GOLF TWEET
Today I played in a golf outing at Westview. Anybody curious enough to inquire would know it is pretty much an annual thing, planned ages ago. Secret Squirrel Photography of my car is not necessary to prove I was there. I witnessed a hole-in-one and my name will probably be posted in any writeup in the paper.
The Guy who made the hole-in-one is an old friend, is 72 Years Old and it is his FIRST!
So, yes, news happened at Westview today on the fourth hole: Bob Harris, 7 iron from 128, dunked. On a golf scorecard, ones are easy to add up.
That's NEWS.
Oh, I made three from the right rhubarb: hacked a lob wedge to 15 feet and greased in the putt....but that's not news. I missed all the par three greens.
Would you like to hear about my great bunker shot on ten, my brilliant approach on 12, sizzling second shot on 13, super tee shot on 16, "three point range" putt on 17? I didn't think so.
posted by UMRBlog @ 20:53
48 comments
48 Comments:
Random action uncovered a Golf day , but a very blatant example of the incredulous attitude that permeates City Hall .
Maybe you Old Dogs should inform your young turks that times are changing .
Boy, you are right. We were incredulous. After two days of hard rain, we didn't believe the golf course would be open.
This thing is scheduled to happen pretty much every late April. If I perceive the impact of the Secret Squirrel photo spread correctly, we should have canceled it because there was a spirited vote on an ordinance the night before?
I'm not sure we're placing the arrogance on the correct side of the subject/reportage line?
TYFCB
So it's no big deal to have a golf day right after a vote to both raise wages and taxes ? Could be a timing thing , but even the Whig made a very pretty graphic example of the percent increase from the CWS time to now .
What do you think the laid off worker thinks ?
How about the person whose job is 32 hours a week ?
I don't know about all the politics, nor do I care...but taking pictures of cars in a parking lot is a little creepy.
who else was there and who paid for the outing?
What's next, pictures of Havermale's car at the Y?
1044,
That was excellent. That's what a journalist would have done before going with any kind of story on this sort of information.
Maybe you should start an internet news outlet.
A journalist has foia-ed the log book with the Park District . A journalist is also foia-ing the reciepts from yesterday . A Journalist is also looking up the GIFT statute .
While we're at it a Journalist is asking where his FOIA's were while golf was being played .
Why would firemen be there ?
Bus Directors ?
Bevy ?
I.T. ?
Central Service ?
Come now UMR .....................
We don't care if this was planed for 1000 years , it was still wrong .
Who paid for the patio ?
What did you order ?
Did the per person amount exceed the limit on gifts ?
Did you get an audit of total expenses ?
Umr 10:58 AM
So what's the answer(s)?
This comment has been removed by the author.
Actually, there was no *news* story.
It was in a blog entry, clearly marked as such, and offered the opinion that having this event right after essentially voting raises for themselves in a time of severe economic trouble is very arrogant.
An opinion/blog piece isn't a news story?
So trying to make this out as a news story is a bit a) disingenuous and b) reaching.
OTOH, I got no problem with a staff outing per se. The timing might be (note, I said MIGHT be) a bit problematic but if you-all can stand the heat, play on through.
Umr
Then answer 1044's question. You guys are so freaking thin skinned.
What was the occasion for Bob Harris of Peoria to be in town? What is his affiliation w/ city government?
For your record undercover agent, Chuck B was not there.
As you know, it has never been what truly is...it has always been what it is perceived to be. The appearance of impropriety is very different than the impropriety itself. Judges and lawyers usually understand this difference.
No matter how you slice it (oh my god...a golf pun) it didn't look good that you cats were out there smacking the ball around the day after the raises in salaries and taxes...just doesn't look good. And I know you know that, no matter how you want to try and spin it on your blog.
In these times when people are calling for AIG scalps for the bonuses...and for the blamers to try and buy a vowel to solve the puzzle on whom to blame for our economic crisis...officials need to understand the power of perception.
Please tell me you understand that. Government's functional legitimacy is derived from the people and their perceptions of how well it works and how well it meets the electorate's needs. And these perceptions are highly susceptible to all sorts of input.
You know what happened to the last person who said..."Let them Eat Cake". And now you think the big news is your friend who got a hole in one yesterday.
Take a mulligan and try again.
Back on point.
I'm jealous you made it out and I haven't yet. Clubs still buried deep in the garage.
People around here don't know what they have in Westview. Great public course for very little dough.
Really like the closing holes, too. 15 always bites me — next time I hit a green in regulation will be the first. 16 is a tough par 4. The regular hacker has really accomplished something with a bird on 17 and 18 is a great risk-reward hole, drivable for the big dogs or you can play it safe and hope to make a bird with that green.
Glad you made it out.
By the way, the 10-round punch for $155 is the best deal around. I was a bit surprised to see that a pass for Westview is now north of $600. But if you play a lot, it's more than worth it.
Took,
What makes you think there was any gift involved?
TYFCB
1102key
If you really think about it, you will figure it out yourself.
What's one thing all departments of any enterprise needs?
Dump your prejudices for a minute and really think about it. You can do it. I've seen you do it before.
TYFCB
1350,
Bob was in town because he had gone 72 years without a hole in one and he heard there might be one here.
His college basketball coach lives here too so likes to come by once in a while.
Ol' Bob, you just never can tell when he's gonna pop up.
TYFCB
1253,
Who's reaching? You break the photos on the blog page and say it didn't need to be investigated because it was commentary? Puh-leeze!
For those of you scoring at home, pay raises for elected officials were decided about seven months ago.
Nicely written, though, even if utter horseflop.
TYFCB
1825 Commish,
If I've got something really good going, I'm guaranteed to pee it away on 17. I can play 15 and 16 and chew gum at the same time but I've got forty years of assorted choke jobs on 17.
