WITHIN CITY LIMITS: Episode XIII, This Isn’t the Article I Expected to Write.

WITHIN CITY LIMITS: Episode XIII, This Isn’t the Article I Expected to Write

By Nick Vaughn, Guest Columnist

I stood in the ballroom of the JW Marriott in Indianapolis on November 8th. It was a long and winding road from campus that luckily provided service so I could stay updated on the US Senate and House races. That was where the real battle would be fought, I had thought. I put in a ton of hours over the summer as well as over the course of my first semester of college to make sure that Congressman Todd Young would beat Evan Bayh. I was tracking the early results as they came in and I was a tad perplexed. To be running against someone like Bayh, I thought the early results were odd. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Young jumped out to a 10% lead and never looked back. Then Eric Holcomb won and then Jennifer McCormick won and before I knew it Donald Trump was the projected winner of Florida. What was going on?

I am still processing what occurred on Election Day as well as the events that have followed. I never thought in a million years I would see Donald Trump as President-Elect. I knew Hillary Clinton was unpopular but I never knew that it was to this magnitude. Clinton must feel lower than Walter Mondale. Of course, a blowout probably hurts much less than a close defeat (I can attest). Clinton simply dropped the ball. Sure, she can blame this on FBI Director James Comey’s letter to Congress that they were alerted to new emails and they needed to check them out, but he did send another letter that said they were all hunky dory. This race was Hillary’s to lose and she lost it. She simply underperformed. She was 100,000 votes behind President Obama’s 2012 total in Wisconsin and the voter demographics were certainly not in her favor. Further still, Trump somehow garnered 30% of total minority votes which was enough to
put him over the edge while performing 1 point less than Romney did among white voters in 2012.

Now we see protests of the election (we would have either way). The peaceful protests we see today as a result of Trump’s victory could have very well been supplemented with violent protests, killings, possibly even lynchings if he had lost. In fact, the Trump advocates’ response to these protests are for the protesters to get over it. Some have even called them cry babies and they just need to get a job. This total hypocrisy is absolutely astonishing (though not unexpected) and shows the blinding effects Trump’s divisive rhetoric have had on people throughout this election cycle. Former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani even got in on the absurd bashing of protests claiming that these protesters are “professional protestors” that were hired by the DNC to cause riots after the election results.

While Trump has toned down his rhetoric since winning, his advocates and supporters are still in campaign mode. This type of rhetoric Trump used to glide into victory has caused more destruction than even his lack of discipline and discernment could as Commander-in-Chief. Sure, a President Trump could be a hot head and lack the proper judgement that would cause us to fall head first into war, however, I would argue he has done something far worse. Donald Trump has caused people to hate each other. People who are separated only by meaningless things like party identification or race or ethnicity. We have made a complete about face from Martin Luther King Jr.’s wise words of “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

So, I would ask you to take action over the next four years. Not obstructionist action but instead a objective support/check and balance combo as Trump ascends to the Oval Office. What’s done is done and there isn’t any going back. While I wholeheartedly understand the “He is not my president" sentiments, however, he has to be your president. For the sake of stability he must be our president. Donald Trump has already begun to tone down his rhetoric and his outlandish policies are no longer on the forefront of his agenda. Let’s be hopeful. By the way, next week I plan to dive into our local results. Until then, here is the quote of the day: “If we cannot now end our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.” - John F. Kennedy

WITHIN CITY LIMITS: Episode XII, How Do I Join the New Albany Planning Committee?

WITHIN CITY LIMITS: Episode XII, How Do I Join the New Albany Planning Committee?

By Nick Vaughn, Guest Columnist

For those of you who may not know, there is a new planning committee in New Albany tasked with developing a plan for what New Albany can look like in 20 years. Does this sound familiar? It should. When I was running for City Council I created my Vision Outline for New Albany. I dreamt of a land that had renter registration, anti-poverty initiatives, incentives to bring jobs back to New Albany, and a land where unelected boards did not will their power unchecked by elected officials. So, if I have a plan, how do I join this planning committee?

Does it surprise anyone, though? Not a single average, everyday New Albanian is represented on this new committee let alone a young person who might actually have a vested interest in steering the city in a direction that will allow young people to flourish. It is important for prominent New Albany businesses to be represented on this committee and I guess some outside businesses as well, however, it makes zero sense as to why there is no true resident representation on this committee. This is especially ironic because the 20 year plan will affect those who reside and own a home or rent here in New Albany most likely before it affects a business or commercial property owner.

