Happy Hump Day...
Middle of the week (already?), and I have to hand it to the city's snow removal team. We ACTUALLY had our residential streets PLOWED in less than a day!
Who'da thunk?
They better be careful, because such behavior could lead to scores of citizens becoming jovial toward a city department. Next thing you know, people will become responsible (down here anyway), and then downright friendly...where WILL it all end?
Well, I can tell you where it begins....right HERE!
City Council votes *yes* to abatements:
Well, every city council member but Mitch Harper did, and I have to hand it to our "other Man Mitch"...he's got the cajones to speak his mind and not just "rubber-stamp" anything and everything coming down the pike. And he explained a lot during the public session, where we had none other than our very own Jeff Pruitt taking the mic and telling it "like it really is" regarding abatements.
WTG, Jeff!
My take on abatements is simple....use them SPARINGLY, and use them WISELY, 'cause people (like us) are watching every move you city officials make. And we WILL call you on it. If an abatement is to "cajole" a business into coming to the city (make setting up shop here more desireable), the taxpayer shoulders the burden for the taxes NOT garnered from that business through the duration OF that abatement.
Simple, huh?
Think of this as an "incentive" for that business (which hopefully will eventually be paying taxes after the abatement runs out). Sometimes the business folds up, and the city is left with a nice HOLE where their tax money should have been.
Again, we taxpayers foot the bill.
So, where is the "incentive" FOR the taxpayer anyway? The city wants to halt the flight FROM it's limits, but does little if anything to address our concerns. We don't get an incentive to remain. We get no "abatement" for anything. We DO get a homestead credit (which can be eaten away in a few years, trust me on this one)...big friggin' whoop!
And although I didn't like John Crawford's smoking ban, I still admire the man for his ability to present statistics, such as he did in today's J/G.
His OP-ED article described how the city doesn't HAVE to raise the property taxes, or "take back" the property tax cut (set forth last year) to meet it's budgetary requirements. It's a good read, and worth a few minutes to ponder.
Now on to more "fun stuff"...
Jack Frost was real busy adorning our garage windows with some of his artwork, and after all the years I've seen this basic aspect of nature, it just NEVER gets old...does it?
That's why I had to get some pictures yesterday while all that nice snow was hugging the tree limbs. Yeah, I got a soft spot when it comes to appreciating the little things in life. I guess after you see so much crap, you revel in the simpler things.
It's also one of those "aching days after" scenarios for me. I shoveled the front, back AND driveway..TWICE, and I'm paying a good price for it. I've got muscles aching I didn't know I still HAD. But at least I was compliant with city ordinances...it's what I do.
BTW, in case you forgot, here's the ordinance regarding snow removal:

§ 99.047 REMOVAL OF ICE, SNOW AND DIRT.
Every owner or occupant of any house or other building, and the owner or proprietor, lessee or persons entitled to possession of any vacant lot, and every person having charge of any church, jail, public hall or other public building in the city, shall, during the winter season and during the time snow shall continue on the ground, by 9:00 a.m. every day clean the sidewalk in front of such house or building, and in front of which lot, from snow or ice, and keep it conveniently free thereof during the day. He shall also, at all times, keep such sidewalk clear from all dirt or filth, or other obstruction or encumbrance, so as to allow citizens to use the sidewalk in an easy and commodious manner.
Now I said all that to say this:
Take a good look at the picture of MY block (taken on my sidewalk), and tell me what is "odd" about the rest of the street.
A) There are no dead bodies around
B) There are no dead animals around
C) There are no signs of life
D) Mine is the ONLY sidewalk cleared of snow
E) All of the above
If you guessed *D*, give yourself a gold star!
(ed note - answering *E* would ALSO be acceptable)
Seems that we have a problem here, don'cha think? Now I KNOW for a fact that the rest of these houses DO have able-bodied young bucks and ladies living within those walls, quite capable of removing the snow. Question is: "Why the hell don't they?"
Must be some "cultural" thang.
Well, all that snow is relatively white, and that could explain some people's reluctance to bother with it. Still, we have other whites in the area (sleeping off last night's drunk or high until 11AM when it seems they ALL wake up and become the living dead for yet another day), and even THEY don't bother to shovel.
Must be a "southside" thang.
Excuse me for pleading ignorance when it comes to being a "Hoosier", but I thought all this Midwest charm meant something more than APATHY. I know back in Philly, most ALL the 60 families in just ONE block of rowhomes didn't have ANY problem clearing their walks, Hell, people even did one another's sidewalks as well (as I'm sure those of you in good neighborhoods are acustomed to). I recall one time about 20 of us guys got together and shoveled the entire ALLEY out back, so everyone could get to work (the ladies made us some hot chocolate and sandwiches). That was what neighborhoods USED to be like anyway.
Must be a "neighborhood" thang.
I hate to tell these lazy-asses in my area, but the city isn't going to get them a freebie when it comes to BASIC RESPONSIBILITY. You want to be a HOMEOWNER...then by Christ, you'd better get on the stick with what it means to BE a homeowner. And even if you're just a "tenant", that doesn't give you a "free-pass" to NOT show just a smidgen of responsibility by getting off your TV-watching ass, grabbing a shovel, and getting some fresh air and exercise for a few minutes. If you can walk down to Speedway for a soda, you damn well can get out front of the house, and do something PRODUCTIVE (for a change) .
But I suppose it will all come down to finding a way to FORCE these people to take some initiative, and that's sure to go over like a pregnant pole-vaulter.
Maybe it's time to call Captain Tom Bandor at NCE and get some people cited for non-compliance...after all, the city DOES need the "money", eh?