A little update on something from a short while back: I mentioned that students in the Foundations of Entrepreneurship course at Marian College would be studying the City of Linton in a section entitled, "Social Entrepreneurship." Well, they're working on it now.
The class has been broken down into teams to study this area, its available resources, and grant opportunities, among others. One interesting outcome will be their study of other like-sized communities in the U.S. that have found success in various aspects of economic development. I think another interesting addition will be their "outsider" perspective looking in on our community.
Their final report to the City will be at the City Council meeting scheduled for 7 PM on April 14th, as they are on the agenda to make a presentation of their findings. And that's just one more reason to have a packed house at this next meeting, so see you there!
PS - Special thanks to all of you who volunteered to be local points of contact for these students as they learn about our community.
***
This blog post by Chris Wathen was also published in his Linton, Indiana based Greene County Daily World blog entitled, “Riddle Me This”.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Home Town Competitiveness
Wonderful news, Greene County!
Greene County has been selected by the Lt. Governor's office as one of nine pilot communities in the State of Indiana to participate in the Home Town Competitiveness program, a program based on a successful very model from Nebraska. It focuses on four critical areas to the growth and prosperity of rural communities.
A community opinion survey has been made available, one which will be the first known wide-spread, public surveys ever taken in all of Greene County. This information will be used in creating activities across Greene County that:
Encourage our young people and young families to live in Greene County;
Encourage and support small business start-ups and entrepreneurship;
Encourage Greene County citizens to become more active in leadership roles; and
Encourage charitable giving to support local activities and family businesses to continue in our communities.
If you click or 'copy and paste' the addresses below into the address bar of your internet browser, you will be taken directly to the Home Town Competitiveness survey. The survey has two parts, each part has different questions. Please fill out both, if you have time. (It will take approximately 10 minutes for each part.)
Part 1
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=69...
Part 2
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=LF...
The goal is to have 1,000+ people complete the survey by April 4th. So, please help Greene County by completing the survey and encouraging others, who live or are associated with Greene County, to fill these surveys out today! Your input -- both good and bad -- is important to helping Greene County to be a better place to live, work, and play.
***
This blog post by Chris Wathen was also published in his Linton, Indiana based Greene County Daily World blog entitled, “Riddle Me This”.
Greene County has been selected by the Lt. Governor's office as one of nine pilot communities in the State of Indiana to participate in the Home Town Competitiveness program, a program based on a successful very model from Nebraska. It focuses on four critical areas to the growth and prosperity of rural communities.
A community opinion survey has been made available, one which will be the first known wide-spread, public surveys ever taken in all of Greene County. This information will be used in creating activities across Greene County that:
Encourage our young people and young families to live in Greene County;
Encourage and support small business start-ups and entrepreneurship;
Encourage Greene County citizens to become more active in leadership roles; and
Encourage charitable giving to support local activities and family businesses to continue in our communities.
If you click or 'copy and paste' the addresses below into the address bar of your internet browser, you will be taken directly to the Home Town Competitiveness survey. The survey has two parts, each part has different questions. Please fill out both, if you have time. (It will take approximately 10 minutes for each part.)
Part 1
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=69...
Part 2
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=LF...
The goal is to have 1,000+ people complete the survey by April 4th. So, please help Greene County by completing the survey and encouraging others, who live or are associated with Greene County, to fill these surveys out today! Your input -- both good and bad -- is important to helping Greene County to be a better place to live, work, and play.
***
This blog post by Chris Wathen was also published in his Linton, Indiana based Greene County Daily World blog entitled, “Riddle Me This”.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
The Governor Giveth, and the Governor Taketh Away
Property tax relief in Indiana has become more about "robbing Peter to pay Paul" in many ways, depending on your personal situation.
Today, Governor Mitch Daniels is expected to sign a property tax reform bill, which will provide tax relief and supposedly permanently guard against future property tax increases. At the same time, he is offsetting these lost revenues to the State with an increase in sales taxes from 6% to 7% as of April 1st. No, that's not an April Fools Day joke.
As you'll recall, it wasn't so long ago that we saw a one percent increase from 5% to 6%. In fact, that change became effective on December 1, 2002. (Personally, I found the date of this last change as an interesting attempt to collect higher revenue during the 2002 Christmas season, while also coming about a month AFTER the November elections of that year, but I digress.)
To see how we stack up to other states (at least as of January 1, 2007), The Federation of Tax Administrators, a non-profit corporation, provides the following sales tax comparison chart http://www.taxadmin.org/FTA/rate/sales.h...
On the plus-side of these tax changes, elderly Hoosiers should benefit from lower property taxes on their homes, while they won't see higher sales taxes on necessities, such as food and prescription medicine, as both are exempt from Indiana's sales tax. I refuse to say it will benefit the often-quoted "those on a fixed income" because I believe EVERYONE is on a fixed income, but you know what I mean nonetheless.
Some also argue that an increase in sales tax is a more "fair" way to tax since it taxes consumption, as opposed to property tax increases where assessments are often outdated, incorrect, and/or very difficult to gauge the "fairness" from one to another. Some even argue that property taxes are socially counter-productive and lead to less pride in the community since taxes go up as a person takes better care, maintains, and improves a property.
