29 July 2018

We Are So Blessed: Pence Is On A Mission From God


Here's an Opinion Piece from Frank Bruni, who used to the food critic for the New York Times. He's now dishing-out political pieces, served-up with a dash of scathing humor:
Mike Pence, Holy Terror
Are you sure you want to get rid of Donald Trump?
Frank Bruni
Opinion Columnist

Credit Illustration by Ben Wiseman; Photograph by Ruth Fremson/The New York Times
 
 
"There are problems with impeaching Donald Trump. A big one is the holy terror waiting in the wings.
That would be Mike Pence, who mirrors the boss more than you realize. He’s also self-infatuated. Also a bigot. Also a liar. Also cruel.
To that brimming potpourri he adds two ingredients that Trump doesn’t genuinely possess: the conviction that he’s on a mission from God and a determination to mold the entire nation in the shape of his own faith, a regressive, repressive version of Christianity. Trade Trump for Pence and you go from kleptocracy to theocracy.
That’s the takeaway from a forthcoming book by the journalists Michael D’Antonio, who previously wrote “The Truth About Trump,” and Peter Eisner. It’s titled “The Shadow President: The Truth About Mike Pence,” it will be published on Aug. 28 and it’s the most thorough examination of the vice president’s background to date . . ."
 
Bruni got his hands on an advance copy . . . the rest of his writing will whet your appetite

New Word In The Media Lexicon: Outercourse

That's right - here's part of the story of no penetration intended: ". . . During Tuesday’s court appearance and in a brief filed in May, Mr. Multhaup argued that the “outercourse” — defined as sexual activity other than vaginal sex — was all Mr. Turner sought . . . "
Brock Turner only wanted 'Outercourse', Lawyer argues in appeal


Brock Turner leaving the Santa Clara County Main Jail in San Jose, Calif., in 2016.
Credit: Dan Honda/Bay Area News Group, via Associated Press
_________________________________________________________________________
Read more >> https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07

Take Action! Only 100 Days Until the 2018 Midterms Election


CITY WAY OR HIGHWAY? Interview: Richard Florida, Professor at the University of...

 Believe it or not, RT does have some really good intelligent and informed programs - here's one from Oksana Boyko in her program called "Worlds Apart" . . . she's one of the most intelligent women in broadcasting anywhere in global network news.
Here's the take-away: a city more open to everyone is a city that is successful. We are going through a dramatic reorganization of society
Published on Jul 29, 2018
Views-to-date: 46
Politics as we know it was born in cities. It’s no wonder that cities, especially big ones, feel entitled to call the shots for other, sometimes far more impoverished and disadvantaged communities. In 2016, small towns and the countryside struck back at the ballot box, first with Brexit and then with the election of Donald Trump. Was there something that big city dwellers, the cosmopolitan elites failed to grasp about the rest of their countries? To discuss this, Oksana is joined by Richard Florida, professor at the University of Toronto and best-selling author.
Write to Worlds Apart! worldsapart [at] rttv.ru
Follow Worlds Apart on Twitter
http://twitter.com/WorldsApart_RT
Like Worlds Apart on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WorldsApart.RT
+1 Worlds Apart on Google+ https://www.google.com/+WorldsApartRT
Listen to us on SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/rttv/sets/worl...

Like RT on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/RTnews
Follow RT on Twitter http://twitter.com/RT_com
Follow RT on Google+ http://plus.google.com/+RT

RT (Russia Today) is a global news network broadcasting from Moscow and Washington studios.

