Tag: Paris Texas Chamber of Commerce

Our government

Figures don’t lie …  so, according to our government, everything is just hunky-dory; the borders are safe, and there’s no inflation at all – it’s just that prices are rising, which show positive and great economic percentages in growth – and it has all the data to back up the claims. The fly in all this pile of government manure is that while figures don’t lie, liars can figure.

Insanity is believing that inflation is a good thing and that liars can’t figure…

It’s things like those that make people distrust government.

It seems that those employed in or working for more government, including in Paris, seem to believe in the stupidity of voters.

The City of Paris budget has increased over 7-percent during the last two fiscal years, and it has added two new assistant city managers to help give away cash (and other incentive tax dollars), while adding litter, letting the weeds grow, allowing telephone poles to injure and kill citizens, and watching too many neighborhoods continue to succumb to blight and decay . . .

The federal boys and girls report National Retail sales (NAICS 44-45) increased 3.1% from $5,402.3 billion in 2019 to $5,570.4 billion in 2020, according to estimates from the U. S. Census Bureau’s 2020 Annual Retail Trade Survey <https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/arts.html> (ARTS).

Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses (NAICS 4541) <https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=4541&year=2012&details=454111>)// had $888.5 billion in sales in 2020, up 35.2% from 2019. This was the largest year-to-year increase of any industry in 2020.

Other highlights:
* Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers’ (NAICS 441) <https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=441&year=2012&details=441>) sales decreased 2.4% from $1,237.7 billion in 2019 to  $1,208.3 billion in 2020.

* Grocery Store sales (NAICS 4451) <https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=4451&year=2012&details=4451>) increased 9.4% from $694.3 billion in 2019 to $759.7 billion in 2020.

* Gasoline Station (NAICS 447) <https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=447 &year=2012&details=447>) sales decreased sales decreased 16.6% from $513.5 billion in 2019 to $428.1 billion in 2020.

The Census Bureau has been conducting the ARTS since 1952. This survey included 16,500 employer businesses that sell directly to consumers classified in the retail trade sector in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. It does not include data for businesses in U. S. Territories. Firms without paid employees (non-employers) are included based on administrative data provided by other federal agencies and through “imputation.”

The data are published on a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) <https://www.census.gov/naics/> basis. They are used to benchmark monthly retail sale and inventory estimates each spring used by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and other federal agencies to develop related products.

 

According to this data, national retail sales increased by 3.1%, grocery prices by 9.4%, and a decrease in auto sales (2.4%) and gas prices (16.6%).

While the report doesn’t touch it, isn’t it likely that inflation created most of the increases, not value. And consumers made market choices on just what they could afford, and that much of the online and catalog sales came from the politically-inspired Covid19 shutdown? 

As sayth the national Democrat Party and the RINO’s in it, “there is no inflation.” The Paris Texas Chamber of Commerce is just wondering, (a) what caused the prices to increase? And (b) how much neighborhood improvement could be accomplished annually by half of what the City of Paris is now paying its administrative staff? 

                                          return to the Paris Texas Chamber of Commerce

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               Slidin’ up to it or slidin’ away from it . . .           

               The Community’s Condition

                                                                                                  

The Chairman of the Board put it to music “…these little town blues…”

Of course, Ol’ Blue Eyes was trading the blues for New York Values – values which make the Walking Dead seem like good neighbors.

Sinatra received a lot of applause for his singing, but not so much for his politics.

Texas is trying hard to be New York, the city. The state’s emotionally damaged (roughly 46%) vote for political insanity, knowing that “if the stupid can make it here, the stupid can make it everywhere . . .”

It’s enough to give a small town the blues!

Seems socialism is an easy sell to those who see themselves as victims or believe that someone should owe them money. This includes the stumble-bums in the Texas legislature who jacked the state budget up to over $300 billion, and arranged for their fellow followers in local cities, counties, and schools to share in the joy of what they call “increased revenue” –

All the cost of celebrating, however, is paid by taxpayers. Really paying, as these same (supposedly conservative) legislators forced a “median value” appraisal on all property in the state’s 254 counties, and called it “lowering taxes.”  What is the “median value” of an acre in downtown Dallas and an acre in downtown Paris, Texas? And where would property taxes be lowered?