The bill has passed rather quickly, so it's gone from "just talk" to actual law in a short amount of time. Many Hoosiers have been in disbelief all along the short path, too, thinking it would never happen. Well, it is, but I wonder if the haste of this bill's enactment has been actually counter-productive -- at least in the short-term. Many businesses could have had "beat the tax" sales to clear out slow-moving inventory, but they didn't get much of a chance to do so.
If the bill was passed with a later effective date, this could have bolstered sales within Indiana, even though it may have been short-lived. As the national economy is worsening, many belts are also tightening, so it seems people really need some reason to buy now rather than later.
***
This blog post by Chris Wathen was also published in his Linton, Indiana based Greene County Daily World blog entitled, “Riddle Me This”.
Today, Governor Mitch Daniels is expected to sign a property tax reform bill, which will provide tax relief and supposedly permanently guard against future property tax increases. At the same time, he is offsetting these lost revenues to the State with an increase in sales taxes from 6% to 7% as of April 1st. No, that's not an April Fools Day joke.
As you'll recall, it wasn't so long ago that we saw a one percent increase from 5% to 6%. In fact, that change became effective on December 1, 2002. (Personally, I found the date of this last change as an interesting attempt to collect higher revenue during the 2002 Christmas season, while also coming about a month AFTER the November elections of that year, but I digress.)
To see how we stack up to other states (at least as of January 1, 2007), The Federation of Tax Administrators, a non-profit corporation, provides the following sales tax comparison chart http://www.taxadmin.org/FTA/rate/sales.h...
On the plus-side of these tax changes, elderly Hoosiers should benefit from lower property taxes on their homes, while they won't see higher sales taxes on necessities, such as food and prescription medicine, as both are exempt from Indiana's sales tax. I refuse to say it will benefit the often-quoted "those on a fixed income" because I believe EVERYONE is on a fixed income, but you know what I mean nonetheless.
Some also argue that an increase in sales tax is a more "fair" way to tax since it taxes consumption, as opposed to property tax increases where assessments are often outdated, incorrect, and/or very difficult to gauge the "fairness" from one to another. Some even argue that property taxes are socially counter-productive and lead to less pride in the community since taxes go up as a person takes better care, maintains, and improves a property.
The bill has passed rather quickly, so it's gone from "just talk" to actual law in a short amount of time. Many Hoosiers have been in disbelief all along the short path, too, thinking it would never happen. Well, it is, but I wonder if the haste of this bill's enactment has been actually counter-productive -- at least in the short-term. Many businesses could have had "beat the tax" sales to clear out slow-moving inventory, but they didn't get much of a chance to do so.
If the bill was passed with a later effective date, this could have bolstered sales within Indiana, even though it may have been short-lived. As the national economy is worsening, many belts are also tightening, so it seems people really need some reason to buy now rather than later.
***
This blog post by Chris Wathen was also published in his Linton, Indiana based Greene County Daily World blog entitled, “Riddle Me This”.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Another Check is in the Mail!
Over 130 million U.S. taxpayers are expected to receive economic stimulus checks beginning in May 2008. The government's plan is by getting money into the hands of Americans, who will hopefully spend it immediately, that it will reinvigorate the slumping U.S. economy. To qualify, though, taxpayers must file a 2007 tax return in order to be eligible, but after filing this return, the IRS will do the rest.
As part of a broader-based stimulus package, these checks will provide tax relief of UP TO $600 per individual and $1,200 per married couple, plus an additional $300 per child. At the minimum, a taxpayer must have at least $3,000 of "qualifying income" to receive the $300 (single) or $600 (married, filing jointly). Qualifying income includes Social Security benefits, certain Railroad Retirement benefits, certain veterans' benefits, and earned income. Earned income is income from self-employment, as well as wages, salaries, commissions, and tips earned as an employee.
In general, taxpayers with Federal income tax liability over $300 will receive the lesser of (1.) their tax liability or (2.) $600 for single persons or $1,200 for married couples filing jointly. There are a few limitations and restrictions to be aware of, as single persons with incomes of more than $75,000 and married couples with incomes of more than $150,000 will get only partial rebates.
As always, officials warn all Americans to watch for scams. The IRS will NOT be contacting taxpayers by telephone or e-mail about these tax rebates; however, you may see a letter from the IRS in the mail very soon that will explain simply how to qualify. (It is legitimate, but simply explains how to qualify and does not ask for account numbers, social security numbers, or other personal information.)
Most often, scams focus on trying to attain your checking or savings account numbers, credit card numbers, social security numbers, or other security information, such as PIN numbers or passwords. Don't fall victim to these scams!
If you have questions, you should contact your tax preparer because they best know your personal situation. Given this is an extremely busy time of year for them, however, you may want to wait until after the April 15th tax filing deadline to call their office. The first checks won't be mailed until May, so there's plenty of time.
As part of a broader-based stimulus package, these checks will provide tax relief of UP TO $600 per individual and $1,200 per married couple, plus an additional $300 per child. At the minimum, a taxpayer must have at least $3,000 of "qualifying income" to receive the $300 (single) or $600 (married, filing jointly). Qualifying income includes Social Security benefits, certain Railroad Retirement benefits, certain veterans' benefits, and earned income. Earned income is income from self-employment, as well as wages, salaries, commissions, and tips earned as an employee.
