Within the article were the usual quotes from a couple of people on opposite sides of the issue -- just to keep the readers on the edges of their seats -- including quotes fom Mayor Godfrey. One side says the other is wrong, and vice-versa, etc., etc., etc.
Buried halfway through the article is this, however:
"The report being circulated by CBCFOF indicates Fat Cats has a high-risk credit ranking and three tax liens in Utah County totaling about $18,810 and one tax lien in Salt Lake County for $1,141.
Two of the three liens in Utah County were dismissed, and one for $6,858 was released in 2004.
Clerks at the Utah County Recorder's Office, Utah County District Court and Salt Lake District Court said Wednesday there are currently no outstanding tax liens for Fat Cats listed.
David Rutter, co-owner of Fat Cats, said the information contained in the Experian report is inaccurate.
"We are always timely in paying our bills," he said. "We don't have problems."
That's the WHOLE STORY FOLKS! The information on the "naysayers'" internet-obtained "credit report" is totally bogus! Although the Std-Ex's "cub reporter" didn't explicitly spell it out, that's what the above-quoted paragraphs actually say.
If you ever tried to clear an erroneous credit "ding" from your own credit report you'll understand the problem. The big three credit reporting agencies are laws unto themselves; and sometimes it's practically impossible to clear errors from the reports of these data-collection behemoths. If you don't believe me on this, talk to your local Realtor about the problems that arise every day because of the sheer sloppiness of these giant credit reporting companies in everyday real estate transactions.
If the "cub reporter" for the Standard-Examiner has already "confirmed" that the "naysayers' claim is bogus, why did the Std-Ex set the story up in a he said/she said format article under that provocative headline in the first place?
He said/she said journalism is my answer to that question. The "unsolved mystery" style of journalism is all the journalistic rage these days, and definitely sells more papers. The days when newspapers simply reported the unadorned truth without some kind of "reader hook," are long gone, even in our small community. The Standard-Examiner's "journalism" is chorographed by the corporate types at the Carpetbagger Newspaper Ownership HQ in Sanduskey, of course, and we local readers ought to be hopping mad about the way our local news is so mendaciously reported.
Gawd do I miss the Glasman Family, and their local ownership of our hometown newpaper. If they were still running the Standard-Examiner, I doubt there would be such dissension and madness in local politics.
12 comments:
The "Suits of Sandusky!" I love it!!
The boys at the Standard dance to the beat of The Suits of Sandusky. No doubt about it. It's all about money and how much they can package up here and send there.
Make no mistake about it the Standard Examiner is behind the current administration and all their development efforts, and so is the big guy in town, you know, the 800 pound Gorrilla we all know and love.
Why else would the Standard still be crying about the loss of eminent domain? With the eminent domain taking of those people's homes to build a Wal-Mart the Suits of Sandusky stood to make a pile of dough on more Wal-Mart advertising. Meanwhile the local staff of the Suits of Sandusky are all ensconced in fine city RDA funded digs at 2nd Street. Hey, except for a little trifle like journalistic ethics, why shouldn't they be on the Mayor's team?
News papers are just one more entertainment outlet in our modern connected world. The're yesterday's news so to speak. the only difference in this day is that news papers and some network news shows still have a journalistic pretense.
The article supports what I have opinioned on the Standard reporter in question before. He claims to be a just the facts man. The're supposed to have a new guy on the beat on 6 June. Maybe things will improve.
On the subject of the supposed credit report, in your rant you referred to it as "bogus" and erroneous when that is not what the article said. It said they were dismissed and released not bogus and erroneous.
