In Watchdog’s April 20 posting, “Ricky Bobby Says If Your Not First, You’re Last“, Watchdog was caught with an inaccuracy by none other than the mayor of Naperville, Steve Chirico. I like to say ‘inaccuracy’ when it applies to me, but when it applies to someone else, well then, they are flat out wrong. You can call that a double-standard, which is exactly what it is.
The posting was about Naperville being selected as the second best city in the U.S, in which to live. This was determined by a number of factors including survey of 397 reviews, of which two people rated Naperville as a ‘terrible’ place to live. I mentioned that the two people had probably just opened their electric bills prior to answering the survey. In fairness to me, that could be true, but that’s not what the mayor caught me on.
I also said, “Naperville will probably come in second place (Ann Arbor was first) for the next 28 years, the amount of time remaining on the horrendous electric utility contract hanging over Naperville like a bad three-piece suit.” Again, that could also be true, however Mayor Chirico did not call me out on that one either.
Mayor Chirico did call me out when I said, “Maybe Naperville should focus on Ann Arbor to see what they are doing that we could be doing better. My guess is that it’s the electric bill”, meaning that Ann Arbor’s electric rates were lower than Naperville’s. The mayor jumped on that like white on rice when he said, “Ann Arbor’s electric rates are significantly higher than Naperville…and as it turns out, the national average, which is just slightly below what Naperville residents pay”. Mayor Chirico not only said it, he verified it with the following link:
http://www.electricitylocal.com/states/michigan/ann-arbor/
Oops, Watchdog’s guess was flat out wrong and the mayor had the smoking gun to prove it.
Naperville’s residential electric rates are 10.16 cents / kWh. Ann Arbor’s residential rates are 14.13 cents / kWh.
Naperville’s commercial and industrial electric rates are also lower than Ann Arbor’s rates.
The bottom line is that Watchdog was wrong. Naperville pays less for electric than Ann Arbor. However, that still begs the question, why did Ann Arbor rate first, while Naperville came in second place? It could be that traffic flow is better in Ann Arbor, or it could be that the Big Ten football team in Ann Arbor would be a slight favorite against Naperville’s North Central team.
Considering Watchdog was wrong about the electric rates, I’ll give it another guess, it’s sesame seed bagels. More seeds in Ann Arbor than in Naperville. Let’s see if the mayor can disprove that one.
These city beauty contests are all sponsored by tourist and Chamber of Commerce organizations for obvious reasons.
What makes a city livable is crime rate, taxation, reasonable amenities, constitutional freedoms especially the first 10 amendments and the reasonable use of property without extortion fees (permits) being attached to everything one does.
Lastly not having to contend with social justice freaks who want to tax one group of citizens to support others (SECA) or create sanctuary city status for illegals and finally having to pay for unrelenting waste of money on alternative energy resources or claimed saving devices (smart meters) because of the global warming scam that has been going on for the past 20 years.
Yes, these lists are somewhat arbitrary in what makes a city livable and how each factor is weighted, but since there are no absolute metrics for these type of lists these relative metrics are the best one can get.
On the issue of permit fees charged by the city most of these are reasonable in comparison to neighboring cities and in most case legally necessary to avoid possible civil suits resulting from a property owner doing something that creates a safety issues for the community. And fees are a necessary and equitable way to cover the cost incurred by the city when property owners engages in certain property uses. Having said that I would, however, have to agree there are some fees I have to seriously question, like having to pay an application fee and permit fee for pulling up a fence or a shed.
The use of alternative energy sources is actually a federal requirement placed on all electric utility providers so it would a zero sum metrics, since everyone has to do it. This also applies to the smart meters.
