Sunday, July 27, 2008

Short Week . . .

I was out of town this past week on what has become my annual pilgrimage to Iowa to participate in Ragbrai, the Des Moines Register sponsored bicycle ride across Iowa. The entire ride traverses the state from east to west and varies in distance from year to year. This year’s ride was about 450 miles. My friends and I peddled just over 200 miles of the route in two and one-half days. Wednesday’s weather was good. But Thursday’s was down right cold and rainy – with head winds averaging 15 to 20 miles – it was a slow 72 miles of riding. Friday’s weather was perfect. The cold front had swept through leaving a tail wind in its wake with slightly overcast skies that warmed riders and spirits as we rode through the beautiful countryside of eastern Iowa. But enough about me. The string of commentary in this week’s postings is interesting. A number of writers have found fault with how the city encourages the development of small businesses in Raytown. It is an interesting debate that should really turn on what is the best economic engine for a city like Raytown. I hope the discussion continues in the week ahead. From my point of view all one has to do is look back to when Raytown was thriving to see how strong a community can be when it has a diverse business section. Putting all of your eggs into one basket, as the city has done with Walmart, does not build a solid economic base. It is doubtful that Walmart will go away. But the city should work just as hard, if not harder, to build a strong economic picture through the development of small businesses. Though I was out of town for most of the week I was still able to attend the Annual Raytown Democratic Association Picnic this past Sunday. This year’s event attracted political leaders from across the area. Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, candidates for state wide offices, and candidates from local State Representative races and the Sheriff’s race topped the agenda. In all, about 100 people came and went at the three hour event. There are nine days left before the August 5th Primary. Whether you decide to take a Democrat or Republican ballot, please take a little time to familiarize yourself with the candidates. Primary elections in Missouri are not high turnout events. This makes your vote more important than in most other races. So please mark your calendars to vote in the Primary Election on August 5th.

51 comments:

Anonymous said...

Everyone, regardless of how you vote, just get out and exercise your right to vote. It is quick and painless. Make it a point to make this a priority and schedule this into your busy day. Polls open 6am til 7pm.

Pat Casady said...

Tim Truesdale should leave his position at City Hall at once!
He needs to go to Liberty with his friends. If he has a guaranteed
severance, then Raytown should bite the bullet and pay it.
Raytown and business would be money ahead!
If they can waste money on surveys and studies they can
pay this guy off. It would be taxpayer money well spent for a change!

Our city fathers talk out of both sides of their mouths. They "say"
they want Raytown to grow but then they keep a person that is trying
to stunt Raytown's growth. He has stopped businesses from coming
in and has and is actively trying to run others off.

To Anonymous July 26, 8:45
You are wrong about Mr.B's. The fence that was put up was done in
good taste it was an expensive black iron fence that looked nice.
The fact is Raytown should, at this point, embrace any small retail business
that will collect any sales tax because they have made it so that big business doesn't have to.
It's too bad you think like the city. If you don't like a legal business, then run
them out of town. Are you sure your initials aren't TT?

I don't get it. The people of Raytown should be behind what few small businesses we have left and support them. Not join in to see how they can be run out of town. Anonymous 8:45, how would you like it if the city came by and told you they didn't like the color of your house or what direction your cut pattern was when you mow your grass and ran you out of town?
The sad fact is there was nothing wrong with that fence. Just like there is nothing
wrong with Employees at Rick's Auto parking across the street from their
work on a rented parking spot. But some jerk wants show off his power
and make it hard for them.

Anonymous said...

Truesdale and Mayor Bower are making it impossible for small business to survive in Raytown. If they don't do something soon all they will have left is Walmart and HyVee. Not much to build a sales tax base on, think.

Andy Whiteman said...

I hope they changed the ballot so I can vote and know that I am voting for the correct person. The names are printed on the left side and the holes to punch are way to the right. Being disabled, I am unable to follow that far across and know I have the correct hole. The names should all be on the right side by the holes so people know they are voting correctly.

I wonder if that may be why the school tax passed. People who wanted to vote NO may have been voting YES in error!

If the city can run a business out because of a fence, Recycle area should be shut down for its illegal fence. I hope someone sues the city over discrimination.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

Tim Truesdale doesn't know shit from applebutter and he has proved it time and time again and I am beginning to think the mayor has about the same IQ. I wonder if we can march on city hall and ask for them to resign? That is about the only way we will get rid of them.

