President Bush "To Do List"
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Friday, January 27, 2006
Ordinary Peoples Coming Back to the Nati
Ordinary Peoples, Ohio's greatest hip-hop act is coming back to Cincinnati in the somewhat near future. According to their show calendar they are coming to the "Poison Room" on Saturday April, 1st. Apparently the Viper Room has changed names again.
Ordinary Peoples came to Cincinnati to play one of my city council campaign events and has been back a few times since then. I will no doubt remind everyone again that they are coming back, but thought I would give a heads up for the hip-hop fans out there.
OP also received a very positive write-up from City Beat.
Ordinary Peoples came to Cincinnati to play one of my city council campaign events and has been back a few times since then. I will no doubt remind everyone again that they are coming back, but thought I would give a heads up for the hip-hop fans out there.
OP also received a very positive write-up from City Beat.
Monday, January 23, 2006
Democrats Not Taking Care of Their Own
Democrats Not Taking Care of Their Own
Catherine Barrett is a 45 year Democrat and current state representative (district 32) who was asked to step out of the way to leave an easy path to the state senate for political unknown Eric Kearney.
Barrett is one of a disproportionately small number of females in either house of the state legislature. This being her last term, the number of females representing us in our government look to get even smaller. "I think the party doesn't value women," Barrett said. And she recognizes that is only one of many obstacles in her path to a seat in the higher house of the state legislature.
"I'm having to fight the party" said Barrett. It is her belief that the local and state Democrats have a problem with ineffective leadership. "We need unification in leadership; someone to bring both sides together," she said. "We have more of a dictatorship" in the Democratic party and she prefers a system that is, ironically enough, more democratically run.
Because of her belief in the democratic spirit she will not back down to the wishes of Tim Burke and other Democrats who would rather see her take a step back to city government- or anywhere other than the state senate. While she believes that Democrats awarded the senate seat to Kearney in a deal at the price of $500,000(fundraising money for other statewide campaigns), she wants the constituents, not the party hierarchy, to decide what is good for the Cincinnati area.
Barrett describes her opponent Kearney as a political opportunist who has no desire to run an actual race. She said that he courted the Republicans for an appointment only to be passed up for an actual member of their party. The Democrats on the other hand found a spot for him in Mallory's vacated seat. "He's going around looking for opportunities and I can't feel sorry for someone who is just looking for opportunities," she said.
Barrett feels it is her turn to serve in the Senate. She is one of the three representatives in the Senate district where as her opponent "doesn't have any experience in public service." Barrett also sites the fact that she won her first election in the district with 64% of the vote and ran unopposed in the most recent election.
While the party seems to be an obstacle for her right now, Barrett feels no reason to run as an independent. She believes in the Democratic Party and feels it should take care of people-- something she believes she has done in her time as representative.
"Eric Kearney doesn't have the fire in his belly or the guts to be a politician," Barrett said. As former Mayor, Vice-Mayor, and Council Person of Forest Park on top of her 4 terms as an Ohio State Representative, she says how difficult politics can be. She believes her opponent doesn't have the mettle to run an election, instead he seeks appointments. "You need thick skin. And I can take it," she said.
Catherine Barrett is a 45 year Democrat and current state representative (district 32) who was asked to step out of the way to leave an easy path to the state senate for political unknown Eric Kearney.
Barrett is one of a disproportionately small number of females in either house of the state legislature. This being her last term, the number of females representing us in our government look to get even smaller. "I think the party doesn't value women," Barrett said. And she recognizes that is only one of many obstacles in her path to a seat in the higher house of the state legislature.
"I'm having to fight the party" said Barrett. It is her belief that the local and state Democrats have a problem with ineffective leadership. "We need unification in leadership; someone to bring both sides together," she said. "We have more of a dictatorship" in the Democratic party and she prefers a system that is, ironically enough, more democratically run.
Because of her belief in the democratic spirit she will not back down to the wishes of Tim Burke and other Democrats who would rather see her take a step back to city government- or anywhere other than the state senate. While she believes that Democrats awarded the senate seat to Kearney in a deal at the price of $500,000(fundraising money for other statewide campaigns), she wants the constituents, not the party hierarchy, to decide what is good for the Cincinnati area.
Barrett describes her opponent Kearney as a political opportunist who has no desire to run an actual race. She said that he courted the Republicans for an appointment only to be passed up for an actual member of their party. The Democrats on the other hand found a spot for him in Mallory's vacated seat. "He's going around looking for opportunities and I can't feel sorry for someone who is just looking for opportunities," she said.
Barrett feels it is her turn to serve in the Senate. She is one of the three representatives in the Senate district where as her opponent "doesn't have any experience in public service." Barrett also sites the fact that she won her first election in the district with 64% of the vote and ran unopposed in the most recent election.
While the party seems to be an obstacle for her right now, Barrett feels no reason to run as an independent. She believes in the Democratic Party and feels it should take care of people-- something she believes she has done in her time as representative.
