Friday, October 29, 2010

Rodney Ferrenburg's Response


IT IS TIME TO CLEAR THE AIR

This was written in September but never sent to anyone. Now, with Bob wanting to make some kind of attempt to apologize I feel now would be the right time to let everyone know the whole truth not just Bob’s opinion.

I have been accused of all kinds of things over the past several months. Now, I feel it time to set the story straight.  We are going to start at the beginning.

I entered the Fire Service at age thirteen as a Cadet Firefighter with East Columbus Fire Department. I became a Volunteer Firefighter at age eighteen; I served three terms as a Volunteer Lieutenant, one term as the Volunteer Assistant Chief, and two terms as the Volunteer Fire Chief. I have proudly served the residents of Columbus Township and Bartholomew County for over twenty-four years. (Just for the record, I am a 2nd generation firefighter.  My father is still a member and the 3rd generation has been a member for about four years. The Fire Service in the United States of America is a very family oriented business everywhere. IT IS NOT A MAFIA.) 

How did I become the Career Fire Chief?

The Township made the decision to make the Fire Chief a career position due to the amount of time this position requires and the liability that the Township and the Fire Department faced if they did not have command personnel on the scene of emergencies. When that decision was made, I was the current East Columbus Fire Department Membership elected Fire Chief.  It doesn’t stop there.  All members of the fire department had the opportunity to apply for the job to the East Columbus Fire Departments Board of Directors, who was tasked with putting a hiring list together for the position as Fire Chief. On the last day of the cutoff, I applied for the position only after several of the current members told me they felt I should. It was a few weeks later that I was notified there was no other applicants and was offered the position.  To make this clear, the volunteers supplied only one name on the hiring list and gave that list to the Trustee and that name was mine.

I have been accused of being a high school dropout, which is false. Since before I began, East Columbus Fire Department required a diploma or GED. I have been accused of having a fake Emergency Medical Technical certification, which is false.  All of my certifications were earned from going to class and passing all the tests (which are proctored by the State of Indiana). For the record, I also hold Firefighter 1, Firefighter 2, Fire Instructor 1, Fire Investigator, and that are just the major ones.

There is a staff of almost 40 volunteers and career personnel at East Columbus Fire Department. I am sure they are all not happy, but here is what I know. There have been some dismissed for violating the rules. The Fire Chief doesn’t have the authority to terminate a volunteer.  They either have left on their own so they would not have to face the membership of East Columbus Fire Department or they were dismissed by the membership of the East Columbus Fire Department. 

This is what upsets me the most

Bob’s statement of “I left my wife and two kids to be with my whore” (I did not get to see it on his web site.  However, I received multiple phone calls over it. By the time I got to a computer and found his web site it had been removed).  Now with that being said, I have been divorced and I do have two children from my first marriage.  The reason for our divorce is not really Bob’s or anyone else’s business. The people affected know why and Bob’s statement was not it.

It was said I blew up at Bob during a public meeting, almost right.  I blew up at Bob after a public meeting. But here is what he keeps failing to state on his website. He fails to state that for the last months, he has called my wife a whore.  He has personally attacked my whole family and has started attacking my extended family.  This is unacceptable on any line. When he started attacking my wife’s deceased grandfather, it was time for it to come to an end. I am not running for Trustee. My family is not running for Trustee. But it seems to be what his whole campaign is about. 

I have been disrespectful toward Bob. I was raised in a household that if you want respect you show respect.  That has not happened with him from day one. I do not know Bob Freeman and he does not know me. The first I had heard of Bob Freeman is when my name started showing up on his web site. It is disrespectful to be slanderous toward someone on hearsay. If Bob wants respect the first thing he is going to do is apologize to my wife and myself in person and publicly.  When that happens, if he shows some respect, he will get some respect in return. 

I can only hope that when this is over some people can learn to ask the right questions to the right people to get the truth and not go on hearsay, just because it’s what they wanted to hear. It is always easier to stir the pot. It is a lot harder to tell the truth and accept it, when it doesn’t meet your agenda.      

Rodney Ferrenburg

Briana Ferrenburg's Response

October 27, 2010

Bob,

I appreciate your apology, but have a hard time believing that you are truly sorry.  Deep in my heart, I believe your apology is just for smoothing things over, just in case you are elected.  Deep in my heart, you will never understand the pain and hurt you have caused.  Since you say you are trying to tell the truth, let's get a couple things straight.

Rodney and  his ex-wife's divorce did not have anything to do with me.  The reasons he left her or she left him is between him and her and have nothing to do with this election.  So, let me explain what your comment has put me through.  People judge me now.  Before they even meet me, they have a predisposed thought about me and look at me differently.  That is hard to overcome when I deal with the public so much as a Caseworker in the Trustee's Office and a Captain at Columbus Township Fire Department.  But the boundaries do not stop there.  It is every where I go.

Now, lets talk about my job at the Trustee's Office.  I was hired at the Trustee's Office in April 2006 as a Caseworker.  My job is to interview clients and determine the need for assistance, based upon their application, my investigation and whether those fall in our guidelines.  YOU have no idea the difficulties and struggles that can be.  I assist people that I know are abusing the system.  I know people come in to this office for their rent or utilities, so they can use their money to buy their drugs, alcohol and cigarettes.  As a taxpayer it frustrates me.  But I can not deny their assistance.  I have also denied people based on our guidelines.  That is hard to do.  And clients do get mad.  I have been called names and verbally threatened, because I do my job.  That is what I am supposed to do.  I am waiting for the person to come into the office and shoot us all.  It is just a matter of time.  Especially, with the “hate” you post about us on your website.  Sometimes, when I kiss my husband and daughter goodbye in the morning, I wonder if that will be the last and if today is the day.  Is a client going to come in strung up on who knows what and hurt one of us?  On the same note, when I respond with the Fire Department, what I am I going in too?  Meth Lab, Drugs, Domestic Violence?  And we risk our lives for little pay or nothing at all.  Bob, until YOU walk in those shoes, YOU have no right to judge. 