Downtown Mesa 'On The Verge' Again?? Who's Accusing Who of A Cheap Political Stunt

East Valley Tribune Staff writer Jim Walsh has been late to get on this news story about Mesa City Councilmember Jeremy Whittaker when he documented disturbing things in city government on his website a week ago regarding questionable agreements about ASU. They provoked a comment from Mayor John Giles, who's probably the biggest puller of political stunts if ever there was one here in Mesa:  
". . . I’m disappointed people would engage in such a cheap political stunt.’’ Giles is the Poster-Boy for Political Stunts
So is his long-time buddy conservative Mormon Mesa Republican Mega-Millionaire State Senator Bob Worsley, forced to come out to appear in the image to the right in front of a Mesa City Council meeting that provoked public anger when it was revealed he was the real estate speculator behind-the-scenes in a low-ball bid to acquire title in holding companies for 10 commercial properties on Main Street. He was gambling a private fortune while holding the public trust in elected office - he's getting out of office after only one term perhaps realizing he can't it both ways. Whether or not it's his own money he's gambling and risking, his reputation in public office has been tarnished.
_________________________________________________________________________   
Judging from the reactions reported by local news writer Jim Walsh that were updated yesterday, Whittaker is getting a lot of blow-back. He is one of the most vocal and informed critics of questionable "deals" made by city officials - definitely not a yes man. He's definitely not alone in opposing proposals to spend over $100,000,000 for ASU downtown.
ASU can finance itself. For taxpayers it's a debt burden.
Voters REJECTED it two years ago in spite of a privately-financed $500,000+ Public Relations campaign located in the mayor's private law office on 2nd Street that turned into a major screw-up. The donors and more of their deep-pocketed friends-and-family and undisclosed business interests have now had two years to set-the-stage and "adjust the numbers" to trick taxpayers to pay for the speculative real estate schemes for their own wealth creation -  if it weren't for Jeremy Whittaker asking questions
That's his job to represent the interests of his constituents in District 2 and the interests of the public here instead of private special interests that only want to capitalize gambling and gains in rampant real estate on the backs of taxpayers for their own wealth creation.
Sorry, folks but that's the way good government works when it's open, transparent and accountable. _________________________________________________________________________
Here's a teaser for Jim Walsh - using emotionally-terms  "a political neophyte" and "a bit of a wild card" right off-the-bat in the very first sentence! Then we get into name-calling and other insinuations from anyone with some skin-in-the-game of crooked politics and cooking- the-books. Your MesaZona blogger was shocked to read Dennis Kavanaugh say this about Whittaker: ". . .
He’s hell-bent for retribution against anyone he feels has slighted him. That’s not a recipe for good government. . . " That's getting way too personal 
Insert by MesaZona blogger
Mesa councilman stirs colleagues' anger with accusations             
Updated
________________________________________________________________________________________
Here's a link to what Jim Walsh wrote >> click here
 
 
 
 

28 July 2018

A Jab At NYFed President John Wlliams From Brookings?

Image result for john williams, NY Fed

It's hard if not impossible for your MesaZona blogger to even think about taking a low-blow potshot at John Williams who took some of his valuable time as the President of the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank to visit Mesa for a Creative Place Making tour organized by LISC President Terry Benelli on Tuesday, July 14, 2015.
She guided a local group for a 3-hour site visit to look into the opportunities for Creative PlaceMaking here in downtown with John Williams, the head of The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco + 25 other people, including the mayor. Here's a photo opp from that occasion three years ago and an excerpt from a post published on this blog on August 1, 2015
01 August 2015
Valley Metro Light Rail Transit > Driving Smart Growth + Re/Generating Business Development
Image from LISC
In three weeks - August 22 - downtown Mesa will be transformed forever with the Central Mesa 3.1 Mile LRT Extension going into service on a regular operating schedule en route to Tempe and Phoenix with a one-hour travel time from end-to-end.
As someone who's always lived with public transit in major East Coast cities for 40+ years, your MesaZona blogger can still get excited about that here . . . It's about time!
At  a milestone-event for the monumental art installation at the Mesa Drive/Center Street Station, the subject of an earlier post on this site, the mayor said the salvation of downtown Mesa is riding on this train using a phrase of biblical proportions . . . better "to under-promise and over-deliver" is one of the mayor's more congenial forms of speech . . . " [your MesaZona blogger is the third person from the right]
Link to the post from three ago >> https://mesazona.blogspot.com/2015/08

