Tuesday, June 21, 2011
More Praise For Cincinnati Public Schools
Joe Nathan of the Minnpost.com offers up a summary on how Cincinnati Public Schools increased their graduation rates by more than 25%. The article is full of praise for what Cincinnati Schools, particularly Taft High School and it's principal Anthony Smith, accomplished.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Who Are Chris Bortz's Enemies On City Council?
Enquirer reporter Barry Horstman wrote in an article effectively that Cincinnati City Council member Chris Bortz believes he has enemies on council. There is not a direct quote, but Hortsman attributes the 'feeling' to one that is from Bortz. Here is the section of the article:
Ok, so we all have foes in our life and in the workplace, but enemies? I'm sure some pols around town see me as a political enemy, in so much as I will speak out against their candidacies, but that's hardly new or excessive. That is politics. I'm not an enemy. I'm not going to go after anyone's seat once elected. I don't see that anyone on Council is an 'enemy' of Chris Bortz. There is conflict on council. That conflict is a two way street and no one is blameless. If there is a witch hunt to get Bortz, it is from outside Council.
"Those factors provide a foundation for Bortz's feeling that political enemies - including some on council - would like to use the issue to force his departure, while doing no harm to the project they favor."So, that lead me to the question. Who are his enemies? There are only eight other people, nine if you include the Mayor. The list:
Mark Mallory (D) MayorAny guesses?
Roxanne Qualls (C,D) Vice Mayor
Cecil Thomas (D) President Pro-tem
Leslie Ghiz (R)
Amy Murray (R)
Wayne Lippert (R)
Laure Quinlivan (D)
Charlie Winburn (R)
Wendell Young (D)
Ok, so we all have foes in our life and in the workplace, but enemies? I'm sure some pols around town see me as a political enemy, in so much as I will speak out against their candidacies, but that's hardly new or excessive. That is politics. I'm not an enemy. I'm not going to go after anyone's seat once elected. I don't see that anyone on Council is an 'enemy' of Chris Bortz. There is conflict on council. That conflict is a two way street and no one is blameless. If there is a witch hunt to get Bortz, it is from outside Council.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Wenstrup to challenge Schmidt For Congress
Losing Republican Mayoral candidate Brad Wenstrup will mount a primary challenge against sitting 2nd district Republican congress woman Jean Schmidt.
Does Wenstrup know something we don't? Does he know what the 2nd district will look like? That's a big reason we've not heard who else will run for congress, we don't know what redistricting will do. Where the lines are 'painted' for the 1st and 2nd districts will drive who will get in each of the races from the Democratic side. I expect we won't know what those districts look like until the Republicans draw the lines behind closed doors and do their best to create as many districts with demographics that favor their candidate, while giving the Democrats little time to review them.
Wenstrup mounted a suburbanite campaign when he ran for the City of Cincinnati Mayor. That means that while he lived on the east side of the city, his attitude and tone towards the city was like a moderate suburbanite's generally is: one of caution, some misplaced fear, and dislike. That doesn't play well in the city. That attitude may, however, play well if the 2nd district has a big suburban core. I don't know how well he will sell out in the rural areas. That is a whole different type of voter. In a GOP primary, they will be especially different from the typical suburban Republican on economic issues. That's going to be interesting.
Wenstrup is a solid challenger to Schmidt. He is a mainstream Republican, so he can lean as far to the right as he needs to and play to the middle if that is where is primary votes lie and for the general election if needed. Seeing how much this divides the party in the primary is going to be an enjoyable situation.
Does Wenstrup know something we don't? Does he know what the 2nd district will look like? That's a big reason we've not heard who else will run for congress, we don't know what redistricting will do. Where the lines are 'painted' for the 1st and 2nd districts will drive who will get in each of the races from the Democratic side. I expect we won't know what those districts look like until the Republicans draw the lines behind closed doors and do their best to create as many districts with demographics that favor their candidate, while giving the Democrats little time to review them.