In general, taxpayers with Federal income tax liability over $300 will receive the lesser of (1.) their tax liability or (2.) $600 for single persons or $1,200 for married couples filing jointly. There are a few limitations and restrictions to be aware of, as single persons with incomes of more than $75,000 and married couples with incomes of more than $150,000 will get only partial rebates.
As always, officials warn all Americans to watch for scams. The IRS will NOT be contacting taxpayers by telephone or e-mail about these tax rebates; however, you may see a letter from the IRS in the mail very soon that will explain simply how to qualify. (It is legitimate, but simply explains how to qualify and does not ask for account numbers, social security numbers, or other personal information.)
Most often, scams focus on trying to attain your checking or savings account numbers, credit card numbers, social security numbers, or other security information, such as PIN numbers or passwords. Don't fall victim to these scams!
If you have questions, you should contact your tax preparer because they best know your personal situation. Given this is an extremely busy time of year for them, however, you may want to wait until after the April 15th tax filing deadline to call their office. The first checks won't be mailed until May, so there's plenty of time.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
The Day I Lost My Appetite - No Really!
For a long time, I've read restaurant inspection reports in the Terre Haute and Bloomington newspapers on eateries in those cities. I've also been told that restaurants in St. Louis must display a small sign at the front of their establishment, showing a letter grade (A, B, C…) assigned from the local health inspector. So, the other day -- well -- curiosity killed the cat. I was curious to see what was going on in Greene County -- and more specifically those food places in Linton -- so I went to find out at the county's health department.
I must admit, this endeavor just started out as a personal curiosity, but with what was found, I felt it made for a good blog post too. In fact, I think it would be irresponsible not to do a post with what was found… or not found.
It seems that requesting these public records is somewhat of a novelty, as I was told I was one of the first the office staff can remember coming into their office to take a peak. Since I had to tell them which restaurants I wanted to see by name, I jotted down a list of 23 places where I knew they served prepared food in Linton. (After all of that brainstorming, I now realize that I forgot at least three places, ones that I have eaten in only a time or two over the past several years, so they just didn't come to mind. Oh well!)
In any event, I was pretty surprised at the lack of information in the 23 files pulled that day. Most had the past five years or so of annual permit applications in the files, where they must submit a written form, a small fee, and a copy of their completion certificate of the standard food safety training. Aside from that, I found few actual health inspection reports. Those that were found were fairly dated, as you'll see below. Only 3 of the 23 establishments had been inspected in 2007, and none were found with a 2008 date.
(To be fair, the new County Sanitarian has been in her position only a few months. According to the Daily World article a few months ago, she started in her position in about November of last year. All together, she said in a letter to me that Greene County has 128 food permits issued currently. There is also a lot to do in her position, not only with health inspections, but septic tank permits and those inspections, among others. She also said they are working on placing the health inspection reports online in the future, so that will be good.)
Listed below are the 23 establishments I inspected the records for, and I've listed all of the inspection reports found in file, if critical violations were found and how many, number of customer complaints in file, and follow up date(s) if they were documented. I didn't bother with non-critical violations, but only listed the number of critical violations found. Critical violations that I saw included: numerous flies and cockroaches found, sanitizer concentration not adequate for dishes, unmarked chemicals found, heavy-duty degreaser stored next to open box of bacon bits, used ashtray found on food prep table, etc.
To protect the innocent, as they say, I've simply labeled the food establishments by number, not by name. If you want to know all of the specifics, go over to the health department and inspect the records because they are public records, which are open to inspection from the general public upon request during normal business hours. You will have to fill out a form and pay 50 cents per copy if you choose to copy anything in the files though. Also, they don't like visitors at noon when they're taking lunch themselves.
Keep in mind that some inspections are so old that completely new crews may be employed by now, and an in at least one instance, I know there's been a change in ownership.
Establishment 1: Last inspected 04/01/07 - No critical violations; No complaints in file.
Establishment 2: No inspection reports found; No complaints in file.
Establishment 3: No inspection reports found; No complaints in file.
Establishment 4: Last inspected 08/28/06 - 1 critical violation; No complaints in file.
Establishment 5: Last inspected 10/07/04 - 4 critical violations; 2 complaints in file dated 10/02/03 & 09/29/04.
Establishment 6: Last inspected 02/28/06 - No critical violations; No complaints in file.
Establishment 7: Inspected 04/08/04 - 1 critical violation; Last inspected 02/08/06 - 1 critical violation. No complaints in file.
Establishment 8: No inspection reports found; No complaints in file.
Establishment 9: No inspection reports found; No complaints in file.
Establishment 10: Last inspected 09/15/05 - 8 critical violations; 1 complaint in file dated 08/11/05.
Establishment 11: Inspected 07/14/05 - No critical violations; Last inspected 05/16/07 - 3 critical violations; 1 complaint in file dated 01/12/06.
Establishment 12: Last inspected 08/03/04 - 5 critical violations; No complaints in file.
Establishment 13: No inspection reports found; No complaints in file.
Establishment 14: Last inspected 04/10/07 - No critical violations; No complaints in file.
