Sunday, March 21, 2010

Endorsements - Public Water Supply District No. 2 “Poor Larry” by the Salamander Hybrid Question High School Activities Last Week’s Poll Results
Community Billboard

BLOOD DRIVE: Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church / Church Hall Monday, March 29, 2010 2:00 PM – 6:30 PM. For questions call 353-8039

Endorsements . . . BRIGGS and CARPINO Public Water Supply District No. 2 will hold its first election in over twenty years. Two (appointed) incumbents are being challenged by a veteran Raytown politician and a political newcomer.Some interesting facts have come to light about the operation of District No. 2 that should have some impact on the April 6th election. Raytown residents receive their water from two sources. One is the Raytown Water Company (a privately held company), which serves the northern portion of the city. The other is Public Water Supply District No. 2 (a public utility). A quick check of local water rates shows that the private company (Raytown Water Company) has lower water rates than does the publicly controlled District No. 2. Since the privately held company is run as a “for profit” business and the public water company should be operating as a “break even” operation without profit, the rate schedules appear to be opposite of what one would expect. Public Water Supply District No. 2 has had two different managers the past three years. To help in the transition period the Board of Directors have entered into a three year contract with a former manager of the Water District. Under the terms of that contract Mr. Bud Fitzwater will have been paid over $100,000 in consulting fees for the transition period. Keep in mind that the regular managers during the contract period have also been paid full salaries. If the very generous terms of Fitzwater’s consulting fee is any indication of how the public’s money is being handled at District No. 2 is it any wonder their water rates are higher than that of the privately held Raytown Water Company? Four candidates are vying for two seats on the Board of Directors of Raytown Public Water District No. 2. Two of those candidates are running on a platform to reform the operation of the District. Jerry Briggs and Mike Carpino have pledged to reform the business practices of the Water District. Their election will be a welcome change at Public Water Supply District No. 2. "Poor Larry” By the Salamander Larry’s last name was Joop. Not very important information but it’s presented just in case someone is curious. Let’s just refer to him as Poor Larry. Poor Larry was broke. He earned the colorful moniker of “Poor Larry” by always being financially stressed. Flat busted. Not a dime to his name. Larry, you see, was a gambler. Not only was he a gambler, he was a poor gambler. Seldom won a bet. With the foregoing information it doesn’t take a Dick Tracy fan to understand why everyone called Larry “Poor Larry.” One day Larry approached his friend, Canisus. “Canny,” he morosely intoned, “I need some cash. Don’t have enough money to feed my wife and kids. Can you help me?” Canisus, being a good fellow reached into his pocket, pulled out a couple of ‘C’ notes – hundred dollar bills; handed them to Larry with this admonishment: “Take this money and buy your family whatever you need.” “Do it right now.” “Can’t do that right now,” Larry replied. “I’ll get around to it later. You see I’ve signed on to play in a big poker game tonight and will be too busy.” Incensed by such a cavalier attitude, Canisus screamed, “If you have money enough to play in a big poker game, why did you put the touch on me to feed your family?” Indignently, Larry replied, “I have money to play in the poker game. I just don’t have any money with which to feed my family.” To some people it would appear that Larry had his priorities mixed. Perhaps he did. To the writer it appears he is acting just like the local school board. The Board doesn’t have enough money to help out-of-district students with special requirements at Border Star School. The school board also is cutting out vital programs related to the arts. Like I said, the school board claims it is short on funds to maintain the programs being abolished. While crying poverty the Board conveniently forgot that less than a year ago they squandered over two million dollars putting artificial turf on a football and soccer field. Guess it all comes down to what is your priority. Want another example of screwed up priorities? Try City Hall in Kansas City. The mayor has announced budget cuts which will cause massive layoffs, reductions in fire and police protection and general diminishment of street and curb repair. The reason. The city doesn’t have the funds. Yet, at their Funny Farm meetings the city council in Kansas City will, more than likely, vote to give the Chiefs and Royals two million per year of taxpayer money as a show of good faith in the teams. It’s all a matter of priorities. Should tax dollars be spent to take care of city obligations or should it be spent handing out millions to non-resident carpetbagger billionaires who operate professional sports teams. All a matter of priorities. Hybrid Question . . . A lively debate has been taking place in the Comments section of the Raytown Report over the use of hybrid powered motor vehicles as police vehicles. Usually the questions on the Public Opinion Poll section of the Raytown Report Poll have to do with posted stories. So this is a break with tradition since the question has been generated by readers rather than the writers of the Raytown Report. A point of interest is that at the March 2nd meeting of the City Council the Board of Aldermen purchased three 2010 Chevy Impalas, three Crown Victorias, and an Expedition Command Vehicle for a combined cost of $149,327.00. You can find the Hybrid Poll Question in the left column underneath the ads. High School Activities . . . Congratulations to Raytown South Cheer Squads! By Kari Playter Congratulations to the new 2010-2011 Cheer Squads. After a challenging try-out on Friday, March 12, the new squads have been announced! Varsity AJ Anderson, Jake Adamson, Dominique Garlington, Chevan Baker, Titus Lauderdale, Nick Ubben, Cynthia May, Carly Corbin, Karissa Mann, Erin Morrison, Asia Campbell, Alyssa Coleman, Roshae Richard, Casandra Swanson, Ronisha Hudson Junior Varsity Allison Freed, Meghan Drew, Tonni Green, Brandi Ellis, Tatiana Phillips, Miranda Litle, Mindy McNutt For the rest of this story and other Raytown South Sports News use this link Raytown South High School O'Hara Wrestlers Honored by Brother Richard Geimer On March 21st, the 2010 Archbishop O'Hara High School wrestling team were honored at a ceremony in the school's Commons. In addition to the top honors for Travis Peter for making Second in State in the 125 lb weight class, nine other wrestlers received recognition. Peter holds two school records, the most wins in a season and the most career wins. Louis Golden, a senior who went to State by taking fourth in the District, was awarded the Most Valuable Wrestler Award. Danijo Adams, the lone junior on the team, received a plaque for Most Improved. The Rookie of the Year Award was presented to freshman Peyton Franklin and the Mat Rat Award was won by sophomore Jake Fortin. Head Coach Greg Northern in presenting the awards spoke of perseverence. attitude, improvement, hope, skills, understanding, challenge, confidence, and getting experience. For others stories about O'Hara use this link O'Hara High School Sports Last Week’s Poll Question . . . Should the City of Raytown prohibit the placement of new billboards on Raytown roadways? Yes . . . 66% No . . . 34%