"Eric Kearney doesn't have the fire in his belly or the guts to be a politician," Barrett said. As former Mayor, Vice-Mayor, and Council Person of Forest Park on top of her 4 terms as an Ohio State Representative, she says how difficult politics can be. She believes her opponent doesn't have the mettle to run an election, instead he seeks appointments. "You need thick skin. And I can take it," she said.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Sitwell's Coffee House Tries Smoking Ban
Cigarettes and coffee are a combination that bring to the mind picture of writers toiling over the next great American novel, graduate students arguing the finer points of Kant, and people desperately stimulating themselves out of their sleepy comas before work. The two have formed a relationship that has even been solidified in movie titles. The couple has been together so long even discussing them has become cliche. Clifton coffee house Sitwell's has shoved a wedge in between the loving couple and split the two apart. People may be surprised at the results.
Sitwell's is a mainstay of the Clifton Gas Light District and fits right into the neighborhood. It is close to a University, next to an art Movie Theater, and also is a magnet for Cincinnati teenagers. Before the New Year Sitwell's dabbled in a smoke-free environment, keeping the air clean for morning and early afternoon business, but providing a section for smokers in the evenings that divided the shop in half with a curtain.
Not unlike many individuals, Sitwell's decided to start off the new year a little bit healthier by turning the foggy coffee house into a smoke-free environment. A move which many coffee shop and bar owners shudder at the mere mention of. Drinking coffee and drinking alcohol often go hand in hand with lighting up a cigarette.
While a citywide smoking ban has caused a great deal of fear for small business owners and smokers alike, Sitwell's has found amazing success with their new, cleaner environment. A "Help-Wanted" sign written on a piece of notebook paper is taped to the glass door amongst other clutter, not an entirely uncommon sight, but I was assured by current members of the staff that this is a much different situation than usual. One waitress said that business has doubled since the ban, saying that she has been stuck working every night for two weeks straight while the owner seeks out more hands to help out.
One customer said "I don't mind smoking outside" and went on to say that he is glad to not bother people with his personal habit.
Another member of their staff said that the move has helped her cut back on her own smoking. For now the cold has been a deterrent to keep her off her all-natural American Spirit cigarettes.
Some relationships simply go on longer than they are meant to. For Sitwell's the break-up of coffee and cigarettes was long overdue, though for many it was slightly unexpected. Progress can be scary, but the results can be rewarding.
Sitwell's is a mainstay of the Clifton Gas Light District and fits right into the neighborhood. It is close to a University, next to an art Movie Theater, and also is a magnet for Cincinnati teenagers. Before the New Year Sitwell's dabbled in a smoke-free environment, keeping the air clean for morning and early afternoon business, but providing a section for smokers in the evenings that divided the shop in half with a curtain.
Not unlike many individuals, Sitwell's decided to start off the new year a little bit healthier by turning the foggy coffee house into a smoke-free environment. A move which many coffee shop and bar owners shudder at the mere mention of. Drinking coffee and drinking alcohol often go hand in hand with lighting up a cigarette.
While a citywide smoking ban has caused a great deal of fear for small business owners and smokers alike, Sitwell's has found amazing success with their new, cleaner environment. A "Help-Wanted" sign written on a piece of notebook paper is taped to the glass door amongst other clutter, not an entirely uncommon sight, but I was assured by current members of the staff that this is a much different situation than usual. One waitress said that business has doubled since the ban, saying that she has been stuck working every night for two weeks straight while the owner seeks out more hands to help out.
One customer said "I don't mind smoking outside" and went on to say that he is glad to not bother people with his personal habit.
Another member of their staff said that the move has helped her cut back on her own smoking. For now the cold has been a deterrent to keep her off her all-natural American Spirit cigarettes.
Some relationships simply go on longer than they are meant to. For Sitwell's the break-up of coffee and cigarettes was long overdue, though for many it was slightly unexpected. Progress can be scary, but the results can be rewarding.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Judge Prescribes Church as Punishment
I couldn't help but laugh when I saw that attending church is now a punishment for spitting out racial slurs. Remembering my childhood in unforgiving wooden pews, gazing out of stain-glass windows while the priest droned a sweet lullaby into my young ears; I can only think that it was boring, but not bad enough to be a prison sentence.
William Mallory, Jr., a black judge and brother of mayor Mark Mallory, while I will admit is being rather clever, he is tip-toeing a dangerous line of constitutional issues when giving people a choice between jail and attending church.
I find myself torn on this issue as I am an advocate of rehabilitation over punishment whenever possible, but still don't like my state mixed with church in any way. I have always been an avid supporter of Thomas Jefferson's "wall of separation" and probably won't change my mind on it any time soon.
True that Judge Mallory gave Brett Haines (accused of firing off racial slurs at a cab driver) a choice in the matter. Spend 30 days in a correctional facility or 6 consecutive weeks of Sunday service at a church. That is an offer that even the most principled of atheists would sweat a little bit were they forced to stare down the barrel of that gun. I would like to say that I would choose to sit in jail for 30 days as opposed to being forced to attend a church in which I don't believe the doctrine and dogma that gives it its energy. But we all think a lot of things about ourselves that may not necessarily be true when the chips are on the table.