Unsurprisingly, the means in which this committee was chosen is completely in the dark and kept away from the people of New Albany who have a right to know who will be making a 20 year plan for their city. Of course, this non-transparency just fits the narrative of the Gahan Administration as well as a go-along-to-get-along, Democratic Majority City Council. How were these people chosen? Who chose them? Why were they chosen? Why does the City Council have no oversight? Is the City Council going to be represented? In my experience, a committee or government entity that has more questions asked about it than can be answered is a committee or government entity that I don’t want representing my interests.

The largest question, though, might be how much power does this committee have over the people of New Albany? None of the members, to my knowledge, have been voted into their position by the people, the City Council did not confirm these committee members, so does this committee even hold any meaningful power?

Before anything else, this committee needs to appoint some citizens, young, old, and in between. If they do not I cannot see how they can possibly be able to effectively steer the community in a direction that will benefit the citizens. As of right now, the only benefit that could come from this committee would be more crony capitalism propagated by City Hall where unelected bureaucrats pick the winners and losers of the New Albany economy. That is not what New Albany needs, we need a citizen-oriented committee who will create a 20 year plan of not only economic prosperity but also community change where someone isn’t afraid to let their kids play in their front yard and where a near quarter of the population can’t afford to make ends meet.

Furthermore, this committee, since it is creating a plan for the future, should have young adult members. Young people are the future of New Albany and whether we can retain them or not will prove to be the crucial task for our community over the next 10 years. Young people don’t just want a place to play, they want a place to live and potentially raise a family. New Albany, unfortunately, only offers a playground for the upper middle to upper class people with money to spend. We do not currently have an effective climate for the up-and-coming young entrepreneur or young lawyer, etc.

If we do not get some young people on this committee then our 20 year plan will be for nothing. We will continue to lose young professionals to Indianapolis, Jeffersonville, and Louisville and continue to have a city seen as a playground by some but a socioeconomically segregated city by those not predisposed to success by means of birth. This is a sad truth that doesn't have to be.

WITHIN CITY LIMITS: Episode XI, What Have I Been Up To?

WITHIN CITY LIMITS: Episode XI, What Have I Been Up To?

By Nick Vaughn, Guest Columnist

As I alluded to in my previous article, I was planning on filling everyone in on just what I’ve been up to the past couple of months, so here it is.

To begin, I have enjoyed (and survived) my first half semester of college! For those of you unaware, I was awarded the Benjamin Templeton scholarship at Hanover College, which covers all of the tuition. I am very blessed to have received such a prestigious scholarship from an equally prestigious institution like Hanover. The staff, students, and everyone in-between have been awesome, friendly, and helpful and I am glad to call Hanover my school. As far as courses go I am taking a World Civilizations course that spans from prehistory to the 1500s, a History of Western Art course, a Literature and Politics course, and a Reason and Belief Philosophy course. I am thoroughly enjoying my classes here and am looking forward to the coming semesters. I haven’t declared a major yet but I am leaning towards History.

Outside of the classroom I have been able to meet some great people and make some awesome friends. In fact, I am even lucky enough to be a part of a new student organization/nonprofit that will reach beyond campus. My roommate, Samuel Pyle, was adopted by his parents from Sierra Leone, Africa and attended
Oldham County High School in Kentucky. During his time in high school, he was able to raise money to supply the kids from the orphanage he used to live at backpacks and toys for Christmas. After having some conversations and discussing with a couple of our other friends, we decided to begin to craft a plan for a nonprofit that will help all kids in Sierra Leone, specifically those who want to go to high school and attend college. After much deliberation, we decided to name it Looking Back, Moving Forward in honor of Samuel’s amazing journey to get to America (to learn more about Samuel, click this link).

This organization is in the beginning phases of becoming a registered not-for-profit organization, however, we are an official student organization where I am blessed to be able to serve as Vice President of Budgetary Operations and hope to hold the same position with the official nonprofit organization. While I am very proud to be able to work towards making Looking Back, Moving Forward a
reality, I must give all credit to Samuel. This was his idea and I am very proud to stand with him to make it reality.

I highly encourage you to check out our Facebook page so you can keep up to date with what is going on. Our goals are to be able to raise enough money to provide a good Christmas for the kids of the Raining Season Orphanage as well as to be able to begin to create the scholarship fund for kids in Sierra Leone who cannot afford to go to high school or college. Eventually, we plan on having a fundraising event in New Albany as well as a 5k run either at Hanover, in New Albany, or in Oldham County where Samuel lives. Be on the lookout for announcements!

I am looking forward to coming home this Friday to celebrate mine and Hannah’s birthday with family over the weekend. If you would like to do some catching up just reach out to me! I am ready to be back home in New Albany!

And I leave you with the quote of the day: “Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder.” -- George Washington.

WITHIN CITY LIMITS: Episode X, A Look Ahead to 2019.

WITHIN CITY LIMITS: Episode X, A Look Ahead to 2019.