Let's continue on the Fire Department.  I started my fire department career at Harrison Township when I was 18 years old.  My Father is one of the Charter Members at Harrison.  This runs in my blood and runs deep.  I joined Columbus Township in January 2006.  I was elected by the membership as a Captain under the former Chief, Kevin Green.  I tell you this, so you understand that I have earned my status and not because my husband is the Chief, which some people believe.  You always post that the volunteers are scared of being fired.  It takes 2/3 membership to “fire” someone.  And I am not quite sure where you came up with working different shifts, but the volunteers are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  We don't work different shifts.  It seems to be that your source is a disgruntal volunteer.  They must be two-faced, also, because they have not expressed any of the concerns that you write in your post and in the anonymous letter you received.  My answer to them, is that if they are that unhappy, resign and join another department.  They can do that if they choose.  But here is what else the disgruntal volunteer has caused.  Lack of trust.  I am speaking for myself as a volunteer.  I can not trust this person or people.  May not sound like a big deal, but when you go in to a burning structure, the last thought you do not want to have is if I can trust this person with my life.  That IS a big deal and I know I am not the only one that feels that way.  So, when this election is over, I hope that person or those individuals will choose to resign because that trust can never be rebuilt.

Now Bob, let's talk about you.  I can never trust you.  I can never believe a word you say.  You always write and say you have proof or this is what you heard.  You never check anything out before you write it.  It would have been real easy to just ask if I was related to Sandy.  Not just assuming that since Baxter appears in both families that we are related.   Again, why should this information be coming up in an election?  But since you read the obituary from my Grandfather, you should have noticed he died 11/16/07.  And since your “anonymous” letter had mine and Rodney's wedding announcement, you should have picked up that we were married 11/17/07.  That's right, my grandfather died the day before our wedding.  But what is even more scary is that you know so much information about my life and things that shouldn't even matter.  Just to make everything clear.  I am related to Terry Baxter.  I am not sure why that was brought up, but I am.  Just because he is family, doesn't mean I agree with the choices he has made.  You probably have family members like that, right?

So, Bob, I have a request  for you.  I appreciate your apology that you sent to Rodney and I privately, but unfortunately the accusations you made were public, not private.  So I ask that you place your apology Publicly on your website, where this all transpired. 

One last thing.  I want you to know that I pray for you.  I pray that God can give you peace, because anyone that can say and spread so much hate, must have so many inner struggles in their life.  I hope one day that you can see the good in people instead of digging in all the bad.  Every person that you have named and villified on your website, has good in them.  YOU just choose not to see it and choose not to look at that. 

Sincerely,

Briana Ferrenburg

Bob's Apology to Rodney and Briana Ferrenburg

Dear Rodney and Briana,

It seems that I may owe you both an apology. I’m not sure, but I think I have unintentionally done you wrong.

Throughout this campaign, there has been a lot of stuff being said, by me, in the interest of my winning the campaign. I have tried to be very careful and get the information out there that I have received. I have tried to state if I know it to be true or if it’s something I have heard from several people.

I know you don’t like that, but it’s what I have done, and it’s what I intended to do. My goal is to inform people of the truth and I tell it the best I can.

This is another matter though.

Occasionally, over the past few months someone has mentioned that Rodney has the right to be mad at me because I called Briana a whore. I always say ‘no way’ because I simply don’t do that. I don’t call women whores and usually don’t call them a bitch. I might say they act like a bitch but rarely do I call them one. Neither is very nice but I have my faults.

Anyway, there have been 3 or 4 times where someone said that about you having reason to be mad because I did. I blew it off because I simply don’t do that.

Last week, a guy wrote me a few times, in your defense, and said the same thing. I denied it like always and said show me where I said that.

He said ‘I saw it. It’s where you said he left his wife for a whore.’

The more I think about it, the more familiar that sounds. I have searched the website to find where I might have said that. I cannot find it.

I’m thinking that maybe I did say it in one of my rants. It sounds very familiar.

If I did, I want to tell you both I want to truly apologize for it.

The main reason I wonder if I did is because someone told me you left your wife to be with Briana. And I had a wife left me for another and that really hits a sore spot with me.

I’m not saying that makes it right. I know absolutely NOTHING about you or your life. It is absolutely none of my business.

I know nothing about Briana that would cause me to say something like that. I have had no problem with her at all. If I said it, it had nothing to do with her in any way.

Knowing me, it would have been a generic remark about a guy leaving his wife for a new woman; nothing specific about you or her. I don’t know either of you well enough to have those sorts of opinions, good or bad. And no matter the reason for saying it, I was wrong. I will admit when I know I am wrong.

You both work for the trustee’s office. If I win next week, we will be working together if you stay on. I just wanted to clear this up.

If I said it, and now I think I might have, I understand you being ticked off at me. I would be upset if I were in your shoes. But I’m sorry. I let my trying to make a point get in the way of common sense and common decency. That wasn’t fair and I shouldn’t have done it.

I don’t expect this letter to make it all okay, but I wanted to explain a little about it anyway.

I am after the truth and I’m trying to improve things. If I become trustee, I don’t plan to change things just to change things. I only want to change things that need to be changed. And those decisions will come from people like you and your crew.

I appreciate your time and I hope you understand what I’m trying to say.


Sincerely,

Bob

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Firefox Browser and Columbuzz

If you are on Facebook, check out Columbus Man's wall.  Several people are complaining that they can't access columbuzz with Firefox.  Columbuzz is claiming that they are having technical difficulties with Firefox.  Just wanted to let everyone know that there are NO technical difficulties with Firefox.  They banned Firefox (probably temporarily) because they are trying (and failing) to keep me off their site or at least keep me from copying Bob's rants.  How do I know there are no problems with Firefox?  I can download their web pages with Internet Explorer, save them, remove some bogus Javascript code in their web pages that prevents Firefox from accessing their site, and then open the modified web pages with Firefox and they work just fine.  Amazing!

Commenter Yikes Proves Bob Wrong

This comment is so awesome I just have to promote it from comment to post.  Way to go Yikes!  Yikes wrote a response to the following statement from Bob on columbuzz "25 years ago the job paid $8000.  500% increase in wages in 25 years?  What other jobs have done that?":

"Some interesting data about Bob's never ending claim that Fred Barkes' salary is somehow unusual and too high:

Check out the table at the bottom of the Social Security Administration's "National Average Wage Index" at http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/COLA/AWI.html

National average wages:

1984 - $8,067 (this is the national average of $16,135 divided by 2, since at that time the position only required about 20 hours per week)

2009 - $40,934 (this is almost an exact match to the Trustee's current salary)

Now, is it just me or don't those two numbers prove that the Trustee hasn't seen the outrageous pay increases that Bob claims and that Bob is trying to trick people?

Bob, that is what you call actual PROOF."

Bob Is Making Math Mistakes Again

As you can probably tell, I'm a real stickler for math accuracy, so I just have to point this out.  Maybe Bob will learn some math in the process.

Bob said in a comment on Columbuzz that the trustee was paid $8000 25 years ago and now is paid around $40,000 which is an increase of 500%.  Can anyone find the mistake in Bob's math?  What is the correct percent increase?  The first person with the correct answer gets a gold star from Dude!

