I have been watching the politics in Fishers, IN and the Geist area and wanted to let all you people know that I am going to turn over my business to Mr. Stuart F. Easley.
Stu the P.T. Barnum’s Traveling World’s Fair, Great Roman Hippodrome and Greatest Show On Earth” is now yours. I have searching for years, since 1891 in fact, for someone to take over my show. You see the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus while an outgrowth of my business does not do justice to my original concepts.
So as I lay around I keep watching what is going on in the world, waiting and waiting for the right person. Stu – you are the man.
I have been watching you for some time, but on the night of October 4th, 2007 you clinch the title of Mr. Barnum. You ask “why would I give my name to him?” Glad you asked.
The Town of Fishers Indiana has been trying for two years to take over by force a small community called Geist. Geist is where the “rich” people live and so Fishers wants to tax them to death. For over two years, the Fishers Town Council has been spreading false statements about the “rich” people, about how they use all these Fishers services for free and they should pay Fishers, one by one each of these stories have been shot down and proven false. Two of my favorites have been that their children are going to the Fishers Schools, well there are no Fishers Schools, they all live in the same school district and all pay the same school tax rate, the second was a little more clever, but went down in flames. “You get Fishers Fire Department Protection.” As it turns out the Geist area contracted for the Fire Protection and even paid a higher rate per house than the Fishers Town owners. So out the window went that one.
I know those were easy ones to figure out, but this latest one is a gem. I have been quoted over the years for saying “There’s a sucker born every minute.” Today is one of those days; actually the quote came from Mr. George Hull, who suckered me. Can you believe that, well back to you and why you are being bestowed this honor of being my namesake!
As part of your Annexation package you have made a great offer to the people of Geist. You are going to give them $3.8 million dollars, maybe for government works projects in their area over a three-year period. The Citizens can propose projects and then your Town Council will approve the projects, did you leave out the word disapprove on purpose. Now what you said, but failed to say was this was the tax money you are getting is from the same people you may give it back too, also that it was only part of the money you were collecting in increased taxes, when in fact another $3.8 million was going straight into your Towns coffers that you are not giving back. Then after three years all $7.6 million goes to the town and you don’t have to pay a penny back. Wow!! And to top it off the money you are giving back would not have to be paid at all, by the taxpayers if the Town did not annex them at all and all $7.6 would remain in the community of Geist.
Good grief your good as Charlie Brown would say. So from this day forward you have my permission to use my name as yours. You have earned it. Mr. Stuart P T Barnum.