Establishment 15: Last inspected 03/25/04 - No critical violations; 1 complaint in file dated 08/05/00 -- Followed up on 08/10/00.
Establishment 16: Inspected 02/01/05 - 8 critical violations; Last inspected 06/27/06 - 2 critical violations; No complaints in file.
Establishment 17: No inspection reports found; No complaints in file.
Establishment 18: No inspection reports found; No complaints in file.
Establishment 19: No inspection reports found; No complaints in file.
Establishment 20: No inspection reports found; No complaints in file.
Establishment 21: Inspected 12/02/02 - 1 critical violation; Last inspected 09/15/04 - No critical violations; 1 complaint in file dated 09/13/04.
Establishment 22: No inspection reports found; No complaints in file.
Establishment 23: No inspection reports found; No complaints in file.
After all of this work, I actually didn't eat lunch the day that I went to the Health Department to view these records. While I was somewhat hungry going in the office, I lost my appetite by the time I left. How's that for a weight loss strategy? Don't worry, I'll survive.
I must admit, this endeavor just started out as a personal curiosity, but with what was found, I felt it made for a good blog post too. In fact, I think it would be irresponsible not to do a post with what was found… or not found.
It seems that requesting these public records is somewhat of a novelty, as I was told I was one of the first the office staff can remember coming into their office to take a peak. Since I had to tell them which restaurants I wanted to see by name, I jotted down a list of 23 places where I knew they served prepared food in Linton. (After all of that brainstorming, I now realize that I forgot at least three places, ones that I have eaten in only a time or two over the past several years, so they just didn't come to mind. Oh well!)
In any event, I was pretty surprised at the lack of information in the 23 files pulled that day. Most had the past five years or so of annual permit applications in the files, where they must submit a written form, a small fee, and a copy of their completion certificate of the standard food safety training. Aside from that, I found few actual health inspection reports. Those that were found were fairly dated, as you'll see below. Only 3 of the 23 establishments had been inspected in 2007, and none were found with a 2008 date.
(To be fair, the new County Sanitarian has been in her position only a few months. According to the Daily World article a few months ago, she started in her position in about November of last year. All together, she said in a letter to me that Greene County has 128 food permits issued currently. There is also a lot to do in her position, not only with health inspections, but septic tank permits and those inspections, among others. She also said they are working on placing the health inspection reports online in the future, so that will be good.)
Listed below are the 23 establishments I inspected the records for, and I've listed all of the inspection reports found in file, if critical violations were found and how many, number of customer complaints in file, and follow up date(s) if they were documented. I didn't bother with non-critical violations, but only listed the number of critical violations found. Critical violations that I saw included: numerous flies and cockroaches found, sanitizer concentration not adequate for dishes, unmarked chemicals found, heavy-duty degreaser stored next to open box of bacon bits, used ashtray found on food prep table, etc.
To protect the innocent, as they say, I've simply labeled the food establishments by number, not by name. If you want to know all of the specifics, go over to the health department and inspect the records because they are public records, which are open to inspection from the general public upon request during normal business hours. You will have to fill out a form and pay 50 cents per copy if you choose to copy anything in the files though. Also, they don't like visitors at noon when they're taking lunch themselves.
Keep in mind that some inspections are so old that completely new crews may be employed by now, and an in at least one instance, I know there's been a change in ownership.
Establishment 1: Last inspected 04/01/07 - No critical violations; No complaints in file.
Establishment 2: No inspection reports found; No complaints in file.
Establishment 3: No inspection reports found; No complaints in file.
Establishment 4: Last inspected 08/28/06 - 1 critical violation; No complaints in file.
Establishment 5: Last inspected 10/07/04 - 4 critical violations; 2 complaints in file dated 10/02/03 & 09/29/04.
Establishment 6: Last inspected 02/28/06 - No critical violations; No complaints in file.
Establishment 7: Inspected 04/08/04 - 1 critical violation; Last inspected 02/08/06 - 1 critical violation. No complaints in file.
Establishment 8: No inspection reports found; No complaints in file.
Establishment 9: No inspection reports found; No complaints in file.
Establishment 10: Last inspected 09/15/05 - 8 critical violations; 1 complaint in file dated 08/11/05.
Establishment 11: Inspected 07/14/05 - No critical violations; Last inspected 05/16/07 - 3 critical violations; 1 complaint in file dated 01/12/06.
Establishment 12: Last inspected 08/03/04 - 5 critical violations; No complaints in file.
Establishment 13: No inspection reports found; No complaints in file.
Establishment 14: Last inspected 04/10/07 - No critical violations; No complaints in file.
Establishment 15: Last inspected 03/25/04 - No critical violations; 1 complaint in file dated 08/05/00 -- Followed up on 08/10/00.
Establishment 16: Inspected 02/01/05 - 8 critical violations; Last inspected 06/27/06 - 2 critical violations; No complaints in file.
Establishment 17: No inspection reports found; No complaints in file.
Establishment 18: No inspection reports found; No complaints in file.
Establishment 19: No inspection reports found; No complaints in file.
Establishment 20: No inspection reports found; No complaints in file.