50 comments:

Andy Whiteman said...

I voted yes on the hybrid poll, but I really think the Police (or anyone) considering a hybrid should do a study (not a $50,000 study) to determine if the gas savings will outweigh the additional price of the hybrid. That is because back when gas was $4+ per gallon, I considered buying a vehicle with better gas mileage. Most of the vehicles I considered were miniatures. I even called Dick Smith Ford and spoke with a salesman. I am disabled and none of their vehicles were acceptable (the spare was underneath the vehicle). There is NO WAY that I could access it to change a tire.

I finally started looking a numbers and there is NO WAY that gas savings would offset the cost of another vehicle with the amount of driving I do (apx. 5000 miles per year). Of course the outcome will be different for everyone depending on amount driven.

Raytown Water Company has to get PUC approval to change rates. Does WD#2 also get PUC approval or can they just bill to equal expenses? From what I read in Greg's article, it is piss poor management that is running up water rates. Paying a consultant $100K is just as stupid as paying a city manager a like amount. People who wear suits and ties seem to make a lot of $$$$$$$. Obviously it is because they are tie wearing chair warmers.

Andy Whiteman

Andy Whiteman said...

Walmart vs The Morons
I haven't verified the facts, but I tend to believe it.

1 . Americans spend $36,000,000 at Walmart Every hour of every day.

2.. This works out to $20,928 profit every minute!

3. Walmart will sell more from January 1 to St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) than Target sells all year.

4. Walmart is bigger than Home Depot + Kroger + Target + Sears + Costco + K-Mart combined.

5. Walmart employs 1.6 million people and is the largest private Employer, and most speak English.

6. Walmart is the largest company in the history of the World.

7. Walmart now sells more food than Kroger & Safeway combined, and keep in mind they did this in only 15 years.

8. During this same period, 31 supermarket chains sought bankruptcy.

9. Walmart now sells more food than any other store in the world.

10. Walmart has approx 3,900 stores in the USA of which 1,906 are Super Centers; this is 1,000 more than it had 5 Years ago.

11. This year 7.2 billion different purchasing experiences will occur At a Walmart store. (Earth's population is approximately 6.5 Billion.)

12. 90% of all Americans live within 15 miles of a Walmart.

You may think that I am complaining, but I am really laying the ground work for suggesting that MAYBE we should hire the guys who run Walmart to repair the economy. This should be read and understood by all Americans




To all 535 voting members of the Legislature,
It is now official you are ALL corrupt morons who fail to represent us, your constituents:

• The U.S. Post Service was established in 1775. You have had 234 years to get it right and it is broke.
• Social Security was established in 1935. You have had 74 years to get it right and it is broke.
• Fannie Mae was established in 1938. You have had 71 years to get it right and it is broke.
• War on Poverty started in 1964. You have had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the poor" and they

only want more.
• Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. You have had 44 years to get it right and they are broke.
• Freddie Mac was established in 1970. You have had 39 years to get it right and it is broke.
• The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a

year and we import more oil than ever before. You had 32 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure.


You have FAILED in every "government service" you have shoved down our throats while overspending our tax dollars

AND YOU WANT AMERICANS TO BELIEVE YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH A GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM??

Folks, keep this circulating. It is very well stated. Maybe it will end up in the e-mails of some of our "duly elected' and their staff (they never read anything) will clue them in on how Americans feel.

Anonymous said...

Now is a good a time as any to compliment the Raytown Water Co. During the water main break over the winter there was somebody picking up the phone at night to answer my dumb questions (are my pipes frozen, or is it you guys?).

Thumbs up, RWC.

Anonymous said...

I applaud Raytown Water Company for communicating with it's customers and keeping it's water rates low. Wonder what is wrong with Public Water District #2? Don't they get their water from the same place?

Andy Whiteman said...

