Comments for Horse farm, NGOs big winners in budget finalization at http://www.theind.com , comment 1 to 15 out of 15 comments http://www.theind.com Sat, 25 May 2013 21:36:47 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/7027-horse-farm-ngos-big-winners-in-budget-finalization#comment-11025 Ha, i bet the fine folks at TheIND are finding this exchange quite amusing, or aggravating. OK, so you named one place that is 30 minutes outside of town and another that is 45 minutes outside of town. That's hardly "pick a road outta town and drive 15 minutes." The whole idea of a city park is...well...in the city. I earn my money too and I don't like the sum total of taxes that are taken out or much of what they are spent on. But as you know, the vast majority of that is federal taxes. Your "working half the year" line is hyperbole since we're talking about the small percentage that is local taxes. So, is a day too long to work for a city park? A week? I don't use some of the things that my local taxes go toward, but I don't find that particularly offensive. Guess I'm just "not getting" that mindset of yours. I sort of agree with some of the other points, although I'd bet that your interpretation of events is not entirely accurate. I don't really go for the slippery slopes in debate, either. - Resident Tue, 05 Oct 2010 13:50:33 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/7027-horse-farm-ngos-big-winners-in-budget-finalization#comment-11015 mischaracterize? How about this from "savethehorsefarm" mission statement -- "this region needs more greenspace, parkland, trail systems and other outdoor recreation opportunities. " And here's what's availabe at Indian Bayou, right off I-10. •biking •birding •boating •canoeing •cultural or historic sites •fishing •hiking •horseback riding •hunting •all terrain vehicles •pets allowed •water sports •wilderness area •wildlife viewing How does this not match up exactly? Here's another one ... http://www.fws.gov/southeast/pubs/atchafalaya_general.pdf State and federal jointly managed, has acres of cut grass that looks like a golf course, right next to the camping area. Play football there anytime you want. they have all kinds of free cultural events, although they probably don't quite have that bohemian look and feel that you prefer. NOBODY USES IT! I've walked the trails out there for hours at all times of the year and not seen a soul--even during deer season. "I understand that some people put dollars and pennies above all else. " No, you really don't. Those dollars and pennies are the days of my life, the time that I spent earning them. That's how I get money, I go out and EARN it. Add up all the little "horse farms" and "arts centers" and "community developments" for my "quality of life" and I end up working half the year to pay for government "services" that I don't want and don't use. "Part of your rage has to do with USL buying the land back in 1920? Really?" Yes, I explained that, and now I'll explain it again because you're not "getting it". My grandfather's tax dollars paid for USL/SLI to buy up land for "farms" all over town. My parents' tax dollars went to build and maintain UL, and make more speculative land purchases in Iberia and St. Martin Parish because UL said there was no more farm land to buy in Lafayette. Go look up how many farms UL still has left to sell us. I'll bet you my kids' city tax dollars will go to buying the Chicken Farm from UL, and the one in Cade, too. Probably because your kids will decide that the cane fields between Hwy. 90 and New Iberia are historically significant and Broussard needs a park. Meanwhile, the Horse Farm that UL bought--sat there empty and unused as long as I can remember, and I'm 40. Girard Park's been run down and poorly maintained as long as I can remember. I don't see much "farming" being done on the UL farm in Cade. The Chicken Farm also pretty much sat there unused for decades until SLCC was built on part of it. It's just one government entity buying/selling the same land over and over to some other government entity. Taxes go up, budgets go up, people like you clamor for ever more services and improvements. It's gonna stop one day. It has to. "I'm for it, as most people in the community seem to be." I seriously doubt that most people in the "community" think the Horse Farm is high on the list of spending priorities--if by community you mean the whole voting population of Lafayette Parish. Or even of the City of Lafayette. There's just no way. - ragin_cajun Tue, 05 Oct 2010 10:26:21 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/7027-horse-farm-ngos-big-winners-in-budget-finalization#comment-11009 Actually, I know quite a lot about the area, thank you very much. I thought you might bring up the state parks and such. If you've actually been to one, you'd notice that they are not exactly green spaces. See, the point is to keep state parks, WMAs, refuges and so forth in their natural state. Not much opportunity to play football. And they're not exactly "15 minutes outside of town" either. You have a penchant for trying to mischaracterize the argument. As for the rest, I understand. I understand that some people put dollars and pennies above all else. Part of your rage has to do with USL buying the land back in 1920? Really? I don't suppose you'd be interested in some of the reasoning behind keeping the horse farm as green space (yes, green space) instead of squeezing