Sneaky Dwarfs

So...

Rather than take the heat during a regularly scheduled city council meeting, which was recently cancelled, the dwarfs are going to shove through their platform for high rise apartments in the Village during a specially called meeting, offering as little public notice as possible. This is the kind of sleazy behavior that drove secession from DeKalb County and now we see it in full form in this city. You know, the city that was created so we never had to put up with this kind of under-the-table, back-room political bullshit.

Welcome to the New Re-Vitalized Politicized Dunwoody! DeKalb is green with envy.

When Things Don't Add Up

Inconvenient inconsistencies are squizzing out about the whole SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We have some Emory prof enjoying his 15 seconds of fame with a model that shows Georgia peaks on 23 April a day which will see 84 deaths. Assuming we do as we're told so as to flatten the curve.

Then there is that whole curve thing. Based on data that are suspect to say the least. Severe screening for access to tests skews any data with a label resembling "confirmed case." What of all those cases where the high standard of symptoms is not met, yet the candidate carries, and likely transmits the virus? And which test and why? Why is the USA exclusively focused on the RT-PCR and not also performing serological testing? How can modeling be done in the absence of  broad and deep data? When we see the curve we are asked to flatten is the hockey stick a representation of actual cases or is it a representation of increased availability of tests? You might think that deaths are difficult to bury under political spin but how many have died without a conclusive RT-PCR or serological test? Very likely deaths are under reported though not as severely as infections.

Then there are those statements that when taken together, though never presented together, just do not make sense. Models showing a peak in late April with an apex just coincidentally matching hospital capacity do not align with the kudos given Ford (well deserved) for committing to 50,000 ventilators by July. A normal production profile will include a production ramp-up thru April with a majority of production (and delivery) occurring after the peak predicted by the model(s). This seems to suggest that the commonly shown bell curve is not the real profile that is expected. There is also little said about how flattening the curve extends the duration of calamity. No one is discussing what impact this has on total illness or death.

There are suggestions of recurrence when sequestering ends and we expose previously isolated populations to the remaining virus harbored in those remaining ill or simply asymptomatic. Ebola moves into animal reservoirs. Is there any reason to believe this virus will not survive beyond the immediate crisis in a natural reservoir? Based on what exactly?

We were not told the truth when we were told to not wear masks or gloves. But yet, these were important, even critical, for health care workers. Why would they only work for them and not us? They work equally well, but the "speakers of truth" wanted supplies reserved for one group and not the other. We haven't been told the truth and it isn't likely this will change anytime soon.

Shout Out To East Cobb

For the impatient here is the bottom line: if a City of East Cobb is formed you will be screwed.

You are right to be concerned about the secrecy surrounding the railroading of this project and the deceptions are only beginning. As they move forward there will be, if there is not already, a commissioned assessment that in fact is little more than a ghost-written bit of fiction. When they start the city they will outsource functions and when they do this transparency will go out the door right along with your money. This is one of the first ways you'll be screwed, but it is far from the most painful.

And the lies have already begun starting with the politicians' perennial favorite: "your taxes won't go up." But they will because your home value will likely rise, as it has. These are just run of the mill politicians who will, with each annual tax increase,  trot out the old bromide of "we didn't raise the tax rate." This has happened in Dunwoody each and every year. Perhaps you could suggest that the city charter must mandate revenue neutral budgeting with TAX increases only by public referendum but public protection is not on their agenda. So you'll be screwed.

"Improving public safety?" You should laugh in their faces. You live in East Cobb not South Chicago. And if Dunwoody is your guide you'll go from marginally acceptable policing to totally inadequate. Dunwoody refuses to do any routine traffic patrols, even as speeding in school zones has gotten completely out of hand. If you don't get run over you'll at least get screwed.

And "local control?" Don't fall for that one. Dunwoody's elected officials adamantly refuse to come into the community to witness out of control speeding and other traffic violations, or illegal signage and any of a variety of quality of life issues. If it isn't happening on their street they don't really care. For them control and responsibility is hyper-local. From your perspective they are just as out of touch and inaccessible as any county or state politician. You are going to be ignored. And screwed.

And that BS about "preserving and enhancing" is particularly odious. The primary goal will be to sell out all the things that made your community desirable, that convinced you to move your family, to the highest bidder, their current and soon to be BFFs in the development community. In under five years even the most ardent supporter who finds themselves outside the power elite will be baffled by what has happened and wanting a do-over. But you don't get a do-over. You do get screwed.

But the biggest lie, the whopper, is that a city would not affect the schools. Really? Are they willing to write into the charter that there will be no Development Authority or any other means for the city to dole out property tax exemptions and abatements to developers and businesses? Because right now their intention is to do just that and in so doing they will not only forgo city property taxes but the mechanisms they use will mean the schools get no taxes either.  So yeah, the schools are going to get screwed and so are you.

Is It Really Charity?

When you must be paid to do it?

Any number of groups are hating on tax reform. It is only a bit surprising that some vocal hating is coming from "charitable organizations" who otherwise self-profess to do all manner of good things for all manner of people. Just not interested in helping people who pay taxes.

As currently proposed, changes to the tax laws would raise personal exemptions and lower incremental tax rates. Charitable organizations see this as an existential threat as they are convinced that donations come not from recognition of and support for their good works but because their kind of American gladly gives them a dollar to screw the feds out of twenty eight cents. The AJC has the cat far removed from their bag:

Someone with a tax rate that goes as high as 28 percent could give a $100 donation to a charity, but they’d see a $28 drop in taxes with the deduction. Which means that $100 donation ultimately only cost them $72.

What better reason to give? While Habitat for Humanity, a local fave, touts their good works, they fall just short of demanding direct public funding by insisting that the government incentivize taxpayers to divert taxes to H4H:

“Habitat for Humanity has serious concerns about the proposed tax bill’s impact on charitable giving,” Chris Vincent, a vice president for the organization, said in an emailed statement. “Habitat strongly urges Congress to preserve and enhance charitable giving incentives, to preserve the vital work that organizations like Habitat do with low-income families across the country.”

Just because these organizations are not for profit does not mean they are not all about big bucks.