8:30PM, You were probably speaking with an answering service. I called because of low pressure. I was told that there phones were out of order. It was either a service or transferred to an empolyee's home. That is the first time in a long time I haven't reached an automated system.

I am a Raytown Water Company customer and agree they give great service! Every question is answered to my satisfaction and I am thanked for reporting water main leaks. My only complaint is the high rates, but the company can't control that because they buy water from KCMO. Obviously there is a problem in WD#2.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

Regarding the above Wal-Mart post - and just what is the average salary of a Wal-Mart worker? And, what is the average salary of a worker who makes the products that Wal-mart sells? Do we all need 12 pairs of $10 shoes (made overseas) or does a little girl need 12 Barbie dolls (made overseas)or does a teenager need 12 pairs of jeans (made overseas)? Maybe if we tried to buy American-made all our salaries would go up, we would all pay more taxes and out government would be in better shape. I do not think Wal-Mart does anyone any good. Maybe our oversized closets and basements wouldn’t be so full of cheap products that we don’t really need, but can’t pass up what we think is a good deal.

Anonymous said...

The Raytown Water Company charges less for their water than the public utility.

The Raytown Water Company pays taxes.

The Water District is tax exempt.

I think it is time for a chang. That's why I'm voting for Carpino and Briggs.

Anonymous said...

I voted yes on the hybrid question too. I think the best answer would be to use a combination of both cars.

Buying an SUV for a town this small does not make sense. What they spent on that one vehicle would have paid for another police officer for an entire year!

They could put one an officer on constant patrol at Kenagy Park. Lord knows we need the extra patrolling in our parks anyway.

Anonymous said...

Andy

How much money over the years has been taken from social security and Medicare trust funds to fund the military? I ask, as it seems every time our nation is under Republican leadership we spend all kinds of money we don’t have on the military. Don’t get me wrong we need a strong military, but do we need to fund it using funds designated for other programs!

What is your position? said...

Andy in response to your comments last week about the type of job Bower has been doing:

Here you go again….OMG!!!

One minute the mayor is a fascist the next Raytown is better off with him. Then you wonder why people don’t get out and vote well mister take you part in the responsibility for you actions like this!

1.) When one speaks of the old church in downtown, which is now the green space one has to look at the full picture. Should have we purchased the church to start with? Very questionable and based on the end expense it was a bad decision just like astroturf for the foot ball fields. Now the big question that remains in head was why was it not converted to

2.) Please note the money from the bridge was approved by the state many years ago. So based on my conversations with one of the state representative we owe the thanks to Sue Frank. If you don’t think it takes a while from the time the money is approved until the project call your state rep. I think you will be surprised by his intelligent compared to the empty stares you have been experiencing over the years at city hall.

3.) Should have we spent the $45,000 to take down the billboards you mention? I believe you have taken the position just earlier this week you like billboards so again what are you saying that you really don’t know what you like! To me the simple why to address the blighted side of these signs is simply enforce the code violations on the books. If the pole has pealing paint then site the owner if the message is torn and / or pealing then site the owner. However, we would have to be proactive on code enforcement and our mayor doesn’t want that as he has stated. We should also charge an annual license fee like any other business for each of the signs based on the square footage of the sign.

4 and 8) I am laughing myself sick that you think these are positive for Raytown! Where have you been the sales tax at these is higher then other places in the Metro because we are picking up the tab? If that is not bad enough it is taking money from our schools. The shelves at Wal-Mart are not restocked in a timely manor and the do not have the staff they need to provide a quick shopping experience. I for one have stopped shopping our Wal-Mart for these two issues. I have a feeling I am not alone and many others have gone back to Lee’s Summit when they too shop Wal-Mart. One could say this is a Wal-Mart issue, I say if the former city attorney had half a brain the agreement with Wal-Mart would have included these issues as they impact the bottom line of the city recovering the expense. The agreement also should have covered a min amount of generation of taxes each month and if Wal-Mart didn’t make the sells they would be responsible for making up the difference. The most import piece missing from an agreement with both Hy-Vee and Wal-Mart is they being responsible to cover if they leave before we recover from this mistake!

5, 6, 7, 9 and 10) Please, do you really think a man that doesn’t shop Raytown now had anything to do with bring new business to Raytown? Maybe you should talk with Alderman Lightfoot about the lack of encouragement he received from the city when he was trying to get his car wash open. I recall they had him jumping around like a mad man, which resulted in him running for Alderman. Also I thought Benetti’s was already open or in the works prior to Bower. Either way please note the owner received special treatment by an employee who was with the city at the time and the result was loss of at least one other coffee shop so no net gain on coffee shops. Also if we are going to count new business lets count others that have classed. A prime example is both of the local papers.

Andy Whiteman said...

I wonder how these posts got out of order?

1:49PM, I don't have records of government spending but I know money is being stolen from Social Security. I agree funds should be spend as intended. That is the way I do my finances. I also agree the military needs funding. Dictator O'Bomba doesn't support our troops and I mean both financially as well as backing up our troops.

1:55PM, I didn't say Raytown was better off with Bower. The question was, "Is Raytown better off since Bower was elected?" I listed what has happened since he was elected, stating it was a team effort.