By Nick Vaughn, Guest Columnist

My past few articles have been about national politics; ironically, outside of our city limits. I thought that it would be fitting that this week, I completely ignore the Republican National Convention, and take a look ahead to the City Election in 2019. I am going to throw out some way-too-early predictions, do some issue analysis, and even possibly make some endorsements.

Who will be running for Mayor?

The showdown for Mayor of New Albany will be a competitive one, I foresee. I will start off by saying that I do not think Jeff Gahan will be running for a third term (because he really shouldn’t be), three 4 year terms is slightly unprecedented, only one Mayor has served more than two consecutive terms.

C. Pralle Erni served from 1948­-1963, enough time to make any follower of Jeffersonian Democracy shiver. (By the way, I found this cool excerpt about Mayor Erni from a book by Gregg Seidl, which you can read here. Beware though, annexation is mentioned!) So, although there is precedent for Gahan to run for a third term, I do not think he will. He will have been much too busy running for State Senate the preceding year.

So who will be running for Mayor? Well, on the Republican side I think there are three obvious candidates who would be formidable in a Mayoral campaign. They are listed in likelihood of winning: Dr. Al Knable, Dave Barksdale, and Dave Aebersold. It should be noted that in the 2015 City Election, Dr. Knable received 3,403 and Mayor Gahan received 3,527. A great showing that I think proves the popularity of Dr. Knable in a citywide election. But don’t count out the Daves either. They received 3,365 (Barksdale) and 3,012 (Aebersold), respectively, enough to easily dispose of their Democrat opponents. Oh, and if you want to reminisce a bit about 2015, you can view the Summary Report here.

Each Republican Councilman has a lot to be excited about with regard to their vote totals and Mayoral aspirations (if they have any). The Democrats, not so much. While they hold a slight majority on the City Council, none of the Council Members really scream “I could win in a race for Mayor!” The obvious choice on the Democratic side based on office rank would be Pat McLaughlin, Council President, but that just makes me giggle.

Greg Phipps, to me, could make a decent run at it, but does he have the name ID outside of his safely Democratic District? And who runs for that seat if he decides to vacate it? It seems to me that each member on the Democratic side would create a domino effect by vacating their seat to run for Mayor. All that being said, the Mayor’s Office is ripe for the taking for Republicans.

What about the City Council?

Obviously, the big question mark is under what party, if any, does Dan Coffey run? In my opinion, I am not sure it really matters which party because I think it will be very hard to find a candidate to run against him ... again. As Dale Bagshaw would say: “That’s almost un-American to have someone run unopposed.” I agree Dale! Regardless, Coffey is a renegade and will be fighting his fights no matter what party.

Like the Mayor’s Office, the other City Council seats are ripe for the taking by Republicans. Last election showed that Republicans can win in the City, and Democrats should be scared. District 6, 5, 3, and 2 are the most likely to flip this time around. Not sure who will be running in those Districts, but I do know the key to winning for the Republicans. The silver bullet that will put each incumbent out of office (at least in those numbered Districts).

It is ... Two-­Way Streets.

For what will be 8 years in 2019, Greg Phipps has said that we will fight for Two­-Way Streets (where feasible); Scott Blair will abstain, I’m sure; and Bob Caesar hasn’t fought for them at all. This is why I think 2019 will be a Republican wave. Those that I named have been inactive on Two-­Way Streets, when some said they would act. Some don’t want them. Some just haven’t cared to mention anything about them.

If the Republican candidates rally around this issue and have a good message on other important issues like a transparent government, curbing poverty, and fiscal responsibility, I think that the 6th, 5th, 3rd, and 2nd Districts will flip Republican. To point out, Two­-Way Streets are something some Republican
candidates have supported in the 2015 election, most notably Dr. Knable, who could lead the party in rallying around a great platform that would prove successful in the fall.

Democrats, be scared. Republicans, be ready and able. New Albany, GET OUT AND VOTE! 2019 is right around the corner!

And as always, I leave you with the quote of the day:

“ ... there will be a giant sucking sound​going south.” (to Greg Fischer’s house ... ) ­ -- Ross Perot

WITHIN CITY LIMITS: Episode IX, The Nineties Are Calling ... They Want Their Politicians Back.

Within City Limits

Episode IX, The Nineties Are Calling ... They Want Their Politicians Back.

By Nick Vaughn, Guest Columnist

With Evan Bayh announcing he is seeking his old senate seat and Hillary Clinton being endorsed by Bernie Sanders, I felt like a baby again. Being born in 1997, I am only familiar with the political landscape by looking backwards, something Democrats are never advocating -- until now.

