Wednesday, June 23, 2010

The Song: Run-Around

The Admonition: Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!

8 comments:

  1. Clearly Lil' Lukey, The Rev, and their associates are afraid of what an independent study will reveal to the public.

    http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_687513.html

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  2. It will clearly show that when one says that you only need to make so much on something, 300 mil, that is exactly what your friends will bid for said item.

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  3. @Jack Napier
    I believe the study is to determine the best solution for the taxpayers. Leasing the parking garages is only one of many solutions put forth by council.

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  4. Actually, I think the concern is that when you are in Act 47, cutting employees, freezing salaries, have no capital plan whatsoever, how is it possible that you suddenly "find" $250,000 (now more like $950,000) in various accounts. Particularly when there are bonds that need repaid, and oh yeah, an underfunded pension....

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  5. Funny that you are concerned with less than $1 million dollars of "found" money at a time when the mayor is planning to lease parking garages through Morgan Stanley for a fraction of their true value. Oh yeah, Don't worry about the hundreds of millions of dollars in future revenue we are giving away to "independent investors", keep focusing on that $950k.

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  6. That is my concern because it represents money the City has right now in its pocket, not some future "possibility" of money. So when City police officers are driving around in vehicles with over 100,000 miles on them, or garbage trucks are breaking down because the City cannot "afford" to fix them, but it turns out that there is $1 million slush fund sitting around, I think people should start asking questions.

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  7. I agree with you. People should also ask questions about the leasing of public assets to private investors.

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  8. Anon 12:17 - Well, people ARE asking questions. Do you have any that are not being sufficiently asked? Without referencing the occult? I thought P3's were all the rage now, this is essentially one.

    The problems I had with the scholarly study were with the cost (Scott Balice is doing something for $100K; a quarter of a mil without a good reason is a little steep!) and with the fact that the ICA couldn't approve it, because it merited some extra scrutiny, and as well it should because we COULDN'T EXPLAIN HOW WE HAD IT FOR A WHILE THERE AND MAN THE 80'S??

    And lo' and behold, the 'slush fund' aspect merited some attention and got it at exactly the right time.

    Anon #1 - Nothing is "neutral".

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