What I wonder is why choose church out of all things? Why not pair Mr. Haines up with Jack Nicholson who worked wonders in Anger Management? Why not send him to Dr. Melfi who practically saved Tony Soprano through a psychoanalytic approach? There are several secular options that would have kept religion out of our government. They are even well documented through various outlets in pop culture.
All kidding aside, this type of ultimatum to attend church is unacceptable in our government. If the average person has the choice between a tight noose and a devout life of religion then I think the world will become a much more fake and holy place. I have no problem with people finding religion or prescribing to the teachings of Jesus, but when our government starts handing out a dose of the gospel as a punishment, another section of our Bill of Rights is being erased.
William Mallory, Jr., a black judge and brother of mayor Mark Mallory, while I will admit is being rather clever, he is tip-toeing a dangerous line of constitutional issues when giving people a choice between jail and attending church.
I find myself torn on this issue as I am an advocate of rehabilitation over punishment whenever possible, but still don't like my state mixed with church in any way. I have always been an avid supporter of Thomas Jefferson's "wall of separation" and probably won't change my mind on it any time soon.
True that Judge Mallory gave Brett Haines (accused of firing off racial slurs at a cab driver) a choice in the matter. Spend 30 days in a correctional facility or 6 consecutive weeks of Sunday service at a church. That is an offer that even the most principled of atheists would sweat a little bit were they forced to stare down the barrel of that gun. I would like to say that I would choose to sit in jail for 30 days as opposed to being forced to attend a church in which I don't believe the doctrine and dogma that gives it its energy. But we all think a lot of things about ourselves that may not necessarily be true when the chips are on the table.
What I wonder is why choose church out of all things? Why not pair Mr. Haines up with Jack Nicholson who worked wonders in Anger Management? Why not send him to Dr. Melfi who practically saved Tony Soprano through a psychoanalytic approach? There are several secular options that would have kept religion out of our government. They are even well documented through various outlets in pop culture.
All kidding aside, this type of ultimatum to attend church is unacceptable in our government. If the average person has the choice between a tight noose and a devout life of religion then I think the world will become a much more fake and holy place. I have no problem with people finding religion or prescribing to the teachings of Jesus, but when our government starts handing out a dose of the gospel as a punishment, another section of our Bill of Rights is being erased.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Brinkman Wins With Losing Campaigns
Tom Brinkman led the charge in 2005 for the repeal of property taxes against seemingly massive opposition. In the Cincinnati community there was never a feeling that this campaign would have been successful.
The property tax repeal was soundly defeated, as expected, but Tom Brinkman takes away some extra benefits from even losing campaigns.
If you visit the state representative page of Tom Brinkman you will see that his profession is listed as "printer." Anyone in politics knows that access, and even more so ownership, of a printing press would be an incredible convenience. Paper fliers and mailers are the backbone of many campaign efforts and Brinkman, like nearly all of politicians, utilizes them in large amounts.
On top of the added convenience, Brinkman is able to turn donated campaign dollars into revenue for his family. While his name is not on the ownership line of Curry Printing Co. LLC, Brinkman does admit that he has used the printing company owned by his wife in every campaign he has ever participated in. On top of that Brinkman admits "I send any business that I can to Curry Printing Co." He added that he does not print any material for free. Other candidate committees that have utilized Curry Printing Co. in recent years include the Witte Committee, Ohioans for Ken Blackwell, Citizens for Jim Petro, Friends of Jim Raussen.
Tom Brinkman in 2004 and 2005 spent $19,548.19 at Curry Printing Co. (find these numbers at the Ohio Secretary of State). The committee cutting the checks for these expenses is Brinkman for State Representative. These figures do not include the Issue 9 campaign or any other in which Brinkman was involved.
Brinkman did not recall the amount spent in the losing effort for the Yes on Issue 9 Campaign.
Brinkman continues to keep his name in the public's mouth and his anti-spending constituency active with a constant barrage of campaigns, some winning, others destined to lose. At the same time he is able to keep the family printing press churning out more Brinkman and C.O.A.S.T. campaign literature, translating political campaign contributions into family profit.
The property tax repeal was soundly defeated, as expected, but Tom Brinkman takes away some extra benefits from even losing campaigns.
If you visit the state representative page of Tom Brinkman you will see that his profession is listed as "printer." Anyone in politics knows that access, and even more so ownership, of a printing press would be an incredible convenience. Paper fliers and mailers are the backbone of many campaign efforts and Brinkman, like nearly all of politicians, utilizes them in large amounts.
On top of the added convenience, Brinkman is able to turn donated campaign dollars into revenue for his family. While his name is not on the ownership line of Curry Printing Co. LLC, Brinkman does admit that he has used the printing company owned by his wife in every campaign he has ever participated in. On top of that Brinkman admits "I send any business that I can to Curry Printing Co." He added that he does not print any material for free. Other candidate committees that have utilized Curry Printing Co. in recent years include the Witte Committee, Ohioans for Ken Blackwell, Citizens for Jim Petro, Friends of Jim Raussen.