Something IS Terribly Wrong Around Here

And that something is Bob.  Bob seems confused about why people don't like him since everyone should love whistle blowers.  What he doesn't understand is that people do like whistle blowers in general when they are competent and trustworthy.  Unfortunately, Bob is neither competent nor trustworthy.  He is reckless, incompetent, a bad detective, a bad investigator, and a bad reporter.  He exaggerates and only presents half truths.  I'm not sure why he thinks he's qualified to be a self proclaimed investigative reporter.  He desperately needs a new hobby.  But, you may ask, where's your proof of Bob's investigative incompetence?  I'm glad you asked.  Here are a few examples.
  • Bob claims there were serious SBOA audit issues with the trustee budgets.  If he had investigated properly, he would have found that the issues were just simple mistakes.
  • Bob claims that Fred Barkes and his wife have given themselves large wage increases.  He ignores the trustee budget process and the fact that Fred Barkes can't just give himself and his wife raises.  And if he would have done a proper job of investigating, he would have found that the raises were not excessive and that his salary aligns with the general white collar salary in the area for his job category.
  • Bob claims that the trustee office is rude to many clients seeking assistance.  If he had investigated further, he would have found that the number of people seeking assistance who are unhappy with the office is a tiny fraction compared to all of the people who have sought assistance since 2003.
  • Bob claims that the fire chief screams and yells at the volunteers on a daily basis.  I have read several statements from firefighters that say this is not true.  Did Bob talk to them?  Did he poll all of the firefighters to see what they all thought?  Obviously not.
  • Bob claims that Fred Barkes applied for a grant to open a third unneeded fire station.  Again, Bob's investigation skills on display.  ECIFD applied for the grant, not the Township.  And Bob is unqualified to determine whether a third station is needed or not.

Bob the Flip Flopper

Bob wrote in an article about the maintenance building on Mapleton St.:  "In my opinion, it should never have been purchased.  I believe that the building should be sold."

In a comment today:  "Then maybe there is good reason to sell the Washington St. office and move into Mapleton St."
 
In other words, I was for selling the maintenance building on Mapleton St. before I was against it.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Volunteer Firefighter Speaks Out

Just saw this on another web site:

It seems like Bob is at it again by putting words in the volunteer firefighters mouth again without checking.  We DO NOT get screamed at every day as he has said we DO NOT live in fear of being fired (how do you fire a volunteer), we do NOT live in fear of being transferred. The third station he keeps referring to has been talked about for 20 plus years that I know of. So when he says something about the fire department take it with a grain of salt like everything else he has said. Because I can say this with 20 plus years of service he hasn't checked it out.

Response from Fred Barkes on Bob's Latest Article

Fred Barkes' responses are in blue:

Let's look at a few FACTS; facts that the current Trustee would like to forget.

1. His last three SBOA audits had issues. Some issues were using money from the wrong funds, inability to balance accounts, paying employees' spouses insurance premium refunds without taxing properly, etc....
·         The first two were plain simple mistakes. Every penny was/is accounted for. $230,000 was posted on line g versus line f.
·         The last was for a practice that was started about 1996 (under another trustee) and not brought to my attention until 2006, four audits later. The problem was corrected immediately.

2. Two years ago, he used $230,000 of assistance money to buy a maintenance building on Mapleton St. so he could have the fire trucks serviced and repaired. Something that can be done in the fire stations. He then went to the state asking for more assistance money.
·         This was a simple error and answered in #1.

3. He gave himself a 39.9% wage increase in the seven years he has been in office. During this same 7 years, city employees have receive a 16% wage increase.
·         See previous post on this blog.  Actual raise 22%, 2.8% per year.

4. He gave his wife/office manager a 51.4% wage increase in the same seven years. If she keeps up this pace, she will soon be making more than he does.
·         See previous post on this blog.  Actual raise 24%, 3.1% per year.

5. He had his wife/office manager go to a funeral for a homeless man, that they paid for, and she bragged to everyone there that she was 'only there to make sure the family received what the trustee paid for.' She then went around to the mourners asking why they weren't paying for it.
·         Not true, hearsay, she was there less than 5 minutes and only to pay her respects. She had a 1pm meeting to prepare for. Rather hard to do anything she was accused of. She should not have signed her address as Columbus Township.
 
6. He has a staff in the office that has a couple of caseworkers that interview clients in such a way that many of those clients refuse to enter the building ever again because of the treatment they received. They claim the clients can't be made happy and they are bitter because they were refused service.
·         Don’t forget that if they are able to work, they are told to try to get a job.

7. He has a fire chief that screams and yells at the volunteer staff on a daily basis. The volunteer staff live in fear of being fired or transferred to a different shift or building if they speak up. These are volunteers fearing being fired. This hothead has threatened to beat up candidates that expose these details. He had a tantrum at a budget meeting that I attended and was told to leave the room.
·         The volunteer staff  have several officers and the ECIFD Board they can go to in order to resolve problems. Plus, the volunteers have the right to request a new Chief every year. They picked the Chief and can have him removed as well.
·         Only the membership of ECIFD can remove a volunteer member of the department with a 2/3 vote of the voting membership.
·         Volunteers are not assigned a shift. They only respond when and if they can.
·         In regard to threats to candidates, show me the proof Bob.
·         The chief was told to sit down, not leave the room and after your personal attacks on he and his wife the Board and I feel he showed much restraint.
 
8. He is so involved in the fire department that he applied for a grant to open a third fire station at the fairgrounds. We need the two stations but we don't need a third. Thankfully, his grant application was soundly rejected.
·         ECIFD applied for the grant, not the Township. The stations are the property of ECIFD, not the Township.
·         Previously you stated that we didn’t need two stations, just one. Be sure to tell that fact to the northwest residents of the township.
·         Just for your information, ISO requires that there be a staffed fire station within 5 road miles of a structure.

This trustee seems to do what he wants without anyone questioning it. Now that I have questioned it, he and his buddies call me a liar and try to make me look bad. I have posted FACTS, with evidence and witnesses to back up each claim.
·         The FACTS you post are only half truths, not the whole truth. 
·         The evidence you provide is public knowledge; the rest of your evidence is missing.
·         Where are your witnesses? Are they all as missing as your evidence? All we have is your word and that isn’t very good.

The current trustee will not explain anything. He will only deny and call me a liar.
·         I have answered your questions on a site that will allow me to do so without editing or deletion. But you won’t allow that site to be published on yours.

