus business.

Taxpayers are tired of being given the business by Mr. Tapp. Hopefully, the federal agency in charge of disbursing our tax money will apply the brakes to Tapp's scheme.

The Southeast Iowa Regional planning commission was not chartered to run bus charters. If its current Director can not focus the SEIRPC on co-ordinating positive regional development, Mr. Tapp should be thrown under the bus.

HK

from the Wall Street Journal -

"The reality is that cost estimates for climate legislation are as unreliable as the models predicting climate change. What comes out of the computer is a function of what politicians type in. A better indicator might be what other countries are already experiencing. Britain's Taxpayer Alliance estimates the average family there is paying nearly $1,300 a year in green taxes for carbon-cutting programs in effect only a few years.

Americans should know that those Members who vote for this climate bill are voting for what is likely to be the biggest tax in American history. Even Democrats can't repeal that reality."

I wonder if Loebsack will vote for this with a "Present." If he's awake.

Spike