Establishment 21: Inspected 12/02/02 - 1 critical violation; Last inspected 09/15/04 - No critical violations; 1 complaint in file dated 09/13/04.
Establishment 22: No inspection reports found; No complaints in file.
Establishment 23: No inspection reports found; No complaints in file.
After all of this work, I actually didn't eat lunch the day that I went to the Health Department to view these records. While I was somewhat hungry going in the office, I lost my appetite by the time I left. How's that for a weight loss strategy? Don't worry, I'll survive.
Friday, March 14, 2008
DirecTV: A Bunch of Greedy @%$^%#&$
If you just received your DirecTV bill this month, don't be surprised when you see a higher amount printed on your statement. For the second time in a year, they have raised their monthly fees for a total increase of about 15%.
Of course, it was once again without warning.
When I called earlier today about the surprise increase, the customer service rep said letters were mailed out two months ago, but I didn't see one. It seems it was a common problem because lots of people have called, she said.
My question: How hard would it be to print out a rate increase notice on the billing statements for one or two months ahead of time? I guess difficult. Perhaps, too obvious.
Isn't it too bad that the working class can't send bills out themselves for 15% higher pay without notice just like these corporate giants? No doubt, it was to support DirecTV CEO Carey Chase's outlandish salary and compensation package as shown below:
ANNUAL COMPENSATION*
Salary
$2,149,590
Total Annual Compensation
$2,149,590
STOCK OPTIONS*
Restricted Stock Awards
$5,674,500
All Other Compensation
$325,256
Exercisable Options
$1,883,764
Exercisable Values
$11,564,355
Total Value of Options
$11,564,355
Total Number of Options
1,883,764
TOTAL COMPENSATION*
Total Annual Cash
$6,149,590
Total Short Term Compensation
$2,149,590
Other Long Term Compensation
$5,999,756
Total Calculated Compensation
$12,470,904
Here's another question: Would you watch TV at home if you made as much money as he does? Total compensation of over $12 million dollars would rent a few DVDs -- certainly pay for a whole lot of month's membership to NetFlix -- plus give most people the ability to retire after only one year.
According to Yahoo! Finance, DirecTV (ticker: DTV) only made $1,451,000,000 last year. No, that's no typo, but just nearly a mere 1 ½ BILLION dollars.
It must be tough.
Of course, it was once again without warning.
When I called earlier today about the surprise increase, the customer service rep said letters were mailed out two months ago, but I didn't see one. It seems it was a common problem because lots of people have called, she said.
My question: How hard would it be to print out a rate increase notice on the billing statements for one or two months ahead of time? I guess difficult. Perhaps, too obvious.
Isn't it too bad that the working class can't send bills out themselves for 15% higher pay without notice just like these corporate giants? No doubt, it was to support DirecTV CEO Carey Chase's outlandish salary and compensation package as shown below:
ANNUAL COMPENSATION*
Salary
$2,149,590
Total Annual Compensation
$2,149,590
STOCK OPTIONS*
Restricted Stock Awards
$5,674,500
All Other Compensation
$325,256
Exercisable Options
$1,883,764
Exercisable Values
$11,564,355
Total Value of Options
$11,564,355
Total Number of Options
1,883,764
TOTAL COMPENSATION*
Total Annual Cash
$6,149,590
Total Short Term Compensation
$2,149,590
Other Long Term Compensation
$5,999,756
Total Calculated Compensation
$12,470,904
Here's another question: Would you watch TV at home if you made as much money as he does? Total compensation of over $12 million dollars would rent a few DVDs -- certainly pay for a whole lot of month's membership to NetFlix -- plus give most people the ability to retire after only one year.
According to Yahoo! Finance, DirecTV (ticker: DTV) only made $1,451,000,000 last year. No, that's no typo, but just nearly a mere 1 ½ BILLION dollars.
It must be tough.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
New $5 Bill Enters Circulation Today
A newly-redesigned $5 bill will enter into circulation today. In addition to the redesign, it will have enhanced security features. To learn more about this new bill, go to the Federal Reserve website: http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents...
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Think Outside the Box
While thinking about economic development in this area, it occurred to me that it all boils down to really two things that we must do: (1.) we must identify the assets in our community, and (2.) we have to successfully market those assets.
When I say "assets" here, I do not mean assets in the normal sense of the word. I'm not talking about city or county-owned trucks, equipment, or buildings. I'm talking about those things that are very valuable, yet perhaps intangible, and I'm also talking about aspects that are truly unique to our area.
For example, I read a fact the other day that I hadn't realized myself growing up in southern Indiana. Did you know that southwestern Indiana is within a 12 hour drive of 70% of the U.S. population? It is.
Now, the first thought that popped into my mind was the obvious trucking, logistics, and distribution center potential for this area. After all, if a trucker can haul most anything to most everyone (at least 70%) within 12 hours, this would make a good spot to warehouse goods until needed elsewhere. We have acres of space.
Although trucking, logistics, and distribution opportunities are very viable and important parts of our economy, I think those are really just skimming the surface.
