Was that a fart, or is Amuzing Goat talking from her ass again?

"Of course in the 1980's the schools were so bad that I had seen better schools in the City of St. Louis. I think we all know the deplorable conditions the schools were in."

Hey Amuzing Goat, F-U.

You have absolutely no clue what you are writing about. I can name over twenty medical doctors, lawyers, business executives, investment bankers, engineers, actual nurses and university professors that graduated from those deplorable conditions from "the top of my head". F-U!

You are just an ignorant ass of a human. Save us your witty musings and go back to talking between your multiple personalities.

It must really burn you to have your ass handed to you on a weekly basis by a collection of people who were schooled in such deplorable conditions. We run intellectual circles around you in our spare time. You have to grunt your ignorant not-baked ideas out of that creaking cog of a brain like you have been constipated for weeks.

You are so stupid. A stupid uninformed ass with vocal cords.

I think Hale-Bop is coming around again so do us all a favor, put your Nike's, Blue Addidas Jogging suit, draw yourself a vodka, and get the F off my planet!

A new poll

The Queen has a new poll on her website. This one is great. It asks:

Do Overland taxpayers need greater protections and tighter fiscal controls to restrict their TAX DOLLARS from being RE-ALLOCATED local government?

Very clever wording. Hardly anyone could disagree with "tighter fiscal control" or "greater protections". However, re-allocating our tax dollars (aka the city budget) is a big part of the city council's job. Thus, the last part of the question makes the entire question nonsensical.

The Problem(s) with Residents’ Comments

It is a sad day in American democracy when the elected leaders have little regard for the opinions and feelings of those that they serve. The Queen and her lot are an egregious example of this—they say they are “for the people” and claim such when they speak about “free trash”, yet seem to have little regard for the residents themselves.

To bastardized a line from one of my favorite movies “How can you say you love Overland when you so clearly hate Overlanders?”

Overlandites? Overlandians? Whatever—you get the point.

By putting residents’ comments at the end, the mayor is creating a situation that may bring about disturbances during the meeting. If residents do not have time to comment on the business of the day, until after such business is conducted, they may be wont to scream out their distaste during the meetings. Don’t we already have enough of this?

By putting residents’ comments at the end, the Queen and her ORTians are likely to leave. Really, you could show less distaste for the residents by putting them at the beginning—before the meeting is called to order--and just showing up late. It’s a win-win. You can avoid feedback AND save face.

Some might say we are making too big a deal of this. But, if we won’t stand up for our rights to address government on a local level, we are likely to lose them at all levels. And, the good folks of Overland are not alone. This weekend, Channel 2’s You Paid For It! segment focused on a similar plight of the residents of St. Peters. You can see it here. Close your eyes and substitue the word Overland for each mention of St. Peters and it works!

Perhaps, we should let Elliot know that St. Peters' residents are not alone. This might be one overlooked component of the many issues facing Overland. And, it is a trend that we do not want to see carry forward (either for Overland or other cities).

The Queen said she was willing to change the agenda. Let's urge her and our council members to put residents comments at the front, to not limit the NUMBER of people who can speak, but limit the time in which each resident can comment. (The latter two points being a compromise between the two factions.)

I think May, O'Connell, Schnieder, and Corcoran would be amenable to this compromsie. The real question is if The Queen and her ORTians are willing to undig their heels.

true plans for wild acres?

Mayor and MO Gaming commission reveal plans for Overland Wild Acres casino.