It's time this guy was gone. We need a Trustee that will go in and do the job as it was intended. And that is to supply the township with the basic needs in emergency situatons.
·         My office does just that but only to those that deserve it as best we can confirm.

We need good fire protection; we don't need to be the biggest fire department in the state.
·         Once again, you show your ignorance. We are not even close to the biggest in the state. You should know the fire service before you throw stones. The same goes for township operations.

We need sufficient building to do our jobs and store equipment we need to store; we don't need a collection of buildings to impress other townships.
·         Once again, you do not know of what you speak. The Township owns two buildings, the office and the maintenance facility. The Township does not own the two fire stations.

Note from Dude:  Bob keeps saying "The current trustee will not explain anything.", which is a lie.  I challenge Bob to post Fred Barkes' response on columbuzz or post the web address to this blog.

Bob and Fire Protection

Bob wrote on columbuzz "We need good fire protection."

I'm sorry, but if my house is on fire and my kids are trapped inside, I want EXCELLENT fire protection, not just good or good enough!

Something Doesn't Add Up

Bob writes "We have NEVER charged an advertiser."

Jeremy writes "Bob doesn't make money on the site, I do!"

And then this, a price list for advertising on columbuzz:  http://columbus1.ath.cx/index.php?news=810

Bob's "Proof" = His Uninformed Opinion

Bob seems to think he has proof of wrongdoing by the current trustee, so lets review his "proof":
  • Major SBOA audit issues?  His uninformed opinion.  All audit issues were minor.  And he claims that the last three SBOA audits had issues, but in an article in columbuzz, he writes "Oddly, his money was right his first two audits, but miserably wrong on his third audit."  So which is it?  Did all have issues or just one?
  • Excessive raises?  His uninformed opinion.  See my previous post on the subject.
  • Maintenance building not needed?  His uninformed opinion.  He knows nothing about maintaining fire equipment. 
  • Rampant trustee office rudeness?   His uninformed opinion. See my previous post on the subject.
  • "Funeral-gate"?  His "proof" is a signature in a guest book.
  • Hot head Fire Chief?  I'd be a hot head too if I heard that Bob called my wife a whore.
  • Third fire station not needed?  His uninformed opinion.  He knows nothing about fire protection.

And another lie from the man who never lies:
"The current trustee will not explain anything. He will only deny and call me a liar."
All is explained on this blog.  Bob likes to pretend that this blog doesn't exist.

Some more quotes:
"Now that I have questioned it, he and his buddies call me a liar and try to make me look bad."
That's because you are a liar and you make yourself look bad.  I just help you out a little bit.

"We need a new Trustee that will simply do the job and do it right." 
There's no way Bob will do the job and do it right.  He is totally clueless and in over his head.  The Fire Department will suffer under his mismanagement.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Breaking News: Bob Freeman Admits to Lying on Dude's Blog

By Dude, Dude News Correspondent

In a stunning turn of events, Bob Freeman, who claims he never lies, admitted Monday night that he did in fact lie on his website, columbuzz.net.  On an anonymous blog created to counter Mr. Freeman's lies and deception, the administrator, known as Dude, listed three lies written by Mr. Freeman on his website.  Mr. Freeman did not dispute the allegations and implicitly admitted to them by saying "Then prove one lie I have said about my opponent or his wife.  Everything I have said about him is true and I can prove it."  Dude responded with "(You just wrote) Lie #4.  Why do I have to prove anything? I've already proven you're a liar with the three I've listed. So you never lie? Lie #5."

Columbuzz: Lies and Deception

I've been planning to write this post for a while now, but I keep getting distracted by Bob's rantings.  Bob says he never lies, so I thought I would point out to everyone the lies and deception on his website columbuzz.
  • Columbuzz claims that "Information about who posts articles will be hidden!"  FALSE.  I submitted an opinion article about columbuzz and my identity was disclosed.
  • Columbuzz also claims that "This is a public website with no restrictions so post with complete anonymity."  FALSE.  Because I posted articles expressing my opinion about columbuzz, the moderators must now approve every article.  They also decide if a comment is posted or not.  Sounds like restrictions to me.
  • Columbuzz claims to be an opinion website.  FALSE.  Only those opinions that the moderators allow are posted on the site.
  • Columbuzz claims to be an opinion website, but some of their "polls" only have pro Bob choices (see the "Bob Freeman for Columbus Township Trustee" poll).  Kind of difficult to express your opinion with only one choice, don't you think?
  • Columbuzz deletes comments days after they were posted if they think it makes them look bad.
  • Bob claims that the people he attacks can defend themselves on his website yet admits he would most likely delete their comments.
  • Bob says on columbuzz "This is not my website. I can post and edit, but so can several other people."  DECEPTION.  He and his two lackeys, Herman and Jeremy, are the only ones that can post and edit.
  • Herman, one of the three moderators on columbuzz, writes "What is the relevance of who owns or doesn't own, this site requires a team who not only reports but also performs maintenance.  The site has been online for over 5 years, questions about who owns has also came up, but it is nonetheless regardless because it plays no part in whether information will be provided or not. Freedom to post anonymously is what this site has based its foundation on."  FALSE.  It is entirely relevant.  And it plays a huge part in whether information will be provided or not.  Bob and his lackeys delete opinions they don't like.
  • Herman wrote "Censored Once Again and Former Indiana Resident have the same IP. Another slip up or talking to yourself."  FALSE.  I have never used the name Censored Once Again. 
  • Herman wrote "Freedom to post anonymously is what this site has based its foundation on." and "The reason for the IP being posted is so people can see the person behind the statements made."  and "He posts with no name" and "Why do you hide?".  Contradictory, don't you think?
  • Herman wrote "Former, look at it this way; Bob posts with his name, I post with my name, but yet you post with many fake names."  FALSE.  I only used one name to comment until I created an account.
  • Herman wrote "You can say anything you want Former, just keep it clean and give a constructive opinion relating to the article and it will be approved with no qualms."  FALSE.
  • Bob wrote "Former, or whoever Merc is today, I was compiling your numerous posts into one to consolidate and accidently deleted a few of them. If you would like to send them again I will place them into the above post."  FALSE.  I am not Merc.  Plus Bob was purposefully consolidating my posts to make it look like I was off topic.

Bob's Latest Rant

Bob just loves giving me more material for my blog!

"I have pissed off the wrong people by reporting something that some people feel was wrong."
Yeah Bob, you seem to have that effect on people.

"I was invited into a building to see where some idiots have left personal school and medical files out in the open in a public and very open hallway for anyone to walk by and take a handful."
Name calling again.  So Bob, did you take a handful?

