The Hypocrisy of Politics and Politicians.

The recent human disaster of hurricane Harvey and the aftermath flooding in Texas brings forward the blatant and utter hypocrisy of politics and politicians. Interesting statistic is that all but one  GOP U.S. senators and house of representative members from Texas voted AGAINST funding a bill that would  provide aid and financial relief  for victims of hurricane Sandy that devastated eastern states including New York and New Jersey.

 You would think any bill that provided relief for storm victims would be a no brainer but these GOP  conservative politicians tried to deny the implementation due to fiscal conservative concerns and not being able to fund some of their other pet projects....Of course most eastern seaboard states are also predominately Democratic and normally vote so...Think this is a coincidence..???

 Now that the shoe is on the other foot and the victims of this tragic storm are the constituents of these hypocritical politicians they are crying a different tune and already begging for federal aid the same aid they voted to DENY the victims of Sandy. Hypocritical ??? You bet your ass it is...

Most prominent is Texas senator Ted Cruz who voted against the bill. He along with others Texas

GOP lawmakers praised and brought "Hypocrite in Chief" Donald Trump  to the area in an effort to get federal money packages the same packages they voted NO on just a couple years ago ...

Moral of the story... be careful the next time it might be you who needs help and actions can be reversed where you're the one that get's bit in the ass....and the money that will be spent on this tragic disaster The Donald can kiss his wall goodbye and probably his tax cuts as well....

The BatBlog will be watching as well how Democrats respond to the money for Texans ...hopefully they are bigger than political games and less of hypocrites than their republican coharts...

Build that Wall !!! Drain that Swamp !!!

The Eclipse....Underwhelming

Maybe it's a sign of age but after all the hype and new's coverage of today's solar eclipse, one word that comes to mind is Underwhelming...Maybe in the locations where there was a total 100% eclipse the experience was more exciting but locally one had the feeling of "Is that all there is".

 This isn't the first time the media has over hyped an event and won't be the last with school's closing , people traveling to remote locations and, employees taking off work for the amazing spectacle <sarcasm added>....  Granted  scientifically this was a significant,rare event but the next time the media starts plugging the next eclipse I think I will sit it out...

Save Our Statues...

Probably for different reasons but The BatBlog agrees with Donald Trump that the statues of Confederate figures shouldn't be removed or in some cases destroyed. While "The Donald" is probably just appeasing his base, The BatBlog feels this is just taking political correctness to a ridiculous new level and is downright silly and a waste to remove these memorials.

 Most of these statues are located in southern states where the Confederacy is a big part of the history and culture of  those Americans born and raised in the south. While maybe some of these monuments were erected with prejudice and racial overtones in mind they still depict the history of our forefathers and the framing of our nation.

 Will we allow political correctness take this one step farther ???... several presidents  Washington and Jefferson unashamedly owned slaves...do we remove these as well ??? More than likely a lot of these Confederate statues depict figures who neither owned slaves or even believed in slavery. They may have just been caught up in the circumstances of where they lived to fight for the Confederacy.

 The BatBlog in it's travels has seen several Confederate statues and never once thought they represented racism or prejudice. I always felt they were to represent history and to honor the brave soldiers who fought on both sides. These monuments have now become another talking point that after all these years all of sudden have become controversial and divisive...Just plain Silly...Save Our Statues !!!

All the President's Men...Gone, Gone ,Gone, Gone...

 Drain The Swamp !!!  Who's Next ???

Return to the Roundabout...

 When the new "roundabout" intersection along Hwy. 62 in eastern Jeffersonville first opened the BatBlog described traveling through it as an "exciting game of Chicken"...and after being open for sometime now.... nothing has changed.

  We suppose the Indiana Dept. of Transportation (INDOT) had good intentions in mind when they designed this complicated intersection,  because on a whole and in the right circumstances "roundabouts" are an effective way to smoothly keep traffic moving without backups and stoplights.  Unfortunately for local drivers the Hwy. 62 application doesn't appear to be appropriate or safe.

 The BatBlog travels through the new roundabout daily and believe me you need to be alert and cautious on every trip. For one thing this roundabout is too complicated with too many options of different routes in a short length of road. There are connections to I-265, Hwy. 62, both east and west, the new east end bridge to Kentucky, Port. Road to the Riverport.

 Drivers entering for the first time have no idea which lane they should be in and most don't know the most important thing in a roundabout and that is to YIELD always YIELD. Semi tractor trailers have a hard time staying in their lanes due to the sweeping curves. We have seen drivers exiting the interstate fly into the roundabout at unreduced speeds.

 INDOT seems determined to make only minimal changes even after Jeff mayor Mike Moore has complained and pointed out the number of accidents that have occurred since the opening. Giant YIELD signs need to be installed but even then the Jeffersonville roundabout continues to be a giant game of Chicken....Stay aware, drive defensively and most of all good luck...

Jeffersonville's Papa John...

The BatBlog was surprised at some of thenegative reaction in the News/Tribune's comments section on the recent donation of $800,000 by John "Papa John" Schnatter for the renovation and repair of Nachand Fieldhouse.

 The generous and welcomed donation by Schnatter will go along way in the fund raising goal to save the historic but aging landmark for future generations. I remember as a child the excitement and huge crowds drawn to Jeffersonville H. S. basketball and the IHSAA sectional tournaments. Legendary local basketball names like Cotton Nash, Mike Flynn, Lou Watson etc. started their careers at the fieldhouse as well many famed visitors and basketball legends traveled here to play the J.H.S. Red Devils. It is an institution in Jeff history and well worth keeping open for all Jeffersonville residents to enjoy and remember.

 Papa John the local boy who made good should be thanked for his generous offer. and the city and mayor Moore rightfully renamed it The Papa John's Nachand Fieldhouse...We don't understand some of the negative comments aimed at Schnatter as Jeffersonville should be proud of his success as a business man,  who from humble beginnings here in Jeffersonville created a brand known world wide...

Thank You Papa John !!!