Thank God for good ol’ Blue State Texas legislators . . .

. . . But, O, those Big Spenders in the Big Blue Cities, and in blue states like New York and California!!!

Over the past three decades, as Paris lost population, the city budget grew, fed by increasing fees and taxes. The leadership let the weeds grow. Paris became a breeding ground for litter. Special businesses received tax abatement. The PEDC started giving cash to those who promise to create jobs. Too many neighborhoods went to pot (in more ways than one). Paris did a lot of things – instead of doing what it should have done.

Currently, the PEDC, the Paris Economic Development Corporation, is crowing about a $1.3 million grant that the U. S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration gave it.

Since government doesn’t have any money of its own, and the PEDC is a local improvement organization, what moral or ethically right does the PEDC have to other people’s money?

Other than the nation now seems to have a severe case of the Crazies.

Our symptoms, like the first coke poured in Texas, were first seen years and years ago. Now, it’s reported that the PEDC Directors have authorized this “free” grant money to be placed in a non-interest bearing account at the Liberty National Bank.

Why?

Liberty National Bank always charges interest on money it loans. To the PEDC, or anyone.

Being a local governmental unit, approved by taxpayers, the PEDC’s money and debt are the taxpayers money and debt. The Directors are supposed to be looking after the taxpayer’s interest. So why give Liberty the right to earn overnight or money market interest on the taxpayer’s $1.3 million – while paying no interest for it’s use? (Since March 2022, the Fed has raised its target “federal funds rate” [the rate for overnight lending between U. S. banks] 10 times–from a range between 0% and .25% to a range of 5% to 5.25%.)

Do each of the Paris banks get the same deal?

Some of the local 46% to 53% will say, it’s no big deal.

Then, what is a Big Deal? Cronyism? Earwax buildup? Special favors? An offer you can’t refuse? Stupidity? Bedbugs? Insider trading? Blue Bell Ice Cream? Insanity? Lint in poucher-in bellybuttons? What?

Or insiders creating more of those “little town blues…”?

return to the Paris Texas Chamber of Commerce

 

In 2017, the Paris Texas Chamber of Commerce urged development of the flood plain swamp ground areas at Lake Crook as a state and/or national Wetlands and Wildlife Area. This, we said, would drastically reduce the costs of a new sewer treatment plant, now and in the future, and be a visitor’s and educational draw for Paris.

We even published a survey of new treatment facilities of varying sizes and their costs in cities across Texas, and a few in other states.

Using the development of a Wetland project, projections showed a greatly reduced overall cost for a new plant, the cost coming in at a low of $30 million to a high of $35 million.

We warned, based on what other cities were doing, that the process being engaged in by the City of Paris for a treatment plant, with its estimated cost of $40 to $70-million, would likely end in an exorbitant cost, as bids were not being solicited.

Neither the City of Paris, nor its taxpayers, listened or seemed interested.

The city, the PEDC and the Lamar County Chamber reportedly claimed the Paris Chamber didn’t know what it was talking about –

So, here in 2023, Paris is facing a new sewer treatment plant cost of $100-million-or more. (with the highest 2017 cost under-estimated by $30-million?)

The result for simply not looking at all possible options is that a newly-born baby in Paris will owe another estimated $4,000 dollars of the costs of this one item – as will every man, woman, and child inside the city limits – in addition to the $2600 each already owe in fees and taxes to cover the annual city budget.

While its true that worlds of knowledge exist that we personally know little-to-nothing about, we do know that wasteful spending and higher taxes is no way to run a railroad.

Or a city.

Those in charge of our local community and economic development shouldn’t be talking about anyone not knowing what to do when Paris has lost population for over a quarter of a century.

For decades, not a city council has looked after the taxpayer’s actual interest.

For instance, for over over 25-years Paris has known a new plant was needed. A period of time when city council after city council increased water, sewer and trash pickup fees; money which has generally disappeared into the general budget – and to pay for costly studies. How much of such funds were set aside to meet the future costs?

How were bids requested? Where? When?

City leaders have again contracted for another $300,000-plus study of the problem, which is more waste of money.

It’s worse than gambling: A Paris is always beaten by a flush . . .

return to The Paris Texas Chamber