When President Obama was running for President and reelection, he had the slogans of “Forward” and “Progress,” but today's Democratic Party is running on nostalgia and backwardness. You can argue with me about platform points and “evolving on issues” like gay marriage, but the bottom line is that these politicians who are the standard bearers for the Democratic Party nationally and on an Indiana state level are still the same politicians who were the standard bearers in the 1990s.

The top three candidates on the Democratic ticket in Indiana are all rehashes from a bygone era where the state's economy was in the toilet, brought on by large deficits and high taxes. We looked a lot like Illinois back then. Hillary Clinton, John Gregg, Evan Bayh; all rehashes. While their talking points are much different than they were back then, they are still the same people. 1990s politicians should not be the ones solving the problems of the 2000s and beyond.

Beyond my displeasure and discontent with the rehashing of candidates, all three represent special interests, Wall Street, and back room politics at their absolute worst. John Gregg is still taking advantage of the state’s healthcare for elected officials being paid by the taxpayers, a practice that has ended. Furthermore, Gregg was a lawyer for the Bingham McHale law firm, where lobbying records show he was a well connected lobbyist for various topics. You can read more about his lobbying here: Gregg's lobbying record doesn't worry Democrats.

Evan Bayh used to be a public servant until he decided to retire from the U.S. Senate to take a lobbying job. Bayh epitomizes what is wrong with Washington, D.C. He went there as a senator and cashed in on the special interest money by fighting the laws he helped pass (including Obamacare). Plus Bayh just recently moved back to Indiana. He had previously lived in DC in a $2.9 million dollar home and had a modest vacation home in Florida worth over $3 million.

Bayh saying he will represent everyday Hoosiers might be the biggest lie of the campaign season. He is out of touch and filled to the brim with special interest money. Read more about Bayh the Lobbyist here: Lobbyist Evan Bayh Lit On Fire By The Left and here Evan Bayh Won’t Rule Out Becoming A Lobbyist After His Term Ends.

Hillary Clinton. Well, enough said.

So that I get my point across, I think it is inherently hypocritical and ironic that the Democrats have long been the party of vilifying the rich and lobbying class that infests Washington, D.C. and Indianapolis, yet all three of their candidates at the top of the ticket have deep ties to Wall Street, special interest money, and lobbying. For Pete’s sake, two of them are former lobbyists! Not to mention all three are rehashed candidates of a bygone era.

My question is: will the people of Indiana hold these three accountable? Or will they be fooled by the talking points? Also, do the Democrats who reject the Wall Street, special interest, and lobbying culture of Washington, D.C. and Indianapolis hold their nose and vote for three candidates who epitomize what is wrong with our system of government? Or will they stand for what they believe in and hold their party and their candidates accountable?

And as always, I leave you with the quote of the day: “In 2005, the progressive watchdog group Public Citizen reported that 43 percent of the members (of Congress) who retired from 1998 to 2004 registered as lobbyists.” -- Huffington Post

WITHIN CITY LIMITS: Episode VIII, A Lesson in Compassionate Conservatism.

WITHIN CITY LIMITS: Episode VIII, A Lesson in Compassionate Conservatism.

By Nick Vaughn, Guest Columnist

There seems to be a common misconception now­a­days when it comes to combating poverty and homelessness and it is that government housing propagates laziness, and the only true way to combat homelessness and poverty is to essentially cut off all assistance to them to stop government dependence.

I genuinely disagree with this thought, yet some of our local representatives seem to think that simply cutting poor people out of the market with inflationary costs on goods and cutting off government assistance will magically end poverty and homelessness.

This ill-fated thought process is honestly the manifestation of a broken system, one that perpetuates not laziness, but numbness; a system designed to be a safety net when we need a safety trampoline that can launch our fellow citizens into a lifetime of prosperity regardless of their background, gender, or race.

I’ve said it many times and I will say it again. City/business job training partnerships are a time-tested and proven way of allowing people to get the proper training they need for good paying jobs. In essence, a job training partnership would be structured in a way that the city would give incentives to businesses for providing job training to those who fit a certain criteria (whether it be homeless, impoverished, etc.). But the partnerships cannot end there. The city should be hosting job fairs with business sponsors so that people who might not otherwise be able to find a decent paying job in any other way because of transportation, lack of internet, or not having any proper interview clothes.

I also think that the private sector should be able to have more freedom when conducting their business. Often times I hear from business owners that if their property taxes were just (x) amount of dollars lower they could hire one or two more employees. These are small businesses like Kolkin Coffee and Coqui’s Cafe, not large corporations, that could be adding a modest amount to the workforce.

