President Obama said recovery will take years, not months!

Please click on the header to be directed to the story. Now, I know this is not about Crestwood,or is it? Much vaunted House speaker Mr. Tip O'Neil (D) once said "All politics is local," and so it is here in Crestwood!

I have spoken to learned men, and company CEO's, and CFO's in Houston, TX. last week at a seminar of industry leaders who really believe that we will be well into 2012 before we see any sign of recovery, and I agree with them.

Now in 2009 I have scaled back my expenses business wise to match an 18% decrease in sales, and service that I fully expect this year. shouldn't Crestwood be looking at their bottom line as well?

Well, of course they should, and I believe they are. Now, we have some Alderman who are pushing for a tax increase on the August ballot (yes, it will be there again,)and we have a Mayor who is not exactly revered by the masses, What to do?

There will come a time when we will need to vote for a tax increase or loose our valued services, we all know that. However, I am not going to give it to a BOA that will not stand up to the mayor, period! We will be voting for new faces, and ideas in April, and this time we have some really great candidates in Steve Nieder, Darrell Wallach, Paul Duchild, Jeff Schlink, and Mimi Duncan!

This new crop of candidates (and in some cases Alderpersons) will go a long way toward restoring my faith in the BOA. Now, if "His Honor" wants to join the revival, I suggest he consider a full an honest apology to the Citizens (the 72% OF US WHO ARE "ILLEGITIMATE,") and give us a complete and comprehensive plan as to where the money is going and why. No ward healing rah, rah meetings with the local cheer leaders, but a plan that he, and the Board are willing to stake their collective career's on (including the City Administrator!)

You do that your Honor, and I will get on the band wagon for a tax increase! But, I will accept no less my friend, and I do not believe the good citizens of Crestwood will either.

Tom Ford

NO. 591

Major points of the last BOA meeting from the South County Times.

Please click on the header to be directed to the highlights of last Tuesday's BOA meeting.

Watch the spending and remember, " were broke!" That said, while the $29K for the park system software may seem silly, I think it may well be worth it!

This has been billed as a "savings" by the protractors of the system in that is is billed as "paying for itself" in three years. Well, we may well have the first "tracking" program that will help you and I watch the coffers a bit more closely! Time will tell.

And by the way the "Carport issue" was not voted on, so we are all safe from "Judge Judt" for a while any way!

Tom Ford

NO. 590

Please just click here and watch the movie.

I could go on, and on about our people in harms way, but this time I WILL defer to this video, watch it and you will understand !

Face it, by comparison, our mini problems are a joke !

Tom Ford

NO. 589

Crestwood "car port ammendment," or what now?

Please click on the header to read the "new rules" the planning and zoning commission would like to see adopted. Now on the surface one could assume that this is an idea to "make Crestwood beauty full, but is that all there is to it?

Reflect on this if you will, we now have (?) a code enforcement officer (has any one seen her since she became enconsed at the Sappington House?) who would be responsible for this sort of thing were she doing her "code enforcement" work.

We have major finical problems in that the cash flow is zilch (compared to the past,) but yet we have the time and monies available to expend on telling you and I what we can put in our car ports!

Could this be yet another hair brained scheme to fill the coffers of the City with yet more ticket funding, or are they now going to try to micro manage our lives, our homes, and our property?

Yes folks were in a bit of a dilemma here, one the one hand we have a tried and true P&Z commission (who buy the way don't seem to be planning much of anything,) and on the other, we have the Marxist Government who long for more funding from us, and in the middle, well there is us!

What say you Crestwoodians, will we allow yet another assault on our liberty and freedom, or will we band together and tell these brigands that we shall not surrender our homes, property, and car port's?

To para phrase Patric Henry, I say " Give me liberty (and my carport,) or give me death!

Tom Ford

NO. 588

Starbucks to cut 1000 job's Nation wide !

Will our beloved Starbucks survive the current cash flow crunch (click the header,) or will we see another "empty store front?"

What's the BOA, and "His Honor" going to do if it does happen? do they have a "business plan" in place for this sort of thing, or do they just wait, and react?

Time for some pro active thinking here Gentlemen, we can no longer sit by and re arrange the deck chairs, we must look ahead and make the cuts we have to before its to late!

By the way, now that the slate for April is set, it looks like we will have some great Alderpersons on the Dias. I am now "shopping" for as good a candidate as Mr. Nieder, Mr. Miguel, Mr. Wallach, and Ms. Duncan to further the cause of Crestwood.

As for Ward two, well, the jury is still out for me until I hear from the two new candidates (I hope that will be soon.)

Ward three has an outstanding candidate in Mr, Duchild, as he has the financial expertise we desperately need at this time.

Where will we go from here ? Well that will depend on the new leadership, but I do believe that with a stroke of the pen at the ballot box we will have the people we need go "get er done!"

Tom Ford

NO. 587

This well may explain some of the "going's on" in local, state, and federal government these days! Does anyone see a similarity here between us and the new element?


A NEW ELEMENT



Lawrence Livermore Laboratories has discovered the heaviest element yet known to science.

The new element, Governmentium (Gv), has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons,

and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312.

These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities

of lepton-like particles called peons.

Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert; however, it can be detected, because it impedes

every reaction with which it comes into contact. A tiny amount of Governmentium can cause a reaction

that would normally take less than a second, to take from four days to four years to complete.

Governmentium has a normal half-life of 2- 6 years; It does not decay, but instead undergoes a

reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places.

In fact, Governmentium's mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause

more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes.

This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed

whenever morons reach a critical concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as critical

morass.

When catalysed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium, an element that radiates just

as much energy as Governmentium since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons.

Tom Ford

NO. 586

The state of Retail in the Country as of the last report.

Please click on the header to be directed to the list of retail store closings as of Nov. / Dec. 2008. I bring you this list not create a negative atmosphere in our deliberations here, but rather to show you what other parts of the Nation are seeing as well.

Now as I see it, we have two choices here, one is to participate in the current rescission, the other is to opt out and ignore it! As for me, I choose to ignore it, and move ahead!

As I am sure Mr. Roby will tell you, anyone of us in the "building industry" could have told you 15 years ago that the "retail malls, and strip stores" were way over built for the population. The same was true for housing, but times were good (?) and everyone just knew that the bubble would never burst, at least not in my back yard!

But then came the shenanigans of the lenders (mandated by Congress) to lend funds to folks who could never pay it back. Next oil prices went through the roof, and before you knew it, well we watched the "bubble burst." Friends, things will not get better for some time to come, so where do we go from here?

As I said before, I choose not to participate in this Barney Frank, Chris Dodd debacle, but rather I will suggest we do what we must to bring Crestwood through these trying times.

"Your Honor" members of the Board, what do we REALLY NEED, and can you demonstrate to us why? Are you willing to step down if needed to save our City, or will you continue to "rearrange the deck chairs as the good ship Crestwood slips below the waves?" These are serious times, and they call for serious leadership, so how about we PROVE THE NEED FOR A TAX INCREASE? Who knows, with the right people in charge, and the increase (if needed,) we very well may be able to "opt out" of the mess Washinton has created!

Tom Ford

NO. 585

City officials now want budget cuts! Really? Ya think?

Please click on the header for a story by Mr, Burke Wasson reference the "Crisis" that Crestwood now finds itself in! Amazing to say the least, as I and several others have said this for some time now, only to be rebuffed by "His Honor," the City Administrator, and certain members of the BOA!

In a startling revelation the new City Administrator now says that we will need to do this by 2010! Great, but we really needed to do this BEFORE NOW!



Mr. Bland tried to ram through a measure last night on the Sappington House that would have allowed a person to get the restaurant for $800.00 per month (it cost's over $1000.00 per month for heat, light, insurance, and maintenance!) Now on the surface that would seem ridiculous, and when you dig into it, it is! So the question's are, why the rush, and why are you willing to allow us to loose money, Mr. Bland?

Well, we all know that Alderman Kelsch has put a bid in to take over the restaurant, so are you trying to make that happen Alderman Bland, and if so, why? A dumb old private citizen such as myself would like to see at least 3 more bids before we let this go!

Folks, while you are at the Suncrest Call web site, please read the editorial by Mr. Burke Wasson for some insight into the "Great quotes of 2008" by our politicians!

Tom Ford

NO. 584

By now we all know that our Macy's store will close very soon!

Now we shall go into a period of dis-belief, mourning, what if, and general malaise complete with rending of garments, hand wringing, an the "usual" tax increase mantra!

On the surface this is not good at all, now is it, or is it? We now have a NEED for the leadership that has been so lacking at City Hall what with "yes men" on the Dias, and a mayor that said "remember it takes six!"

Can it be that now we shall see someone take the reins up there and DO SOMETHING ABOUT OUR "OPPORTUNITY?" I have an idea "Your Honor," since the retail tax holiday you slammed into place over the BOA's objection was such a howling success, and filled the coffers to the point we could operate in deficit spending, let's do it again!

Now as to the fact that 72% of the citizens in Crestwood will never go along with a tax increase under the current leadership, I have (as usual) a plan!

1. Close the White cliff pool for 2009.

2. Downsize the animal control officer.

3. Close Sappington House and CHARGE RENT to the code officer.

4. Charge ingress and egress fees to the swim club for the lot.

5. Cut employees (by attrition only.)

6. Freeze all hiring.

7. Rescind all salary increases for promotions in 2008.

8. Assign patrol duties to command staff police officers.

9. Stop the "Crestwood Connections publication, and mailing.

10. Ask for citizen volunteers to "fill in if qualified,and needed."

In other words,act like a business for a change, cut where you can (and must,) and make darn sure each department head understands the NEED FOR IT!

Gentlemen, I will tell you now that your going to be very unpopular, you will be dis-invited to the cocktail parties, coffee klotch's, and the swim club, BUT YOU WILL SAVE CRESTWOOD, and after all, that's what's more important, no?

If there be any man on the Board who feels he is more important than the sum of all of us, and cannot perform this fiduciary duties to Crestwood I say, let him resign now, and allow us to fill his seat with someone who can, and will!

On the lighter side, the closing of Macy;'s has certainly taken a load off the back's of the Citizens committee for revenue increase, now they can go straight to TAX INCREASE, and forget the middle man!

Tom Ford

NO. 583