I didn't say ALL were positive. I believe I made a comment on the post about Walmart. I listed what I could remember positive or negative. I don't remember exactly when Benitti's opened. My memory isn't date stamped.

I feel Hy-Vee is an advantage because I shop the new store despite higher taxes and prices higher than the old store. Hy-Vee usually has good sales.

People seem to think that I don't shop Raytown. I do if Raytown merchants are open in the evening, have what I want, and at the price I want. I value my time so want as short a trip as possible. As for groceries Hen House doubles coupons to 50 cents but has high prices. If Hen House has a good sale I stock up there. Hy-Vee has prices lower than Hen House and Walmart on what I buy so Hy-Vee will get my regular shopping. If Hy-Vee has a good sale that is where I go. It may be 3-6 weeks between shopping for groceries because I stock up. Hardware comes from Westlake unless they don't have want what I want. One time they told me they didn't have an item I wanted and I would have to go to Home Depot. I also shop Walgreens, Arby's, and Phillips 66 across from RHS. They all are in Raytown unless the city lines have moved.

I still feel our leadership is Socialist, Fascist and I have said so to their faces many times as I will continue to do unless they change their Fascist policies.

As for the coffee shop issue, I recall the "lost" coffee shop was bought by another owner and reopened. The alleged city employee mentioned is no longer with the city.

BTW: Another coffee shop wants to open and complained to the BOA about how difficult it is to open a business in Raytown.

Andy Whiteman

Lee said...

Hybrid cars are not appropriate for Raytown's patrol vehicles. There are a number of issues for a city this size that is trying to keep control of costs. First of all, Raytown would need to train or hire mechanics that are certified to work on the hybrids. You don't honestly think that automakers are providing warranty service for severe duty vehicles.

Another issue is the complexity of the drivetrain. All hybrids have two drivetrains. There is no way maintaining two is going to be cheaper than one.

Also, no automaker that I am aware of besides Toyota, and possibly Honda, are using serial hybrid drivetrains. IE. the gas engine provides electricity for the electric motor. Other manufactures, for instance, the Ford Escape, uses a parallel hybrid drive train. The car is powered primarily by the gas engine and the electrical motor provides additional torque. It's an older generation and not nearly as efficient. But it fits nicely into larger vehicles that were designed for gas.

And finally, there is the premium price for hybrids. There is considerable controversy over whether most of them will save enough gas to pay for the additional price.

I'm personally a fan of alternative energy. If there was an option of a turbo diesel I'd be all for it. VW has TDIs that consistently get 40+ mpg without exotic technology. But like Flex Fuel, hybrids are not suitable for a lot of tasks. Now if you were talking codes administration cars, etc. then it would be a different story.

I know this came up due to the vote over purchasing new patrol cars. I have to wonder, why was the BOA even voting on this? Why is it that the BOA votes on a city budget, and then feels the need to micromanage purchases that they have already approved? This is a task for the City Administrator. Surely the BOA has better things to spend their time discussing.

BTW, Andy, there is probably not a car on the market today that has the accelerator pedal connected directly to the engine. The pedal is connected to a potentiometer that tells the computer the position of the pedal. A direct cable went away when engine computers and EFI became standard.

Questionable Actions said...

I want to thank Mr. Walters for the interesting piece this week on water district #2. This sure explains the material left on my door where Bud Fitzwater is urging customers to vote for the two incumbent candidates.

Just think about it wouldn’t you too endorse the individuals who helped you go back to work for your former employer as a consultant.

Appears there are a lot of questions that need to be answered by the all the current directors on the water board!

Also can someone confirm for me that Pat Ertz is now the manager of the water district and that prior to accepting this job he was one of the directors.

If so one has to wonder how far the good old boy network runs within the water district and if contracts are rewarded using this same good old boy mentality.

Anonymous said...

Did anyone else hear the news that there is talk about reviewing the basketball scholarships thanks to the number of individuals that receive the scholarships and never finish college.

This sure says a lot about the education system in America being to sports drive and that sure hits home with the miss management of tax dollars on the football fields.

When are we going to wake up and keep schools like Northfleet open because we are focusing on education and not sports. All the members of the board should be ashamed and required to pay the district back for the astroturf just like a local university is going after the misspending of its leadership.

Anonymous said...

The reason Bower wants to use the consent agenda is because that way he can do whatever he wants without having to worry about public feedback or, in a lot of cases, backlash.

Putting together a three inch budget and then voting the items thorugh by resolution without any discussion accomplishes that for him.

The failures of the Frank/Bower administration -- they operate almost exactly the same way. Bully boy tactics and an uncanny inability to see why they are failing.

Anonymous said...

Fitzwater got more than $100,000. I understand they also provided him a pickup truck for his travels between his home in the Ozarks and Raytown. Not to mention mileage, health insurance coverage.

No wonder are water rates are higher than Raytown Water Company rates!

Mr. Briggs and Carpino can count on my vote on election day.

Anonymous said...