Tom Brinkman in 2004 and 2005 spent $19,548.19 at Curry Printing Co. (find these numbers at the Ohio Secretary of State). The committee cutting the checks for these expenses is Brinkman for State Representative. These figures do not include the Issue 9 campaign or any other in which Brinkman was involved.
Brinkman did not recall the amount spent in the losing effort for the Yes on Issue 9 Campaign.
Brinkman continues to keep his name in the public's mouth and his anti-spending constituency active with a constant barrage of campaigns, some winning, others destined to lose. At the same time he is able to keep the family printing press churning out more Brinkman and C.O.A.S.T. campaign literature, translating political campaign contributions into family profit.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Flavor of Mediocrity
Find this article and more at The Cincinnati Beacon
I had the chance to sit down with the Dean of Cincinnati last night and was joined by Justin Jeffre. Every so often we meet to discuss local happenings, goals for the future of Cincinnati, and sometimes just shoot the breeze. Somehow our normal conversation shifted to one of last year's top stories, the firing of University of Cincinnati basketball coach Bob Huggins. Justin admitted that he wasn't the avid fan of the Bearcats that his bandmate Nick Lachey is, or at least played on TV, but still he played the role of "typical Cincinnatian" and rushed to the defense of Bob Huggins and his accomplishments at the University of Cincinnati. Justin Jeffre on the campaign trail pitched the fact that he has been selling Cincinnati to the world for practically his whole adult life. His buddy Nick Lachey is often called "Mr. Cincinnati" and was captured frequently on Newlyweds with his Bearcats gear on, screaming at the TV in frustration and disappointment watching UC play basketball(so I hear). Justin went on to inform me of Lachey's passion over the matter of Huggins being fired and how he worked tirelessly writing letters to the editor of the Enquirer speaking out in defense of the former ball coach. So now I want to pose these questions to these "spokespersons of Cincinnati": Why are you obsessed with mediocrity? Why do you choose this cause to fight for? Do you think your love of mediocrity encourages more of Cincinnati to embrace mediocrity?
Bush steals two elections and people are relatively silent. The city sells fountain square and an affordable parking garage to private interests and people remain silent in spite of the fact that we are lied to about all the numbers. The firing of a mediocre basketball coach on the other hand caused students to put down their sweating beer mugs at Woody's, organize their fraternities, make hostile t-shirts and cry about the injustices that have been done by "the man" (or woman in this case) to their precious and defenseless Bob Huggins.
I bring this topic up rarely as many Cincinnatians will string up Bob Huggins nay-sayers or burn them at the stake. They defend him as if he is the Pope and they are the most devout of Catholics. But what is it they are defending?
Bob Huggins is credited with bringing the University of Cincinnati from the doldrums of college basketball to becoming one of the elite teams of the entire nation. I will grant the Huggins supporters that he did have a good season some eleven years ago and gave the UC basketball program some type of recognition throughout the country.
One of the lines you hear from Huggins supporters is that "Coach got us to the tournament 14 years in a row." That's a true statement. What they won't tell you is that out of those 14 years Bob Huggins and the UC basketball team lost in the first or second rounds (usually being upset) 10 times. What makes that worse is that UC would usually come in with a high seed and get upset by 10 seeds or little known teams that they should have plowed over.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am from Columbus, Ohio originally and we had a similar type of coach in my back yard at the Ohio State University. John Cooper was a football coach who would win Big Ten titles, get to bowl games, post winning records and do all the things that Bob Huggins accomplished on the hardwood. Like Huggins, Cooper had an incredibly mediocre record in the post-season.
Did Columbus herald coach John Cooper in the same fashion as Cincinnati worships the car-swerving Bob Huggins? Anyone who follows sports in the state of Ohio knows that is not the case. The fans of Ohio State football had called for his termination long before the Buckeye athletic department actually pulled the trigger. Ohio State football fans know that there is something better than just making it to the post-season. They believe that they can and should do better and will rise up until they get their wish.
Last night I was having a typical bar conversation about Bob Huggins with Justin Jeffre, a typical Cincinnatian, who jumps to the aid of Bob Huggins in spite of not even really being a sports fan. The debate circled around the point of Huggins being able to get to the NCAA tournament and I of course countered with the fact that he lost in the early rounds nearly every time.
I tried to detail the facts that UC had held the dubious honor of being SI Magazine's "least rootable team," that we had sagging graduation rates, and for some reason the majority of our coaches kept getting caught driving drunk. On top of that we had players who seemed to lack "moral fiber," being caught with guns on campus is one such example. Sometimes I say this and get the laughable response that Bob Huggins was an advocate of social justice, giving these unfortunate criminals a second chance at life by allowing them in our university and on his basketball team. It had nothing to do with him needing thoroughbred athletes to continue his tournament appearance streak. He was just being Huggins the humanitarian.
Justin responded with "yeah, but he got us to the tournament every year." That seems to be enough for the average resident of Cincinnati. Even though UC has been the perennial easy upset pick for even the most novice of sports fans who fill out a tournament bracket for $5 at their office.