I think the fact that this guy has apparently had tax liens in the past is pertinent although not necessarily a major deal. I mean he is after all about to be gifted with a $19 million dollar business at the expense of the public. the public is going to lose if this guy isn't a highly competent business man. Don't you think that it is pertinent that he may have stiffed a couple of counties on his property tax at some point in the past. Just cause you get caught and pay up doesn't deny that there could be a a question of business ethics and competence involved. The story could, and maybe should have, been reported - accurately, but as you wrote that wouldn't have fit the discription of the way it is in the news paper culture of Sandusky., and wouldn't have "sold as many papers"
I agree the old Glasman guys would not have let this happen. Abe (Abraham Lincoln) Glasman was a fine newspaper man and community business leader for many years in Ogden. I rather think he would never have let this city administration develope the arrogance that they seem to have.
Abe's father was William Glasman and he bought the paper from Senator Cannon when it was one of many small struggling papers in town. William really built the paper into a powerhouse and so did Abe in his turn. William was also three time mayor of Ogden during some very turbulent political and economic times. He was also speaker of the house of Utah and a candidate for the US congress when he died.
William and the Glasman family were very powerful in Utah. They were not like some of the weenie politicians of today, they used their power for the protection of the citizens vis-a-vis big business and developers. Seems like just the opposite of what the gang on the 9th floor are doing now. The Glasman's took care of the city and created an even playing field with minimum laws that gave all business an equal footing. They didn't gamble on business deals with the public money. They did however do it very successfully with their own dough and a major communication company eventually grew out of that family's efforts.
yes indeed, those Glasman's of yesteryear were great men in a great town. But that was then and this is now and we have who we have in city hall and at the paper. But fear not, this to shall pass. Ogden will survive and the mountains will still be there standing guard over this little slice of paridise.
If the liens that show up on a commercial Credit report don't show up on official records, that makes them erroneous and "bogus," by definition.
Credit reports that contain facially false information are just another form of libel, as far as I'm concerned.
They're either right or they're wrong.
In the instant case they appear to be the latter.
"Bogus" is the word I used, and I think it's a little too "soft," frankly.
It will be interesting to see if these apparent prior tax nonpayment allegations are "right or wrong" as you say Rudi. It seems a bit of a stretch that this kind of specific tax lien infor would show up with out any basis. Four different cases in two different juristictions against the same guy? Maybe it was a plot and a plant by the agents of the late petition group? the are pretty devious and well organized you know. These sticky little property tax problems could have been paid and dismissed and If so it doesn't mean they never happened if in fact they did.
We will never know for sure unless a real news paper looks into it. In any event I feel for the Fat Cat dude because the PR genius - big guy on 9 made an issue of it by giving it so many column inches in the local paper. Seems like the big guy ought to be above this kind of tacky stuff. I mean this Mitch guy appears to be a little around the bend so why play his game? Meanwhile the Fats dude gets a lot of extra attention over a slightly imbarrasing past indescresion. The proverbial mountain out of a mole hill...
None the less, ain't any of it a going to amount to a hill-o-beans. This Fats dude and his portly gym owning buddy are about to be the benficiaries of a 19 million dollar gift from the tax paying public. I hope it doesn't ultimately lead to their ruination. If the big guy on 9 is telling it straight, and these two are truly on the line - shit-o-dear I would not want to be walkin in their gym shoes!
Been following City politics for years. Watched the inflexability of the Mayor and his bunch. Watched Mitch, the guy in charge of Concerned Citizens & Business for Ogden's Future, bring charge after charge against the Recreation Center to light, but failing with the petition and failing to support the charges he brings. What I see is the proverbial "Mexican Standoff," between people who pay attention only to themselves. It's a pity and a tremendous waste of time.
My question is how they obtained the credit report. Can anybody just go and pull anybody else's credit report off-line legally? If it is illegal, I believe the SE needs to state that, because it certainly shows the real intentions of CBCOF.
I think that's a very good question, UTmorMAN. In that connection, I googled a little bit and came up with this consumer website, which generally addresses the question that you raise, and provides this brief information:
"Who has access to my credit report?
Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, access to your credit report is limited to businesses or people with a legally recognized need. Lenders, landlords, employers and insurers are all authorized to use your credit report as a means of checking your credit history and verifying information about your application for credit, insurance, employment or a rental. Your specific consent is required before your credit report can be provided to employers or when the report contains medical information.