In a stunning move today the Missouri gaming commission and Overland Mayor Ann Purzner announced that Missouri’s gaming laws had been changed to redefine Missouri and Mississippi river channels to include all tributaries that run to the states rivers down to the level of creeks. Mayor Purzner of Overland wasted no time in applying for a gaming license on the section of coldwater creek that runs through Overland Wild Acres Park. “I feel this is in the best interest of the citizens.” The mayor was quoted as saying. “The tax revenue from the new casino in Wild Acres Park will more then make up for other lost revenues for the city of Overland. I am tired of driving out to Maryland Heights and seeing my constituency spending their money out there. Why shouldn’t we keep that tax money in Overland? I told the citizens of Overland I would get them free trash. Look at all the positives for rebuilding city infrastructure the Casino Queen has done for the city of East St Louis. Overland can take giant steps forward to be almost like a west East St Louis. In these cold months ahead citizens of Overland are going to have to choose between heating their homes and paying for their trash. If they just come to the casino then they don’t create trash at home, they stay nice and warm and there’s a nice $5.00 all you can eat buffet from 3-6 every evening. We have contracted with Wal-Mart to provide an onboard pharmacy and are contracting with Pay Day check cashing to provide mailboxes and check cashing service for Social security checks. We are solving Overland’s problems one at a time.”
In a surprising move the mayor called an emergency meeting of the Overland City council to be held at Mandarin House to vote for Blighting and TIF for the casino project. The vote was Knode, Sellers and Owensby for with the rest of the council absent. When asked about the apparent violation of the requirement of a quorum the mayor responded, “I’m the mayor this needed to be done quickly, I called the meeting and we voted.”
Tu Wong properties who will be assisting in the development of the property along with Playa’s casino announced plans for Councilman Owensby to tow the recently purchased Admiral riverboat to Overland where the Admiral will be anchored in Coldwater creek.

Suzy and the Sunshine Law, part 2

The following came across my desk today. Good timing, considering today is the follow-up hearing for the Sunshine Law trial. I encourage everyone to test their knowledge. Perhaps, we should make taking the quiz mandatory for all city council members.

Nixon encourages both citizens and public officials to take online quiz to test their knowledge of the Sunshine Law

A citizen wants to tape record the open portion of a city council meeting. Can the city council say no recording is allowed? That's one of the questions posed in an online quiz designed to educate Missouri's public officials and its citizens about the state Open Meetings and Records Law, popularly known as the Sunshine Law. Attorney General Jay Nixon launched the quiz today on his Web site, www.ago.mo.gov.

Take the Sunshine Law quiz

Liar or Flip-Flopper?

I really can't decide if The Queen is liar or simply delusional. Perhaps she is a delusional liar.

Today's posting on her web site states that her city council opposition is trying to "confuse and muddle the issue" for the residents of Overland by referring to her "restoration of services" as free trash. Well, I guess it can be confusing when one thinks about how there is not an unlimited amount of money in the city budget and restoration of city-paid trash means sacrificing elsewhere.

The killer part is her "new important website feature": a poll. It will be via this website poll that she gauges the desires of the community. Why this won't work:

• The majority of website visitors are her supporters
• There is nothing scientific about this poll and how it is being conducted (hardly a mandate for policy can be taken from such methodology)
• The buttons for Yes and NO do not automatically register your vote. Instead, it is used as an e-mail to be sent to The Queen

Despite her claims that the poll is "informal, simple, safe and private" the fact that it sends an email to her website proves how NOT PRIVATE participation is. Which leads to questions on how accurate the polling would ever be!

How many people will participate if they know the mayor and her cronies are collecting names and e-mail addys? I mean, these are very vengeful people and that will keep people from participating in the poll.

Will the ORT ever run out of ways and showing us how dumb they think we are?

Perhaps I should send out a postcard about the dangers of participating in such online polling.

Don't Baste Your Pipe Dreams, Maul Em!

We welcome the arrival of a new poster, The Town & Country Mauler, by bringing his most cogent thoughts on the Wild Acres Hubbub to the top of the pile. Welcome Mauller.

Town & Country Mauler said...

I watched the show last night. The meeting itself was drollery and I must admit that even I am wearing thin on the residents' comments.

Did you get a load of the idea for the seminary buildings? A boutique hotel. This might be the most grandiose, half baked plan I have ever heard. Pure comedy.

Let me get this right. The City will continue to own the "hotel" buildings but will lease them to a hotel operator. The hotel will have 15 rooms....... anyone even considering what kind of rate you would have to charge to return a profit on 15 rooms and that's with no service.