\IPhone group image/Site Visit 14 July 2015
". . . We all got off the bus to stretch our legs and stand up for a foto pop" or "group selfie" on the side of what is no doubt the most visually-stunning piece of architecture on Main Street in the New Urban Downtown Mesa, apart from the $98 Million-Dollar Mesa Arts Center.
Some people might call it Pop Surrealism, rivaling the three-dimensional works by Gaudi in Barcelona, Spain, but no doubt it's an appropriate backdrop for the Creative PlaceMaking group focusing on exciting opportunities here.
Where's the mayor?
He's one in the collaborative group. John Williams is at center right in the jacket and sunglasses.
Image result for john williams, NY Fed
John Williams may be one of the best central bankers—but that doesn’t mean he should run the New York Fed
"After a somewhat controversial search, the New York Fed announced in April that it had chosen the economist John Williams as its new president. From one perspective, Williams is a superb choice. His last job was as president of Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, giving him ample experience within the Fed. And he has been an intellectual leader in shaping the monetary policy climate in a period of substantial uncertainty. He even has bipartisan bona fides: Republican Fed critic John Taylor was his dissertation adviser at Stanford and remains a strong supporter. Janet Yellen, the former Fed Chair appointed by Democrat Barack Obama, was his boss at the San Francisco Fed in the 2000s. In a statement released just after the New York Fed’s announcement, Yellen[1] “strongly support[ed]” the move and described Williams as “a distinguished economist who has made major contributions to the formulation of monetary policy.”
Dig a little deeper, though, and Williams’s appointment raises more questions than it answers. Despites his impressive qualifications, he already was a central banker within the Federal Reserve System. Why, then, should he move to New York? . . . 
. . . Only the implementation of monetary policy distinguishes the New York Fed from the other Reserve Banks more completely. The question, then, is where Williams is on bank supervision.
Here, again, we have some important questions, but not many satisfying answers. . .
________________________________________________________________________________
RELATED CONTENT:
John C. Williams is the president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. In that capacity, he serves as the vice chairman and a ...
 
Apr 3, 2018 - NEW YORK—The Federal Reserve Bank of New York today announced that John C. Williams has been named president and chief executive ...
 
President and Chief Executive Officer Federal Reserve Bank of New York 33 Liberty Street New York, NY 10045. Phone 212-720-6180 john.c.williams@ny.frb.
 
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/03/.../new-york-fed-president-john-williams.html
Apr 3, 2018 - The Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Tuesday named John C. Williams as its next president, choosing a longtime insider for what is ...
________________________________________________________________________________
For the record and to memorialize the occasion, these are the Speakers/Participants included [in order of schedule]
Terry Benelli, Executive Director LISC Phoenix
John Giles, Mesa Mayor
Michael Trailor, Director Arizona Department of Housing
Jeff McVay, Special Project Manager for City of Mesa Downtown Transformation
David Carrisosos, Owner Celulares Conexiones
Jaime Dempsey, Arizona Commission on the Arts

Amy del Castillo, owner Lulubell's Toy Bodega +arts/creative placemaking activist
Jen Disbrow, NEDCO, Ripple Grant Program + Creative PlaceMaking
Brian Marshall, owner Village Bloom + community organizing/events @ Sliver Lot

Augie Gastelum, NEDCO Economic Director/Façade Improvement Grant, ArtEntrepeneur Programs + Business Lending/Technical Assistance
David Crummey, NEDCO, RAIL + Mesa Urban Garden
Liz Morales, Director of Housing & Community Development for City of Mesa
Marco Meraz. owner of Republica Empanada
Eric Paine, President of Community Development Partners, El Rancho del Arte
Pat McNamara, LISC Phoenix Senior Program
Ian Linnsmen, Chief of Staff to Mayor Giles
Members of LISC Phoenix Local Advisory Board [3]
Tim McElligott, Founder Curator Engine
Tyler Boone, LISC Staff Financial Opportunity Center
Joselyn Cousins, Fed Reserve Regional Manager Community Development
Jennifer Doakes, LISC writer/founder JDD Specialties LLC

