A reader posted this on another thread, just passing it along.
Comments??
Amazing to me that less than 650 votes would have won a seat .. wow..
Arkansas City City Commission (unofficial results as of 8:50 p.m.)
•Joel Hockenbury — 788
•Charles Tweedy III — 705
•Chad Giles — 648
•Jean Snell — 501
•Ron Hirst — 431
•Dotty Smith — 330
Interesting that we are seeing a changing of the guard. Perhaps we are ready to move in a more progressive direction?
ReplyDeleteJoel was for progress the last time he was in there if I remember right, but got outvoted by the three amigos, all of whom are now history. Hopefully the next time we have a chance at progress things will go a little differently.
ReplyDeleteIt may have less to do with the 'move toward progress' and more to do with how the commission in this town has a way about them that seems to disenfranchise voters.
ReplyDeleteThis doesn't really apply to the topic but in some ways it just might!
ReplyDeleteThis week I had my annual meeting with my accountant. (Time for me to pay my small part of a Cruise Missle!)
So, we covered the details and then started to solve the Country
's problems! (You couldn't do that with a Lawyer they charge by the sec/min.)
In our conversation we discussed unemployment and I said I thought the Government was actually susidizing the high unemployment rates. They were making it as or more profitable not to work!
Well he told me that he has some customers that have been on unemployment for TWO YEARS.
He said the ones he felt he could talk to he asked if it wasn't about time to look for a job! Their response was not until the last unemployment check!
So, here is my prediciton:
The DOWNTURN/RECESSION whatever you want to call it WILL END. WHEN THEY QUIT SUBSIDIZING IT!
@2:10pm
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I've been unemployed for year and a half, have benefits coming but have chosen NOT to draw them, I look for work, fill out apps but no luck. I will continue to do odd jobs as I can find them and count on the wife to keep the wolves from the door with her income. I could draw more in unemployment benefits than what I would earn at ANY of the jobs that I have applied for around here, but I would rather work for what I get. You would think that would give a person a little respect, and maybe a 'leg up' in landing a paying position, but apparently not. We have worked hard enough, and been conservative enough, to have no mortgage or other payments besides paying taxes, insurance, and utilities. It is not easy, but I feel like I'm doing the right thing
@2:10, I've said that for years. Here I go again... The dems fought tooth & nail to keep ridiculous unemployment times. Sheesh!
ReplyDelete@4:11...Kudos for you. However, in all fairness, you did pay into that, and no one would fault you if you claimed it. Used to be, when you lost a job you had a few weeks at most to draw it. (2 years is insane) IMO.
@jj...WOW! I added all those #'s you gave, and if I add correct it says 3,403 people voted total. This is a statement of what the folk in A.C. think of this position and it's effect on their lives. Sad, sad, sad. This is why some people wind up getting on the Commission. Then people want to blog and complain when stuff happens. Heaven help us!!!
jj...WOW! I added all those #'s you gave, and if I add correct it says 3,403 people voted total.
ReplyDeleteNo
each person gets to vote for 3 candidates. what it means is that slightly more than 1,100 people voted. Out of a city of 12,000 or so ... thats kinda pathetic. And it could be even less if people voted for less than three ...
I think its pretty ridiculous to blame unemployed people.
ReplyDeleteIm sure some exploit the system.
Whoever said they didnt get benefits .. yea but you had a wife working.
So instead of using the government you made your poor wife get out there and support you .. To me thats more shameful .. You could have gotten the benefits and taken the pressure off her. Was this fair to her? No it wasnt.
.. theres no excuse for you not having a job, just like you said. Maybe you should be jailed for spouse abuse.
What if you were single and had a kid or two? Then what?
even if you get a minimum wage job, you wont be able to pay for the child care you would need to have the job.
Its like blaming sick people for getting sick.
Lets just shut down all the hospitals. Those danged sick people need to get off their butts and get well on their own.... and with all the medicade available, are we not subsidizing sickness here?? that would take a big burden off the national debt.
just using your logic :)
@4:52pm
ReplyDeleteyour are an absolute sissy, and an idiot. I'm not single, nor do I have a kid or two, but then, we could 'what if' all day. What if you had a backbone? Mr Socialist, always wanting somebody else to take care of you !
p.s. don't worry about my wife, if she gets her fill of it, I will cash in a couple of my cds and buy her one.
@4:52,
ReplyDeleteThat is the most idiotic thing I have read in a very long time. Why don't you move to a socialist country and have all your needs met by the government instead of putting down a person who, judging by his post, has more work ethic and patriotism in his little finger than you ever will.
jj..you know, I figured that out last evening and fully intended to come back & straighten it. You beat me to the punch. eh? Point taken. To the rest of my post that makes my point even more credible. It's HORRIBLE that 10% of the people decide who sits on a Commission. If it was possible to know, I suspect many who voted were friends, family, co-workers, associates, etc. of the ones who won. Sad, sad, sad. In my view, if you don't vote you have nothing to say.