If you did not think this issue was pressing I have some news for you. Floyd County will be losing at least $550,000 annually that would otherwise be going towards transitional housing programs. Statewide we will be feeling a $1.3 million cut to these community programs. According to the News and Tribune, “Locally, the cuts hit The Salvation Army, which is closing its 16-­unit housing program for now.” You can read more about that here:  http://www.newsandtribune.com/news/homeless-funding-cuts-hit-southern-indiana/article_e02a0278-1e06-11e6-89d6-4bc5ec40aa00.html

It is beyond time for our city to act to begin combating homelessness and poverty here. Some of the council members just do not get it and should be held accountable in 2019. Of course there is plenty of time for them to begin to enact real change and real programs that can begin to curb poverty and homelessness. We should not be aiming to cut poor people out of our market especially when nothing has even been done to help them in the first place (unless you count rants about tearing down HUD housing).

Again, I am extending my olive branch to the mayor and city council. Please email or call me and I would love to help you craft some programs that could be helpful to our homeless and impoverished community members.

And with that, I leave you with the quote of the day: “Overcoming poverty is not gesture of charity, it is an act of justice” -- Nelson Mandela.

(As a side note, I recommend you try both Kolkin (on Charlestown Road) and Coqui’s Cafe (on the corner of Market and Bank Streets). They are both delicious, locally owned businesses. I highlighted them because they are two of my favorite local eateries.)

---

Citizens for a Better New Albany

WITHIN CITY LIMITS: Episode VII, Citizens for a Better New Albany.

WITHIN CITY LIMITS: Episode VII, Citizens for a Better New Albany.

By Nick Vaughn, Guest Columnist

Citizens for a Better New Albany is a Political Action Committee that I have formed in order to promote and advocate for ideals and issues that are important to everyday New Albanians. This is something that I think is generally lacking here in our city. Not just a PAC but a general lack of everyday citizen’s views being fairly and evenly represented by the officials they elect.

That is why I believe this non partisan, not-affiliated-to-any-candidate PAC can pick up the slack and begin to put issues at the center of the scene instead of vague platitudes and feel good talking points.
I envision this PAC as being the advocate for the everyday citizen. Pretty soon we will have the capabilities of doing polling for issues and candidates, the ability to phone bank and canvass for issues New Albanians care about, and be able to advertise in the newspaper, Internet, and social media.

I would be remiss if I did not at least acknowledge the fact that this will cost a good chunk of change. Instead of being funded by special interest groups or just one or two wealthy individuals, Citizens for a Better New Albany wants to be able to receive a good majority of funding from everyday people like you. I'm not asking you for $1,000, or even $100. But a small donation of $5, $10, $25, etc. could make a huge difference in our effort to bring issues to center stage.

Furthermore, once we get a website up and begin receiving and spending money, we will periodically be posting progress reports that show exactly how we are spending the money you donate. We won't list our donors on the website (although please note that we have to list you in campaign finance reports that are public record), instead we will be focusing on exactly how the funds will be spent.

As it stands right now, we need to raise about $300 in order to create a good website and be able to promote and advertise the PAC in an effective manner.

For more information regarding Citizens for a Better New Albany, please go to our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CBNPAC/

For donation inquiries, please email us at ourcity47150@gmail.com.

Please invite your friends to like our Facebook page! We want to reach as many people organically before we start pouring money into social media advertising. And remember, when sharing posts use #ItsOurCity so that we can easily connect with you.

And with that, I leave you with the quote of the day:

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” -- Winston Churchill

WITHIN CITY LIMITS: Episode VI, In Defense of Paul Ryan.

WITHIN CITY LIMITS: Episode VI, In Defense of Paul Ryan.

By Nick Vaughn, Guest Columnist

With Donald Trump being the presumptive GOP nominee, the supposed goal of the national party is to begin to “heal and unite.” But with this being the new goal of the national party, how come Speaker Paul Ryan, the most powerful elected Republican, is going against this strategy set forth by Chairman Reince Priebus?

Ryan has said that he is not ready to support Trump and I do not blame him. Now, before my conservative friends jump down my throat for that, let me clear one thing up: he said he is not ready to support him yet. Honestly, neither am I. Although I am not sure I will ever be ready and willing to support him.

Now, we can think of this in two different ways. On the one hand we could paint Paul Ryan as a fake conservative, establishment, politically correct, bought and paid for politician. You know, the stuff that is exactly wrong with DC. Or, we can be reasonable individuals and realize that Paul Ryan is most certainly not a fake conservative (if he isn’t conservative I am not sure what conservatism is), he is instead a pragmatist willing to point out and understand the flaws of a candidate that supposedly is what the majority of Republicans want (even though 60% of Republican voters voted for someone other than Trump).

