Highlights from the mayor’s State of the City speech:

“Blah, blah, blah…I was excited…blah, blah, blah.”

“Yada, yada, yada…it certainly is exciting…yada, yada, yada.”

“Blah, blah, blah…it will be exciting…yada, yada, yada.”

Today's Journal...let's look at some excerpts from Lawrence's speech...

Middletown mayor reviews city's progress with eye on the future

MIDDLETOWN — The city’s future success has been determined by the groundwork laid by Council and staff in recent years, said Mayor Larry Mulligan at his annual State of the City Address.

"was a time to “celebrate some success stories” from 2011 and Mulligan spoke to the standing-room-only crowd of about 150 about the city’s future successes.
“We are making progress,” Mulligan said."

GUESS IF YOU HAVE THE SPEECH IN A SMALL ENOUGH VENUE, YOU CAN "PACK 'EM IN" TO STANDING ROOM ONLY WITH JUST 150 PEOPLE. "MAKING PROGRESS?" DEPENDS ON HOW YOU DEFINE PROGRESS I GUESS.

"Downtown Middletown saw the Pendleton Art Center open last April, improvements made at the Middletown Art Center, and new businesses open and existing ones thrive, he said"

HOW 'BOUT YOU EXISTING BUSINESS OWNERS OUT THERE? ANY OF YOU "THRIVING" WITH THE BUSINESS CLIMATE THE CITY LEADERS (AND ECONOMY) HAVE SET YOU UP WITH? PENDLETOWN ART CENTER....MIDDLETOWN ARTS CENTER. IS THAT IT? IS THAT WHAT WE HAVE TO REPORT AFTER A YEAR AS TO PROGRESS?

“As a community we must focus on the many positives that we have going, and look to a brighter future,” Mulligan said.

AND WE COULD HAVE A BRIGHTER FUTURE LAWRENCE IF WE COULD JUST GET YOU LEADERS REPLACED WITH COMPETENT PEOPLE.

"A cornerstone of the resurgence of downtown is attracting Cincinnati State. A deal with the school has been pending for months.
“The long-term success of our city, state and nation depends on a solid educational foundation and support of our youth, and the future generations,” Mulligan said. “Our success is one step closer with the new Cincinnati State Middletown campus.”

BUT NO DEAL HAS BEEN SIGNED AS YET. NO CURRICULUM HAS BEEN DEFINED, NO APPROVAL HAS BEEN GIVEN AS YET (I DON'T THINK) AND NO ONE KNOWS IF THE STUDENTS WILL SIGN UP IN ENOUGH NUMBERS WHEN (IF?) APPROVED TO MERIT CALLING THIS A SUCCESS LAWRENCE. YOU ARE TALKING AS IF THIS IS A DONE DEAL AND NONE OF THE TELLTALE SIGNS OF SUCCESS HAS HAPPENED AS YET. IT'S "PIE IN THE SKY CRAP" UNTIL IT IS REAL, LAR BABES.

"There are a number of businesses that opened last year, including SunCoke, the coke supplier for steel producer AK Steel, and Primary Health Solutions, which opened with a partnership that involved the city and the Middletown City School District."

TWO....TWO BUSINESSES CONSTITUTES "A NUMBER OF BUSINESSES"? A BIT OPTIMISTIC AND EXAGGERATED ISN'T IT?

"And the successes of the school district — in the form of improved performance index and improved fiscal controls — are also successes for the city, Mulligan said."

WELL, WE'VE DISCUSSED THE SUCCESSES ON THIS FORUM MANY TIMES AND WE ALL KNOW THE NUMBERS PRODUCED OVER A LONG TIME PERIOD. NOT EXACTLY EYE-OPENING AS YET. PERHAPS SOMEDAY.....

“Our schools and our city are intertwined,” he said. “As the schools improve the city will improve, and as our city improves the schools will improve.”