What if we were to peruse the annual reports of, say, a credit card company and find that they have their billing center in Des Moines, Iowa? With our geographic "asset" here -- being within 12 hours of 70% of the U.S. population -- let's say we study the mail service to both places and find we could receive and deposit the payments they receive each month two days quicker on average. Now, to you and me personally, receiving and depositing money two days earlier is insignificant. BUT, to a large corporation that processes hundreds of millions of dollars a month in payments, it means to them that they have significantly more "cash float" for their own business as well as potentially much more interest earned on the amounts received those two days earlier each month. Perhaps, these two days would even be so significant to them that the extra cash float and interest earned would pay for the buildings and facilities for them to build here.
In any event, how much better of a phone call or solicitation letter would it be to this credit card company (or any other company you want to insert here) if we approached it from the standpoint of, "We noticed your current center is in Iowa, and we figure we can get your payments deposited in the bank two days earlier because of our geographic location in the U.S. By the amounts shown in your annual report, we figure that your company can build a building and facilities here and still save money. Here's all of the facts, numbers, and calculations."?
Or, do you think the following may work better: "We're a nice place to live and raise a family, and we really need some jobs."? Being a nice place to live and raise a family is great, but there are more than a thousand other small communities in the United States saying the exact same thing. Are they good places to live and raise a family? Sure are. There are thousands out there besides Greene County, Indiana. So, what makes us so special?
What the first approach says to the company is that (1.) we want to work with you, (2.) we have something to offer, and (3.) we're pro-active and progressive. It's a win-win solution for them and us.
The second approach is just simply begging. There's nothing else to call it, but that.
What other assets do we have? Well, what about colleges? Yes, colleges. We live in a valley of colleges; Indiana is full of them. We have Hanover, Wabash, University of Indianapolis, Butler, Rose-Hulman, DePauw, Saint Mary of the Woods, Earlham, Indiana Wesleyan, Franklin, University of Evansville, and Marian. We have some excellent state schools, too, such as Ivy Tech, USI, ISU, IU, Ball State, Purdue, and Vincennes University. Those are just to name a few, as I know there are others, but most all of them are known nationwide (some even internationally) as excellent schools.
Why do I say they're an asset? Aside from being institutions of higher education that educate Indiana's offspring, they also are full of bright, energetic, and positive students. They lack something critical, though, and that's real world experience. How many times have you heard students complain that they can't get that first good job without experience first? What better win-win strategy could our community embrace than contacting these institutions to see if we could provide real world experience for the students in exchange for helping our community move forward by doing some of the leg work? The experience could come in the form of a large class project, a course focusing on our community in some way, a summer job, or an internship.
After all, weren't you wondering who would have time to look through all of those annual reports, to do research on how much two days means to a certain company, and make recommendations on which ones to contact from my suggestion above? How about some college students assigned to a project?
In fact, something just like that is starting with Marian College, my alma mater. In November of last year, you may have spotted the "Marian-mobile" roaming downtown Linton. (If you've seen it, you can't miss it.) In it were a business professor and the Dean of the Business School at Marian College. I contacted one of my former business professors last Fall with the ideas I've shared above, and he along with the Dean travelled to Linton to take a look around and discuss these with me.
I'm very proud to announce that this year the Foundations of Entrepreneurship course at Marian College will be studying the City of Linton in a section entitled, "Social Entrepreneurship," which is the concept that entrepreneurship is an economic and social good to a community. Social entrepreneurship subscribes to the concept that when entrepreneurship flourishes then the quality of life in a community benefits, as the professor explained to me in an e-mail.
The class will be broken down into teams to study this area, its available resources, and grant opportunities, among others.
Now, don't go off expecting economic miracles to happen with their final report to the City later this year, but do know that this is a very significant step in aligning the City of Linton with higher education in a win-win solution to help with the economic woes here.
It's also a model that I think should be expanded to other institutions with strengths in different disciplines, such as surveying, engineering, information technology, etc. What city or town here -- or the County for that matter -- couldn't use help in any one of these areas and more? I'd encourage others in our community with ties to colleges and universities to pick up the phone, write an e-mail, or visit with some former professors or others at these institutions and start the ball rolling on a better Greene County. Something may not be able to be immediately worked out, but with some time, patience, and planning, we can make this community an even better place to live and raise a family.
When I say "assets" here, I do not mean assets in the normal sense of the word. I'm not talking about city or county-owned trucks, equipment, or buildings. I'm talking about those things that are very valuable, yet perhaps intangible, and I'm also talking about aspects that are truly unique to our area.
For example, I read a fact the other day that I hadn't realized myself growing up in southern Indiana. Did you know that southwestern Indiana is within a 12 hour drive of 70% of the U.S. population? It is.
Now, the first thought that popped into my mind was the obvious trucking, logistics, and distribution center potential for this area. After all, if a trucker can haul most anything to most everyone (at least 70%) within 12 hours, this would make a good spot to warehouse goods until needed elsewhere. We have acres of space.
Although trucking, logistics, and distribution opportunities are very viable and important parts of our economy, I think those are really just skimming the surface.
What if we were to peruse the annual reports of, say, a credit card company and find that they have their billing center in Des Moines, Iowa? With our geographic "asset" here -- being within 12 hours of 70% of the U.S. population -- let's say we study the mail service to both places and find we could receive and deposit the payments they receive each month two days quicker on average. Now, to you and me personally, receiving and depositing money two days earlier is insignificant. BUT, to a large corporation that processes hundreds of millions of dollars a month in payments, it means to them that they have significantly more "cash float" for their own business as well as potentially much more interest earned on the amounts received those two days earlier each month. Perhaps, these two days would even be so significant to them that the extra cash float and interest earned would pay for the buildings and facilities for them to build here.