Andy Whiteman said...

Think about this as you cast your vote:

Catching Wild Pigs


A chemistry professor in a large college had several exchange students in the class.

One day in class, the Professor noticed one young man (an exchange student) who kept rubbing his back, and stretching as if his back hurt.

The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist government.

In the midst of his story he looked at th e professor and asked a strange question. He asked, 'Do you know how to catch wild pigs?'

The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said this was no joke. 'You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence.

They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in the last side. The pigs, who are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd. Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go b ack to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.

The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening to America . The government keeps pushing us toward socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops, welfare, medicine, drugs, etc. while we continually lose our freedoms - just a little at a time.

One should always remember: There is no such thing as a free lunch! Also, a politician will never provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself. Also, if you see that all of this wonderful government 'help' is a problem confronting the future of democracy in America , you might want to send this on to your friends. If you think the free ride is essential to your way of life then you will probably delete this email, but God help you when the gate slams shut!

In this 'very important' election year, listen closely to what the candidates are promising you - just maybe you will be able to tell who is about to slam the gate on America ...

'A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have' - Thomas Jefferson

Itellitlikeitis said...

Anonymous July 28, 2008 4:14 AM; You said "regardless of how you vote, just get out and exercise your right to vote." I couldn't disagree more, I see people at the polls every election that absolutely don't have a clue. My dog could make a better judgment about how to vote and who to vote for than a lot of the people who are actually voting. Many of them have no business at the polls. Unfortunately there are going to be droves of "new voters" out there this time that are going to be told how to vote by those who registered them, and the same people will be outside the polling places to remind them again that there is only one lever they need to pull, or one hole to pencil in or punch!

Anonymous said...

Greg.... Lee Gray here...

Just a question: It's 8:34 pm on Monday and Channel 7 is broadcasting commercial station CW. Is there a reason for that?

Anonymous said...

I suppose that we can agree to disagree..... people need to get out and vote instead of not voting then bitching about who won later. If you voted, then you have every reason to either be elated or disappointed. Even though the popular vote may not count because of the electoral college, you should still vote anyway. Lame excuses do not cut it. Men and Women died fighting for this country in order to help preserve your freedoms and rights guaranteed you in this country. Take the time and become educated about the candidates and the issues. It only takes a few minutes of your time to do this. There may be some that one feels like that they should not be voting, but that is not for you to decide for them. It is their constitutional right and that is your opinion.

Andy Whiteman said...

Itellitlikeitis, both your dog and my dog should both be registered to vote. A person should not be voting just for the sake of voting. The reason for voting is because a person has knowledge of who or what they are voting for and is making an intelligent decision. I agree with you many voters are clueless and have no business at the polls.

I feel the same about juries. I was on a jury with 11 quilty and 1 not quilty. The one not quilty voted that way because of emotion, not facts. The same happened when my wife was murdered. The jury voted on emotion, not fact and the individual and his employer got off scott free.

Andy Whiteman

Itellitlikeitis said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Itellitlikeitis said...

We should be very grateful that our forefathers had the insight to have the Electoral College rather than having our presidents being elected by popular vote. This is true especially for states like Missouri; otherwise our votes would be totally worthless.

States with big cities like New York, California, Florida, etc, would decide every election. There would be no reason for us to vote in the presidential elections at all.

The popular vote for each state does determine how the Electoral College votes will be cast for that state. It's the same reason that our forefathers had the wisdom to have two Senators elected from each state; otherwise the more populous states would dominate the senate, leaving states like Missouri without any real representation at all.

Thank God for the Electoral College.

Andy Whiteman said...

I agree with Itellitlikeitis about the electoral college. I never saw the benefit of it until I read his post. Now I do. Our forefathers did an excellant job of writing the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

Another way of manipulating the outcome of elections to favor one parties political agenda. Impeach them all!

Anonymous said...

Whoa there about the founding fathers and the electoral college.

The founding fathers felt that the executive office was too important to be left to the people to decide, the state legislatures usually sent electors to Washington to "do the right thing," although there was/is no guidance from the Constitution as to how the individual states were to allocate their electoral votes. The individual citizens did not vote for President in the early days of our republic. Nobody ever ran for president, that would be horribly gauche and tastless to overtly aspire to such an important position. The founding fathers viewed themselves as selfless servants of the American Public, overt self-promotion and ambition was never rewarded with a presidential nomination in the early days of our democracy.