For those who are still reading, this conversation is not really about sports or mediocre Bob Huggins at all. This is about Cincinnati's obsession and satisfaction with mediocrity. The mindset of the city is such that just being 1 of the 64 teams in an NCAA tournament is as good as winning the national title. This is the city that goes 8-8 one year in football and suddenly Paul Brown stadium is sold out and rocking the city with cries of "Who-dey!?".
This love of mediocrity is clearly not exclusive to sports. We have one of the worst daily papers in the nation and yet people continue to read it every day, I assume like the Bob Huggins situation people feel there is no other choice. The Dean of Cincinnati can point out the corruption of our city and county politicians, people will read it and some may even believe it. At the end of the year they will go back to their regular polling place and still punch the hole next to the name of the same person who has been proven corrupt. Cincinnati is content with their lazy or corrupt politicians (or basketball coaches) and feel that they can do no better.
This city is considered by many to be on the downswing. Point the finger anywhere you want but the fault is on us, the regular people of the city. We stopped believing we could do better. At some point we decided as a city that just getting to the tournament was enough to keep us happy. Somewhere along the line we decided that we would continue to buy the Cincinnati Enquirer as long as it was still 50 cents and available at the nearest street corner.
Bob Huggins is gone and even the Enquirer has come around to saying the sky is not falling. Andy Kennedy, a former assistant coach, is having equal or greater success than the beloved Bob Huggins in spite of the fickle fans who refuse to attend games or support the team as a way to stick it to Nancy Zimpher.
The city is failing because of peoples reluctance to change, the same reason our college basketball team was failing. There is an old cliche that says "if you keep doing what you've been doing, then you're going to get what you've always got." This is something that teachers or sports coaches throw out at you to make you believe that if you work a little harder than you will get more. I give you the same challenge now. When we begin as a city to take more pride in everything about Cincinnati, then that pride will cause me and you to demand more. More from our coaches, more from our politicians, more from ourselves. When this happens we will never again be considered a city that is on the downswing.
I had the chance to sit down with the Dean of Cincinnati last night and was joined by Justin Jeffre. Every so often we meet to discuss local happenings, goals for the future of Cincinnati, and sometimes just shoot the breeze. Somehow our normal conversation shifted to one of last year's top stories, the firing of University of Cincinnati basketball coach Bob Huggins. Justin admitted that he wasn't the avid fan of the Bearcats that his bandmate Nick Lachey is, or at least played on TV, but still he played the role of "typical Cincinnatian" and rushed to the defense of Bob Huggins and his accomplishments at the University of Cincinnati. Justin Jeffre on the campaign trail pitched the fact that he has been selling Cincinnati to the world for practically his whole adult life. His buddy Nick Lachey is often called "Mr. Cincinnati" and was captured frequently on Newlyweds with his Bearcats gear on, screaming at the TV in frustration and disappointment watching UC play basketball(so I hear). Justin went on to inform me of Lachey's passion over the matter of Huggins being fired and how he worked tirelessly writing letters to the editor of the Enquirer speaking out in defense of the former ball coach. So now I want to pose these questions to these "spokespersons of Cincinnati": Why are you obsessed with mediocrity? Why do you choose this cause to fight for? Do you think your love of mediocrity encourages more of Cincinnati to embrace mediocrity?
Bush steals two elections and people are relatively silent. The city sells fountain square and an affordable parking garage to private interests and people remain silent in spite of the fact that we are lied to about all the numbers. The firing of a mediocre basketball coach on the other hand caused students to put down their sweating beer mugs at Woody's, organize their fraternities, make hostile t-shirts and cry about the injustices that have been done by "the man" (or woman in this case) to their precious and defenseless Bob Huggins.
I bring this topic up rarely as many Cincinnatians will string up Bob Huggins nay-sayers or burn them at the stake. They defend him as if he is the Pope and they are the most devout of Catholics. But what is it they are defending?
Bob Huggins is credited with bringing the University of Cincinnati from the doldrums of college basketball to becoming one of the elite teams of the entire nation. I will grant the Huggins supporters that he did have a good season some eleven years ago and gave the UC basketball program some type of recognition throughout the country.
One of the lines you hear from Huggins supporters is that "Coach got us to the tournament 14 years in a row." That's a true statement. What they won't tell you is that out of those 14 years Bob Huggins and the UC basketball team lost in the first or second rounds (usually being upset) 10 times. What makes that worse is that UC would usually come in with a high seed and get upset by 10 seeds or little known teams that they should have plowed over.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am from Columbus, Ohio originally and we had a similar type of coach in my back yard at the Ohio State University. John Cooper was a football coach who would win Big Ten titles, get to bowl games, post winning records and do all the things that Bob Huggins accomplished on the hardwood. Like Huggins, Cooper had an incredibly mediocre record in the post-season.
