HAPPY HALLOWEEN CRESTWOOD!

Here is a card for you, and if your going to show it to the smaller children of the house, parental guidance, and approval is suggested. We wouldn't want the youngsters to be frightened before their big night would we.


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Tom Ford

NO. 1064

Negoation, 101 as seen through the eyes of a skilled Botinist

Tuesday night brought us a very startling revelation, that being an elected official from Ward Four has "bowed" (seems someone else has done this before) to what must be only described as extreme pressure and "changed his mind" reference the "District at Crestwood" vote!

Now, Lord knows that I could never, ever hope to possess the astute, shrewd, and manipulating skills of the Gentlemen in question, but as a novice negotiator, I am very interested in what's in it for Crestwood to quit before we got to bat at least once?

Again, it's obvious that a member of the 'great unwashed" such as I could not possibly understand the inner workings of giving up the farm keys without a fight, so please enlighten me as to the following.

Why would a member of the Bond / TIF legal team be in attendance on Tuesday when he knew it was a no go? Why would a vote be changed last night when it's obvious that Crestwood, by that change has given up all chance of negotiating? Who said what to whom to make this strange occurrence happen?

Is it possible that the good citizens of Ward Four have made an error in judgement at the last election? It seems to me that what they, and we by extension needed was a skilled businessman negotiator, what they and we got was a world class weather vane.

All is not lost however, if a plant gets sick in Crestwood, we know just who to go to, don't we.



Tom Ford

NO. 1064

Round three tonight, FOREIGN POLICY on display!

The subject for tonight's debate is Foreign Policy, or where do we go from here, and why.

I have posted this article reference the debates from the New York Times to give our progressive / liberal friends a 'heads up' from one of their own house organs, so here it is.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/21/mondays-debate-puts-focus-on-foreign-policy-clashes/?hp

Watch the entire debate and then we can discuss it tomorrow. It matters not which side your on, it only matters that the 'give and take' be aired so we can fulfill our sacred duty to vote in November a bit more enlightened, or not.

Tom Ford


NO. 1063

The Jobless reports explained by Abbott and Costello, easy, no?

From a friend via email, and no matter what side you come down on, funny.


Today's unemployment report explained --






COSTELLO: I want to talk about the unemployment rate in America.

ABBOTT: Good Subject. Terrible Times. It's 7.8%.

COSTELLO: That many people are out of work?

ABBOTT: No, that's 14.7%.

COSTELLO: You just said 7.8%.

ABBOTT: 7.8% Unemployed.

COSTELLO: Right 7.8% out of work.

ABBOTT: No, that's 14.7%.

COSTELLO: Okay, so it's 14.7% unemployed.

ABBOTT: No, that's 7.8%.

COSTELLO: WAIT A MINUTE. Is it 7.8% or 14.7%?

ABBOTT: 7.8% are unemployed. 14.7% are out of work.

COSTELLO: IF you are out of work you are unemployed.

ABBOTT: No, Obama said you can't count the "Out of Work" as the unemployed. You have to look for work to be unemployed.

COSTELLO: BUT THEY ARE OUT OF WORK!!!

ABBOTT: No, you miss his point.

COSTELLO: What point?

ABBOTT: Someone who doesn't look for work can't be counted with those who look for work. It wouldn't be fair.

COSTELLO: To whom?

ABBOTT: The unemployed.

COSTELLO: But they are ALL out of work.

ABBOTT: No, the unemployed are actively looking for work. Those who are out of work gave up looking and if you give up, you are no longer in the ranks of the unemployed.

COSTELLO: So if you're off the unemployment rolls that would count as less unemployment?

ABBOTT: Unemployment would go down. Absolutely!

COSTELLO: The unemployment just goes down because you don't look for work?

ABBOTT: Absolutely it goes down. That's how Obama gets it to 7.8%. Otherwise it would be 14.7%. He doesn't want you to read about 14.7% unemployment.

COSTELLO: That would be tough on his reelection.

ABBOTT: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: Wait, I got a question for you. That means there are two ways to bring down the unemployment number?

ABBOTT: Two ways is correct.

COSTELLO: Unemployment can go down if someone gets a job?

ABBOTT: Correct.

COSTELLO: And unemployment can also go down if you stop looking for a job?

ABBOTT: Bingo.

COSTELLO: So there are two ways to bring unemployment down, and the easier of the two is to have Obama's supporters stop looking for work.

ABBOTT: Now you're thinking like the Obama Economy Czar.

COSTELLO: I don't even know what the hell I just said!

ABBOTT: Now you're thinking like Obama.

Tom Ford

NO. 1062

New Poll from USA Today gives Romney the lead with women voters.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2012/10/15/swing-states-poll-women-voters-romney-obama/1634791/

Well this is interesting coming on the eve of the second presidential debate scheduled for tonight airing on all the alphabet stations not to mention cable.