It was better for me when the red barn was still there. I could occasionally play my glancing gaghook off of it and it would bounce back in bounds with a big red blotch on it.
As I type this, you can keep the sticks in the closet for a while. I'm going home to build an ark.
TYFCB
1812,
I guess you prove your own point. If you couldn't tell I was teasing the animals, I guess I'll just try to more literal next time.
TYFCB
One skewer of shish, baker, house salad.
I was the guest of one of my closest personal friends for whom I have decisional power to gain him precisely nothing.
Bob had the pork chop and a souvenir scorecard.
TYFCB
10:32 PM, April 29, 2009
Oh, I almost forgot: Bob's connection with the City--
He pays City Sales Tax when he buys stuff here.
Did I mention his college basketball coach lives here?
TYAFCB
The defense of "it was planned" just doesn't hold water.
Why didn't you take your group to the bent grass fairway course ?
Why were Asst Fire Chiefs playing with Bob ? What are those connections ?
Excuse me if I am wrong BUT , Andrew and John shoved a budget into effect with universal raises and a water/sewer & meter increase on Monday .
Then your TEAM used "it got partisan" , like the majority held by the D's wasn't ...........
Then on Tuesday you all play happy machine family with "Bob" and take a golf day ?
In tough economic times the "it was planned" just isn't passing the mustard .
Wow...people named Bob! A public golf course! Bus drivers and plumbers! Its a regular Larry the Cable Guy meets the Bilderberg Society!
Umr
Just tell us who paid for the golf and dinner.
Took,
You were coached better than this. Go back to your original question concerning why folks from so many different disciplines were involved.
You put your populist soap-selling side aside and ask the question "What does every activity of a multimillion dollar corporation need some of?" and you'll figure it out.
You asked the correct question. Now quit speechifying and answer your own question. A question well asked is half answered.
Ol' Bob didn't play with the Deputy Fire Chief (your classmate). He played with me.
Umr 7:14 AM
why the dance? just tell everyone why all you overpaid shameless politico were being treated to golf and dinner.
0711,
Are you reading-challenged? I discussed dinner above.
The Golf Story is not mine to tell, besides Tookie's gonna put his polemics down and figure it out and then I'll be sooooo proud of him.
I will tell you this much. There were absolutely no Gift Ban Act implications for anyone who played Tuesday, none. Simply no Gift Ban Accounting to be done.
But any more than that would make it too easy for Tookie.
BTW, examination of the Park Districts records will not answer Tookies question. That can only be done by careful thought--which he can't do when he's excited.
No more hints for awhile.
TYFCB
don't forget who you work for, counselor.
If it was a TEAM BUILDING and moral booster golf outing , then that is actually almost worse .
The court of public opinion is rough economic times doesn't fair well with raises and higher taxes for the Government , then have a Team Sprit Golf day .
This is A.I.G. like .......................
0736,
Ya know, if there's anything I have never had any problem with it's understanding my obligations.
One of my mentors always reminded me that, in corporate practice (The city IS a corpoaration) the first question is always "Who is the client?"
"Forgetting" is not a problem.
TYFCB
You will not figure it out yourself until you cast aside your populist polemics.
Go back to the question you asked me: why were all those different career fields there? What do they all need to maintan?
By the way, you mean "morale" and you're not warm.
TYFCB
Think, Don't sloganeer.
Tookie if your are referring to bg as the journalist then please put journalist in quotes. Please continue spreading the QNO propaganda if for nothing else other than the pure entertainment of the literate public.
umrblog--how about an answer , in plain english , to tookie's question.
The views expressed by commentators are not necessarily the views of your friendly Basin.
TYFCB
The golf story's not mine to tell. How much plainer can I say that?
The question Tookie asked about what the various departments were doing out there together is the seed of the answer. I guess I'll never stop being his coach and Sunday School Teacher.
TYFCB
Group vacation
A pure luck o the Irish to all be off shift at once and at the Golf course ?
All got a fricken raise and decided to celebrate ?
Annon 12:22
Since you can't give a simple straight answer to the question asked I must conclude that you are guilty of something you wish to hide or are covering for the rest of the group.
Anon 1531,
"ASSUME"
Will make an "ASS"
Out of "U"
And "ME"
TYFCB with that enlightening input.
There's a difference between "conclude" and "assume". Google it.
Conclude requires a major premise and a minor premise. What we have here is perhaps an assumption, a presumption or a hallucination maybe.
TYFCB
I conclude based on the evidence, that the Mayor's golf outing was arrogant and/or stupid.
As long no gambling was going on, I have no problem with a group of friends playing golf.
UMR next time you all have this golf out planned, just schedule it out of town, that way, not all cars will be seen at Westview. Plus that money that you would of spent in Quincy would be going to another Community.
Who cares if people take a half a day or a day off to play Golf. Can't say that I know of anyone who may not of done something similiar. Golf, Trap Shoot, Fishing its all a way to relax have fun and enjoy friends. AND GET AWAY FROM WORK, WHICH I REALLY WANT TO DO RIGHT NOW.
A couple of comments.....
1. Tookie, why is everything Spring does so personal with you? I've known John for many years, and you'll be hard pressed to find a more honest, family-oriented individual. This wouldn't have anything to do with YOUR family not getting the city recycling contract would it?
2. Can anyone honestly tell me that taking pictures of city officials vehicles whiled parked at a public golf course isn't a little sleazy? The reason that QHW, WGEM or KHQA don't do this is because it borders on unethical. That's the problem with a website like QNO. It has a personal agenda, and there is no accountability. Had Gough pulled that stunt while he worked at a legitimate media outlet, he'd be out on his butt (which of course begs the question, why isn't he still at one of those news operations?).
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