All Around Town - Thanksgiving Week

I'm a big fan Joe Muench's, but the column on Sunday left me confused.  That's because I ran right by the part that said "Well, OK, I'll make some stuff up." 

If you don't read that part, it's a very weird editorial!!!  It's funny once you know it's made up.

Read it HERE and don't forget that he's just making some stuff up for fun.

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I hear Beto is walking his butt off.  He's got a lofty goal of the number of houses he plans to reach each day.

That stuff can work. 

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You guys are killing a lot of people on the road there.  It's incredible as an outsider to read the EP Times website and just see story after story of traffic related fatalities.  Very sad.

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Bad news for Margo on the district boundaries.  I figured that he had an uphill battle against straight ticket democrat voters before, not it's an impenetrable wall.  He will have to be happy with his work for his one term and move on to something else.  Or, he could battle it out again in two years again Moody and win back the seat.  They could go back and forth for the few decades if they wanted to.

And this isn't a knock against Margo or Moody.  It's just the way the district is - very blue in presidential years and more red in non-presidential years.

This coming election is going to be an ugly, hyper-partisan bloodbath that will literally tear friendships and families apart.

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I hear that nobody can talk sense into the mayor and that some very important people have advised him to step down and move on because the fight isn't worth it.  He's not budging.  He's blinded by the anger and he's not going to help himself in the end. 

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One city council member has some serious problems with staff from what I hear.  Calls aren't being returned, important people aren't being recognized and the member of city council may be burning bridges because of it. 

It should be noted that the member of the council doesn't keep the same hours as everyone else and that might be what's also causing problems.

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If someone wanted to really look at UMC's books, they could find that they need some help collecting the dough over there.  I think there's more of a problem with the patients than the hospital - something about "gaming the system" comes to mind.

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We're talking about sprawl again...  I don't care how many progressive talk about all their progressive development ideas, the consumer isn't going to go for it.   Nobody wants to live in an apartment if they can help it.  The people of New York City do it because they have to, not because they choose to.  Our progressives can't turn us into some kind of "smart growth" mecca because we don't have the factors that work with that scenario. 

But they'll still do reports on the idea and they'll still quote the same old players with the same old message from both sides.  It isn't going to work - it will never work.  You've got a lot of land in El Paso County and you have people who want to spread out on it. 

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that's all I have for now.

Comments

[eyesonelpaso]

important people aren't being recognized

Cry me a river. That is why the FBI is here. Awful to be treated like a commoner isn't it?

[Publisher]

Beto needs to walk his butt off after publishing that book with Byrd. Heck, he should have collaborated with his mom instead of Byrd and write a book called "How to Launder Money and Influence Judges While getting a Slap on the Wrist and no Jail Time."

http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_19380623

[Thomas]

David
I think you are wrong on UMC.UMC administration wanted to run with the big dog private hospitals in El Paso instead of caring for the needy and the indigent which is their charge under Texas government and law.They are over price and run up bills on patients which UMC doctors and administration knows the patients cannot pay.
As a friend said to me to get a real diagnoses at UMC you got to run up a 30K bill before they can start to figure out what is wrong with someone who is very sick.
Then UMC can go crying to the CCC and say how bad it is and get more money to support the white elephant,boondoggle UMC and the children's hosital is quickly becoming which is going to put the tax payers of El Paso in the poor house in the next decade.Show us where the private medical research and other private health care businesses,which where to come to El Paso if this crap was built.Where are they? Was not this one of the big selling points which would help off set the cost of this boondoggle.We have not seen them coming in droves!
Little good is it having the best health care system in the world if the majority is not going to be able to afford to use said health care system.
Just wait and hear the crying from the county and UMC after the end of the next Texas Legislature session and wait for the next big tax increase for UMC and their need to run with the big dogs.
Also where is all the paying patients coming from Mexico that were to make this a great regional hospital.That's right we the tax payers are paying that bill.Just more luntic thinking by the CCC and UMC.

[Greg]

If you want young people to come back to El Paso then you should promote Smart Growth. I will be first in line when those condos downtown across the Wells Fargo building are done. I have a lot of money to spend but I am single so why do I want a three bedroom house for? I also don't want to throw my money away in an apartment so I think condos/lofts are the way to go for me. After living in downtown's in various cities, urban life is the best for a single young person.

I don't agree that smart growth should be mandatory, but it should be an option and developers here don't get it. Yes the majority here like crappy, cheap looking houses that all look the same and depreciate in value every year. What I love is that you have all these east siders complaining about how the cops don't respond to their calls, well guess what? that is a result of sprawl. so you cannot say it doesn't hurt the city.

I can't wait till Montecillo, The Mix and the Martin Building are redeveloped to shut up all the stupid developers in this city that say this won't work.

[Carl Starr]

I was going to but this in Davids Bus post but he removed search feature

Tuesday, June 14, 2011 City of Dallas to Pay $2.47 Million to Resolve Allegations That It Caused Improper Medicare and Medicaid Ambulance Claims
DALLAS—The City of Dallas has agreed to pay the U.S. and Texas $2.47 million and enter into certain compliance obligations to resolve allegations that it violated the civil False Claims Act and Texas Medicaid Fraud Prevention Act, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. The U.S. and Texas contend Dallas caused “upcoded” claims to be submitted to Medicare and Medicaid for city-dispatched 911 ambulance transports between 2006 and 2010. Dallas fully cooperated with the investigation, and by settling did not admit any wrong-doing or liability.
Ambulance services generally are coded either as basic life support level or advanced life support (ALS). ALS transports are reimbursed at a higher rate by both Medicare and Medicaid. The U.S. and Texas contend Dallas directed its billing contractor to code every 911-dispatched transport at the ALS level, which indicates an ALS service was furnished and/or the patient’s condition necessitated an ALS intervention. The U.S. and Texas believe Dallas caused to be submitted for payment claims falsely representing to Medicare and Medicaid that such ALS services were appropriate and furnished by Dallas personnel when in fact no ALS-service was rendered and/or the patient did not require an ALS transport.

[Kristina]

I wonder which City Council member you are talking about, I might have an idea, but not sure. Why not put the name? Is it because you are not 100% if it is or not true? You have the gutts to talk about them, so have the gutts to say the name!!! Besides, you have mentioned the name of some that you write REALLY bad stuff about, so type it, say which od the 9 council members it is.

[Tim Collins]

Guts

[ElPasoan]

Yeah!!!! say who is the rep that you are talking about! There are many of us that would like to know!