Of course, the area is what would drive occupancy. I can see the sales collateral now. "Come to our 15 room boutique hotel nestled on a 4 lane major arterial county road. Magnificant vistas of the aprtments across the street. Just blocks from the Page Avenue restaurant district where you can stroll between Steak n Shake, Taco Bell and Valvoline. Or, saunter into the hill counrty of West Overland for a relaxing drink. Sit and chat with the locals at Suewallers or test your bilingual abilities with a stop at the liqor store. If high tech is your fancy, well we have that too. Gaze at the 100' tall Lambart Field geodesic radar installation just next door as its emmissions jam all cellular communications."

Quick tip to the "partners" running the hobby shop...... stick to running the hobby shop, maybe stand a little farther from the model glue.

Here is my proposal for Wild Acres. Keep it as a park. Assess the buildings and determine whether any of them have vlaue as public buildings (or can be repaired to become public buildings) tear the rest down. More open space, plant more trees, have a bigger park. Dare to dream.

This notion that the property is somehow part of our heritage is nonsense. It was a seminary and we weren't even allowed on the property except to to sneak into the woods with a chance of scaring some unsuspecting molester-in-training hiking through the forest. Overland bought it to preserve it as a park and keep it form developing. Whether this is good or bad is matter of personal opinion but is not a matter of right or wrong. What is wrong with owning it for the purpose for which it was purchased? A park.

Conlan, please help us.

If by "socks on the floor" you mean total disregard for the law...

The following is taken from the KTVI website. In their story, they state that this is the press release verbatim. I think they wanted to be clear that the misuse and misspelling of words was on the mayor’s end and not their staff.

“I was elected the Mayor of Overland in April 2006 by the majority vote of the people. A re-count took place and I remain the elected Mayor of Overland by the majority vote. The challenges I’ve incurred since the election is spearheaded by a select few that are aligned with the previous administration and appointed officials. I wonder shy these people are so afraid for me to fulfill my term of office. My compass in acting on City business is to be accountable to all not just a select few. I just hope the residents of Overland can connect the dots and look to the real issues, not the political infighting, that affects our community. As a marriage counselor once said 'The real issue is not about the socks being left on the floor.' I will continue to perform my duties as Mayor, as elected, until my term expires. If the re-call vote prevails so be it.”

Whew boy…where to begin?!

First, she was not elected by a majority (nor with 2000 votes) but by a plurality. Meaning, she got more votes than anyone else. The fact is the majority—more than half—voted AGAINST her.

She says a “select few”. I think 3900+ petition signatures negate that and the “only 10 people against me.”

I wonder “shy” these people? Really, get a proofreader!

Connecting the dots to the real issues. I think most folks would consider a mayor who repeatedly breaks city ordinance and state statute a real issue. I think most folks would consider an administration that refuses to listen to the residents’ concerns (via residents’ comments) a real issue. I think that most citizens are concerned about who is spearheading the mayor’s policies and encouraging her non-evenhanded tactics to be a real issue.

I am not sure how to interpret the “I will continue to perform my duties...until term expires. If the recall prevails, so be it.” Does this mean she will refuse to step down, even if recalled, until April 2010? She has made conflicting statements in the past. Once she said, if recalled she would go away peacefully. A few weeks later she said she would fight like a dog. What is her plan if recalled? Will she hold the office hostage? Will we have a stand-off?

How Rude!

I really don't get it. Ms. Purzner was born and reared in the great town of Savannah, TN. No Southern lady I know would ever treat anyone the way Purzner and her minions treat us. Everyone else I know from Savannah would never act so rudely to their guests. What I mean...

• Would you invite someone to a gathering at your place and then up and leave them for an hour or so right in the middle of your gathering?
• How would you feel if you went to a play and half-way through the first act they stop the performance and hold a cast meeting?
• As much as we pay for movies, what if they stopped the film for the sole purpose of the theatre owner and managers to have a meeting about what films they would show in the following weeks?