Paul Ryan may very well eventually support Trump, he might not. The bigger question is why is pragmatism such a rejected idea among the Republican base? I saw it to a lesser extent in the 2014 midterms, but it has finally come to a head here in 2016. This idea that we shouldn’t work with Democrats and when we do it’s a sign of weakness is the biggest tragedy in American politics. In an interview with the Associated Press, Ryan said: "We will need a standard ­bearer that can unify all Republicans, all conservatives, all wings of our party, and then go to the country with an appealing agenda, and we have work to do on this front, and I think our nominee has to lead in that effort."

This quote is meaningful because it points to the inclusiveness and pragmatic ideals that Ryan holds. It is especially telling when we see Donald Trump go and say that he doesn’t want Ryan’s support anyway and he wants to unite most Republicans but some he “doesn’t want.” Is this the man we want leading our party into the future? Because his direction isn’t pointed anywhere but down. Donald Trump is the most immature candidate ever nominated by a major party and his supporters are so rabidly in love with him that they can’t see they are being led straight off a cliff.

Paul Ryan is trying to salvage this mess that has become the Republican Party. I definitely do not blame him for holding off on supporting someone who has broken Reagan’s 11th commandment time and time again, who has appealed to people’s deep seated fears, and has proposed plans extremely ludicrous and laughably unfeasible. The question is not why doesn’t Paul Ryan support Trump, because that is very clear. Paul Ryan is a pragmatist and wants to save his party. The real question is: why do you​ support him?

Don’t say he speaks his mind and rebukes political correctness, because those vague blanket statements won’t do here. Let me know in the comments why you do or don’t support Trump. I want to hear from you!

Also, thank you for your patience. For several different reasons I was not able to continue writing for the blog during the Primary. Have no fear, though -- I am back!

I leave you with this, the quote of the day:

 “Action is the foundational key to all successes.” -- Pablo Picasso

WITHIN CITY LIMITS: Episode IV, The Saga Continues: My Trump Soap Box.

WITHIN CITY LIMITS: Episode IV, The Saga Continues: My Trump Soap Box.

By Nick Vaughn, Guest Columnist

With the recent news of Donald Trump missing the next debate (which will have happened by the time you read this) I felt that now was the time to dust off my anti­-Trump rhetoric and bless you all with an article filled with my anger, because this is a blog after all.

Initially when I had first become aware of the Trump phenom, I had thought that his support would fizzle out, that it was just name ID helping him in the polling. Then he started saying things, very rude things, things that are not feasible, things that pander to the very same base that started the Obama birther rumors and the idea that he was a Muslim (why would that even matter?) As his support grew and poll numbers increased, I began to think that his supporters are just straight up delusional, but that’s when I came to the realization that these people actually believe what he is saying.

Now, I tend to agree that these people are well intentioned and absolutely love America, but their anger is misplaced and over the top, which blinds them from the real issues at hand. Spewing pure hatred for Muslims and Hispanics because of the actions of a few is so wrong on so many levels. Do we have an illegal immigration problem? Yes. Does that mean we shut out those who are in dire need of the opportunities America can provide them? Absolutely not.

The dehumanization of Hispanics and Muslims must come to an end. That’s now how we “Make America Great Again.” We don’t shut people out. Since our inception we have been the beacon of hope and freedom in the world. A place where immigrants could come and get a good paying job and raise a family. The large majority of immigrants have good intentions when coming to America. We know this from the high number of them who are employed and raising a family.

So how can Donald Trump and his supporters so rabidly preach and promote hatred and bigotry towards these groups of people? This is a classic example of misplaced conservatism. When I think of conservatism, I think of an ideology that is wary of government intervention, advocates for fair taxes, promotes free market ideals, and limits government spending.

What we currently have is a conservative movement of hatred, and I would like to mention the following, for all you conservatives out there who are head over heels for Trump because of his conservatism:

1. He supported a single ­payer healthcare system.
2. His immigration plans will expand government spending by over 600 billion.
3. His idea to create a database of all Muslims to track them goes against the 1st and 4th amendments to the Constitution.
4. (And this one is important for you conservatives) he has donated to both Hillary and Bill Clinton and has supported them in the past.

I know some of you out there say that as a businessman Trump had to donate to the Clintons and other politicians because he is so smart and is just playing the game. Well, what if I told you he was a liar? What if I told you about how many times his businesses have gone bankrupt? What if I told you that Mr. Self Made Trump used his daddy’s money to begin his terrible run in private sector business? What if I told you Donald Trump is such a good politician, that you think he is the anti politician who will end the corruption in Washington but will instead run America into the ground because that’s what his track record would suggest?

Would you care? Or will you just keep going along?

Donald Trump may be the Republican nominee, but he will not be President of the United States. Donald Trump’s nomination only ensures a Democrat in the White House, something you conservatives really don’t want, remember?

So, when you all decide to wake up, let me know. I’ll be here holding onto what we have left of our country.