Businesses that access your credit report have a responsibility under the law to safeguard the information.
In most cases, you must sign an application before a business can check your credit [...]. "
If you're interested in researching the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, and its privacy protections, you can find that body of legislation here.
Section 604 of that act sets forth "permissible purposes" for the obtaining of credit reports. Sections 616 & 617 provide civil penalties for noncompliance with terms of the Act. My quick overview of the statutory language would suggest that whoever obtained and disseminated the instant report my have conceivably violated provisions of Act, particularly if the report was obtained outside the context of a "legitimate business purpose."
Perhaps you can dig in a little bit more into the subject, read the legislation, and report back to us what you are able to find out.
It seems to me that credit report privacy is a subject of great importance to all of us; and I believe anything you can provide for us on this subject would be quite useful.
I think your all wet about this credit report business. These Fat jack guys are about to be given ninteen million american tax payer dollars under the pretext that they are smart and successful business people that are going to run a successful business and make big money for the public. This is public money make no mistake about it. If the public doesn't have the right to these guys credit reports then nobody does!
Rudi, you seem to have your head up your butt on a wide range of issues effecting Ogden. My guess is you're a white republican lawyer from the previledged class and you're a buddy of the lord mayor? Either that or your on the editorial board of the Ogden SubStandard. Same difference...
Did any one see the article in this morning's Salt Lake Tribune about journalism awards? (SL Trib Sunday June 12) It is entitled: "The Tribune snags best paper, investigative reporting honors".
Seems that the Utah chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists had an awards banquet the other night to offer themselves lots of pats on their collective backs. This is mostly all the newspaper guys in Utah.
WELL, it seems our very own and dear so called news paper known derisevly in town as the Ogden SubStandard won an award! Suprise Suprise Suprise.
There were 65 awards given in total over a range of 18 categories. Our very own Doug Gibson won second place in the Editorial category for a piece on the sentencing of the wife killer McQuire.
What does it say about our dear 100 plus year old "local" paper that it wins but one award out of sixty five awarded in a state with 6 or 7 "real" newspapers? Are the "Suits of Sandusky" tuned into what's happening in Oz - or what?
Ah c'mon, Victor.
You're just ticked that I spilled the beans upthread about how you reside in a rest home.
I believe the proper term is "Substandard-Exaggerator, Ozboy
Rudisink
If it wasn't for this home I wouldn't get no rest at all, what with being pestered by young pecker heads like you and that Utah moron dude or dudet.
I'm hoping to be getting out of here pretty soon. That other young punk Rulon just might get his house auctioned off by the federal courts and I'm hoping to be there and win the auction. It will give me a lot more access to make my views known to this other group of jive buddies of yours and Glasmann's that reside in and have a stangle hold on city hall. Some body needs to tell them where the bear shits, and it aint here at the shady lane manor for the old, infirm and drooling.
Right after Mitch Moyes did his bit on Fat Kat's & Gold's Gym, which was that "INTERNET CREDIT REPORT" for Fat Kat and a total character assassination wherein he suggested that inappropriate sexual behavior had been perpetrated upon a young lady employee of Gold's Gym by its owner, I attempted to gain access to that same Internet Credit Report. Many, many questions with answers were needed, including
Tax ID Numbers, Soc Sec Numbers, and other pertinent identifying histories, before that credit report was issued. Of course, I failed miserably and was thrown out of the website. That got me to wonder a couple of things: 1-how did Moyes get the numbers necessary for the credit report; 2-how did Moyes get the numbers necessary for the credit report; and 3-since I'm sure he didn't have these numbers, just what the hell kind of report did he have in hand? My thoughts are that if one wants a valid credit report, on a commercial entity, one doesn't go to some internet website.
Also, an observation: haven't seen Moyes around lately, and the big bond vote is pending in a week or two. Where oh where can he be?
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