At the centennial of this nation, there was a great deal of speculation as to how the caliber of our elected representatives could have fallen so far in 100 short years. I look at George W. Bush and continue to be amazed at the type of individual who can acheive success in the political arena.

The simple fact is that nobody's vote means a damn thing, except possibly in local elections where a very small number of votes can make the difference. I still vote, but my vote has never meant a thing, as in every election that I have participated in the outcome would have been the same if I had stayed home. Making the assumption that the votes are counted accurately, which is still a big assumtion to make.

-Sad but True

Anonymous said...

-Sad but True; You are an idiot!

Itellitlikeitis said...

I DIDN'T say "founding fathers", I said "forefathers", big difference.

The Electoral College came about over time....for very good reasons, as explained in a previous post.

Itellitlikeitis said...

July 29, 2008

On this day in 1967, one hundred and thirty-four men died and sixty-two were wounded in a fire on an aircraft carrier, the USS Forrestal. Among the planes waiting to take off, a missile misfired and hit another plane, sparking a massive inferno.

As bombs and fuel exploded, Lt. Commander John McCain jumped out of his own plane and ran toward the flames -- yes, toward the flames -- attempting to rescue another pilot. An exploding bomb then injured McCain in the chest and legs.

With his own ship out of commission, McCain volunteered for duty aboard the USS Oriskany. Three months later, he was shot down. He spent five and a half years in a communist prison, much of that time in solitary confinement.

The video is on YouTube should anyone want to view it.

Pat Casady said...

Forefathers, founding fathers, it doesn't make much difference
elected officials either city, state or on a higher level all
of a sudden think they are smarter than the average citizen.
The fact is they forget they were themselves average citizens.
In most cases elected officials don't get smarter they get so
full of themselves they forget their fellow "average citizens"
and think of themselves as leaders and know-it-all's that, in fact
embarrass themselves with some of the asinine decisions they
make. Sometimes I wonder how they can muster enough sense
to find their way home.
If you think about it, look at any election. A politician no matter if it a small town or federal government will spend more money to
get elected than they will make.......legally, during their term.
The presidency is the worst. They will spend tens of millions of
dollars for a three or four hundred thousand dollar a year job.

We need to focus on Raytown, and quit calling each other names
and arguing about politics we can't change. Raytown is in trouble.
We are losing businesses and homeowners by the droves and nobody
at City Hall seems to want to anything about it. We need people to run for office here at home that will have only the best at heart for Raytown
and at least have an I.Q. higher than their age. People that have enough common sense to fire the people that are hurting Raytown and will stand up to big companies that want to ruin this town for a buck.

Anonymous said...

Someone told me the Mayor doesn't read the blog because he gets upset if he reads it. Maybe he should read it everyday twice a day and then get some balls to do something positive for this town that he says he loves and its citizens who were stupid enough to elect him. As the saying goes "don't balme me I didn't vote for him."

Andy Whiteman said...

Pat is correct, it is stupid to run for office and spend more on the campaign than the income from the job. I asked my father about that and he said, "There is more income than the salary. There is graft." I am saying this about elected officials in general and not naming an individual(s).

I noticed in today's Raytown section of the Red Star, one candidate is running for governor and has less than $500 in contribuitions! If I was to run for school board, alderman, or whatever office; I wouldn't spend any money except the registration fee to put my name on the ballot. The salary isn't worth the expenditure and I don't want to get $$$$ under the table.

Yes, we should focus on making Raytown a better place, but I think we are all child-like and have to resort to name calling.

By the way Jose Guillen says that KC is living Hell. I agree with him.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

Dear Itellitlikeitis,

The electoral college was established by our Constitution that was adopted in 1787, although it wasn't called "The Electoral College" until 1845 or so. Here are the relevent clauses establishing the method of electing the President & Vice President by our Constitution.

Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 of the Constitution states:
“ Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector. ”

Article II, Section 1, Clause 4 of the Constitution states:
“ The Congress may determine the Time of choosing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States.

So, I don't see the difference, when discussing the electoral college, between founding fathers and forefathers. Either way, the Electoral College was established by our constitution as originally written. It's just the method of choosing the electors that has changed over time.

I guess that I don't understand what the argument is here. The shift away from State Legislatures appointing Electors to the Electoral College toward having popular votes to appoint Electors largely happened during the first hundred years of this Republic in a move toward a more democratic method of choosing the President.