another building on Johnston St.? http://www.savethehorsefarm.com/benefits.html I'm for it, as most people in the community seem to be. You're against it. I guess we'll just have to live with that. - Resident Tue, 05 Oct 2010 06:57:34 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/7027-horse-farm-ngos-big-winners-in-budget-finalization#comment-11003 Resident -- "What do you suggest, drive 15 minutes out of town and hop over a barb wire fence?" Shows how little you actually know about this area. You're surrounded by state parks, wildlife management areas, federal parks and lands, historic preservation areas, all paid for by tax dollars already. When is it enough? " It's got history, it's been part of UL for so long, it's a great location." Dude, you could have said that about most of the land in Lafayette at one point or another. For a recent example, how about the absolutely beautiful tract of land behind the LTC between Bertrand and Dulles...it was once USL's CHICKEN FARM! It has history, it's beautiful, and it's a great location, too. You think LCG should intervene there, too? SAVE THE CHICKEN FARM! IT'S THE LAST GREEN SPACE LEFT!!!! Let's do it! And if we don't, then we're a city of Cretins, or we "just don't get it". " I have a feeling none of these matter to you as much as a few dollars " You have a feeling.....I'm sure you do. Here's the thing. USL bought the land with taxpayers dollars. Now they're selling the land and keeping the money. Taxpayers won't see a red penny of the capital gain. LCG is now buying it--kinda, but not really--with more tax payer dollars. CFA is kinda involved, gonna raise some money--how much is not clear--but CFA also gets, are you ready, tax dollars from the city. It just seems to me that over the "history" of the horse farm, taxpayers will have bought the same land at least twice, they will have paid to "maintain" and "develop" the park, and they have paid for now three organizations that have fleeced them (UL, LCG, CFA). But I'm a greedy penny pincher because I'll call a hustle a hustle? Putting the horse farm aside for a minute, that doesn't seem like a hustle to you? You don't see how every generation of taxpayers in Lafayette pays for the same BS the generation before them already bought? There's plenty of examples of this right here in town. How about the franchise fees that LCG charges Cox. Then there's the federal/state/local funding shell game that goes on. How about this one-you, the taxpayer built every last bit of infrastructure in Lafayette, and it bought you the privilege of being able to pay for the services delivered over that infrastructure. And another thing--this is not "green space". It's another damn park. Just like Girard Park. I think that LCG should create this "pastoral, inner-city paradise" there first. Maybe if I'd once seen LCG create a "pastoral, inner-city paradise" in my lifetime, I could get on board with this. And finally, think about this really hard--THINK, not feel. Put yourself in the shoes of some hard-working, middle class, parish resident in Judice, whose son plays baseball in a park carved out of a cowfield with a gravel parking lot. What would you think about the "city-parish" government building a "pastoral, inner-city paradise " on Johnston Street, right next to Girard Park, but refusing to pave the parking lot where your son plays baseball. Resident, I think you, and Mr. Pierce, and Durel and whoever else has their name all over the Horse Farm, have a very rude awakening coming. Pride comes before a fall, and you all seem WAY too proud of the horse farm to me. - ragin_cajun Mon, 04 Oct 2010 17:41:44 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/7027-horse-farm-ngos-big-winners-in-budget-finalization#comment-10994 Re: green space outside of town What do you suggest, drive 15 minutes out of town and hop over a barb wire fence? "Why is the Horse Farm so precious?" Well, it is a really pretty piece of land, ideal for a park. It's got history, it's been part of UL for so long, it's a great location. I have a feeling none of these matter to you as much as a few dollars (or pennies) do. - Resident Mon, 04 Oct 2010 14:07:26 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/7027-horse-farm-ngos-big-winners-in-budget-finalization#comment-10991 Resident -- "Is it public parks you're so vehemently against or just this one? " It's just this one because everything that everyone says will be done, for the good of all, with the Horse Farm could more easily and inexpensively be done with Girard Park. Why is the Horse Farm so precious? I'm also looking at this $4 Million per year outlay in the budget for "parks and recreation" while my kids have to pay to play in those parks. So don't be so certain that there won't be a "code to get in the gate, see? " Ever tried to schedule a baseball tournament at Fabacher Field? " If we lived under ragin_cajun's rules"....If we lived under my rules, there would be no government coercion. - ragin_cajun Mon, 04 Oct 2010 13:11:38 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/7027-horse-farm-ngos-big-winners-in-budget-finalization#comment-10989 resident-- and about this a "a green space for all" biz....the entire state of Louisiana is a green space. you live in one of the most rural places in America, but you want a "green space for all"? Dude, get in your truck, pick a road outta town and drive 15 minutes--you'll be in a "green space for all". There's