"I obeyed the law; apparently they did not.  I broke NO laws.  I reported what I felt was negligence on the shredders part, not knowing it was illegal for him to leave them out like that.
So what you are saying is that you didn't break any laws but you have no idea what the law says.

"I suppose maybe I need to file a report with the police department so they can investigate the shredder and his landlady. Then they can wait and see if the prosecutor is going to pursue it.  I guess I should contact the federal authorities instead of the local guys."
Good luck with that.

"I tell truths about what the trustee and his cronies are doing and they automatically call me a liar and attack me."
That's because you are a liar.

"Of course, if my opponent loses the election, most of his family and friends are afraid they will lose their jobs and become clients of the Trustees office."
Lie #1.

"But they deny everything and won't explain anything."
Lie #2.  Everything is explained on this blog.

"I have shown proof and I have proof of everything I have said."
Lie #3.  He has shown no proof of Fred Barkes stealing money from the Fire Department.

"I have heard stories and witnessed myself the hot headed fire chief. (Some denial but it's hard to deny what I witnessed. But I could be a hot head too, before I grew up. So there is hope for Rodney.)"
Sorry Bob, but you have yet to grow up.  You act like a 6 year old.

"I showed that the police found crystal meth and precursors in the Trustees house and on his property. Was he charged? Noooooo. Of course not."
But his son was charged.  More deception from Bob.

"Got a little girlfriend your wife don't know about? You better get sneakier.  Got a business partner you're about to bend over? You better make sure he doesn't realize it.  Having illegal meetings with 3 or more council members? Beware of the 'family' at the next table. They might have a camera and a recorder.  Stealing money from the fire department? You better hope your accountant is good at hiding things.  Got tenants that aren't doing their job properly? I'm not sure why you would care, but get ready, everyone is about to know.  You might want to hope that I win the election so I stay busy. Idle time gives me a chance to find more TRUTH; more time to write more stories about YOU."
And more threats and insane ramblings from Bob.  He's such an expert at making friends and influencing people.

Bob's Investigation and Logic Skills

Bob seems to fancy himself as a great investigator, a la Sherlock Holmes, but I would 100% disagree.  Good investigators don't break the law when they investigate.  And from what I've seen, he stops "investigating" when he gets the answer he wants.  On this blog, I provided the trustee raise issue as an example.  Of course, Bob either doesn't understand my analysis or would argue that the trustee and his wife don't deserve any raises or promotions since they are incompetent.  And how does he conclude they are incompetent?  He has "proof" that at most 0.6% of the people seeking assistance from the trustee feel they were mistreated.  I don't know about you, but I'm sure glad Bob isn't my boss.  He would say something like "Dude, sorry but 0.6% of your clients are unhappy with your work, so I'm going to have to let you go."  And I would say "But 99.4% are happy with my work!"  And he would say "It doesn't matter.  If even ONE person in a million is unhappy with your work, then you are a failure."  I wonder why he doesn't hold himself to the same standard, since I'm positive that there's more than one person who's unhappy with his work on columbuzz!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Bob's Punishment

Bob and the Bob-o-bots

Looks like the Bob-o-bots are out in full force on columbuzz defending their dear leader.

And of course, more ridiculous quotes from Bob:

"I am guilty of nothing except exposing the truth."
Yeah, right.

"And the jerks around here post it in the newspaper 11 days before the election.  I guess we will see if it had any influence in 11 days."
Looks like Bob has already figured out a convenient excuse when he loses the upcoming election, since in his delusional mind, he was going to win until now.

"But it's dirty political crap to release this now.  Guilt doesn't matter before an election as much as an accusation does."
Ironic, don't you think?  What a hypocrite.  And Bob should be an expert on dirty political crap.  That's all I see on his website.

"I have been expecting an attack like this since I have exposed so much about my opponent."
More paranoia.

"Hang on to your shorts because I'm jut getting started."
OK, I'm hanging on!

Friday, October 22, 2010

Yet More Hypocrisy From Bob

Comments on columbuzz:

John Ellison:  "Can we see the web address of that site so we can judge for ourselves?"
Bob:  "No.  We aren't advertising their website on here.  It's all hate."

And of course his site is all love and puppies and kittens?  There's no hate on this blog, just a lot of ridicule.  But I see plenty of hate on Bob's site against the Barkes family.

So Bob, what are you afraid of?  That people will see the real truth about you?

Bob Freeman Thinks He's Above the Law

http://www.therepublic.com/view/local_story/Trustee_candidate_under_investigation_10_22_2010/

http://www.therepublic.com/view/local_story/Trustee_candidate_eyed_for_illegal_entry__10_22_2010/

Time to Review

Since the election is coming up soon, it is time to review Bob's claims on his little website and on this blog:
  • Excessive raises for the trustee and his wife?  Debunked - actual raises around 3% a year
  • Rampant trustee office rudeness?  Debunked - at most 0.6% of clients say they were mistreated
  • Funeral-gate?  Debunked
  • Major SBOA audit issues?  Debunked - only minor/clerical ones
  • Maintenance building not needed?  Debunked
  • Current trustee controls Fire Dept.?  Debunked
  • He's running against Fred Barkes, not his family?  Debunked
  • Nepotism?  Debunked
  • Cronyism?  Debunked
  • Trustee wages can't be reduced by law?  Debunked
  • He never lies?  Debunked
  • He will pass SBOA audits without issues?  Debunked
  • He will have one of the most transparent offices around?  Debunked
  • Fred Barkes is a criminal?  Debunked
  • Fred Barkes resigned as fire dept. treasurer over missing money?  Debunked
  • He's not delusional?  Debunked
  • He's not a hypocrite?  Debunked
  • He understands simple math?  Debunked
  • He's not paranoid?  Debunked

Bob Freeman Creating New Scouting Organization

By Dude, Dude News Correspondent

Since Bob Freeman was booted out of the Boy Scouts recently after his arrest for violating the Boy Scout Law, he announced on Friday that he is creating a new scouting organization called the Bob Scouts.  According to Mr. Freeman, Bob Scouts, also to be known as Bob-o-bots, will follow their own law.  The Bob Scout Law will be as follows:

A Bob Scout is:
  • petty
  • vindictive
  • paranoid
  • untrustworthy
  • rude
  • crude
  • delusional
  • angry
  • cowardly
  • irreverent
  • incompetent
  • ignorant

Columbuzz Is a Still a Joke

Well, the petty and vindictive moderators on columbuzz are at it again.  They no longer allow you to access their site with Firefox.  You get the following message:

"Columbus Private Network: Welcome to our 404 page, you can only arrive here for a few reasons. One of which is you could have been banned for suspicious activity on our network. or you may need to UPGRADE your browser to IE8 Enjoy"

I guess suspicious activity to them means you disagree with their garbage.  So I can only conclude they are desperately trying to deny me access to their website without shutting it down for everyone.  But guess what?  I also use IE, so they fail once again.  What are they trying to hide?  Why do they care so much if I can read their garbage or not?