SECA is funded by a sales tax and it is used to fund community amenities like the city band, the river walk, dupage children’s museum, 5Ks & Triathlons, and various community events. This is form of taxation is used to pay for roads (gas tax paid only by gas purchasers, but roads used by bicycles, electric cars, etc that do not pay this tax). And the school district property tax also meets your definition of an example of a tax supported by “social justice freaks”
The reality of the world is that we all share it and thus must learn to work together to prevent violating each others rights. That means you can not use your constitutionally guaranteed rights to justify violating my constitutionally guaranteed rights, or property rights, civil rights, human rights, etc.
You made my point exactly Jim. It’s you social elites who believe you have the right to force others to live as you see what is good, pure and ideal versus abiding by the Contractual obligation this country and its societies agree too called Our Constitution.
The good of the collective is never the good of the individual and redistribution of wealth through onerous taxation is the evil of big government and its bureaucracies.
And your final comment of sanctuary cities is another example of putting everyone but citizens first as if this is a virtue instead of a vise.
I was born and raise Roman Catholic, so its only natural that my Christian values, rather than the US Constitution, dominate my world view. Christ, after all, was around almost 2 centuries before our founding fathers, and is general consider to be the first person to advocate for certain basic god given human rights.
Democracy, like the teaching of Christ, is all about the good of the collective over the individual (you know all that bothersome majority rules BS). And, yes, I know were are a Republic but if you read the Federalist Papers you know were are a Republic built on democratic principles, not protection of true elites classes (like special interests or the wealthy as happen in Ancient Greece or Roman and are gaining popularity in our country).
Democracy, by it’s very nature (majority rules) is not only open to, but dominated by, basic Socialist values so it is hardly surprising that “social elitist” are empowered by democratic principles. If you have a problem with this North Korea is still accepting immigrants.
I have a hard time understanding how any person can claim were are a Christian Nation, while at the same time ignoring the basic teaching of Christ. You know all of that bothersome compassion that lead him to care for the sick and lame, feed thousands with a hand full of bread and fish and say “what you do to the least of my brothers, you do unto me”.
Stop with the righteous indignation and using religion as a cover for socialism and or outright communism. Christ said render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to god the things that are God’s.
You want to be a bleeding heart liberal do it on your time and with your money not ours. BTW I understand Cuba will take people like you, rob you blind and deprive you of our constitutional right. If that’s not to your liking try Venezuela which embodies your socialism.
Interesting you would choose such an ambiguous quote, one that has differing interpretations among the various Christian faiths as well as over time (historically). This quote was Christ’s answer to whether Jews should pay taxes to Caesar by a group trying to trick him into making a criminal statement. His answer is generally interpreted as the answer to the question should the faithful pay taxes to government. Since taxes (money) are material not spiritual in nature paying them is not a matter of faith and that Christ was saying God is only concerned with the fatefuls spiritual behavior, faith based behavior, following the teachings of Christ. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s”, those things of the material world, “and to God the things that are God’s”, your spirit, soul and faith.
Of course none of this has anything to do with the majority rule principal of democracy. As to socialism, our own founding fathers believed in a government that provides for the common good, which is socialist in nature. We can’t really call the statements by Adams, Madison, Hamilton and Franklin on the common good socialist because socialism as thought of today was a product of the French Revolution many years later. Nor can they be looked at as Communist in the modern view since communism was a product of WW I. When the founding fathers spoke of the common good they were sharing their beliefs that government has a social responsibility was well as a duty to protect individual rights. You can not claim to understand what the Constitutions stands for if you do not take the time to read the Federalist Papers (85 articles written by three founding fathers to clarify the meaning and purpose of the Constitution).
The question of what balance of social responsibility and protection of individual rights our government should strike has as many answers as the US has citizens. Each of us have a set of values we use in answering such questions. For me these values are based my Catholic upbringing and faith. My stating so and why I believe this is no more an example of “righteous indignation” and using my “religion as a cover for socialism and or outright communism” then your use of the Bill of Right to support your believes are self righteous and a cover for your you lack of compassion.
Oh and Ann Arbor is a sanctuary city.
A lot of words saying very little. Let’s keep religion out of politics and address the issues .
Thanks