In any event, how much better of a phone call or solicitation letter would it be to this credit card company (or any other company you want to insert here) if we approached it from the standpoint of, "We noticed your current center is in Iowa, and we figure we can get your payments deposited in the bank two days earlier because of our geographic location in the U.S. By the amounts shown in your annual report, we figure that your company can build a building and facilities here and still save money. Here's all of the facts, numbers, and calculations."?
Or, do you think the following may work better: "We're a nice place to live and raise a family, and we really need some jobs."? Being a nice place to live and raise a family is great, but there are more than a thousand other small communities in the United States saying the exact same thing. Are they good places to live and raise a family? Sure are. There are thousands out there besides Greene County, Indiana. So, what makes us so special?
What the first approach says to the company is that (1.) we want to work with you, (2.) we have something to offer, and (3.) we're pro-active and progressive. It's a win-win solution for them and us.
The second approach is just simply begging. There's nothing else to call it, but that.
What other assets do we have? Well, what about colleges? Yes, colleges. We live in a valley of colleges; Indiana is full of them. We have Hanover, Wabash, University of Indianapolis, Butler, Rose-Hulman, DePauw, Saint Mary of the Woods, Earlham, Indiana Wesleyan, Franklin, University of Evansville, and Marian. We have some excellent state schools, too, such as Ivy Tech, USI, ISU, IU, Ball State, Purdue, and Vincennes University. Those are just to name a few, as I know there are others, but most all of them are known nationwide (some even internationally) as excellent schools.
Why do I say they're an asset? Aside from being institutions of higher education that educate Indiana's offspring, they also are full of bright, energetic, and positive students. They lack something critical, though, and that's real world experience. How many times have you heard students complain that they can't get that first good job without experience first? What better win-win strategy could our community embrace than contacting these institutions to see if we could provide real world experience for the students in exchange for helping our community move forward by doing some of the leg work? The experience could come in the form of a large class project, a course focusing on our community in some way, a summer job, or an internship.
After all, weren't you wondering who would have time to look through all of those annual reports, to do research on how much two days means to a certain company, and make recommendations on which ones to contact from my suggestion above? How about some college students assigned to a project?
In fact, something just like that is starting with Marian College, my alma mater. In November of last year, you may have spotted the "Marian-mobile" roaming downtown Linton. (If you've seen it, you can't miss it.) In it were a business professor and the Dean of the Business School at Marian College. I contacted one of my former business professors last Fall with the ideas I've shared above, and he along with the Dean travelled to Linton to take a look around and discuss these with me.
I'm very proud to announce that this year the Foundations of Entrepreneurship course at Marian College will be studying the City of Linton in a section entitled, "Social Entrepreneurship," which is the concept that entrepreneurship is an economic and social good to a community. Social entrepreneurship subscribes to the concept that when entrepreneurship flourishes then the quality of life in a community benefits, as the professor explained to me in an e-mail.
The class will be broken down into teams to study this area, its available resources, and grant opportunities, among others.
Now, don't go off expecting economic miracles to happen with their final report to the City later this year, but do know that this is a very significant step in aligning the City of Linton with higher education in a win-win solution to help with the economic woes here.
It's also a model that I think should be expanded to other institutions with strengths in different disciplines, such as surveying, engineering, information technology, etc. What city or town here -- or the County for that matter -- couldn't use help in any one of these areas and more? I'd encourage others in our community with ties to colleges and universities to pick up the phone, write an e-mail, or visit with some former professors or others at these institutions and start the ball rolling on a better Greene County. Something may not be able to be immediately worked out, but with some time, patience, and planning, we can make this community an even better place to live and raise a family.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Linton: A Shining Beacon of Prosperity
The Linton City Council announced last night at its regular monthly meeting that the City of Linton and its people are so wealthy that we do not need charity from the State in the form of measly $500,000 grants. In fact, our citizenry is so wealthy that we, as part of the abundant class of Hoosiers that we are, can afford to fork over the money to pay taxes to the State of Indiana, so other communities can do what they can with the money the State doles out in grants. We need nothing in return.
The Governor can keep his INDOT grant money, too, that we may have become eligible for with the youth center project. We simply do not need the mere millions of dollars in grants that are available to create a bike and walking pathway around this great city, as our next step in the overall plan called for. When your citizenry naturally looks like bodybuilders, well, you just don't need exercise.
Actually, speaking of plans, the Comprehensive Plan that many in our community spent countless volunteer hours on can be thrown out, too, because our citizens really have too much time on their hands. Besides, what do all of the city planners, engineers, and attorneys that put it together know? (Apart from being wealthy, you see, we're just a little smarter here than those Evansville professionals too.) After all, who needs a plan when we're obviously doing everything right?