Well, such is the recent tactic of The Queen. She is so disinterested in what the citizens of Overland have to say that she is willing to do anything to run us off in the middle of the meeting. This includes, going away for "executive session" in the middle of the meeting! How rude is that to leave us sitting there while they dally about business that they could and SHOULD handle after the business meeting and the meeting of citizens.

Postcards (and news interviews) from the Edge

The mayor and her cronies are having quite a week—and its only Thursday. The postcard warning us against signing petitions started the week out great. I think the mayor has her numbers wrong. She says only 10 people are against her. I think it might be more likely that 10 people are for her—and even those folks won’t sign there name to their mailings!

Of course, these mailings are nothing compared to what we will receive once the petition signatures are verified and the recall is placed on the ballot. I agree with the poster who stated that we should make sure they have 2 (or can I dream 3) times what they need to initiate the recall election.

Further proof that the ORT is dangling close to the edge was the KTVI interview. Purzner continued her delusional statements of only 10 people are against her. Another misstatement—that 2000 people voted for her. The fact is that only 1115 people voted for her. However, 2000 people did vote against her (and for the other two candidates) in that same election.

Need more proof? Purzner claimed that since Bob Dody worked full-time, he couldn’t manage what was happening at city hall, thus the city attorney was running things. However, Bob Herman also works full time, so when did he have the time to run the city.
Oh yes, Purzner’s proof that he is running the city was that he made some corrections to the council meeting agenda.

Liar Liar: She boasted about her balanced budget (the law mandates that the budget is balanced, so no great feat there) and claims “The residents lost every service that we had, from the dog catcher to the free trash pick up. And I said we would return all those services and I have.”
When exactly were these services returned?
Purzner claims to have a balanced budget, yet has failed to pass a budget. What budget?
Like campaign promises, anyone can make proposals. Yet, the devil is in the details. What is sacrificed to fulfill such proposals? It is in those details what the rational resident of Overland is not willing to sacrifice. It explains why Knode’s budgets have never passed.

The one good thing: She boasted about 8 grants that we have received including one to restore parks. Hey, let’s use it to rehab the buildings at Wild Acres!

remember remember the 5th of November

In honor of our illustrious scribe Guy Fawkes I figured I'd commemerate the 5th of November...
Remember, remember the fifth of November,
Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,'twas his intent
to blow up the King and the Parliament.

Revolution has a long history, some peaceful, some violent. I think the person who should be the most thankful on this 5th of November, also known in England as Guy Fawkes day, is our honorable mayor. She should be thankful that the citizenry is working within the framework of the constitution to redress our grievances with the government and not simply rolling kegs of blackpowder into the basement of city hall...

What's in a name? Sh*t by any other name would still reek!

You say Throndike, I say Thorndike.
You say "Not me", I say "ORT"
Throndike! Thorndike! "Not me!" "ORT!"
Let's call the whole thing what it is!

Have you received your November localite yet? I received mine yesterday and the advertisement entitled "Get Your Shovel…" was one of the first that I saw. It is obviously more ORT propaganda (but more on those lies and half-truths later).

The ORT underestimated the intelligence of Overland citizens. In their first attempt (The Overland Watch), they use Donna Dill's husband's name with just a slight misspelling. That one was figured out before the paper was distributed to the entire city.

Then they created false organization names. Of course, they would have to when they are throwing out lies and wild scenarios.

In the latest localite, they are at it again. And they try not to be obvious of the source of their propaganda by misspelling the last name Thorndike. To be exact, "R.A. Throndike". Spelling errors—they must like that as they feel it absolves them of any responsibilities.

The problem: There is no Throndike in Overland (or Missouri for that matter). If you take away the typo, Thorndike does exist in St Louis County. However, none in Overland. None with the first initial "R" in all of Missouri. The voter registration database shows neither a Thorndike or Throndike as a registered voter in the city of Overland. One can only conclude that if this person exists outside of the imagination of the ORT, then they aren't as involved a citizen as they lead you to believe.

One of these days, their false names are going to match up with a real person. Then who is the identity thief? And that is final irony—that those who put out a flyer about identity theft would be the ones using tactics with faux names and identities.