I read the article in today's KC Star about Raytown's new Economic Director Tom Cole. Boy is this guy living in a dream world!! Apparently he didn't do his homework before he took this job. How many years has the city been trying to get someone interested in the old church property? I know it's been about 10 years or so. Now he thinks he can step in and develop it overnight. Good luck!!! Also I lost a lot of respect for Ms. Turnbow with some of the ridiculous comments she made about bringing LARGE businesses to downtown so their employees can walk around and enjoy our fine FAST FOOD joints. Get real people, NO ONE wants to come to the GETTOH and that's exactly what Mayor Bower has allowed our city to become.

Anonymous said...

Ghetto is right! Raytown is getting more run down by the day. What business in their right mind would come to Raytown. Our city un-qualified leaders make it impossible to open in Raytown.

Have you noticed all the potholes in the Raytown streets? Blue Ridge Blvd is horrible and it will soon be a gravel road. Going East bound at 59th and Raytown Rd the stripping for the turn lanes are gone, you just have to line up (sort of) under the turn arrow. Where are the city boys hiding??

Anonymous said...

Some truths need to come out about the PW#2, I wonder will the owner of the blog allow opposing views (in favor of the incumbents), or just delete them?

Andy Whiteman said...

There are a lot of dreams comming out of City Hall. I guess if you make a big salary, you can dream big.

Whether or not it is a getto, there is not a good access to the area. Put in a big business, and how do people get there? That part of Raytown is not set up for traffic flow. Our fast food places can't handle a large crowd who may bring their own lunch anyway.

The best place for development is 350HWY.

Lee, Thanks for explaining the hybrid. I wonder if a garage like Bryan's of Henry's could handle repairs on a hybrid? They seem pretty hi-tech to me. I wouldn't want to buy a vehicle that had to go to the dealer for repairs since I sleep days. I normally drop the car off at night, walk home and pick up the next evening. Leaving the car at a dealer would require renting a car for 24 hours or more.

Andy Whiteman

Andy Whiteman said...

6:47AM, Would you please state your concern about the Consent Agenda before the BOA as I have done? It would have more impact of more than one person bitched.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

It appears that Bower's plan of cutting street maintenance to balance city budgets is catching up with him.

Our streets are in terrible shape.

It is the same attitude he takes towards code enforcement.

Why on earth does this guy want to be Mayor. He is hurting our town's image by not taking care of the most basic services.

Anonymous said...

Talk about hitting below the belt! I've sent many comments to this blog and have never had one removed.

The comments about the use of hybrid vehicles is a good example. It seems like there was a good balance of pro and con on that debate.

I haven't seen anyone defending the $100,000 + payout by the water district for consulting services. Maybe no one want to jump in on that side of the debate.

Can't say that I blame them for that. I mean, who wants to fall on their sword so that Fitzwater can receive such a big payout?

Andy Whiteman said...

As for striping the streets, I complained a year or 2 ago about Raytown Rd and 63rd St. The repsonse was that striping is contracted and it well have to wait until it is put up for contract. I guess it is impossible to get out can of paint. Might be too simple for anyone to handle. Safety be damned.

I suggest anyone noticing a pothole or striping needed email city hall with the complaint and demand a response if one is not received.

A former Raytowner wrote an editorial in the Red Star. She now lives in the Northland and per her description, it is a ghetto like Raytown. I guess we aren't alone. I think it is a general decline in morals and doing what is right.

Andy Whiteman

Unknown said...

Help the Retired Raytown School Teachers with their annual scholarship fundraiser.

Enjoy a barbeque meal and participate in the silent auction

Raytown South High School
Saturday, March 27, 2010
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Unknown said...

Blood Drive

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church
Church Hall
Monday, March 29, 2010
2:00 PM – 6:30 PM

For questions call 353-8039

snoop dog said...

another homicide today..one just outside the city bannister and james a reed..welcome to Raytown homeboyz...baggy pants, blunts,zebra furniture,shots fired inside of mama chinas,trash in the streets,cars in yards,vacant houses....and all you can gripe about is hybrid police cars...mayor bower and sports in schools....you know deep down what the problem is you just dont want to say it...yes there is grammer and spelling errors...i am just dumbing down for our new growing thug population....peace out

Anonymous said...

just saw the ews this morning. The natinal debt by 2010 will be 90% of our GDP.
Then they followed that up with story about the homeowner bailout package brought forward by Obama the numbers are 170,000 out of 8 million homeowners were able to modify mortgages.
So glad Obama had such a grand plan.

Yes i lost my home in Raytown.
I am moving to Lee Summit with my kids.
I am retired and i have a govt pension. I cant pay for my health care.
I will be able to get health care under the Obama plan (if i can afford it). If not i will get fined and could face jail time. (yes it is in the plan that just passed.)
Thank you Obama

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 7:16, you want to blame Obama for everything, but you forget who left him this mess to clean up. Yes, George W. Bush!! Obama is only human and not everything he is proposing will work, but at least he is trying instead of just being the party of NO as the Republicans are doing.

Anonymous said...

It is sad our mayor is not a student these days as maybe with the bully rules they have in place these days he would have grown up to be a kinder person.

I just don’t understand why he feels the need to lash out at members of the Board of Alderman or even worse the average citizen of Raytown.

I guess some “BIG” guys get their jollies by picking on those that are smaller than them.

I laugh as the mayor likes to play off he is religious, but he must not be of he would remember what the little guy from Israel did to the big guy. Opps, maybe he thinks he is the little guy being they share the same name.