Timely Information Taxpayers Here In Mesa Can Use

Why post this now you might ask?
Simply because people who live here in Mesa - and more importantly taxpayers - really need to know that under the leadership of the Mesa's Chief Executive Officer, the guy with the smile shown in this opening image, City Manager Chris Brady has somehow managed to increase the public debt service obligations by a factor over 500% during his twelve years tenure inside City Hall from 2006-2018.
Another proposed $200-Million Dollar tax burden falls on your backs taking money out-of-your-pockets.
Sorry to drill down on this, but . . .  
YOU REALLY NEED TO
ASK MORE QUESTIONS
and
YOU REALLY NEED TO PAY MORE ATTENTION
Let's get to the real Nitty-Gritty right now:
There are not one or two but SIX Questions that are on the Ballot for the 2018 General Election, thanks to actions pushed through the Mesa City Council by the City Manager to re-package what taxpayers REJECTED two years ago. 
It's a 'Grab-Bag of Goodies' to get handed to millionaires as a 'Trick-or-Treat' for taxpayers, just after we celebrate Halloween unless YOU VOTE NO on all six questions.
This is the so-called Pandora's Box City Manager Chris Brady was afraid to get opened?  
It's now back to bite him
Don't get fooled again - there's too many cozy multi-million deals made by city officials on city-owned properties that they hope to get leveraged by hood-winking taxpayers into approving another $200,000,000 in public debt to create mor mult-millionaires whose pockets are already lined with cash standing on the sidelines in a wait-and-see scenario to self-capitalize on the backs of struggling taxpayers.
Thanks to public anger and robust engaged vocalizing at Mesa City Council meetings, and recent news coverage about corruption,  just one of those Mega-Millionaire conservative Mesa Mormon Republicans - State Senator Bob Worsley is all washed-up in public elected life after only one term in The Arizona State House. He has decided to resign to avoid perceived or real conflicts-of-interest.
In a recent City Council meeting, District 2 Councilmember Mark Freeman recused himself from voting on an agenda item acknowledging a conflict of interest in East Mesa.
Perhaps with more public attention and more investigative reporting, more politicians will either choose to disclose or be forced to disclose any direct or indirect benefits that might benefit themselves or their friends-and-family that violate the public trust. 
The same goes for disclosures by employees inside City Hall who salaries are paid by taxpayers here in Mesa.
FAIR WARNING:
It's time to CLEAN UP YOUR ACT
or risk the consequences
 
________________________________________________
Here's a streaming YouTube upload from Truth In Accounting. You can see more information and get more details about the group by using the Searchbox on this blog.
Notice the bait on the fishhooks to reel you in . . . The Six Questions on the November 2018 General Election include these pieces of bait: Public Safety and millions for an outdoor soccer complex
 
 
Published on Jul 26, 2018
Today on Answers in Animation we tackle the topic of Taxpayer burdens, what are they, where do they come from, and why are they not so great a thing to have.

MESA MORNING LIVE: Taped + Re-Streamed From YouTube

Heads Up for this one: 4 days ago
Published on Jul 23, 2018
Total views to date: 14
THE TRANSFORMATION OF DOWNTOWN MESA
(Too early for Jeff McVay to show up? He's the City of Mesa's designated Director of Downtown Transformation)
Featured Guests for this 22-minute segment:
David Short
Tony Wall  
Justin Graham
 This program is the brainchild of Sally Jo Harrison, President/CEO of the Mesa Chamber of Commerce. It's staged in a studio on West Broadway located in the same GPLET-incentivized property as Crescent Crown Distributors. Hosted by a comedian. The program is patterned after the late-night David Letterman Show.
Viewership on YouTube is typically way less than 100 per episode. The live audience pays for tickets to attend this programming broadcast on city-owned and taxpayer-financed Mesa Channel 11.
_______________________________________________________________________ 
 
 
Screen grab clip is Justin Graham, a real estate attorney. His father is John Graham, owner of State Farm Insurance and Sunbelt Holdings, developer of Power Ranch and are now planning to break ground on the entire downtown 10-acre site formerly location of Brown & Brown/Auto Nation. He says that the contaminated site has been "remediated" . . . without there ever having been any public statement about having to clean-up toxic hazards.  