THIS IS HILARIOUS LAR. YOU SATURATE THIS TOWN WITH SECTION 8. BRING IN THE ELEMENT LEAST LIKELY TO ATTEND SCHOOL AND DO WELL IN HELPING SCHOOL PERFORMANCE AND MAKE A STATEMENT LIKE "AS OUR CITY IMPROVES THE SCHOOLS WILL IMPROVE" ONE OF THE BIGGEST HEADACHES THE SCHOOLS HAVE IS DUE TO THE CITY'S INSISTENCE OF GHETTO BUILDING THROUGH SECTION 8 GOVERNMENT REVENUE. YOU HAVE USED THE SCHOOLS AS THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB TO SUPPLEMENT YOUR REVENUE BY THE COLLECTION OF FED MONEY, TAKING IN PEOPLE THAT NO OTHER TOWN'S AROUND HERE WANTED. DO THE SCHOOLS (AND TOWN) A FAVOR. GET RID OF THIS PLAGUE. THE SCHOOLS DON'T WANT IT AND THE CITIZENS DON'T WANT IT. IT HELPS TRASH THE TOWN EVEN WORSE THAN IT IS.

"Not even three months into his new role as Downtown Middletown Incorporated director, Patrick Kay was “jazzed up” following Mulligan’s 30-minute speech and “inspired to work harder and do better for the pride of the town.”
“It looks like there’s a lot of great projects for the city of Middletown,” said Kay. “One of his big points was what’s going on with downtown and the successes that we’ve started to see and the success that we will see.”

WELL, WE FINALLY HEAR FROM THE PHANTOM OF THE DOWNTOWN AREA. NON-EXISTENT UNTIL NOW. KAY WAS "JAZZED UP"? PRETTY STRANGE FOR SOMEONE WHO STAYS UNDER THE RADAR ALL THE TIME. REALLY EARNING THAT MONEY, THIS KAY KID IS.



“Our resources must be directed toward making Middletown an attractive place to live, spend money and invest in businesses that create jobs,” he said.

WELL, NOW THAT YOU ARE AWARE OF THAT, WHY HAVEN'T YOU BEEN DOING IT FOR THE LAST DECADE OR TWO, LAWRENCE THE THIRD? SEEMS YOU HAVE BEEN DOING THE EXACT OPPOSITE GIVEN THE RESULTS TO DATE, BUD.

"The future funding of the police and fire divisions will be in the hands of the voters as the Public Safety Levy committee will recommend to City Council next Tuesday to place a 0.25 percent continuing income tax levy on the August ballot, said Councilman A.J. Smith Tuesday night".

GOOD LUCK WITH THAT SMITH. SETTING YOURSELF UP TO HELP YOUR UNION BUDDIES SO THAT THEY CAN SET YOU UP WITH A FIREFIGHTERS JOB WHEN YOUR COUNCIL DUTIES ARE DONE, RIGHT? ATTA BOY!

"Mulligan said council and staff also are making efforts to improve the city’s Section 8 housing choice voucher program.
“While we are not finished without increased oversight, the city has stepped up our efforts and attention on this program,” he said. “The city can no longer afford to provide to so many in need when as a city we are in desperate need of basic infrastructure, adequate public safety and expanded economic development.”

I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS STATEMENT. INCREDIBLE!!! THEY BRING AN OVERABUNDANCE OF THIS CRAP INTO TOWN. THEN MAKE A STATEMENT LIKE THIS THAT THE CITY "CAN NO LONGER PROVIDE TO SO MANY IN NEED WHEN THE CITY IS IN DESPERATE NEED OF BASIC INFRASTRUCTURE, SAFETY AND EXPANDED ECON. DEV. (DOUBTFUL) IF THIS IS REALLY A CONCERN, WHY THE HELL DID YOU BRING SO MANY IN IN THE FIRST PLACE? WE HAVE BEEN ASKING THIS QUESTION FOR A YEAR OR SO NOW LAWRENCE. WHERE ARE YOUR PRIORITIES? YOU PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOU'RE DOING.

DOG AND PONY- YES. FILLED WITH PIPE DREAM THINKING TO DATE- YES. NOT WHAT THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WANT FOR THEIR CITY?- YES. WRONG IDEAS/PRIORITIES/MISFOCUSED AND WRONG DIRECTION- YES (WHAT ELSE IS NEW?) INEFFECTIVE AT CONVINCING PEOPLE THAT THIS IS SOLID THINKING- YES CONTAINS INFORMATION THAT ONLY THE MOST GULLIBLE WILL BELIEVE-YES TAILORED TO PLEASE A FEW-YES

GRADE- D

The contract is not with the city and Cincinnati State, it is with HEP.

Cincinnati State, HEP, and Middletown? Only an illusion. Meet Houdini. It disappears before your eyes.

Dylan Thomas...one of my favorites poems right along with The Light Brigade and Flanders Field.