Mayor McFlimFlam Finally Responds

Mayor McFlimFlam of Hammond has finally responded to the criticism of his policy on the budget and on the health department presented in my blog and elsewhere.  It is gratifying to have confirmed, by FlimFlam himself,  that the FlimFlam man is as unaware as I believed and presented he really was.

Yes, he is right that the former Mayor is responsible for the 2002-2004 budgets of the City of Hammond, but he confirms that Mayor McFlimFlam continued in the same deficit spending so as to break the City.  What he does not remind the voters is that during the preparation of the 2002-2004 budgets most of the property tax was being paid by industry.  When McFlimFlam was putting together the backbreaking budget, he and his group of thieving cronies already knew that the weight was going to fall on the local individual Hammond property tax payers.

Yes McFlimFlam is technically right in that Hammond's share of the property tax levy did not go up in 2007.  What he does not tell the Hammond voters is that he, McFlimFlam, accomplished this with a slight of hand carny shell game trick.  I have written about this in a previous blog.  The shell game consists of shifting from one shell to another the service with the result that the overall cost to the Hammond tax payer is going to sky rocket on top of the usual 2004, 2005, and 2006 property tax bill that has risen under McFlimFlam's administration.

The budget did not increase because the sanitation department was moved from the Hammond City's budget to the Hammond Sanitary District budget.  The Hammond Sanitary District is going to charge each and every citizen of Hammond at least triple what they have been paying, to cover all the salaries, equipment, and benefits.  What was previously paid for through property tax and a small service charge will now be paid for completely through a service charge, another tax.  This will raise the actual "tax" on Hammond citizens by more than any previous mayor ever did. 

On top of that, several hundred thousand dollars were saved by doing away with the Hammond Health Department.  This was the very recommendation that the Government Efficiency Report said NOT to do because there were unique health requirements in the cities of Hammond, Gary, and East Chicago that could not be subsumed under the umbrella of the County's Health Service.  Not because one is better than the other, nor is it a matter of cost, but because the needs are truly different.  But, I forgot, McFlimFlam has been anointed the great social scientist by Lake County's local philosopher and therefore he is capable of evaluating all programs by himself. 

By the way, James Weiser should crawl back into the hole he came out from for the letter to the editor he wrote to the Post-Tribune lauding this move as a good example of implementation of the Government Efficiency Study recommendations. 

As I have also indicated earlier, the new budget for 2007 will allow increased crime in Hammond, since it does not take into account the requirements of the City's costs for the new McFlimFlam Sr.'s money tree, Cabella.  In yesterday's, Hammond Times story, Parking Problems, McFlimFlam concurs that Cabella will be a drain on the police force but there is no additional funds for overtime or new police personnel.  "Measures to help keep traffic moving include eight Hammond police officers to direct cars and secure the more than 1,000-space parking lot at 7700 Cabella Drive."  McFlimFlam said in the article: "We are anticipating traffic Hammond hasn't seen in years and just about every police officer will be ready to handle the onslaught," McDermott said. "We're going to do everything we can to handle the traffic problems. It's a good thing because they are here to shop."  Kari Blankenship, a supposed spokesperson for Cabella, claims, in the comments to the story, that all "overtime" expenses will be paid by Cabella.  What about regular pay, i.e. normal increased work load?  How about a week from now?  By the way, what new tax revenue is coming to Hammond?  While Cabella is on an honesty roll, why does their spokesperson inform the citizens of how much was "shared" by the McFlimFlam clan? 

As I have written many times before, but McFlimFlam still does not get it, all that "shopping" will be marginal for Hammond's economy.  The sales tax goes down to Indianapolis and the profit goes to Nebraska where Cabella is headquartered.  Hammond is left with the cost of services; where is the economic development?  No one, and I mean no one, ever claimed McFlimFlam was bright.

Like everyone else in Lake County, the County portion of the Hammond citizens property tax will go up to cover the increased service required by the County Health Department now having to cover Hammond.  With little monetary savings, at least the County Health Officer is honest in saying in today's paper, County Officer on Health Care, that the service just will not be the same. "They will get the same services the rest of the county gets," she said.  What the rest of the County gets, and needs, is not the same as the service Hammond's own Health Department provided.  Anything else is the worst lie that a politician can give, and I am sorry to say that is McFlimFlam.  As long as he wins, and his cronies get a share, there is no accountability for the way he is destroying the lives of the poor and the needy in Hammond.

This is specifically why the Government Efficiency Study recommended that this very thing not happen.  This is why Commissioner Fran DuPey confirmed that this was an "unwise" decision. Lake County Commissioner Frances DuPey said she believed the study never recommended the county take over the city health departments. "I would prefer the Health Department stay in Hammond," she said.

The governing that is being provided to Hammond by McFlimFlam is frankly embarrassing.  It is either incompetence, egoism, or greed; or possibly all combined.  Governing, acting as Mayor, rather than as a child with tantrums, requires planning and direction, none of which have been provided nor even hinted at.  The only certainty is that McFlimFlam is planing to politically move on at some point-in-time.  There is nothing inherently wrong with that; but it is not the basis upon which to run a city.

Note: I have just criticized McFlimFlam on his budgetary, economic development, and health department policies for the City of Hammond.  As a result, here is what we can expect from McFlimFlam and his cronies -- attacks on my teaching ("maurice you're a jerk and students hate you") -- and one has to wonder just how do they know what goes on in my classroom.....hmmm; cries for me to be fired ("moeshe, you're an embarrassment to Purdue Calumet, Cohen should do something"), which is the standard Modus Operandi of local Democrats here in NWI (all the while many of McD's Democrat cronies and even McD himself and his wife make extra pocket cash "playing" at professor at the same university).  How to silence a critic?  I know, get them fired! That is soooooo American.  Maybe there's an award that Cohen can arrange for that particular form of American heroism. And then there are the "Moshe, Moshe, Moshe" comments.  I'm Jewish and proud of it.  Using my Hebrew name -- the name given to me by birth in Israel does not say anything negative about me -- but it says a whole lot about those doing it.  But, I'm sure the use of "Moshe", my Hebrew name, is undoubtedly an expression of warmth and affection about my religion and my national origin.  I mean, after all, no one would use my middle name in any attempt at demeaning me.  That would be anti-semitism.

Comments

[Fall 2007 Grad]

Surprise, surprise, the cronies at the Times did NOT post my comment about our officers playing traffic cop and leaving the city without officers to watch over it. I had an incident and called the cops on Saturday and after 30 minutes they did NOT show up. Good thing they ARE on taxpayer money!

[Jon Silverman]

I wouldn't ever think to call you 'moshe'. Eisentarded is much more appropriate.