The latest Gallop poll is shown above, so what do you think of the results, and do you believe that Candy Crowley can be "neutral" enough to moderate a fair and honest debate? In case you haven't been following the discussion on debate moderators, there has been a mini furor over the conduct of the ones chosen to moderate.

Tonight we shall see both sides come out ready for bear (they called it "rope a dope" this morning on the radio.) I for one, have a very hard time believing that most all of us (except the so called independents) have made up our minds on this by now. This will be an affirmation of what we believe, so I think it will come down to WHO actually goes to the poll's and votes.

Your thoughts please.


Tom Ford

NO. 1061

I regret to inform you of the passing of Mr. Patrick "Jim" Murphy(senior.)

At this time I have no details as to where and when the funeral will be held, but as I receive them I will of course post them here.(see below for the details as promised.)

Jim was a community minded man who served at the State level, and was a good friend and mentor to me as well as many others, he will be missed.

I shall miss his Irish humor, his quick wit, his warm smile, and his ability to fully explain anything I wanted to know about the body politic.

"Fair winds and a following sea" my good friend, and "may you be in the hands of the Lord ten minutes before the devil knows of your passing!"

Please read the top post below (10/12/12) by Mr. Jimmy Murphy that outlines the funeral arrangements for Jim (senior.)


Tom Ford

NO. 1060

Forget the "Crestwood Court's," Now it's the "District at Crestwood!"

I would like to 'revive' the debate on this project as the Board of Alderman are being asked to give a 40 Million dollar tax break to the developers of the renamed "District at Crestwood." Below is a copy of what I said earlier, and it seems to be as good a starting point as any, so........


6:36 AM, October 04, 2012

Crestwood Independent said...
"Well folks, my answer to any of this is fairly simple.

Centrum bought the entire property from Westfield for $17.5 million ( Westfield had roughly $12o+ million invested in it.)

So far we see that Centrum has made a shrewd business deal indeed. But wait, the recession hits, stores leave, and now the property is a literal ghost town minus the tumbleweeds (so far.)

As is the "new norm" business model of the new Century, Centrum wants a TIF, CID, and a TDD to "assist" them in their re building of a new "entertainment mecca."

Of course they do, I would too, however the reality is that Crestwood, the Lindbergh School District, nor the eventual customers can afford this luxury.

Yes, I said luxury as the real truth of the matter is that when you add all the taxes this would bring with it folks can, and will feel like they are in Chicago at the tax rate (10 1/4%.)

At the tax rate we will be fleecing them out of to pay these 'political sub division's back they might as well be!

Most of you know that I spent a career in small business, right? Well in good times and bad times I paid my own way, I never received a dime in tax money to support a project that I quoted, sold, and installed.

So what you say? Well I mention this because I feel that the developers should do it the old fashioned way, PAY FOR IT THEMSELVES! If they are such believers that this cannot fail, than let them build it, "and maybe we will come."

let's get back to the high tax rate for a second. Why would anyone go there when we could go to the Crestwood Bowl for a lot less , and do the same thing?

I also wonder why we would even consider 'throwing the Crestwood Bowl under the bus' in the first place? Are we saying that the word loyalty is outmoded in Crestwood?

This entire project as lined out by the developers is fraught with failure, and then what happens to the property? Well they try to find someone to buy it and were off to the poor house again!

Don't believe me? Did you notice the part where the 'prospective tenants' may be holding off commitment's to lease UNTIL AFTER Centrum secures the tax financing from the 'rube's?'(that would be us?) Why is that if this is such a 'sure thing?'

$40 million to 'assist' a developer in rebuilding a place they wish they had never had bought in the first place is in a word, ridiculous. In the words of the air traffic controller in the movie 'Airplane,' "They bought their ticket, they knew what they were getting into!"

Tom Ford

8:03 AM, October 04, 2012

Presidential debates coming soon, watch what they do, not what they say!

A bit of wisdom from C.S. Lewis that came to me via a good friend (and fellow Navy Vet. ret.) This bit of "advise" from Mr. Lewis is more than timely as we shall be hearing all sorts of verbal promises that are in fact just that, promises, not deeds!

“Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” ~ C. S. Lewis

As you watch the debates (if you do indeed watch) please look past all the rhetoric to what the candidates have actually done. Ask your self honestly if your better off than you were four years ago, do you believe the Nation is better off, do you believe that socialism is right for America? This debate is the first time we will see a very clear difference in the vision for America each of the candidates has. Be honest in your evaluation, and forget what the pundit's have to say, your educated enough to make up your own mind on this.

Whatever your conscience tells you to do, get out and VOTE for your choice, and while your at it, work diligently to insure your person makes it into the White House in November. You will please notice that I will not tell you who to vote for, but I will tell you the reason I am voting for the person I believe to have the correct vision for the Republic in the coming years.


Tom Ford

NO. 1059