ReplyDeleteD.Q.
The DOWNTURN/RECESSION whatever you want to call it WILL END. WHEN THEY QUIT SUBSIDIZING IT!
ReplyDeleteYou know with all the FIREWORKS and POINTING FINGERS going on in Washington TODAY and the possible SHUT DOWN of the Federal Govenrment?
Nobody seems to want to go back and look at what has really happened!
O-man, Pelosi, Reid and Company who were in the majority NEVER PASSED a BUDGET!
They just used CR's to fund the Government (six times so far and counting).
Now the question that has to be asked just like in the case of the Dems in State of Wisconsin.
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH ELECTED OFICIALS WHO DON"T DO THEIR JOBS?
They weren't elected to force their way (0ne way or the other). They were elected to do a job and work through the issues. They were elected to represent all the citizens (of all the paries) not just the ones who supported their being elected!
When do you suppose they will Get BACK to doing their work - and make America work AGAIN!
YOU always PUT the emphasis on THE wrong words. What's up WITH that?
ReplyDeleteSo, what do you want me emphasize?
ReplyDeleteThat I think the Democrats Didn't pass a budget on PURPOSE!
So their spending wouldn't be constrained by to the limits proposed in that Budget
They could fund the things they wanted without any oversight or restrictions?
Obama, (in his defense) proposed his budget in Feb. he did his part. But the rest didn't do anything and dropped the Ball. Oct. 1 came with no BUDGET!
Then came the election - it was a landslide against the Democrats!
What do you think wold have happened if they had won without a BUDGET?
It's proably time to pull the Plug and strip the POWER from a select few - who want to RULE the REST of the Country!
They already know the tax system needs changed, they already know the baby boomers are going to put a strain on SS and Medicare.
(They have known that for years.) The already know the condition of Medicaid and on and on.....!
They know the Public Pensions are unfunded its no surprise!
They know immigration is out of control and is resulting in the exploitation of immigrants and a severe strain on the Social programs!
They know the Deficit is out of control and the money spent on the interest on that debt. Doesn't get applied to anything domestic!
(It's already spent - gone before they even get it!)
Now to keep this post short - THEY ALREADY KNOW and they aren't doing their JOB!
Btw: I should have put National Debt and not deficit and I apologize for my typos - I got rushed!
ReplyDeleteBut one post on a Damn near dead blog probably won't change anything!
But the CHANGE WE REALLY NEED is going to be from the BOTTOM UP not the TOP DOWN!
GRASSROOTS by the individual Citizens, Local and State Governments!
Turn out the lights In Washington! Let them set IN the DARK!
I could not agree more. This shutdown was brought on by democrats because they will not cave on planned parethood funding for abortions, but they want to make it seem like the fault lies with the new GOP majority EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE FAILED TO PASS A BUDGET SINCE LAST YEAR. If they had done their job we would not be in this mess. Was Obama too busy taking vacations to pass a budget on time?
ReplyDeleteTom, about the time you were posting, the Saviour of the free world made an announcement that through cooperation and joint sacrifices, the dems and pubs made a deal that was the largest budget reduction IN HISTORY, he forgot to mention that it was a drop in a bucket compared to the largest spending spree in history.
ReplyDeleteI am convinced that the contentions between politicians of all parties is simply a smoke screen provided to 'we the people'. The true powers are a global cabal of bankers that own the federal reserve bank, the international monetary fund (IMF), and that our past presidents, both repub and dem, have been nothing more than their puppets.
The fed res. bank, IS NOT A GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION, GREENSPAN, BERNANKE ARE NOT GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, they are employed be the federal reserve bank (system) and, as such, are leading our government in the direction that will provide their upperlings with the greatest wealth and power. Research the history of the fed from its inception in about 1917, Jekeyl Island. We, the people, are screwed !! Corruption in government has been unleashed for too long.
That same corruption can be seen and heard on a local level, with no greater example than that of the commission of ark city. 'accidentally filed bankruptcy',what a load. I believe that, as the next several wks. unfold, there may well be much more revealed about kuhn and his relationship with the dept heads in the environmental dept., of such, that if the entire truth is reported, some should well face jail time. There can be nothing good for the general public when secret societies are allowed to undermine the principles of a free nation in order to advance the wallets and security of their 'brotherhood'.
The Dems were willing to shut down the government, leaving soldiers and their families without pay, if the Republicans did not give up on defunding Planned Parenthood.
ReplyDeleteWe are six months late passing the 2011 budget, and the only reason it cut spending instead of increasing it was because Republicans won the majority in November. Imagine how much further in the hole this country would be if the dems had won in November. November 2012 should bring things right, and hopefully put us back on track toward fixing our deficit and getting this country back on it's feet. I can only hope some of the damage of the last 6 to 8 years can be repaired. I truly fear for the road we are on. What will this country be like in 100 years?