David you are smarter than that – Right.

Wait I have seen what you have done to our city by turning it into a Ghetto so I guess we all know the answer.

Stop Talk Radio Abuse said...

7:16

It is easy to complain, but leave our lot of facts. I therefore ask you to step up and explain the missing pieces.

Why did you loose your home?

Are you one of those that cannot manage their money? I mean most people by the time they retire have their homes paid for so this does bring into question your management ability.

I also don’t think the media has done a good job to push the message about being able to modify one’s loan, and the government as I understand didn’t require the lenders to provide this information.

However living in Raytown you would know based on the responses from our elected official that Raytown citizens don’t want government telling business what to do because businesses do a fine job of doing the right thing now.

Now for the healthcare piece!

You say you are retired and have a government pension…One last time why did you loose your home!

Last time I heard those on a government pension are doing really good. A lot better then those living on Social Security alone. Also am I to believe you are not also receiving social security. If you retired early is that anyone but your miss management of your life’s fault.

Okay, if health care cost are so high then you either retired to early so where you are not able yet to get Medicare.

Might I remind you that Medicare is a government insurance program that those of us still working are paying for you to enjoy!

Now you contradict yourself first saying you cannot afford then under the healthcare plan you will be able to get healthcare. Which is it!

Also do you mean to tell me you have read through the full document and understand every piece and how it fits your specific situation. I highly doubt that for you have already indicated you cannot manage your finance, again why else did you loose your home. So why would you be able to ready through and understand that lengthy document!

Why don’t you try honesty the next time you get on this blog or did you fail to learn how to do that growing up. It is most apparent that the real message you are trying to send is you are plan our anti Obama.

Before going down that path next time ask yourself who got us in the housing mess…Bush

Bush didn’t have the regulators doing their jobs…plan and simple

As for healthcare do you really believe only the rich should have healthcare because they have the money to pay for it? Do you really believe insurance companies should deny insurance?
Do you still believe Medicare is not a government healthcare plan?

Okay… go listen to Rush and see if he can provide you those answers. As for me I will keep preaching against the hate spread throughout our land by the uneducated individuals like yourself that buy into the lies on the internet and talk radio.

Anonymous said...

I am starting to think I am one of the last who care what our city looks like. Every time I venture out in our city I see more and more signs of a mayor and administration that is only drawing their salary and doing nothing to improve our city. I have even taken it upon myself to address my concerns with the mayor who took the position with me that I have read on here he has taken with many. He doesn’t want to do anything as that would create a negative image of our city and who code violations are addressed. He then tried to feed me a line that the codes are very difficult to understand. Give me a break, I am sure we could take the codes to any of our elementary schools in Raytown and read the ordinances and the kids would very quickly give us a response clarify that even at their education level they understand the ordinances.

Mr. Mayor if we have code on the book that says no parking on the grass than what does it mean if not to park on the grass!

Mr. Mayor if we have a code on the books about broken down and / or disable vehicles than what does it mean when one has flat tire(s) and / or parts openly missing!

Being this is the time of the year that our students are taking the MAP test, maybe at the end of the testing cycle we could have a fun day. The kids could play a game called “Who is smarter than our Mayor” I am sure the first graders will be delighted in learning they have a greater ability to comprehend than our mayor.

Anonymous said...

Higher taxes and less city services what a plan… The Bower Plan!

commen sense thinker said...

you are an idoit ..he is saying that everyone should have health care. He is also saying that in the bill the irs is responsible to check and make sure that you have medical insurance, if you dont not you will be taxed and or fined..It is also punishable with jail time..and not only the rich but the way it is is you cannot be denied coverage you just have to be able to pay the set amount....those are not rushs facts those are cbo office facts...and i have not read the entire bill i am half way through it and it is posted on line. I like the fact that all my medical records will be transfered to the federal govt...yes that is in there..you didnt want bush lisitning to your phone calls but you are okay with obama having your medical records....and just for your info medicad is a govt run program that is going broke,post office govt run,soc security govt run,amtrak govt run...all going broke...see a patteren here.....also on CNN web page (in case you didnt now this they lean left and are in the tank for obama) they say right now the national debt averages out to 70,000 a family and by 2012 it will be 170,000.00 hope your kids get good jobs because the country is going under..keep voting dummycrat....sheep

Anonymous said...

I keep following the mayor’s lead of clicking my heals together three times and saying all is fine in Raytown.

I must be doing something wrong as it is not working.

Anonymous said...

What a great start we are off to in Raytown. How many murders have we had two this year and five last year. Jimmy’s public safety tax is working I know I feel safer.

NOT!

Come on Jimmy lets get yourself out from behind that desk and start working warrants, then lets increase the visibility of the officers by doing more patrolling and less time hiding in the dark corners of the city. That rights Jimmy some of us are not blind and see them in the back of those parking lots. So how much is Mark giving the department to pull way up in the lot?

If you are not going to do your job and you are so close to retirement then resign for you sure are doing nothing good for the city.

Reinventing Raytown said...

I have been thinking and have come to realize the mayor is right that Beth Lynn is great! I can only imagine the hard work it takes to bring so much decay and trash to a community.

