Assessments

Clark commented yesterday and I'm repeating it here because I'm not sure how many people go BACK and read comments

You should check out the PBS special on Prohibition. It's amazing, and a lot of the arguments that were used against the prohibition on alcohol will seem eerily familiar to you.

http://wptschedule.org/series/1033/Prohibition

There are obvious medicinal benefits to THC. Seems like the pharmaceutical companies might be the force behind keeping marijuana illegal. I'm not sure if there are ANY medicinal benefits to alcohol -- yet it is taxed, regulated, and completely legal.

Check that PBS special out. I think you'll find it very interesting.

DJ and I have watched that show twice and it is UNCANNY the similarities between prohibition and  . . now with cannabis. It sort of mirrors what was in Natl Geo.  I call myself semi-sane and I question everything which gets me in trouble sometimes as people think I disagree with them when I'm only looking for potential problems but this whole cannabis thing TO ME,  is a no brainer.

*********************

The Council is looking rather seriously into changing how Columbus assesses property owners for streets.  This has actually been on my mind from before I ran for office and my personal view was to KEEP IT SIMPLE.  Well, that's not going to happen with assessments.      

Here is what happens now.  A BASIC example

A street is in terrible shape. So the city takes out a $2 million dollar loan to fix the street. The citizens of Columbus, through property taxes, pay for that loan AND the people of those properties on that street are assessed somewhere between $2000 and $9000 to pay for a part of THEIR section of roads.  

Double taxed basically.

The city then takes that assessed money and helps pay for that loan.  People complain but say, well, it's always done that way so I guess as long as EVERYBODY sooner or later gets a stick in the eye it's OK. 

What if we changed that. 

Anybody can drive on any road in Columbus. Why do the people that live on that street have to pay a penalty.  What if you were looking to buy a house but the street is bad and you know that in a month or two you will get a $9000 bill because you have lived on that road for a month.   Fair?

So we are exploring how we can change this so EVERYBODY in Columbus pays for ALL streets. Not just the people that live on that street.  Of course some people will complain because they never drive on Mill Street or whatever but lets see what they say when they get a $9000 bill for THEIR street.

We fixed sewer laterals this way. Many people did not know that if their sewer pipe breaks under the street, the property owner pays not only to fix the sewer, BUT ALSO, they pay to repair the street! BAM $10,000.  Seem fair?  I bet 90% of cities make the property owner pay to repair the street.  

Now in Columbus the city pays for the street repair when your sewer breaks under the road (to put it simply).  (thank you Alderman Thom for that one).

***********************

Badger Motor Car Company got a new set of eyes reading about Columbus - this time in a Vietnamese newspaper - yup - I saw it.

************************

Donald Trump.

I hope there are no Trump supporters reading this as what I'm about to say will just make you dig in your heels harder. 

Seems they are not uninformed but misinformed.  They are whiter, older and less educated then your average Republican (that sounds like an insult to all Republicans but it was not meant that way).

There was a focus group and it seemed that every time you pointed out a blatant lie Trump has told it actually made his supporters support him MORE.

" political scientists Brendan Nyhan and Jason Reifler found that when misinformed citizens are told that their facts are wrong, they often cling to their opinions even more strongly with what is known as defensive processing, or the “backfire effect.”

       

And Trump knows this and it is why his support is so strong (not unlike the "stick in the eye" thing).

Not only did negative information about Trump that was presented by Luntz to the group strengthen support for the candidate, participants held on more confidently to their misinformation as the session progressed.

OMG!!!   Sort of explains things doesn't it.

***************

This Sunday when you watch Minnesota it will be one of the coldest games ever played with wind chills nearing -20.  Not the frozen tundra but freaking cold for soft Minnesota fans who have been indoors for ever.

+++++++++++

Canadian physical crude oil is now selling at $20 per barrel.

*************

A bar was forced to give £20,000 to a patron who they mistakenly gave a shot of some cleaning fluid to.  That customer had to have his esophagus removed.  Seems like the bar got off cheap.

********
 DEADWOOD - the best television show ever produced is in development for a movie! FINALLY!  In the mean time if you like gritty westerns check out "Hell on Wheels" on Netflix.  I love love that show.

For those who forgot

https://youtu.be/RfMSxf6P_AM

And Hell on Wheels

https://youtu.be/zN2y6l51Sqo


Have a great weekend.