Did Columbus herald coach John Cooper in the same fashion as Cincinnati worships the car-swerving Bob Huggins? Anyone who follows sports in the state of Ohio knows that is not the case. The fans of Ohio State football had called for his termination long before the Buckeye athletic department actually pulled the trigger. Ohio State football fans know that there is something better than just making it to the post-season. They believe that they can and should do better and will rise up until they get their wish.
Last night I was having a typical bar conversation about Bob Huggins with Justin Jeffre, a typical Cincinnatian, who jumps to the aid of Bob Huggins in spite of not even really being a sports fan. The debate circled around the point of Huggins being able to get to the NCAA tournament and I of course countered with the fact that he lost in the early rounds nearly every time.
I tried to detail the facts that UC had held the dubious honor of being SI Magazine's "least rootable team," that we had sagging graduation rates, and for some reason the majority of our coaches kept getting caught driving drunk. On top of that we had players who seemed to lack "moral fiber," being caught with guns on campus is one such example. Sometimes I say this and get the laughable response that Bob Huggins was an advocate of social justice, giving these unfortunate criminals a second chance at life by allowing them in our university and on his basketball team. It had nothing to do with him needing thoroughbred athletes to continue his tournament appearance streak. He was just being Huggins the humanitarian.
Justin responded with "yeah, but he got us to the tournament every year." That seems to be enough for the average resident of Cincinnati. Even though UC has been the perennial easy upset pick for even the most novice of sports fans who fill out a tournament bracket for $5 at their office.
For those who are still reading, this conversation is not really about sports or mediocre Bob Huggins at all. This is about Cincinnati's obsession and satisfaction with mediocrity. The mindset of the city is such that just being 1 of the 64 teams in an NCAA tournament is as good as winning the national title. This is the city that goes 8-8 one year in football and suddenly Paul Brown stadium is sold out and rocking the city with cries of "Who-dey!?".
This love of mediocrity is clearly not exclusive to sports. We have one of the worst daily papers in the nation and yet people continue to read it every day, I assume like the Bob Huggins situation people feel there is no other choice. The Dean of Cincinnati can point out the corruption of our city and county politicians, people will read it and some may even believe it. At the end of the year they will go back to their regular polling place and still punch the hole next to the name of the same person who has been proven corrupt. Cincinnati is content with their lazy or corrupt politicians (or basketball coaches) and feel that they can do no better.
This city is considered by many to be on the downswing. Point the finger anywhere you want but the fault is on us, the regular people of the city. We stopped believing we could do better. At some point we decided as a city that just getting to the tournament was enough to keep us happy. Somewhere along the line we decided that we would continue to buy the Cincinnati Enquirer as long as it was still 50 cents and available at the nearest street corner.
Bob Huggins is gone and even the Enquirer has come around to saying the sky is not falling. Andy Kennedy, a former assistant coach, is having equal or greater success than the beloved Bob Huggins in spite of the fickle fans who refuse to attend games or support the team as a way to stick it to Nancy Zimpher.
The city is failing because of peoples reluctance to change, the same reason our college basketball team was failing. There is an old cliche that says "if you keep doing what you've been doing, then you're going to get what you've always got." This is something that teachers or sports coaches throw out at you to make you believe that if you work a little harder than you will get more. I give you the same challenge now. When we begin as a city to take more pride in everything about Cincinnati, then that pride will cause me and you to demand more. More from our coaches, more from our politicians, more from ourselves. When this happens we will never again be considered a city that is on the downswing.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Democrats Could Learn From Tom Brinkman
Tom Brinkman never misses with or distorts his campaign message: Less taxes, less government interference in individuals lives. He is a pro-gun, pro-life Republican that as a left leaning individual I would be hard pressed to find 5 things I agree with him on. On the Ohio Patriot Act (an unnecessary and intrusive act that floated through our state congress just before the winter break) Brinkman shows a strong belief in civil liberties that state Senate candidates Catherine Barrett and Eric Kearney, as well as their new Ohio Democratic chairman Chris Redfern, don't seem to grasp.
The Ohio Patriot Act passed in the House with 69 votes and had a bi-partisan opposition of 23 representatives. Tom Brinkman was one of the seven dissenting Republican votes and stood beside Cincinnati Democrat Tyrone Yates. The Senate had only two dissenting votes while the bill passed with ease. Newly appointed State Senator Eric Kearney is one of the "yes men" to help it pass.
The word liberal has morphed so many times in our country but at its core it shares a deep meaning with the word liberty. When someone thinks about liberal currently in America they are most likely thinking about Democrats. There are different branches of liberal ideology which vary and confuse people a great deal. Both focus on the importance of the individual, but welfare liberals differ a great deal from a traditional liberal. Welfare liberals believe that the individual can not flourish if they are not given opportunity and that some people are naturally disadvantaged by their place in our society. This is why the welfare state aims to aid those in need and help pick people up.
The original idea of a liberal is something more like Tom Brinkman. "I am an individual. Leave me alone and don't take my money," would be a phrase supported by an old school liberal. If you pay attention than you know this is originally what the Republicans once stood for: Less taxes, less government intrusion. This was before the rise of the Christian Right and the Republican need to legislate their personal or religious morality.