One man, one vote is not the way that the President is chosen, and has never been. You think this is a good thing? It certainly goes against the basic concept of Democracy.

-Sad but still True.

Anonymous said...

Sad but still True; our form of government is a Republic, not a Democracy.

Itellitlikeitis said...

If it wasn't for the Electoral College the "give me" voters (who dominate the vote in large cities) who always give their votes to the Democrat party (the party who promises to "give them" things they didn’t have to work for) would decide who our president would be.

If the Electoral College were eliminated then the Democrat party (as it is at this time in history) would win every presidential election by promising to give much of my hard earned money to those with their hands out who aren’t willing to work to get the things they want.

The staunch Democrats would love to see the Electoral College eliminated. But what if the Democrat party wakes up one of these days and decides to revert back to being what it used to be? It could come back to bite them in the butt!

Anonymous said...

I would rather see a democrat in office instead of an arrogant republican that is in it for the tax cuts, and to make absurd amounts of money at the cost of the american public. The republicans are sucked in with big business. Want proof, look at Bush/Cheney (Big Oil, Halliburton, KBR, etc.)

If the current economic trend continues into the next administration, if a republican is elected, we are all in for it. Watch out working families, middle class, and lower class. The uppity socialites are taking advantage of things. That is exactly why you should not vote for the republicans. Think things are bad now with gas and food prices, and the war, just vote for a republican and see what happens. Eight years has been way too long. Change is coming.

Pat Casady said...

It doesn't matter what party is in the White House.
We the working middle class have been the cash
cow for this country almost for ever. We pay the tab
for everything. The rich have loopholes so they can keep
most of the money they earn. Big corporations have never
had to pay their fair share either.
So no matter who is in there we are screwed.
It's hard enough to support our own families but we
have to support the rich, the poor, the illegal aliens, who by the way get free health care and Social Security benefits that
we the working people can't get, and we even have to pay,
from our taxes, for stupid elected officials that put us in the
predicament we are in now. Even on a local level they take
advantage of us and give away city income that down the road
will have to be paid for by.........you guessed it us!
Personally I think it would be interesting if everybody stayed home on election day. After all we probably should keep working because these boobs in office will need every tax dollar we can make so they can pay for their big houses, boats and cars. Not to mention their girlfriends, boyfriends, mistresses, stock investments and illegal alien house keepers and business employees. Oh, and lets
not forget their investments in oil.

Anonymous said...

Ding Dong the twitt is gone!!!
Tim Truesdale has resigned last day sometime in September. How will we ever survive.

Anonymous said...

Yippee!! That's the best news I've had in a loooooong time! Hopefully the city will find someone that really wants to develop the city of Raytown based on the needs of the city and not their own personal agenda.

Anonymous said...

Too bad he didn't resign effective immediately!

Anonymous said...

Now if the board will just get rid of that worthless city clerk, we might have a chance.

Pat Casady said...

Now if the city will hire an economic director who's job is to promote and find new businesses for Raytown, Raytown might have a chance.
The next step for the future of Raytown is the next election. We need to find good people that will actually work for the people and not against them. People that care for the town more than they care how they look and sound on channel 7. Most of all people with common sense that won't give away the farm to please a huge corporation. People that will just say no to tax income giveaways so the streets and services
the people vote in will, in fact be done.
I believe this is the first step towards bringing Raytown back to the reason we are all here in the first place.
Now, if the town will relax some of it's asinine codes, not the safety codes for service like sewer, gas, water and electrical, but others that make it too cost prohibitive for new businesses to come to town it would help.

Anonymous said...

Raytown is rapidly becoming the "new inner-city" with the problems violent crimes bring, such as burglary, robbery, shootings and the like. I only hope that our police department is gearing up for the opening of a crime ridden Walmart super-center. If you watch the paper you can see how many problems they have at the current one and the new one at the old Blue Ridge Mall location. I can only imagine what is going to happen when we bring this element deeper into our city. No one is going to be safe.

Anonymous said...

Well I see where the Silly Chamber of Commerce is going to put on it's parade to nowhere again this year. What a bunch of boobs. All they want is you money for an entry fee. It's not about community pride, if it was they wouldn't be taking you through Raytown's slummy downtown. What an embarrassment to invite people to view this disgraceful mess. I really expected more from Vicki Turnbow. Sign me, DISAPPOINTED AGAIN

Anonymous said...