And of course Bob is still paranoid:

"Our resident troublemaker, Mercman, and a few of his buddies, Jeff Barkes and their boyfriends and office girls, have started a website of their own and started basically just making fun of me, my campaign, and this website. And that's fine. They do it there because I won't tolerate it here."

Am I Mercman?  Nope.  Am I Jeff Barkes?  Nope.  Am I a buddy of Mercman or Jeff Barkes?  Nope.  Bob's paranoia on display.  And I'm glad I have your permission, Bob.  By the way, happy to see you admit to censorship.  Why don't you go ahead and post my web address on your little website so everyone will know the real truth.

"This website is here to try to expose truth that people around here normally don't see or hear."

Bob wouldn't know the truth if the truth were a block of concrete and it hit him on the head.  Multiple times.  Over and over again.  Sorry, I was just picturing that in my head and enjoying it way too much.

"These dingalings even went so far today to say that their 2 week old site had double the traffic now as Columbuzz.net does. I'm guessing that was simply a flat out lie."

Three weeks, but who's counting.  And I never said it had double the traffic of all of columbuzz.

"They said they had double the traffic as my most popular article gets in a day. My popular articles might get 100-200 views the first day or two."

Mine get 400 the first day, Bob.

"We are guessing that they have 10 or 12 people that visit their site, mostly from the Trustee's office and one or two people that do all of the posting in 4 or 5 different names."

Guessing wrong again Bob!  I guess you never get tired of being wrong, do ya!

"It is a service that we offer to help businesses out and to give us a little practice at making and placing ads for the day when we will charge for advertising."

Hey Bob, denying people access to your website is not a good business strategy.  If you do start charging for your ads, make sure you let your advertisers know that only Bob-o-bots are allowed to view your site.

Note to Jeremy:  I can still copy and paste just fine, thanks.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Breaking News: Advertiser Leaves Columbuzz

By Dude, Dude News Correspondent

Confidential sources have confirmed that one of the advertisers at columbuzz, Mancino's Pizza and Grinders, has pulled its ads after being informed of Bob Freeman's shenanigans on columbuzz.  Mr. Freeman was unavailable to comment on this story as he is still in jail for violations of the Boy Scout Law.  More details to come as they become available.

Bob Freeman Arrested for Violating Scout Law

By Dude, Dude News Correspondent

Bob Freeman, a former Boy Scout leader, was arrested in an early morning raid Tuesday at his residence, 3225 Lilac Ct., by officers from the Boy Scout Law Enforcement Division (BSLED).  "The operation went down flawlessly", said Jeff Mercman, the head of BSLED.  "Mr. Freeman was found in his backyard trying to put out fires by throwing money on them."  Mr. Freeman is being charged with violating six tenets of the Boy Scout Law:  trustworthy, friendly, courteous, kind, cheerful, and reverent.  "We're pretty sure he has violated all twelve, but we only have proof of six violations at this time", said Mr. Mercman.  "More charges are possible in the coming days as we gather more evidence.  Fortunately, we were able to gather most of our evidence from his rantings on his website."  Jeremy Kirtz, a fellow moderator at Mr. Freeman's website, declined comment.  "I'm too busy deleting comments on my, I mean Bob's, website and tracing IP addresses to talk to you at this time", said Mr. Kirtz.  At his arraignment on Wednesday morning, Mr. Freeman attacked the prosecutor screaming "Show the proof wise ass!  You're a lying jerk!  Come on smart ass, show us your so-called proof or shut your trap!  You're all talk!  An asshole with a mouth!"  He was immediately charged with contempt of court and removed from the courtroom.

Columbuzz Is a Joke

Have you noticed any changes to columbuzz?  Probably not, because the latest change is just for me.  Bring up a page in columbuzz and see if you can highlight and copy text.  It has been disabled by the petty and vindictive moderators.  They even broke the search capability in Firefox with this change.  They think that this ridiculous change will make it more difficult for me to make fun of Bob's garbage on his site.  But I've already figured out three different ways around their new "feature", so I can copy and paste almost as easily as before.  Nice try Jeremy, but you fail.

Bob Freeman's Parallel Universe

Here's a scene from Bob's delusional parallel universe where he actually wins the trustee election.  He's in a special meeting with the Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) and the DLGF has a pressing concern with his management of the office.

DLGF:  Thanks for meeting with me Mr. Freeman at such short notice.  We would appreciate your civility and professionalism in discussing this delicate matter.

Bob:  I'm the most civil and professional person you'll ever meet.

DLGF:  Glad to hear that.  We've noticed that you've been burning through your budget at an incredible rate.  It's almost like you're trying to put out fires by throwing money on them.  At the rate you're spending on poor relief, you'll run out of money just 6 months into the fiscal year.

Bob:  Everyone knows you can't put out a fire by throwing money on it, unless of course you have a plane load of pennies.

DLGF:  Well, we disagree with what you're doing here.  Fire protection will be compromised.  You don't want to end up like Knight Township in Evansville.  As I'm sure you're aware, the Knight Fire Department had to be closed down permanently.  We assume you don't want that to happen here.

Bob:  Bite me!

DLGF:  Pardon me?

Bob:  You're all talk!  An asshole with a mouth!

DLGF:  Excuse me?

Bob:  You know, as dense as you are, it doesn't look like you quite know how to absorb the facts!  You're either too stupid or too stubborn to absorb the facts!

DLGF:  I'm quite aware of the facts.

Bob:  Show the proof wise ass!  You're a lying jerk!  Come on smart ass, show us your so-called proof or shut your trap!  Who are you really?  Mercman?

DLGF:  Who's Mercman?

Bob:  Or are you Jeff Barkes in disguise?  Tell me your IP address so I can incorrectly track it!  Just hope I never learn your real identity!

DLGF:  I have no idea what my IP address is.  I guess this meeting is over.  I fully intend to report your rudeness to my superiors.

Bob:  You are an idiotic monster bitch!  Good luck, Nimrod!

Six months later:
Bob:  You know, maybe I can sell all of the fire stations to get more money for poor relief!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Breaking News: Dude's Blog Now More Popular than Bob's "Articles"

I'm now getting TWICE the web traffic that Bob's getting on his articles on columbuzz.  Thanks everyone, and keep sharing my web address with your co-workers, friends, and family so they can also learn the truth about Bob.