Any type of liberal should believe strongly in civil liberties and government not intruding on peoples lives (taxes become a blurry issue). Our local and state Democrats have either lost their spine or forgotten what their "liberal" party is supposed to stand for; protecting individuals from government and promoting equality and the importance of individual people.
There may be "Democrats" who support the Ohio Patriot Act that trounces on civil liberties. There may even be many locals who support the Catherine Barrett or Eric Kearney types. For those I will give a few brief talking points on why the Ohio Patriot Act (SB 9) is unnecessary and unjust. A few of my favorite reasons:
1) It intrudes on individual privacy
2) It expands an unnecessary bureaucracy
3) It punishes political dissent
4) It Sends a message that the state of Ohio equates immigrants with terrorists
(There is a more complete list if you follow the link above, it also provides in depth analysis).
It worries me that Tom Brinkman fights for civil liberties more than these Democrats that hold important positions. It worries me that Democrats have promoted someone to the position of party chair that would support an intrusive law that violates peoples basic rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Hopefully Cincinnati will look at State Senate hopefuls Catherine Barrett and Eric Kearney and see that Democrats who don't care about individual civil liberties enough to voice dissent against a bad and unnecessary bill are not the type of Democrats that America and Ohio need in these corrupt and growingly oppressive times.
See how your Senator and Representative voted here.
The Ohio Patriot Act passed in the House with 69 votes and had a bi-partisan opposition of 23 representatives. Tom Brinkman was one of the seven dissenting Republican votes and stood beside Cincinnati Democrat Tyrone Yates. The Senate had only two dissenting votes while the bill passed with ease. Newly appointed State Senator Eric Kearney is one of the "yes men" to help it pass.
The word liberal has morphed so many times in our country but at its core it shares a deep meaning with the word liberty. When someone thinks about liberal currently in America they are most likely thinking about Democrats. There are different branches of liberal ideology which vary and confuse people a great deal. Both focus on the importance of the individual, but welfare liberals differ a great deal from a traditional liberal. Welfare liberals believe that the individual can not flourish if they are not given opportunity and that some people are naturally disadvantaged by their place in our society. This is why the welfare state aims to aid those in need and help pick people up.
The original idea of a liberal is something more like Tom Brinkman. "I am an individual. Leave me alone and don't take my money," would be a phrase supported by an old school liberal. If you pay attention than you know this is originally what the Republicans once stood for: Less taxes, less government intrusion. This was before the rise of the Christian Right and the Republican need to legislate their personal or religious morality.
Any type of liberal should believe strongly in civil liberties and government not intruding on peoples lives (taxes become a blurry issue). Our local and state Democrats have either lost their spine or forgotten what their "liberal" party is supposed to stand for; protecting individuals from government and promoting equality and the importance of individual people.
There may be "Democrats" who support the Ohio Patriot Act that trounces on civil liberties. There may even be many locals who support the Catherine Barrett or Eric Kearney types. For those I will give a few brief talking points on why the Ohio Patriot Act (SB 9) is unnecessary and unjust. A few of my favorite reasons:
1) It intrudes on individual privacy
2) It expands an unnecessary bureaucracy
3) It punishes political dissent
4) It Sends a message that the state of Ohio equates immigrants with terrorists
(There is a more complete list if you follow the link above, it also provides in depth analysis).
It worries me that Tom Brinkman fights for civil liberties more than these Democrats that hold important positions. It worries me that Democrats have promoted someone to the position of party chair that would support an intrusive law that violates peoples basic rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Hopefully Cincinnati will look at State Senate hopefuls Catherine Barrett and Eric Kearney and see that Democrats who don't care about individual civil liberties enough to voice dissent against a bad and unnecessary bill are not the type of Democrats that America and Ohio need in these corrupt and growingly oppressive times.
See how your Senator and Representative voted here.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Time Warner Cincinnati Has Become too Complacent in Their Solitude
Time Warner holds the city of Cincinnati hostage with their most affordable package being just a couple dollar bills south of $100 monthly (includes cable and high speed internet). Whether or not the price is right what kind of service can we expect when they are the only game in town?
I am an avid fan of many shows on HBO and Showtime and enjoy flipping through the On Demand menus whenever I have some time to watch TV. The countdown of the Sopranos playing all episodes to get us up to speed for the new season, old episodes of Six Feet Under, or the recycled Seinfeld comedy found in Curb Your Enthusiasm are just a few of the programs I pay good money for every month to have at my fingertips whenever is convenient for my busy schedule.
Over the past month or so the On Demand service that I pay for has been down, broken, or whatever you want to call not functioning and simply keeps giving me error messages. I've spent too much time listening to elevator music and hearing Time Warner advertisements trying while I was merely trying to get a simple problem resolved. When I do get a tired and frustrated real person on the phone their answer is usually just "yeah it's broken and it will be fixed sometime." All the while I continue to pay for these services which spend a lot of their time unavailable.