Just drive down any street and trash is blowing in yards or pilled up outside the home. Many streets now even have a house or two on the block with a large dumpster.

Vehicles are parked in the yards or there are nice deep muddy tracks from where they have been parked.

Homes and business have all kinds of pealing paint including our own public works.

Auto repair business are competing with public works to see who can have the biggest pile of used tires. I am not sure there might even be a few home owners getting in on the gig.

Signs flood the right a ways with reminders that there are those who are willing to buy ugly houses.

Now with all of the hard work she has been doing to improve our city’s image the new economic director should have business waiting in line to find out what they need to do to open a location in our positively lovely setting.

I too, Beth Lynn, salute your effort in bring a new image to Raytown. It is always refreshing to know we have working individuals like yourself at city hall.

Anonymous said...

7:16

I am sorry to hear you don’t have healthcare now, but instead of beating down on Obama you need to ask the Republicans in the Missouri House of Representative why they voted down a bill last year that would have not impacted the MO state budget, but provided health insurance

Believe it our not the hospital would have picked up the tab for the states portion of funding that would have insured an additional 30,000 – 40,000 people in Missouri, but the Republican voted down party lines not to accept this great benefit to our state.

This clearly shows the Republicans do care about anyone it is a very self-serving group of individuals who only care about themselves. These same individual preach family values and religion in everything they are selling, but don’t live the life Christ taught us. Yes, Christ’s one simple message to the world, "Love your neighbor as your love me” is over looked. I guess there are lot less Christians in the Republican party than they want us to believe as I am sure based on the healings Christ preformed that he would be very much in favor of providing healthcare for all.

So please do some homework next time before spilling your ignorance as you will learn, which party has been out to hurt you.

Anonymous said...

I cannot wait until the MAP test results are released. I just know all the money spent on those sports fields real helped to improve those scores. Again a great use of our tax dollars by those prompt tax paying school board members.

KMCCLA said...

Many of the (political) truths we cling too, greatly depend on our own point of view. We are willing accept, justify, and defend the faults, failings, mistakes, and shortcomings of those we like and support. On the other hand, when it comes to those we do not like, or support, we are more than willing to hold the very same things against them. We would like to think, that our view, and those who hold similar views are always right, and anyone who dares disagree with us is therefore always wrong. It is easy to agree with those we like and support, is harder to admit we disagree, and harder still to admit that we agree with someone we do not like or support. We often believe that our view, and those who agree with us are always goodness and light, and pure as the wind driven snow, and therefore anyone who differs is all darkness and evil.

I see a lot of infighting here, one side VS the other. Believe it or not, Republicans are not evil, and yes the same goes for Democrats. It is wise not to blindly follow the so called party line, simply because you think and believe that they are right, and the other side is wrong. We have been taught and told we should not hate or dislike people for their skin color, yet is almost acceptable to dislike a person because of their political affiliation and beliefs. We want to demonize the other side, yet we are willing to over look our side does the very same thing.
Simply put we are better than this, and some of us need to grow up, and stop being so petty and vindictive.

Anonymous said...

Common Sense Thinker who doesn’t have the common sense to think beyond what Rush and the other Republican think tankers what you to think.

1 – Post Office, yes they are in financial issues, but be honest this is a two-part issue that has nothing to do with Obama. First you might note when ready this blog you are using the Internet. Yes, the same internet that is flooded with emails, allows company’s to post bills on an online account or email them as well as financial institutions that have online bill pay. All of which cut down on the amount of mail being sent. Second there are many that have complained at the idea of cutting mail delivery by a day or two each week. Come on as a shareholder in how are government is ran and spend money we should all be pushing to cut deliver two days a week.

2 – Social Security, yes they are having issue, but be honest this too is a two part issue that has nothing to do with Obama. First you should be aware that for years funds have been taken out of the social security trust fund to fund other programs. One of the favorite of any good old Republican is the military. I am for a strong military, but not one the steels from our seniors. While on the subject of military, Bush sure did a great job with those weapons of mass destruction? Now how much did that war cost and what would have we saved if his father would have just addressed the issue the first time. Again… it was never about anything, but the oil! The second point on social security is the number of baby boomers who are entering the age to start collecting. So without the work force they were for the generations they supported you are going to have an issue. Speaking of jobs how many large corporations have sent jobs oversea all in the name of greater profits. How great for America…makes one wonder what party lines these guys are on…LOL, we all know that answer don’t we!

3 – Amtrak, yes they are having issue, but be honest this issue has nothing to do with Obama. They have been having issues for years. Without giving away my age I bet they had issues shortly after public air flights were introduced. So please explain to me with air travel as well as giving preference to freight trains can Amtrak survive and how is that the government’s fault.

Now that you have taken the time to complain and blame someone that has had nothing to do with the issues your present please tell me if you invest in America.

I sure hate my family members that preach lies of the Republican party and invest in companies that send jobs to places like India. When are you going to wake up and take your share of responsibilities for helping to destroy the American dream?

On last thing how much did the national debt that Clinton worked and was reducing increase under “King George Bush” and his holy search for the lost weapons of mass destruction!