By the way, Bob, twice means take the number of hits of your most "popular" article and multiply that by 2.  Use a calculator if you need to.  I'm here to help if you're stumped.

Bob Out of Ideas?

I guess Bob is out of ideas, since he's just recycling his previous garbage on columbuzz.  Plus he's starting to steal my jokes.  I guess he's not the most creative guy in the world.

More Hypocrisy from Bob

More ridiculous comments from Bob:

"So, somebody expresses a concern, even after complimenting the office for their service, and you want to attack her?"

He's criticizing a commenter for attacking someone?  Wow.

"The Trustee would have access to this information. Is this how a Trustee should act?"

Either Bob is just exploiting Leah Coleman's story for political gain or he has no clue what the state law says.  Or both.  How can he expect to follow state law as trustee when he doesn't even know what the law says?

"Are you really that petty?"

He's asking someone else this?

And of course more libel about Fred Barkes from Jimmer Jones:

"Not to mention a pension from Cummins and all he can steal and eat from the budget. The fire department even forced him to resign when money was missing.  Bob, Lawrence township pushed him out for the same reason."

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Leah Coleman's Comment on Columbuzz

In a comment on columbuzz, Leah Coleman writes that the trustee's office is "making me pay back that money out of my (Social Security disability) settlement, when I get it."

The trustee is required to follow state law and the law states the following:

IC 12-20-27-1.5
Repayment of benefits provided during interim period
    
Sec. 1.5. (a) As used in this section, "interim period" means the period:
        (1) beginning when a township trustee obtains from a township assistance applicant or member of the applicant's household an agreement or authorization described in subsection (b); and
        (2) ending when the township assistance applicant or member of the applicant's household receives the judgment, compensation, or monetary benefit or leaves the household.
    (b) Subject to IC 12-20-11-5(b), if a township trustee, as administrator of township assistance, anticipates that a township assistance applicant or a member of the applicant's household is likely to receive a judgment, compensation, or a monetary benefit from a third party, the township trustee may require the applicant or the affected member of the applicant's household to:
        (1) enter into a subrogation agreement; or
        (2) sign a Social Security Administration's reimbursement authorization;
for the repayment of any township assistance benefits provided by the township during the interim period. A subrogation agreement authorized under subdivision (1) may only require repayment of interim benefits provided to the applicant or to the applicant's dependents who were members of the household to which township assistance benefits were paid.
As added by P.L.51-1996, SEC.72. Amended by P.L.73-2005, SEC.150.
The refusal to cooperate is a reason for denial of assistance.

In an email to me, Fred Barkes said that until 3 years ago, he didn't push on this but the state (SBOA) was not pleased with him for not pushing.  "Now we try to do what we can."

More Responses from Fred Barkes

Here are some responses to a recent comment Bob Freeman made on columbuzz.  As before, Fred Barkes' responses are in bold:

According to law, I cannot lower the pay of the Trustee lower than it is when I take office.

According to the law, best practice, if the Trustee and the Board agree, the salary can be reduced. It is that the Board cannot do it without the Trustee’s agreement.

I complained that his raises in his pay were "way too high."
By his own admission, the Trustee took this job as a part time position. One of his excuses for one of those pay increases was that he made it full time (35 hours a week), thereby justifying an increase.

As my opponent has mentioned or just repeated several times. The job of trustee is 24/7, many hours over just the 35 the Board and I agreed on.

I felt that with a competent staff, I could do it part time (35 hours a week) and keep my concrete testing job.

Good thought, but what about the many morning and lunch time meetings (i.e. 11:30 – 1:30).  I found that part-time just didn’t work well.

As the campaign has proceeded, I find it will be a full time position.
I have said on here recently that I plan to talk to the company I work for and make it a part time job. Most of what I do is done in the mornings.  I will see about cutting my salary in half and working 4 hours a day instead of 8.

I plan to change the office hours from the current 8:30 to 12:00 and 1:00 to 4:00 they are currently open, to 9:00 am to 8:00 pm m-f and half a day on Saturday.

You are talking about a 48 hour work week. There should be two people in the office when it is open. That would be 1 case worker and 1 to work the front desk. Love Chapel is open until 12:00 a.m. and only for food on Saturdays.

People need hours they can come in, including an office open during the lunch hour.
An office of 6 people needs to have everyone at lunch every day at the same time? I don't think so. How ridiculous!

In order to keep the office open during the lunch hour, it could mean that a case worker’s time would be lost also.

Anyway, I can have my hours in the Trustee office can start about noon each day. There will some flexibility in my hours there and at the concrete company.

The Trustee’s time requirements are often  necessary prior to noon.

I assure you of this; I will put in more hours per week than is currently being done. If I win the election, I will be Trustee 24/7.

My opponent implies here that I only work 35 hours a week. He ignores the fact that I do other Township duties evenings and weekends and that often you will find me in the office evenings and weekends. I am available through the Sheriff’s office and many of the service agencies when required. Therefore, I am available 24/7.

Is Bob Just Talking to Himself?

Is it just me, or does anyone else think that Bob is writing most of the latest comments himself on columbuzz?

Fred Barkes Responds to Article on Columbuzz

Responses from Fred Barkes on Bob Freeman's article "Why Vote for Me for Trustee?" posted on columbuzz on October 13, 2010.  Fred Barkes' responses are in bold:

Maintenance building on Mapleton St.

In my opinion, it should never have been purchased. The money used to buy it was intended for poor relief.  So the township poor suffered so the trustee could have the oil changed in the fire trucks!  I believe that the building should be sold and the trucks serviced where they are stationed. I also believe that the fund from which the monies were used to purchase the building should be reimbursed from the proceeds of that sale.

The building purchase was approved by the Board for several uses. 
  1. Maintenance of fire equipment (over 2.3 million dollars if replaced with new) that were not being maintained adequately by volunteers 
  2. A secure place to house tools and equipment needed in the repair of trucks and equipment 
  3. Office space, wired for communications network, to replace current office in case of disaster
Poor relief and financial assistance

I plan to explore as many new ideas for ways to help people as possible.  For instance, the lady I mentioned earlier that asks if the Trustee has a program to buy batteries for people with wheelchairs. We need to see if we can implement one.

If a person needs batteries and cannot afford to cover the cost the Township would access their needs.