Glad to see Truesdale is going but the damage is already done. Let's just pray the city council makes some wise decisions is replacing him. Not another Miller or Wenson. Council let's get the right man for the job someone who really wants to see Raytown make a come back and not with more smoke shops and check cashing business. Let's be friendly to small business and build on that. Now is the time for the mayor and council to make good for ALL tne stupid things they have done in the past. Let's see if you hve the balls to do it!!!

Anonymous said...

Another thing when we go out to hire Truesdale's replacement. Make him or her live in the city limits, not in Gladstone, Raymore or Lee's summit.

Anonymous said...

Ding Dong Truesdale's gone! Where and when is the party?

Anonymous said...

Tim Truesdale and his wife are extremely nice people. True, he may not have been good at his job but that has to do more with professional bureaucrats becoming entrenched at their highest level of incompetency. The politicians (BOA and mayor) can share in that for not providing direction and goals and for not acting sooner.
Maybe Mayor Bower can join his confederate Republican Gov. Arnold Schwartznagger and lay off government workers and cut the remaining ones' salaries to minimum wage. Tough times require tough decisions. Why bankrupt a state or even Raytown when there is a solution? Often we find that the ones cut weren't needed in the first place.

Anonymous said...

Good luck and God bless Tim Truesdale and his family.

Anonymous said...

"Raytown is rapidly becoming the inner city" ? It is the inner city. It is a ghetto! Why do you think that a lot of people are selling and getting out? When KCMSD lost their accreditation a few years ago, I noticed a lot of people moving in to my neighborhood. Cant blame then for wanting to get their kids into good schools. It is starting to look like little mexico, and a ghetto.

Andy Whiteman said...

The open ditches and the way the city maintains the streets sure reminds me of Mexico. Actually I have seen the streets in Mexico in better condition than in Raytown.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

The electoral college gives our country some balance. If you did not have it in place you might was well ignore every vote from a state that is mostly rural.

I do not want New York and California calling the shots for our nation simply because they have the most people living in them.

The people there have no sense of the needs and hopes of others living in the mountain states, the great plains, the south and southwest, or the high deserts in the north.

The real balance comes from the United States Senate -- where each state has an equal voice in how the nation is governed.

Anonymous said...

Has anyone driven by Crescent Creek lately? This looks like a ghost town. I wonder if more than 5 of these houses are occupied? Looks pretty sad, weeds growing everywhere, empty lots, unfinished streets. Another disgrace for our city. This would be a good place for the chamber to take their parade route. Let's really show off some of this new development to our out of town neighbors.

Anonymous said...

Save yourself some money! The Star is now offering its pdrinted paper Wed-Sun and it's E-Star electronic paper the other days for $1.25 a week. That's about a fourth of normal subscription price. If the Star won't give you that rate, simply stop your subscription and the cheaper rate will be offered soon. The Raytown Post and The Raytown Tribune have little circulation and nothing of value content wise. The Star ain't much either. For $19 in the Tribune you can get a garage sale ad that's so small it can barely be read. Don't know what Post rates are but there is so little advertising in it that obviously people know it's not worth reading, has no circulation and other problems. Sad state when this blog is the closest thing to real news discussion locally.

By the way there will likely be one less Crescent Creek resident filled since the Truesdales will no doubt be moving.

Anonymous said...

My neighborhood is not a ghetto.

Andy Whiteman said...

When the Cresent Creek talks started, I said it was miniature houses on miniature lots and I couldn't imagine why anyone would buy there. I certainally won't buy a house on a miniature lot!

A good parade route would be a least one complete circle around the Olde Baptist Church, north on the west side of Blue Ridge past RHS, across the missing sidewalk which was filled like a swamp after the last rain which passes a pile of dirt with HIGH WEEDS in vilation of City Code, past City Hall with potholes on 59th, to Crescent Creek described by a previous writer (I have never been there), and returning to at least one more complete circle around the Old Baptist Monstrocity (a multiple code violation.)

Seriously has anyone noticed the construction at RHS? The sidewalk is dug up creating an unsafe condition waterfilled after the last rain. There is a pile of dirt with high weeds growing out of it. I reported it before the last BOA meeting and it was still that way Wednesday when I bought gas across the street. Not only is it a public nuisance but Blue Ridge is a highly travelled PUBLIC street! Does this create a good impression of Raytown to anyone who may consider opening a business or moving here?

