Trees for the forest

Forest for the trees

No wonder the Town Mangler avoided public comment on the "draft report" of the blue ribbon committee commissioned over 1.5 years ago to analyze our $60+ million town budget. Like me, he probably can't figure out what the Hell they are trying to say.

Reminds me of my Umass freshman days where I would spew garbage into a paper and hope the Professor would separate the wheat from the chaff.

I find it odd they would collect and compare statewide data "selected on basis of population, per capita income, land area, median family income, equalized property valuations, and operating budget."

Students comprise about half of Amherst's 35,000 population. And as State Senator Stan Rosenberg has pointed out many, many times (when pressured to get more $ out of Umass for Payment In Lieu Of Taxes), the state counts students equally as year-round residents, the vast majority of whom work and make decent annual salaries.

Many students do not work, or work under the table--thus skewing the criteria for comparisons.

The major problem with Amherst is minor math: over half of town property is tax-exempt (owned by Amherst College, Umass, Hampshire College and the town Conservation Department). And of the half that is on the tax rolls, 90% are homes and only 10% commercial property.

Amherst needs more businesses and for the tax-exempts to step up and carry their bloated weight.

Click to enlarge/read (warning: snooze alert)

A coward dies a thousand deaths

So Scotland caved: they released a mass murderer on grounds of "compassion." The man convicted of blowing 259 innocent civilians out of the sky at 30,000 feet and killing 11 more on the ground below.

And only in Libya--or perhaps North Korea--would this monster be welcomed home as a hero.

If you don't like the report...

Left to right: Shaffer, SB Princess Stephanie O'Keeffe and rookie Aaron Hayden.

So these returns from a search on the venerable Daily Hampshire Gazette under the term Amherst Town Manager Blue ribbon committee really tell the story. "Long awaited" and "coming soon" in the same headline all time/date stamped almost six months ago.

Still no public release of the report. Although my reliable source stated it was submitted to the Town Mangler back in May.

Could it be they did not champion the Override as a cure all?

1. Shaffer: Long-awaited blue ribbon panel conclusions are coming soon Daily Hampshire Gazette

   Wednesday Mar 4, 2009

   AMHERST - A three-member panel studying efficiencies in the organization of the town government and schools for more than a year is preparing to release its conclusions. Town Manager Larry Shaffer ... more...

   By SCOTT MERZBACH Staff Writer

2. Expert budget advice pending, Shaffer says Daily Hampshire Gazette

   Monday Aug 18, 2008

   AMHERST - A Blue Ribbon Task Force designed to give town and school administrators insight into making the government and schools more efficient has not yet made any recommendations. Town Manager L... more...

   By SCOTT MERZBACH Staff Writer

3. Amherst forms 'blue ribbon' budget committee Daily Hampshire Gazette

   Wednesday Dec 19, 2007

   AMHERST - Town officials are seeking advice from both financial experts and regular folks as they prepare spending plans in yet another tight year. Town Manager Larry Shaffer has appointed a "... more...

   By NICK GRABBE Staff Writer

Do as I say, not...

Hope springs eternal

So according to the venerable Daily Hampshire Gazette, the Amherst Chamber of Commerce wants to convene a summit meeting of downtown heavy-hitter landlords (and there are only a half-dozen) in response to empty storefronts; meanwhile, less than a week later, the same paper carries a Front Page story about Chamber director Tony Maroulis adding to the problem by closing his art gallery at the end of this month.

The Bully re-reports (from the Gazette)

And it now looks like Lincoln Realty has rented one of the spaces anyway to yet another restaurant (probably for their asking price), without benefit of said summit. And so it goes...
Probably should have removed the Fram Filter sign

Rules of engagement

So after all these years the Australian board of inquiry came back with their finding on the loss of HMS Sydney and her entire crew of 645 (the worst WW11 disaster for our allies) that took place a few weeks before Pearl Harbor on the afternoon of November 19, 1941 .

The light Cruiser Sydney, the pride of the Australian Navy (they of course could not afford heavy duty Battleships--not that ours survived the same treachery at Pearl Harbor), had "inexplicably" approached a disguised German raider to point blank range.

After a radio challenge, the Kormoran suddenly raised her German flag as she simultaneously opened fire on the Sydney with every gun blazing, including torpedo's. The first salvo took out the Sydney's Command and Control and within five minutes about 70% of the crew.

The mortally wounded Sydney returned fire and inflicted enough damage to (eventually) sink the Kormoran, but she limped away totally ablaze only to sink within a few hours with all hands aboard. A total loss of life.

On the early morning of December 7, 1941 the Empire of Japan had planned to declare war on the US only moments before the bombs and machine guns devastated our unsuspecting fleet moored at Pearl Harbor.

Slight miscalculation, as the coded missive from the emperor was not translated by their underlings in time (and never actually said that a state of war exists.) An enraged America repaid their treachery many times over.

Rot in Hell!

This laconic loser purposely places a BOMB on board a civilian aircraft designed to detonate at high altitude where the resulting concussion, freezing temperatures, gale force winds and free falling 30,000 feet at terminal velocity guarantee a horrific death for all 259 human beings on board not to mention 11 on the ground; and now the quaint country of Scotland is considering releasing him on humanitarian grounds because he has cancer????

May he die as painful and horrific a death as he inflicted on 270 innocent civilians. Alone, in a dark cell--with the Devil as his only friend!