“… I KNOW are true!” (4/11/15)

Lookie here! We’re pulling out a feature category that we haven’t used in a long time. Let’s put out some true statements that might make a few people ashamed, uncomfortable or even mad.

I’ll call for a Big Board to come out because… “These five things I KNOW are true…”

• “Your utility bill went up over the winter months because you used more electricity in the winter months.” – Electric meters don’t lie. They very rarely give faulty readings (to the tune of less than 0.02%). A lot of Danville Utilities customers are whining and complaining because they have $300 utility bills, but they don’t look to see how much electricity that they actually used. The Danville Utilities rate increase was much less than 10%, but most people don’t take the time to review their consumption history. Look at what how many kilowatt hours you used in January last year, then compare the same number to January this year. Whoops. Numbers never lie. I got rid of a badly inefficient heating system this past winter, and my electricity usage went DOWN 55%. Most people use way more electricity in January than they do in April, and the bills will reflect that. Folks, you pay for what you use. It’s that simple.
• “There is no health or safety issue with Danville’s municipal water. It stinks and nobody wants to drink it now, but it’s safe if you choose to drink it.” – Nobody has gotten sick from Danville’s nasty smelling and nasty tasting water. Nobody has died from it either. I’m not using it for drinking or cooking purposes either, but that’s because it tastes like dirt. Don’t confuse the issues, people. If you think “How can they say it’s safe when they don’t know where the smell is coming from?”, your answer is “There’s been absolutely nothing found in the finished drinking water that is dangerous.” And by the way, there never has been anything harmful like that detected. Ever. The Danville Water Treatment Plant knows how to do their job, and they’ve always got the state agencies looking over their shoulders.
• “When a new retail business decides to open somewhere, your opinion on whether somewhere “needs another business like that” means diddlysquat.” – Whether it’s Danville’s third mattress store, a coffee shop in the town of Halifax, or a new restaurant where seven others have failed before… it isn’t your business venture nor your money to lose if the business fails. Social media gives you the platform to complain about everything that you want to, but “With great power comes great responsibility”. Don’t look like an idiot when people read your horrible predictions that never came close to being true. Danville’s Zaxby’s? They’re doing just fine. South Boston’s Murphy USA gas station? Doing great and the Gas House besides them hasn’t closed. Danville’s four Mexican restaurants all within a mile of each other? All are still open.
• “Danville’s Harvest Jubilee Series knows what fills the arena and they’re in business to make a profit.” – It’s about time for the Harvest Jubilee committee to announce their 2015 concert series for the Carrington Pavilion. Don’t be surprised when you see three B-list country music acts. Don’t complain when you see three B-list country music acts either, because that type of concert schedule is guaranteed to sell tickets, and probably sell out. You’re not going to get any A-list acts coming to the Carrington Pavilion. It holds a lot of people, but nearly enough to keep the ticket prices reasonable enough for most people to afford. The Harvest Jubilee people know that this region likes B-list country music acts and tickets less than $40. It works for them and they make a good profit. The venue is available enough for another private promoter to come in and attempt more concerts… but that hasn’t happened yet. You can figure out the reasons why.

Hmmm. That’s four things. How about adding “I’m Done!”. Those five things I KNOW are true.