Behind the Old Baprist Church across Raytown Rd. is a vacant lot with one small building. There have been truck trailers parked there for a number of years. School bussed used to be parked there and some of them used electricity from the building for their engine warmers. These trailers make the area look like a combination freight yard/junk yard. Isn't this in violation?

We don't know that the Truesdale's will move, but if they decide to move, I wish them luck in selling or renting as the case may be.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

To anonymous Aug.2,2008 11:08 a.m. Just give your neighborhood a few more months or a year and it will be a ghetto. Why do you think there are so many empty houses and for sale signs popping up?

Anonymous said...

In the last two days I have taken a family member up to Wal-mart and waited in my car for them to do their shopping. All you have to do is watch the cars to see where they are getting their business and very little is from Raytown. Go see for your self. It's only going to get worse when the new one opens because they will have groceries in it.

My neighborhood is not yet the intercity but it is repaidly becoming filled with people who don't care about their property, who drive down the street and throw out their trash, they don't mow their yards because they don't have a mower and if you won't let them use your mower it doesn't get mowed and I could go on and on.

While I am writing this I am watching the company who buys ugly houses once again rehab a house they bought last year and the people only moved in to the house in January. They have been working on this house again for more than 2 weeks.

It drives me crazy is when I drive down the street and see these "we buy ugly houses" signs along the streets or on the poles. What makes me even craziest is that we have ordinances against those signs being on pole or in the right-of-ways. I cannot understand why this city is not doing something about them and any other signs that should not be there. We sould be citing those companies and fining them. I was not a fan of Curt Wenson but I will say one thing he, Beau Gorman and Dan Estes would go out at lunch and pulled up illegal signs. If we have these ordinances why don't they enforce them?

My husband and I cannot move from Raytown at this time. Honestly it make me angery to see what is going on here and to know we don't have a staff in this city that cares as much as we do. I liked it here and never thought I would ever move again but now I wish I could.

Anonymous said...

For those that are concerned about Water District #2 outrageous rates, I'll pass along another depressing fact. My neighbor was talking to one of their employees while they were working in our neighborhood and he was told that we are going to see another rate increase that took effect on July 1st. What are they doing with our money? Maybe they have too much overhead and should start cutting like the rest of us. Consultants, summer help, expensive trucks, and buildings are not needed to deliver our water to us. Maybe they need some new board members that understand this.

Andy Whiteman said...

Anon 8/2 12:58PM, you bring up several good issues which may ot may not be the fault of the Raytown Fascist government.

As for mowers, mine has been broken since before I moved here. Even if it worked, it is too hot to use it. So I hire a friend to mow. He has other obligations so can only mow when he has time. My weeds get higher than I would like, but at least the are not a code violation.

As for both signs and high yards, the city used to claim they would be proactive and reports would be made as city employees drive around town. This is NOT true! I found that if you want a code enforced, YOU have to report it (sometimes several times) to get enforcement. The city refuses to enforce some codes such as election signs on the right of way if they support that issue or person. (My opinion, but I couldn't get enforcement during the school election.) You can report a violation either by phone or via email. I have been waiting almost a month for the City to get the Poor Quality School District to chop the weeds at RHS!) The City also is in violation of the fence height code and owns an attractive nuisance; so you you really expect they will enforce a code unless they want to harrass someone?

As for vacant homes, the issue may or may not be caused by the City. Most people cannot afford to move because they are dissatisfied with the city! For me it is the miserable climate and not the fascist government. I am trapped in the State of Misery because I cannot find a house. It costs me so much to move that I am unable to move until I locate a satisfactory house. I can't believe the average person will move just because of city government.

Some of the people are gone because they were unable to keep their payments current (not city issues but I think the high Poor Quality School District tax could be a part of it). Remember we are having a mortgage crisis and numerous repos.

Frankly, I expect to see more people moving after propert tax bills come out and mortgage payments go sky high due to the tax escrow.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

I say if you see a sign that is illegal pull it up and throw it away if the city is to damn lazy to do it then we take things into our ouw hands and do it ourselves. I am tired of it and I will take things in my own hands and not wait on the city!!!

Andy Whiteman said...

Anon 10:35AM, Sounds logical but you could be arrested for theft, trespass, and vandalism.

Would you take this to the point of mowing your neighbor's yard. My yard needs mowing. You can save me the expense and I won't complain as long as you don't disturb my sleep.

Andy Whiteman