Thursday, May 10, 2012

Tolls: Kerry Stemler's not even planting petunias as atonement for his lies.


My esteemed colleagues at Save Louisville are annoyed that self-appointed regional development 1Si-Obergruppenführer Kerry Stemler is prone to spinning such tall tales.


Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly ... well, you know the rest.

It's part of his job description, and also a highly refined code. When One Southern Indiana's oligarch's read the terminally unelected Stemler's words above, they translate:

"This region's oligarchic development fetishists want this project, and the challenge is, they would like someone else to pay for it, and we know who'll get to do it: All the rest of the people who'll never profit from the oligarchic development orgy."

Here's another delightful exchange from the WHAS story, in which a forever drooling Stemler first refuses to provide the answer he knows is true (tolls are forever), then dodges the question with a prayer (may the Good Lord lower our bids), and finally gaily whistles while driving past the graveyard: Gee, it's be great if the final solution we're forcing on you can be reversed some day.

And once tolls are here, it's likely they will stay for a very, very long time.

How long?

"That's a question I can't give you the answer to," Stemler said. "It's a debt service."

Even after the bridges are paid for, the financial plan calls for tolls to still be collected for future bridge needs.

"Hopefully when we're done with this our bids will come in less than we anticipated," Stemler said.

Even so low that tolls could go away?

"I doubt it would go that low, but wouldn't that be a great day?" Stemler said

8 comments:

Jeff Gillenwater said...

It remains unfortunate that people appointed to economic leadership positions don't know what the word "economy" means.

Duke said...

...and equally unfortunate that you sell dope.

Who's watching the watchmen?

Jeff Gillenwater said...

Given that a) there's almost no chance Dookie has the integrity to step forward with a real name to claim his lie and b) this sort of underhanded tactic has been fairly common throughout the "public vetting" of the project, we'll just leave this right here as further evidence of the oh so upstanding process that has led us to this bridges juncture.

But, in keeping with the spirit of shameless marketing to an unknowing public, if anyone wants a dope, they can have Dookie for 50 cents.

The New Albanian said...

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The New Albanian said...

Not that I believe Duke will avail him/herself of this option, but it is at least proffered.

Jeff Gillenwater said...

Don't sweat it too much, Roger. It's just more of the typical cowardice.

With few facts to stand on, bridges acolytes don't have many options but to indulge: paid for in full becomes decades of tolls, a much smaller number of temporary jobs becomes tens of thousands and our entire economic future, an inability to objectively answer public questions becomes private phone calls to people's bosses to pressure them to stop asking, etc., etc.

Meanwhile, those who are supposed to be representing the public in this mess not only remain silent but often join in the above themselves.

They'll have to live with their consciences. I won't.

Duke said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
The New Albanian said...

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game
-- the blog administrator