Parks secession: In which One Southern Indiana blatantly interferes in local matters.

Thanks to S for sending this to me. Obviously, NAC is not on the mailing list.

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Dear 1si Members,

In the spirit of keeping you informed of issues of concern to the business community, we wanted you to be aware that there has been a special City Council meeting called to vote on the breakup of the NAFC Parks Department. Unfortunately, this action would be counter to legislative positions taken by our organization in that it will likely result in less efficient local government.

Our 2013 Legislative Agenda includes the need to streamline current local government so that administrative efficiencies can be achieved by the expansion, standardization and coordination of collaborative purchasing. Vetted by the business members of our advocacy council and approved by our Board of Directors, this Legislative Agenda has been distributed to the 800+ business investors of our organization.

If you would like to attend the meeting or talk with City Council members to discourage the separation, the meeting takes place tonight, October 18, 2012 at 7:15 pm at the City County Building in downtown New Albany .

Sincerely,

Wendy Dant Chesser
President and CEO

Max-Neef: "We act systematically against the evidences we have."

Chilean economist and Right Livelihood Award winner Manfred Max-Neef appeared on Democracy Now with Amy Goodman last week and had a lot to say in 20 minutes, including laying out the guidelines and value statement below.




1. The economy is to serve the people, not the people to serve the economy.
2. Development is about people, and not about objects.
3. Growth is not the same as development, and development does not necessarily require growth.
4. No economy is possible in the absence of ecosystem services.
5. The economy is a subsystem of a larger finite system — the biosphere, hence permanent growth is impossible.

“No economic interest, under any circumstances, can be more important than LIFE in all its manifestations.”

Oh, and I'm bringing a ski mask to the parade party on Saturday if I can find one. Join me if you like.

Things to do today.

1. Get my two business entities the hell out of One Southern Indiana, as fast as humanly possible, and take as many other business entities with us as we can manage. Regime change now; divest and disinvest.

(Check - letter sent to Dalby … will he delete it? Or was that the other guy?)

2. Find that photo from back in 2007, when 1Si welcomed the worst president in US history to New Albany in what amounted to a Republican Party fundraiser.

3. Resist the temptation to say: We at NAC told you so, and have been telling you so for a long time.

(Might not get around to that one. Being right is too much fun)

4. Try to figure out why self-congratulatory politicians like Rep. Ed Clere incessantly remind us that their stance on taxes is crucial, yet when we ask about bridge tolls - a tax, pure and simple - they scurry like mice and hide. I call that disingenuous. 1Si calls it an endorsement.

(At least it puts paid to the 70K -- hopefully Michael Dalby doesn't need NA's blood money to make payroll)

5. Begin preparations for the coming Saturday’s annual NA Confidential parade party at the 1117 E Spring Street Neighborhood Association: Let's protest tolls, heckle 1Si, and drink beer at NAC's 6th annual Harvest Homecoming Parade Gala at 1117 ESSNA -- this Saturday, Oct. 2.

(There's going to be wicked theater, folks. I live for times like these)

6. Get to work on Fringe Fest publicity: Fringe Fest 2010 at Bank Street Brewhouse begins Oct. 7.

(Fringe Fest is a non-tolling venue)

7. Squeeze in another 125 biking kilometers this week to meet my September goal of 800.

(Depends on the weather and available time)

8. Write the coming week’s Tribune column. There is so little to say, although one possibility is trying to understand why my questions constitute strident partisanship, while 1Si’s endorsements do not. Maybe someone’s God was involved with that one.

(Look: I tossed him a softball, and in return, he clubbed me in the head with the bat. Why didn't he knock an easy pitch out of the park? But I suppose we got the answer to that one when the 1Si endorsements came out. The fix was in, all along, wasn't it?)

9. Start thinking about my next beer course, which begins on Wednesday, October 6: Continuing beer education: "Here's to Beer" non-credit IUS course returns in October.

(Learning is good)

10. Ask Mayor England where he stands on tolling.

(He really needs to make a definitive statement, don’t you think?)