There my good friend is the answer to the start of the downfall of this nation. The oil happy, friends profiting and fix a election out come in Florida because I am the King of the land George Bush.

Anonymous said...

Lets see, I thought that this blog was about Raytown, and not healthcare and national issues. Why dont all of you wounded Republicans go over to 980 KMBZ and socialize with Beck, Rush, Shanin and Parks, and cry, sob, and bellyache some more... some of us just plain dont want to hear your garbage being spewn all over here, especially all of your vile hatred towards others, including elected officials. This indeed is a sad day in the history of this country when people cannot conduct themselves with proper decorum in certain venues.

What I want to discuss is the wanna be gangsta types that are and have been moving into Raytown and doing their gang bangin in our city and how to eliminate the problem before it gets worse. In other words, find a solution to the problem.

Anonymous said...

Let's say you are like most people and take good care of your teeth. You brush the daily, use dental floss, keep an eye out for any type of discomfort with your teeth.

It is called preventitive maintenance.

Say again, you have a toothache, at first it is a minor inconvenience. Do you go to the dentist or hope it will go away.

The smart person goes to the dentist, has the problem diagnosed, and hopefully corrected immediately.

Raytown is like the guy who has decided not to brush his teeth or do any maintenance.

Our Mayor says he will not use "gestapo tactics" to enforce property maintenance codes.

He is like the guy who will not brush his teeth.

In time, he will develop dental problems due to his lack of maintenance.

Instead of running for re-election and hiring high dollar consultants like Jeff Roe, he should be step aside and let someone who cares for Raytown take the helm.

By turning a blind eye to our problems he does a dis-service to the voters who elected him.

You want your city back? Start talking amongst yourselves and find someone to run for Mayor. Replace his cronies on the City Council.

That is the only way to make things better in Raytown.

Andy Whiteman said...

Who is Jeff Roe? Never heard of him before.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

Hey, Randy Battagler is back with a new publication called 'The Raytown Times'. I picked up a copy at a local downtown retailer this morning. Pretty much just news about what is going on in Raytown with local government coverage, school district news/sports/academics, police report, etc... as well as a few other things. It is FREE. I was impressed with a couple of things of local interest in there, plus it appears that he is just running this as a family business aka low overhead approach. Check it out and good luck to Randy and his family!

Anonymous said...

Andy,

Jeff Roe is a political consultant. He generally works for Republican candidates. He has an impressive record of success in Missouri in particular. He is credited with winning enough races for seats in the Missouri House and Senate to the point that the Republicans pretty much control both chambers in the Missouri Legislature.

He was recently seen having lunch with Mayor Bower. They were discussing Bower's political future as Mayor of Raytown and who knows what else.

Lee said...

Reinventing Raytown, houses with dumpsters is a good sign. Jackson county has the highest foreclosure rate in the metro area. If you are seeing dumpsters in driveways, it means that someone is working towards fixing up that vacant house.

I personally bought a foreclosure in Raytown about a year an a half ago. Besides the lack of maintenance by the previous owner, they also did some intentional damage when they found they were losing the house. I didn't rent a dumpster, instead I hauled out 8-10 truckloads of trash and debris. But a nearby house the dumpster meant that a contractor was renovating a dilapidated detached garage to improve the prospect of that house selling.

In almost every case a dumpster will mean the property is being improved, and with all the whining around here about codes you would think that someone working on the property would make you happy.

Anonymous said...

Lee

The dumpster can only be in the driveway for a set lenght of time under the codes.

The issue is these dumpsters have been there for over 5 months without any work being done.

Second major work like this should mean an inspection.

Now we have to areas that our city gets a big "F" for failure to do their job.

Again this is the Bower administration of do nothings, but draw pay checks. What a failure he has been to the good citizens of Raytown.

I am sure the gun swinging, outstanding warant, pants on the ground loving individuals want to make him king of their ghetto.

Jeff Roe...Bad for Raytown! said...

Andy:

Something to think about Jeff Roe!

We must get the word out that when individuals like our mayor socialize with people like Jeff Roe who have built a life time reputation on misrepresentation. This seems to hit home on why we still don’t have the transparency we had been promised by the mayor.

Jeff Roe from Wikipedia “is a Republican political consultant and CEO of Axiom Strategies, a political consulting firm located in Kansas City, Missouri. He was formerly a chief of staff, and longtime aide for U.S. Rep Sam Graves. According to a Kansas City Star profile of Roe, he is known as a rising national political strategist who primarily uses negative campaigning to competitive races. Throughout this decade, he is credited for electing Rep. Sam Graves while also setting the groundwork for numerous Republican victories in Northwest Missouri. On the other hand, many Democrats, Republicans and some members of the media are highly critical of Roe, claiming that his style of campaigning is too negative.”

This relationship with Mr. Roe clarifies that we should all be concerned at what hidden agenda our mayor has and ask him why he complains about the views on this blog being negative when he is publicly socializing with Mr. Roe.

Andy Whiteman said...

In my opinion I think some people view ANYTHING they don't agree with as negative so obviously to some this blog is negative.

There are posts I don't agree with, but I wouldn't say they are negative. I would say I didn't agree. Each person has a right to his/her opinion.

Andy Whiteman