Im surprised some of you agree that the whole budget thing is smoke and mirrors by both parties.
ReplyDeleteWould not surprise me if the leadership of both sides are not sitting back right now sipping expensive wine (at our expense) and laughing, high fiving each other over their theatrics over the last several days.
The thought occurs to me ...
why does the budget matter?
its just a plan. i dont think there is any requirement that it be followed.
heck, even ark city - or any other small town - adjusts its budget as needed.
has it ever been followed?
anyone who thinks the govt would be shut down has been drinking too much koolaid. ...
Government shutdowns are real, and have happened in the past. Many areas of government such as National Parks, and military paychecks (among others) are affected by these shutdowns. I don't doubt that these budget fights are played for political gain, but budgets are required by law, and this particular budget was due last October. The fact that Obama and company failed to pass one last year, even though they had a majority, should be the main story right now, not the compromise.
ReplyDeleteThe thought occurs to me ...
ReplyDeletewhy does the budget matter?
its just a plan. i dont think there is any requirement that it be followed.
heck, even ark city - or any other small town - adjusts its budget as needed.
has it ever been followed?
JJ,
If you go back and follow the REAL story! The reason the Budget didn't get passed (so they say) was when Kennedy died the Dems lost enough votes to stop a filabuster by the PUBS!
Pelosi and Reid couldn't agree on a budget, I believe the House did propose one but the Senate never voted on one!
Now you want to focus on the PUB vs. DEM's but even with in their own parties they can't reach agreement! (Thats probably a greater sign of a broken government than the gridlock of the two party system.)
The Dem's lost the election - there was no budget- and the Pubs warned the Dems about making any extreme monetary moves between the election in Nov. and the new Congress in Jan.
Now if the Dems had won without a budget and only CR's to fund the Government what do you think could have happened? I think they could have moved money at their pleasure!
I got to be honest I don't think the Progressives and Socialist in this country
care if we CONTINUE as a Republic, Democracy or Capitalist Society!
I actually think they want to do anything possible to destroy the America we know and create their own Vision for the Country!
The most interesting thing is that especially TODAY all those other types of Government around the WORLD are under fire as well as UNDER WATER!
WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO BE LIKE THEM?
locally, anyone have any comments about 'accidentally filing' bankruptcy? Mine comment is that it shows hypocrisy at least; attempted tax evasion more likely !!
ReplyDeleteThe Kuhn story is just too prepostorous for words. I for one am very happy that he is no longer representing the city, and I think the city should stop doing business with his company, as he has shown himself to be untrustworthy.
ReplyDeleteThe Kuhn story is just too prepostorous for words.
ReplyDeleteIt probably wasn't one of Kuhn's best moves - although I'm pretty sure he probably was ill - advised by other parties! (I don't think he cooked it up all by hmself!)
But, it is what it is - we will have to see how it turns out!
The interesting thing is that Geithner and whole bunch of other politicains in a lot higher places can skirt the IRS until they get caught) and then they continue or even get advanced!
Go figure!
The incentives and often the rewards go to or favor the dishonest!
I don't think Mel did it intentionally - but if he did he should deal with it and suffer the consequences!
Well...say what you want about Kuhn Mechanical. I can tell you one thing for sure: When you call them they come out. Try getting ahold of a plumber in this town. "We'll be there in a week...maybe...if we like your project...or if your project is big enough." It's a joke. Plus..Kuhn does good work and will come back & make it right if there's a problem.
ReplyDeleteWritten by: The Voice of experience.
I use Walker plumbing, and they are always quick to respond, and very reasonable. None of the problems you say all the other plumbers besides your friend has.
ReplyDeletekuhn was "ill-advised" ??!! Give me a break. So if Geithner and Rangel were tax evasion crooks, rec'd no penalty and even promotion, then that makes it all right for kuhn to do the same?? I have visited with way more individuals who have consistantly said they would get a bid for 'x' from him, then would get a bill for 'x' plus 'y' when the job was done!!
ReplyDeleteEven giving him the benefit of the doubt (saying he was ill advised, that it was an 'accident',) the city should NEVER allow him to do anymore work based on the obvious incompetency this fiasco has displayed.
It certainly doesn't take a genious to figure out why seaton's are behind him all the way, as advertising dollars are the journalistic standard by which they develop their opinion of anyone!
So if Geithner and Rangel were tax evasion crooks, rec'd no penalty and even promotion, then that makes it all right for kuhn to do the same??
ReplyDeleteGee, I surprised you even caught that one!
No, I wasn't saying its alright! Just that the IRS doesn't neccesarily enforce on the same scale or with the same penalties for the "ELITE"! (Rangel didn't know any better (right) and Geithner - well we had to keep him cause he was the head of the New York Fed. Res. and he knew how to unwind all those derivatives!