And why should youth groups, boys' baseball leagues, girls' softball, soccer, churches all come together in our community and work together to form a youth complex for that matter? It's all nonsense to try to save money when we all have so much money and so much for our youth to do already. The youth complain all of the time that their schedules are too full and we should give them a break now and then. Let some other community host those little league tournaments and "mini world series" events in the future that some envisioned last night. Who needs vision with all of this prosperity?
Federal monies that were recently requested by the Mayor are not needed either. The Mayor goes off on these tangents asking for money back from all the taxes we pay out, and it's really silly. He goes to all of these conferences and workshops, too, but we're just a little smarter class of people here, so what's the use? We should be hosting the conference to show the world our community's wealth, muscle, and brains. After all, we're obviously doing everything right.
Some communities actually call themselves "progressive" by having the goal of three Community Block Grants open at once all of the time. To this, we say "Bah Humbug!" If they had the wealth we have, they wouldn't bother.
Perhaps, we can break them off some crumbs, so they won't need to bother either. Maybe some of our carpenters, bricklayers, and trades people can even fit in a day to donate to these communities from their busy schedules, but it will be tough since they have so much work here locally to do. They don't need yet another project to bid on anyway.
In Linton, we can all afford to pay in taxes to the federal and state governments, so that other communities may apply and get up to Linton's standards of excellence. Perhaps, we could even raise taxes, so that we can give more to our neighbors because, you know, just the other day yet another elderly social security recipient asked the City to bring down the chipper from the city barn to shred up some of the piles of money in her home that get in her way to the bathroom.
You see, while some communities plant Bradford Pear trees, all of the trees and gardens in Linton produce a different type of green: money. Yes, we have money trees all along the sidewalks. Children amuse themselves by making paper airplanes out of them, while dogs run and play in the piles that the adults have raked the pesky little things into to burn.
If you really aren't familiar with this new City of Babylon with its lush gardens and ridiculous wealth, known as Linton, the City Council invites you to their gold-leafed chambers for their next monthly meeting on Monday, April 14th at 7PM.
They just caution you that you should step over the gold bullion piled close to the doors. The signs tell people not to drop off their excess gold, but they do anyway. The City is looking at a new machine to vaporize that nuisance, though, and we'll soon have that problem solved. After all, our "City of Progress" signs as you drive in to town say it all… because when we're obviously doing everything right, the success will show.
The Governor can keep his INDOT grant money, too, that we may have become eligible for with the youth center project. We simply do not need the mere millions of dollars in grants that are available to create a bike and walking pathway around this great city, as our next step in the overall plan called for. When your citizenry naturally looks like bodybuilders, well, you just don't need exercise.
Actually, speaking of plans, the Comprehensive Plan that many in our community spent countless volunteer hours on can be thrown out, too, because our citizens really have too much time on their hands. Besides, what do all of the city planners, engineers, and attorneys that put it together know? (Apart from being wealthy, you see, we're just a little smarter here than those Evansville professionals too.) After all, who needs a plan when we're obviously doing everything right?
And why should youth groups, boys' baseball leagues, girls' softball, soccer, churches all come together in our community and work together to form a youth complex for that matter? It's all nonsense to try to save money when we all have so much money and so much for our youth to do already. The youth complain all of the time that their schedules are too full and we should give them a break now and then. Let some other community host those little league tournaments and "mini world series" events in the future that some envisioned last night. Who needs vision with all of this prosperity?
Federal monies that were recently requested by the Mayor are not needed either. The Mayor goes off on these tangents asking for money back from all the taxes we pay out, and it's really silly. He goes to all of these conferences and workshops, too, but we're just a little smarter class of people here, so what's the use? We should be hosting the conference to show the world our community's wealth, muscle, and brains. After all, we're obviously doing everything right.
Some communities actually call themselves "progressive" by having the goal of three Community Block Grants open at once all of the time. To this, we say "Bah Humbug!" If they had the wealth we have, they wouldn't bother.
Perhaps, we can break them off some crumbs, so they won't need to bother either. Maybe some of our carpenters, bricklayers, and trades people can even fit in a day to donate to these communities from their busy schedules, but it will be tough since they have so much work here locally to do. They don't need yet another project to bid on anyway.
In Linton, we can all afford to pay in taxes to the federal and state governments, so that other communities may apply and get up to Linton's standards of excellence. Perhaps, we could even raise taxes, so that we can give more to our neighbors because, you know, just the other day yet another elderly social security recipient asked the City to bring down the chipper from the city barn to shred up some of the piles of money in her home that get in her way to the bathroom.
You see, while some communities plant Bradford Pear trees, all of the trees and gardens in Linton produce a different type of green: money. Yes, we have money trees all along the sidewalks. Children amuse themselves by making paper airplanes out of them, while dogs run and play in the piles that the adults have raked the pesky little things into to burn.
If you really aren't familiar with this new City of Babylon with its lush gardens and ridiculous wealth, known as Linton, the City Council invites you to their gold-leafed chambers for their next monthly meeting on Monday, April 14th at 7PM.
They just caution you that you should step over the gold bullion piled close to the doors. The signs tell people not to drop off their excess gold, but they do anyway. The City is looking at a new machine to vaporize that nuisance, though, and we'll soon have that problem solved. After all, our "City of Progress" signs as you drive in to town say it all… because when we're obviously doing everything right, the success will show.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