What's their motivation to fix the problem? If I got this response from my cell phone company, Cinergy (bad example as we are stuck with them also), or any other service I pay for regularly I would switch to a competitor who could get the job done immediately with an ear to ear smile. We expect service in our world because our free market economy generally means if we don't get what we want we can go somewhere else. Unfortunately Time Warner has no competition and thus could care less about the happiness of their customers.
Some may be saying that "of course you have choices, switch to Direct TV or the Dish network." I would but it's not the same product. A satellite system usually comes with lengthy contracts and heavy installation fees while cable services tend to provide much more flexibility. For apartment dwellers like myself who don't know what shack we will be living in from one year to the next a satellite system may have trouble transferring from place to place or may not be affordable in the nature that cable is supposed to be. I would love to switch high speed internet services as well but TW is the only company that offers a cable connection in our city. Cincinnati Bell offers a DSL connection but I am one of the growing number of people who no longer use land lines in exchange for a more up to date mobile lifestyle and phone.
There's no doubt that Time Warner has a stronghold on the cable industry throughout the country. For comparisons sake we should look at our neighbor to the north Columbus. They have a few competitors who are taking chunks of business away from dissatisfied Time Warner customers who have spent one too many minutes listening to bad advertisements on hold. Competing companies will probably not overtake a giant like Time Warner but go a long way to keep huge companies like TW honest and give customers what our economy needs... Choices.
For the benefit of Cincinnatians our politicians should look at their cards and see what moves they can make to provide some competition in one of the biggest money making markets in America. If they want to hand away big subsidies to places like Saks Fifth Avenue that a mere fraction of our population use, why not give a subsidy to lure an opposing cable company to town that would give our citizens cheaper rates, better service, and more options in such an important market?
An innovative move like this from our politicians would benefit the entire city and force big companies to be what they tend to loathe so much; which of course is honest.
I am an avid fan of many shows on HBO and Showtime and enjoy flipping through the On Demand menus whenever I have some time to watch TV. The countdown of the Sopranos playing all episodes to get us up to speed for the new season, old episodes of Six Feet Under, or the recycled Seinfeld comedy found in Curb Your Enthusiasm are just a few of the programs I pay good money for every month to have at my fingertips whenever is convenient for my busy schedule.
Over the past month or so the On Demand service that I pay for has been down, broken, or whatever you want to call not functioning and simply keeps giving me error messages. I've spent too much time listening to elevator music and hearing Time Warner advertisements trying while I was merely trying to get a simple problem resolved. When I do get a tired and frustrated real person on the phone their answer is usually just "yeah it's broken and it will be fixed sometime." All the while I continue to pay for these services which spend a lot of their time unavailable.
What's their motivation to fix the problem? If I got this response from my cell phone company, Cinergy (bad example as we are stuck with them also), or any other service I pay for regularly I would switch to a competitor who could get the job done immediately with an ear to ear smile. We expect service in our world because our free market economy generally means if we don't get what we want we can go somewhere else. Unfortunately Time Warner has no competition and thus could care less about the happiness of their customers.
Some may be saying that "of course you have choices, switch to Direct TV or the Dish network." I would but it's not the same product. A satellite system usually comes with lengthy contracts and heavy installation fees while cable services tend to provide much more flexibility. For apartment dwellers like myself who don't know what shack we will be living in from one year to the next a satellite system may have trouble transferring from place to place or may not be affordable in the nature that cable is supposed to be. I would love to switch high speed internet services as well but TW is the only company that offers a cable connection in our city. Cincinnati Bell offers a DSL connection but I am one of the growing number of people who no longer use land lines in exchange for a more up to date mobile lifestyle and phone.
There's no doubt that Time Warner has a stronghold on the cable industry throughout the country. For comparisons sake we should look at our neighbor to the north Columbus. They have a few competitors who are taking chunks of business away from dissatisfied Time Warner customers who have spent one too many minutes listening to bad advertisements on hold. Competing companies will probably not overtake a giant like Time Warner but go a long way to keep huge companies like TW honest and give customers what our economy needs... Choices.
For the benefit of Cincinnatians our politicians should look at their cards and see what moves they can make to provide some competition in one of the biggest money making markets in America. If they want to hand away big subsidies to places like Saks Fifth Avenue that a mere fraction of our population use, why not give a subsidy to lure an opposing cable company to town that would give our citizens cheaper rates, better service, and more options in such an important market?
An innovative move like this from our politicians would benefit the entire city and force big companies to be what they tend to loathe so much; which of course is honest.
About Me
- Andrew Warner
- Cincinnati, Ohio,
- E-mail Andrew Warner
- Andrew Warner's Profile
Support the underground
- You love the media underground. Click below and support it:
Search
Last posts
- Cindy Sheehan sticks it to the Democratic Party
- I hope Ben Affleck's wrong
- A real "Law and Order" candidate
- Oh Kobe...
- Ill Poetic live from the Taste of Cincinnati
- Interview with a new council candidate
- Best food at Taste of Cincinnati
- Naked Cowboy plugs the mothership
- Tom Green memories
- You might be a redneck... if you're an 11 year old...