more "pastoral paradise" in this great state than you can shake a stick at. "green space" is for truly urban areas with inhabitants that literally can't get out of the urban setting in a reasonable amount of time. It could take quite a bit of time and money to get outta New York if you don't own a car, so green space is necessary there. As much as you and the administration want it to be, Lafayette is just NOT an urban area--not yet, anyway. - ragin_cajun Mon, 04 Oct 2010 12:48:34 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/7027-horse-farm-ngos-big-winners-in-budget-finalization#comment-10986 Um, do what? If you mean pay for it myself, I think the question is irrelevant. Public parks, meaning owned by the public and open to everyone, are widely accepted as a good idea. No code to get in the gate, see? Is it public parks you're so vehemently against or just this one? If we lived under ragin_cajun's rules, would there be no Girard Park...no Thomas Park...no Acadiana Park and nature station? That would suck. (and I really doubt the new park will cost you "a few bucks per month". Probably more like a few pennies a month.) - Resident Mon, 04 Oct 2010 12:35:45 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/7027-horse-farm-ngos-big-winners-in-budget-finalization#comment-10981 Resident -- If it was such a great idea, then why didn't YOU do it? Might have saved me a few bucks a month in property taxes if you had. - ragin_cajun Mon, 04 Oct 2010 12:07:19 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/7027-horse-farm-ngos-big-winners-in-budget-finalization#comment-10973 Awesome. I'm looking forward to the pastoral, inner-city paradise becoming a central park...a green space for all, an open space for the kids, a place for the community to mingle. I'll be visiting often and I'm proud of Lafayette for its progress. - Resident Mon, 04 Oct 2010 08:02:19 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/7027-horse-farm-ngos-big-winners-in-budget-finalization#comment-10961 The FBI has so many fish t0 fry they are just in San Grabiel as far as going through the mayoralships in the state,hopefully they will arrive in Lafayette Parish fairly soon, but you must admit they are very thorough in their crimebusting, and there are so many crooks in louisiana, it goes back to the 1700s when incest laws were non-existent, very evident by our current roll of politicos. I heard the Green Ambulance Man, ordered his Correctional Facility License, through his Sears and Roebuck catalog. If there is a greenback to be made,Jodu'nt and the Gnome and the Green Ambulanceman,are Johhnys on the spot. Oh, by the way, the current listing of Nouveau Rich and their habitats. TBA, Next Issue. Oh Ragin_Cajun, Dude, the only time two blocks make no difference, is when you talking, "Hand Grenades ! You may as well have been born in TRUMAN ADDITION ! The Riches folk live in Bendel Subd. The wannabe's live in River Ranch, Now i say if anyone knows where the greatest, slickest, entrapanuh habitates, that would be the the digs, of the Green Ambulance Man! Nouveau Riche Posterchild ! - NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN Sat, 02 Oct 2010 13:02:01 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/7027-horse-farm-ngos-big-winners-in-budget-finalization#comment-10956 I grew up 2 blocks off West Bayou Parkway. It's not what you think at all--pretty middle class actually. I think you really mean Greenbriar, or Kings Road. That's where the "rich people's" houses are. - ragin_cajun Sat, 02 Oct 2010 07:36:01 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/7027-horse-farm-ngos-big-winners-in-budget-finalization#comment-10952 see Ruth Chris if you want to see the buddies. Now, since we talking buddies, whose involved with that land they're clearing in Cade? That's gonna be "diversionary" programs. You know what that means? It meas you take a criminal, maybe not a career criminal, but a criminal none the less, send him to Cade for a year; if he's good, he's out. If he's not, he's probably burglarizing one of those brick homes just outside ther perimiter of the diversionary house. If he's caught, he goes to the real big house. Meanwhile, Joe Citizen, who had his things stolen, is screwed, and screwed again, 'cause his taxes paid for the con who robbed him. BUT YOU CAN BET Mr. Broussard doesn't live near there and I'd love to know who else owns that, cause I'd bet they live in River Ranch or on West Bayou Parkway..... - BoFred Fri, 01 Oct 2010 21:04:20 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/7027-horse-farm-ngos-big-winners-in-budget-finalization#comment-10950 R_G , You meant to post Horse Manure, Eh ? Don't you just love the last sentence at the end of Para 2.... " The external grants awarded by the AcA will also be distributed by a grants panel through a competitive process " What Jodu'nt is saying, is that his co-joined Crony, " The Green Ambulance Man is.......uh,er,uh, Third ? Second ? Naw naw, thats ain't right, he be the new LEADAH at the front running hard ta get his bides'ss in, fore the HAPPY HOUR at the CITY CLUB>>>> Hee-Hee, Wheeee! let er ride Joey ! - NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN Fri, 01 Oct 2010 15:52:26 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/7027-horse-farm-ngos-big-winners-in-budget-finalization#comment-10946 "pastoral, inner-city paradise " Pure hyperbole. - ragin_cajun Fri, 01 Oct 2010 13:08:20 +0100