WITHIN CITY LIMITS: Episode III, “We Choose to Control the Weather.”

WITHIN CITY LIMITS: Episode III, “We Choose to Control the Weather.”

By Nick Vaughn, Guest Columnist

My past articles have been pretty serious, more or less, so I thought I’d take a turn to the satirical. I hope you get a laugh out of this and find it as funny as I do.

Yesterday in New Albany it snowed around four to six inches, give or take. But the real silver lining in this is the fact that Jeff Gahan has been Mayor for over four years now and he still has not shown the leadership, the guts, or the initiative to control the weather.

I alluded to this a bit when I aired my grievances with the city this past Festivus, but seeing as the snow prevented me from going to school, from going to various political events -- from even going to the store -- I figured I should further express my concern and disdain in the most public manner I can.

After everything our Mayor has accomplished the past four years (the expansion of debt, degradation of credit ratings, and ignorance of poverty), I would have thought he would be making more of a push on this issue. Controlling the weather would pair very nicely with one of his golden projects he likes to brag about, the Aquatic Center. If he could merely control the weather in New Albany to a nice 78 or so degrees daily, then people would magically float to the Aquatic Center to ride down one of the underwhelming water slides or maybe swim a couple laps ... err, never mind.

In fact, I think attendance would increase through the roof. You know how building a park in a depraved area deep in poverty magically increases people’s wages and livelihood? Yeah, same principle here. A temperature increase would definitely increase attendance. Also, if we had Florida­esque temperatures year round, I’d bet people would just abandon their Disney World vacation and come visit New Albany! At that point it would basically be the same thing, right?

If Mayor Gahan wasn’t such an inept leader, he would walk straight into the City Council chambers and communicate his intentions to begin research, using a combination of TIF and EDIT funds to pay for (of course), the ability to control the weather. After all, maybe after 50 years or so we might see the budget become revenue neutral, maybe!

Of course, no one will be in the Council chambers during the Mayor’s fiery address, where he hopefully says something along the lines of: “We choose to control the weather, not because it is easy, but because this is New Albany!” How very Kennedy of you, Mr. Mayor.

I guess the real question is, is the technology there to be able to control the weather? Well, that depends on who you ask. Ask your local UFO aficionado and he/she will tell you the government has been controlling the weather since the Cold War. Ask your local scientist and he/she will tell you the technology, unfortunately is not quite there yet. Ask your local UN official and they will tell you it’s a war crime.

Sorry.

Nonetheless, I took to the streets to survey regular New Albanians like me and you to see if they would be in favor of Mayor Gahan controlling the weather. I walked around Market, Main, Pearl, and Bank streets to look for locals shopping around the area. Unfortunately, no one was there. I did, however, find a couple from Louisville who said they would be in favor of the Mayor controlling the weather.

“Yes, I think we would be in favor of that. We could bring our kids to the Aquatic Center more often,” said the clearly excited woman.

“Yeah, we’ve been to the Aquatic Center several times and brought quite a bit of our friends and family. We even ran into a ton of friends from Louisville while we were there over the summer,” explained the clearly freezing man.

I didn’t catch their names, but as they were walking away they let me know they were related to the Mayor and voted for him in the general election.

I hope they meant Greg Fischer.

Vaughn, Within City Limits: Episode II, The State of Our City.

Vaughn, Within City Limits: Episode II, The State of Our City.

By Nick Vaughn, Guest Columnist

With the President giving his final State of the Union Address and our Governor giving his annual State of the State address, I thought it would be fitting to give a State of the City Address.

The Mayor of New Albany is not required to meet a congregation of City Council members, Board of Works members, etc., but maybe he should. Admittedly, our Mayor doesn’t show up to regular City Council meetings. He merely sends a representative to read a glowing written statement about some vague platitudes along with your typical “I am still the Mayor” hoorah that is all but expected anymore.

But what if our Mayor were required to give a State of the City Address? Would he do it? He wouldn’t be required to do so, but it would be the right thing to do. What would he say? I’m sure there would be sharp contrasts between mine and his. The following is what I would say in an address to city officials if I were Mayor.

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“President McLaughlin, City Council Members, distinguished guests, and my fellow New Albanians.

I could stand here and rattle off all of the negative aspects that are holding our city back. I could talk about how poverty hasn’t been fully addressed when nearly a quarter of our fellow citizens live in dire, dire poverty. I could talk to you about the lack of transparency and general openness our city government lacks. I could even talk to you about our misuse of TIF funding, our bloated budget, and large amount of debt. But I’m not going to. I am instead going to focus on what we can do to make our city the wealth of opportunity we all know it can be.