WEEKLY LAND CLOSING UPDATE / THROUGH July 20, 2018 / Phoenix Arizona Metro, Maricopa County, Pinal County.


It's a pleasure to receive these updates from the
Kasten Long Commercial Group,
Walter Unger, CCIM - 
Senior Associate Broker
"In business as in life, you don't get what you deserve you get what you negotiate." - Chester L Karrass
"You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take, and if you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur "  
With over 20 years of experience in three separate countries Walter brings exceptional knowledge in deal making.
www.walter-unger.comDesignated
Designated Broker - Jim Kasten, CCIM   602.677.0655  (office)
Blogger Note: This post is intended for information purposes and in no way reflects any personal relationships with any of the parties involved.
____________________________________________________________________________
Weekly Land Closing Update through July 20, 2018 
Phoenix Metro - Maricopa County - Pinal County

Location
ACRES

Zoning
Sale Price
$/AC
$
Per SF
Sale Date
Comments
Buyer
E/NEC 107th Ave & Indian School Rd Phoenix
4.02R4-A800,000
199,004
4.577/16
Virtua Partners
W/SWC Cooper & Judd Rds
Florence
63.39AG1,124,98217,7460.417/16Langley Properties
NEC Victoria Ln & Ocotillo Rd.  Queen Creek
32.96Residential5,604,169170,0293.907/16
Proposed for a 148-lot SFR subdivision
Taylor Morrison
NEC 163rd Ave & Pinnacle Peak Rd   Surprise
144.28Residential12,250,00084,9041.957/16 proposed for 409 SFR lots
Fulton Homes 
S/SEC Power & Pecos Rds
Queen Creek
4.95Commercial1,000,000
201,682
4.637/16Amerco / Amerco Real Estate
NEC McQueen & German.  Chandler
36.00AG13,000,000
361,111
8.297/17 Proposed for a 242-lot SFR subdivision 
4.67RU-433,200,000
684,763
15.727/17Planned for 3-story 829 unit storage facilityStoreAmerica
N/NWC Litchfield & Waddell Rds Surprise
4.80Commercial2,900,000
604,177
13.877/17Planned for 3-story 705 unit storage facilityStoreAmerica
E/SEC 69th Ave & Bell Rd
Glendale
1.00C-2885,000
888,624
20.407/17Fry's Food and Drug
W/NWC 75th Ave & Thomas Rd   Phoenix
4.19C-21,800,000
429,501
9.867/18United Growth
W/SWC Lake Pleasant Pkwy & Pinacle Peak Rd
Peoria
3.91Residential1,000,000
255,754
5.877/19Proposed for development of office and/or mini-storage facilities
Wesley Development
W/NWC 75th Ave & Thomas Rd   Phoenix
2.35C-21,876,428
796,712
18.297/19
Maricopa Integrated Health System
SWC I-10 Baseline Rd
1.59Commercial2,700,000
1,609,977
36.967/20Grossman Company Properties
32.60Residential8,485,802260,3005.987/20Proposed for a SFR subdivision with 197 lotsWoodside Homes
____________________________________________________________________________
More: 
CONTACT ME IF YOU WANT TO KNOW THE VALUE OF YOUR LAND OR COMMERCIAL BUILDING. 
520-975-5207
OR SEND ME AN E-MAIL - 
Location
#
Lots
Zoning
$ Sales Price
$ per Lot
$ Fin FT
Sale
Date
Comments
Buyer
N/NWC Perryville & Camelback Rds
Litchfield Park
53finished lots3,218,7460,731
867
7/18JEN Partners
N/NWC Jackrabbit Trl & Yuma Rds
Buckeye
62finished lots2,875,406
46,377
966
7/19Lennar Homes
S/SEC Ellsworth & Elliot Rds
Mesa
62platted lots3,292,200
53,100
1,180
7/19Shea Home
W/SWC Signal Butte & Ray Rds
Mesa,
7finished lots805,500
115,500
1,650
7/19Ashton Wood

Data Source: CoStar, BREW, Vizzda plus personal information
____________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________