When people are out of work and are willing and able to work, we need to use them when possible to do some of that work; mowing for instance.  We now pay $12,000 a year to have the cemeteries mowed. And from what I’ve seen, they seem to do a good job.  But why can’t we use people that need the work? Any other work that the office needs done and they are capable of should be offered as well.

There are liability and work comp. insurance issues here. You could almost guarantee that most of those able to work would fake injuries. Sources for work fair have dried up for the same reason.  Also, who would buy the mowing equipment and where would it be stored.  If the maintenance building were to be sold the township would own no place to store said equipment.

I believe we need to keep working closely with churches and other agencies in all areas of support. Food pantries, thrift stores, meal sites, etc… We can do so much more when we work together.  I believe we need to make better use of sleeping rooms as opposed to motel rooms when we do need to put somebody up. The bill for a couple of nights in a motel room will pay for a week in a sleeping room.

The Township maintains two sleeping rooms on a monthly basis for just that reason.

Payment to clients and vendors should be timely. I plan to see how that process can be made quicker.

The Township currently pays two times a week (Tuesdays and Fridays) and has been doing so since 2005 while in 2003 it was paying every two months and 2004 every week. This action was taken to assist the clients with late fees. The only exceptions are when a holiday falls on a Friday or the office manager is out of town on a Tuesday.

Fire Department

We have a great fire department. That must continue.  There seems to be room for improvement but that is a fire department issue. The Trustee should not control the fire department like the current Trustee is now.

The Trustee does not control the fire department; he controls the people that work for him. The control of the fire department rests with the membership and the current trustee is just one of those members.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Questions for Bob

Questions I have for Bob about one of his latest comments on columbuzz:

"I am running against Fred, not his family."
Then why are you demonizing Sandy Barkes and dragging David Barkes into your campaign?  And why did you say "We will post ANY other info about the Trustee and his clan when we find it." in a previous comment?

"And the report of a drug arrest on one son was only posted because it happened at and in the trustees house."
And why is this relevant to the trustee campaign?  Everyone knows the real reason why it was posted.  This is just spin doctoring and damage control.

"Calling someone a thief or a liar is serious business.  I try not to do that until I am pretty sure."
Pretty sure?  Why not absolutely sure?

Just Sad

Recent comment from Ruth B. on columbuzz:  "I must admit, I am hesitant to respond in any way as I am worried about now being verbally attacked on here but I did want to clear the air on my name, it is Ruth Barnes. Hopefully I will not have to defend myself on here as I thought comments could be posted freely without retaliation."

It's just sad that people are afraid to express their opinion on an "opinion" web site because of the petty and vindictive behavior of the moderators (dictators).  I and many others are proof that comments can not be posted freely without retaliation.  Last time I checked, I'm still banned from columbuzz.  Also, I'm very concerned that the Bob-o-bots now know Ruth's last name.  If she is harassed in any way, that's on Bob.  Here's part of Bob's response to Ruth:

"Ruth, this is an opinion website and you're entitled to your opinion."
I think he meant to say our opinion.  Probably just a typo.

"All we are after here is the truth, and discussions of those truths."
I just can't believe that Bob can write this with a straight face.

Bob's Naivete on Display

In a previous post, I wrote about Bob's claim of trustee office rudeness and estimated that at most 0.6% of the total number of households feel they were mistreated.  Bob's comment to my post included the following statement: "ONE is too many. ONE is enough to be concerned."  It makes me wonder if Bob has ever held a leadership position.  Those of us who have held such a position know that when you are a leader/manager, you most likely will need to make difficult decisions and those decisions will not make everyone happy.  This is especially the case when you are a trustee and make decisions on poor relief.  That's just reality.  If Bob really thinks he can make everyone happy as the trustee, he's in for a reality check, which he desperately needs.  Although there is one way he could make everyone seeking assistance happy.  Don't deny anyone for any reason whatsoever.  But if he does this, the line at the trustee office for people seeking assistance will stretch around the block and he'll be lucky to have any money left over for fire protection.  Like I said before, there's always the all volunteer bucket brigade or Jimmy John's delivery drivers.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Bob Freeman Seminar on Professionalism

Hello, my name is Bob Freeman and we'll be presenting today's seminar on civility and professionalism, as we are self-appointed experts on the subject.  Let's begin with some examples.  Suppose that someone disagrees with you on a subject, we have found that the following responses work best, especially the name calling ones:

"You know, as dense as you are, it doesn't look to me like you quite know how to absorb the facts."
"Bite my ass."
"You're all talk. An asshole with a mouth."
"Good luck Nimrod."
"You're either too stupid or too stubborn to absorb the proof."
"Show the proof wise ass. You're a lying jerk."
"Come on smart ass, show us your so-called proof or shut your trap."
"I would enjoy seeing him beat you to a pulp."
"Just hope I never learn your identity."
"That doesn't make her a bitch or a monster?"
"If you have any balls you will leave it up. If not, shove this site up your ass."
"Oh no, I believe he IS an idiot and they ARE monsters."
"Why don't they simply stop being rude, condescending monsters?"
"And these monsters are in charge of our system?" 
"What an idiot."
"Roxanne was said to be a bitch a few times"
"There is a difference between a bitch and a whore"
"You want to be a dickhead?"

So when you have a lame argument and you are called out by someone, we believe the best strategy is to attempt to discredit the person by calling them names.  It works great when you are able to delete any dissenting statements, like we do on our website.  Thank you for coming and don't forget your complimentary Bob Freeman for Trustee shopping bag on your way out.

Bob Freeman's Rant on Trustee Office Rudeness

You've all seen Bob rant on his little website about trustee office rudeness.  He implies that almost everyone that goes there for help is treated poorly.  Bob wrote in a comment to one of the posts on my blog:  "I can bring 20 people to court if I need to that will testify that the staff at the trustee office are monsters, bitches, and rude to people who come in for assistance."  I didn't realize that being rude was a crime.  If it is, then I think Bob should already be in jail by now.  Anyway, 20 seems like a very small number to me, so I decided to do a little investigating into the matter.  Here are some statistics from the trustee:
  • Total population of Columbus Township from the 2000 census:  41,194
  • Total number of households assisted by the trustee since 2003:  6994
Now some of the households are probably duplicates, so to be conservative, I'll assume that about 50% are duplicates.  So the estimated total number of unique households assisted since 2003 is about 3500.  I'll also assume that each of the 20 people come from a different household.  So what percent is 20 compared to these totals?
  • Total population:  0.05%
  • Estimated total households assisted:  0.6%
So I think it is safe to say that at most 0.6% of the total number of households say they were mistreated.  Sounds minuscule to me.  And some people will never be satisfied, especially those who do not follow the laws or the rules.