It’s easy to complain. To come up with solutions to our problems is the tough part that many people stray away from. Everyone wants New Albany to succeed, and we can accomplish this shared goal by making it easier for our local businesses to flourish and by building a better business climate. We need to look into ways that we can cut our wasteful and inefficient spending so that we can put our money back into the local economy and the pockets of our fellow citizens.

Let’s partner with our local industries to help end poverty by creating job training partnerships that allow those in poverty to get back into the workforce so they can become self sufficient and rise through the income levels.

Let’s take a real hard look at our downtown area and figure out what we want it to be. We need to have an actual discussion about two­-way streets and how they could help develop our downtown area into something truly magical. This clearly won’t happen overnight, but the discussion needs to be started now; we paid lots of money for a professional study to be conducted on our street grid and there has been nearly no action.

Let’s say no to irresponsible TIF use and begin to construct the path towards responsible spending. If we are to use TIF, we need to use it for economic development, and I am honestly not convinced an aquatic center was the right move.

When I think of economic development, I think of reaching out to businesses, seeing what their needs are, as well as creating fair incentive packages for developers so that New Albany is an attractive place to be for them. There is a very fine line, however, between a fair incentive package and corporate welfare, we all need to be wary of this fact so that we don’t show favoritism towards some corporate entity before we make sure our fellow citizens don’t get screwed out of the deal.

In closing, our city is not Jeffersonville or Clarksville, and I am very much okay with that. We don’t need to be anybody but New Albany, we need to use our unique environment, location, and wonderful people to craft what we want New Albany to look like down the road. Our biggest asset is our potential, and it is time we seize the moment and channel that potential into actual results.

We have many obstacles facing us in the coming days, months, and years. But let us not fear the obstacles. Let us not waver. We can be the best city in Southern Indiana to open a business, to live, and to raise a family. It will just take some effort, concentration, and an open dialogue. Let’s get to work!”

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Thanks for reading! I will leave you with this eloquent quote from Martin Luther King Jr.:

“The time is always right to do what is right.”

Vaughn, Within City Limits: Episode I, The Phantom Menace.

Vaughn, Within City Limits: Episode I, The Phantom Menace.

By Nick Vaughn, Guest Columnist

This is where it begins. The first installment of my new weekly column you, the lovely reader, will be able to find every Friday here on NA Confidential. Luckily, I was able to steal the title of the worst Star Wars movie ever made, although I fear coming up with future titles will become the hardest part of this new hobby.

The title is very fitting for this topic that hits close to home. As many of you know, I have begun the process of starting a nonprofit venture that will, hopefully, begin to curb poverty in our city (although, possibly in my naivety, I have found the process to be very tedious). The title is fitting, however, because poverty in New Albany really is the Phantom Menace of our city.

It is one of the few things that I think is really holding us back from major successes. Poverty is nearly never talked about by our Mayor; he seldom if at all mentions it. In fact, I think the only time in the entire campaign he even was aware of the immense poverty issue in New Albany was at the New Albany Housing Authority Forum, where I filled in for Kevin Zurschmiede and brought the issue up.

The past four years of Gahan saw immense spending: spending on a water park, spending on numerous other parks (some susceptible to flooding), and a very large sports complex. All these projects look nice, but what do they do for the 22.5% of New Albanians who are in deep, dire poverty?

How can spending millions on a water park that 22.5% of New Albanians can’t afford to play at be justified? In the low income housing area by the Floyd Memorial Hospital, the average income per year is a little over $8,000. $8,000 in one year to live off of! I challenge the Mayor to try living off of that instead of the $84,000 he makes in a year (which I might add is a little much, but that is an article for another day).

The reason poverty is the Phantom Menace of New Albany is because you would never think it is as big of a problem as it actually is if you ask our Mayor. If you look at his actions as Mayor, this either shows he doesn’t care about the high rate of poverty, or else he just doesn’t know about it. I’m not sure of the dynamics in his administration, but I find it very hard to believe he doesn’t know nearly a quarter of the population he represents can’t afford to use his shiny new water park, let alone pay their bills on time.

I don’t want to accuse the Mayor of not caring about the impoverished. I don’t think that is the case. However, I do think that his actions and blatant disregard for even talking about the issue makes it tough to debunk, whether he cares or not. I just hope that in these next four years the Mayor begins to address this very pressing issue.

I have already extended my hand for support, if he needs it, and I am very willing to help him tackle this. This issue crosses party line; I just hope everyone realizes that.

So, what is there to do? How about we first start caring and become compassionate people who care about our fellow men, women, and children. I have several ideas that I cannot fully explain in this medium, mainly because I want to keep my articles fairly short and focused, however, I am hoping to share my ideas in coming articles and I do hope our elected officials reach out to me.

Until the next article, I will leave you with this first of many weekly quotes:

“We must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” ­
-- John F. Kennedy.