(Even Paulson wanted him to get that Position!)
But, they like to crucify the Small Private Sector Businesses! (Those little crooks).
Too, bad they can't disolve the IRS and restructure the whole tax system!
But then again who would employ all those ex-IRS employess? (You think Taco Bell needs Bean Counters?)
Maybe Kuhn was ill? Come on. Next you'll say he was bitten by a spider or something equally as preposterous.
ReplyDelete@2:32..idk..all I know for sure is (experience, two occasions) I called Walker's and was told: "he's really busy, backed up..may be a day or so" ok, my repair wasn't emergency. I wait a week, call back and was told: "he's still really busy,...backed up."
ReplyDeleteSo, I gave up on them twice and called Kuhn, both times Kuhn's repairmen were on my porch the next day. Did an excellent job. I have NO complaints about Kuhn's guys work. Plus they all are cordial and professional. (Again, this is my experience only) Didn't want to use names, but since you did...
Every time I have called Walker they were there that day. I don't think I've ever had to wait.
ReplyDeleteWell...good for you.
ReplyDeleteDuring the last snow we had, our water stopped running. I called other plumbers and was told how busy they were, and im sure they were because of frozen pipes.
ReplyDeleteKuhn's guy came out that day, it was 9 p.m. but still, his was the only company that actually came and looked.
He must have needed the money to pay his IRS debt. Oh wait, no he didn't, because he didn't pay his IRS debt, he tried to weasel out of it by filing bankruptcy, but then when he realized that wouldn't work he changed his mind. We should run him out of town on a rail. I will never do business with someone so deceitful.
ReplyDeleteThere is a reason Kuhn's guys are available.
ReplyDeleteThere is a reason Kuhn's guys are available
ReplyDeleteMaybe that is because he has more employees.
He does work outside the City.
AND
His Yellow page add says "No matter when you
call, We'll be there".
Not very common in a small town - where the local contractors pick and choose or put you on a list!
@8:04a.m. Thank you. Was beginning to think me & jj only ones who said. Look, I'm on Mell fan. But, I was simply stating my experience in good old Ark city. I'm fairly sure the locals do "cherry pick" their projects. i.e., size of job? location? type of job? how hard it is? how much it nets? I mean if you have 20 people needing service you probably would. When jj says someone showed up at his place at 9 p.m...ha. Reckon any other guys in town would? If you think so, I got a bridge I'd like to sell ya. jk..:)
ReplyDelete@5:37
ReplyDeleteOur household is not so helpless that we would ever need a plumber to show up at 9pm, for any reason. We have used walker plumbing for 40yrs and never have had any problem with 'waiting'. You might fancy yourself a 'bridge salesman', but you can't hold a candle to a professional such as kuhn.
Once again this blog strays from discussing the pros and cons of a subject to personal attacks on the posters.
ReplyDeleteI don't care if you like or use Kuhn or Walker!
The point is they are both in business and they both meet the needs of their customers!
But what is there to gain from degrading one over the other - Oh, Wait I forgot the change in subject was meant to degrade Kuhn!
(Maybe the discussion started out about his BK filing but you knew in advance where that post was headed!)
Well it started out about the election.
ReplyDeleteI am going to delete posts that degrade people from this point.
If people can't speak their mind then why keep the blog open. Close it.
ReplyDeleteis it fair to let you say bad things about people anonymously, and we have no way to verify anything?
ReplyDeleteSpeaking your mind is fine.
making accusations against people is not.
If you will put your real name on it, and call me on the phone to prove it, then you can make accusations ... is that fair?
@11:02 jj, Speaking your mind is fine. making accusations against people is not.
ReplyDeleteT.Y., jj. people have a way of saying things on a blog that they would never say to a person's face. Then they wonder why A.C. has so many problems.
What accusations were made that weren't already printed in the Traveler from Kuhn's own lips? Other than someone saying that plumbers weren't available?
ReplyDeleteTimes are tough. 120,00 dollars in payroll taxes can add up pretty quickly. And things snowball out of purport ion. I'm sure he needed money for operating expenses, to pay the bills, to pay his employees. So, we don't pay payroll taxes, things will pick up next month, and then it's two, or three or four... I'm no fan of Mell as a politician, and as a person, he has made some stupid mistakes, but who among us hasn't. I do believe he has a genuine heart for the city, and for civic causes. His company does good work, and he employees many people. What was he to do? Close shop, lay everybody off and have one less plumber in a town where there is already a shortage? What he did was wrong, but I can sympathize with him. Glad he's trying to work things out.
ReplyDelete*should have been 120,000 dollars
ReplyDelete@9:06 thx...nicely written
ReplyDeleteYou're wlecome Mell.
ReplyDelete