A Few Good Reasons Why Gary, IN Shouldn't Have Rec'd Money From Distressed Bd

http://www.post-trib.com/news/opinion/1612559,edit-gcouncil.article


June 9, 2009

The city of Gary's financial plight is a sobering signal of tough times ahead for the cash-strapped Steel City.

The city plans to trim another 100 jobs off its payroll by the end of the month. Mayor Rudy Clay says the perception of a bloated work force is far from reality. The city has shorn about 550 workers off its payroll since 2005, Clay said. "That's tough to do. People expect services."

A state board scrutinizing Gary's finances thinks reining in City Council spending is a good place to start. It's right. The Indiana Distressed Unit Appeals Board noted that Gary's City Council budget is three times the council budgets in South Bend and Evansville, two larger cities. The Gary council's estimated operating budget this year is $1.3 million, compared to $413,260 in South Bend and $386,557 in Evansville.

For years, the council has maintained its own re-election war chest, nicknamed "grants and subsidies." Each council member doles out taxpayer cash at will, without oversight, to friends, public schools, churches and sports clubs.

And last year, while the city was struggling through a $13 million shortfall, council members charged more than $50,000 in travel expenses.

Gary taxpayers also should take note when they call their city leaders for assistance that their council members are paid handsomely to answer those phone calls. Gary's council members make $28,727 annually, compared to $18,420 in Evansville and $16,898 in South Bend.

Meanwhile, it's difficult to name one ordinance the City Council or one of its members has conceived that's improved the city's financial plight.

Before hard-working city employees are laid off, this bloated council budget should be slashed vigorously.

Guess everyone is too busy answering articles on the NWI Times Newspaper. Except...

Now they require you to register...tee. hee. Watch THAT go down.

To the sewer. Whatever happened to free speech and privacy to post what you want?


I'm lucky; long ago I gave my ISP/Email address. I would think people are reluctant to do that, and less traffic on the NWI Newspaper commentary, which would give no worthwhile reasons to click on it.

Then the NorthwestIndiana.com administrator gave out a stern warning to undo "your last fifty posts". Good luck to free speech, and enjoy the empty boards. People are using other means of expressing themselves, which is probably why since my last visit, no one has contributed anything. Good luck.

all you need to do is use a fake email address to post responses

UrRight wrote:

Guess everyone is too busy answering articles on the NWI Times Newspaper. Except...

Now they require you to register...tee. hee. Watch THAT go down.

To the sewer. Whatever happened to free speech and privacy to post what you want?

I don't think requiring an email is unreasonable.

Artie60438 wrote:

UrRight wrote:

Guess everyone is too busy answering articles on the NWI Times Newspaper. Except...

Now they require you to register...tee. hee. Watch THAT go down.

To the sewer. Whatever happened to free speech and privacy to post what you want?

I don't think requiring an email is unreasonable.

especially when they do not verify them.

Artie60438 wrote:

UrRight wrote:

Guess everyone is too busy answering articles on the NWI Times Newspaper. Except...

Now they require you to register...tee. hee. Watch THAT go down.

To the sewer. Whatever happened to free speech and privacy to post what you want?

I don't think requiring an email is unreasonable.

It is NOT unreasonable...but giving out information that you wish to remain anonymous is.
It happened to me one by those people, and I have been using a trashmail account ever since.

LoisLane wrote:

Artie60438 wrote:

UrRight wrote:

Guess everyone is too busy answering articles on the NWI Times Newspaper. Except...

Now they require you to register...tee. hee. Watch THAT go down.

To the sewer. Whatever happened to free speech and privacy to post what you want?

I don't think requiring an email is unreasonable.

It is NOT unreasonable...but giving out information that you wish to remain anonymous is.
It happened to me one by those people, and I have been using a trashmail account ever since.

Like I said, use a fake email, they do not check or require verification at all. I have been using abcd@gmail.com and so far I have been allowed to post

Sure is not funny that I can't even log on here, but by queer incident. I have no way of reaching the "administrator" that red fields require me to fill in what I long, ago did. Still didn't get to log in.

What happened was, I gave up after 5 times...clicked on: "View Topics Since Your Last Visit". I got in the forum and wonder what the heck happened. All I can say is, I don't have a personal computer. I use a computer wherever I go. I haven't had the opportunity lately, to cling to the home computer cuz the thieves stoled two of them last Oct.

Anyway, was taking care of Gram and finally got a break.She passed away Thurs. I told her, "Go, Gram you go girl, where Gramps was waiting since 2000 for you. I had the wonderful experience of holding her, rubbing her hand, and telling her it was ok to go. Her desire was to go in her sleep. She took her last breath at 8 a.m. I am so thankful to God that I had the opportunity to bond with such a beauty queen at age 81. She wasn't my gram. She was my sis-in-law's step mom since age 18.

Anyway, I'm kind of behind on keeping up with this board. I am wondering why I can't log on normally and have to side-sweep the traditional red, exclamation marks (*). I fill them in, and it says that I need to "register". What in the heck changed since I rarely logged on in the past few months, and this came up? I can't find out where I can contact the administrator and ask him why I am encountering these problems.

I did post via a new sidekick my daughter sent me, and I reviewed and may have responded from a remote area in Michigan or Bass Lake, but I'm honest. I don't have a home computer anymore, won't buy one,,,cuz the thieves that broke in my home stole a DELL. DELL is the dumbest computer you can steal. It's worthless to thieves.

Maybe, by chance, that was a good thing. Well, ADMINISTRATOR, I saw no way to contact you regarding my situation. What is available to me if I depend on a sidekick I left in another state, while taking care of Gram, that I used while visiting my dad one week while Gram was in the hospital recouping from a heart attack and my dad has a lump in his throat, that while I'm attending Gram's funeral Monday, my dad gets the corny news whether or not they remove the lump, determine it's cancer or he's safe whether they remove it or not.


This should be a real alert to you that people don't necessarily have a personal ISP thing. We use different gadgets, locations, computers to stay in touch. Just because I haven't posted, doesn't mean I didn't get a few minutes since March to see what was going on in Indiana. I do have a home there whether whatever the private deal is. My son also does...in my interest and his own, have a home. We pay corporate taxes. property taxes at 5 locations, and contribute significant amount of tax-based taxes.

For this administrator to question me on why I log on when or why, in red ink,having my private email that never changed, what's your problem. I may not physically live in my home in the summer or winter, or stay in the summer or the winter, but my child and his father pay more taxes than you would ever dream of.

What's the problem on the board with the fact that I filled out the spaces marked in red numerous times and wasn't allowed to join the crowd until I clicked on "View New Posts Since You last visted."? Do you want a board or not? Let me know.

BIG time display problems. Hope you will be able to resolve them.

What caused it?

Smilies don't even work. I was gonna send you a smiley for keeping up the good work.