Wenstrup mounted a suburbanite campaign when he ran for the City of Cincinnati Mayor. That means that while he lived on the east side of the city, his attitude and tone towards the city was like a moderate suburbanite's generally is: one of caution, some misplaced fear, and dislike. That doesn't play well in the city. That attitude may, however, play well if the 2nd district has a big suburban core. I don't know how well he will sell out in the rural areas. That is a whole different type of voter. In a GOP primary, they will be especially different from the typical suburban Republican on economic issues. That's going to be interesting.
Wenstrup is a solid challenger to Schmidt. He is a mainstream Republican, so he can lean as far to the right as he needs to and play to the middle if that is where is primary votes lie and for the general election if needed. Seeing how much this divides the party in the primary is going to be an enjoyable situation.
We Need a Wyatt Earp
The Stupidity of the Ohio GOP controlled legislature knows no bounds.
I guess pretending to live in the old West just isn't enough. GOP members of the Ohio House and Senate want to actually live like Cowboys of Cochise County. I am assuming they already have had their wives make them a red sash.
At this point we need a Wyatt Earp to take everyone's guns at the city limits. If that law was good enough for Tombstone and wasn't challenged in Federal Court in 1879, it should be good enough now. No one messes with Wyatt Earp or at least no one who is not going allow idiots to be inside an establishment that sells booze while carying a handgun. I mean only a logical person would assume that people go into bars to drink, not to have gunfights. I mean they wouldn't ever do both because Cowboys don't kill people unless they got it coming, after all, so we all should be safe.
I guess pretending to live in the old West just isn't enough. GOP members of the Ohio House and Senate want to actually live like Cowboys of Cochise County. I am assuming they already have had their wives make them a red sash.
At this point we need a Wyatt Earp to take everyone's guns at the city limits. If that law was good enough for Tombstone and wasn't challenged in Federal Court in 1879, it should be good enough now. No one messes with Wyatt Earp or at least no one who is not going allow idiots to be inside an establishment that sells booze while carying a handgun. I mean only a logical person would assume that people go into bars to drink, not to have gunfights. I mean they wouldn't ever do both because Cowboys don't kill people unless they got it coming, after all, so we all should be safe.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
The Reaction In Green Township Is Predictable
The Enquirer is reporting about Green Township residents' reaction to the settlement that would add public housing, 32 units, to their township. They report that many are fearful. One township trustee says he has heard people say this will cause them to move.
I am not going to say, without evidence, that this is a big issue to all or even most of the people in Green Township, but damn for those who are so scared that they are voicing their fears, they are really prejudice bigots. I know some conservative is going to get in my face for calling them bigots, but when you assume that poor people will bring so much crime to your neighborhood that you are going to leave, then that is bigotry and harsh prejudice. The underlying cause and what is not being said, and should be said, is that the fearful ninnies are assuming these poor people are either black or Latino. No, I can't read their minds, but would they move because a bunch of poor white people were going to move in? No, if that were the case this article would not have been written, because no one would be calling their local politicians about it. You wouldn't see Chris Monzel's photo in the article's montage.
History shows, and we have the city neighborhoods to prove it, that when poor minorities moved into a neighborhood, most of the whites moved out. We have come a long way since this happened, but the mindset is still there in far too many minds, and those with the kneejerk reaction to move when the thought of 32 more poor minority households are to be added to their community are a big part of our continued race relations problems. It would be nice if they would act like adults, but we can't expect miracles.
I am not going to say, without evidence, that this is a big issue to all or even most of the people in Green Township, but damn for those who are so scared that they are voicing their fears, they are really prejudice bigots. I know some conservative is going to get in my face for calling them bigots, but when you assume that poor people will bring so much crime to your neighborhood that you are going to leave, then that is bigotry and harsh prejudice. The underlying cause and what is not being said, and should be said, is that the fearful ninnies are assuming these poor people are either black or Latino. No, I can't read their minds, but would they move because a bunch of poor white people were going to move in? No, if that were the case this article would not have been written, because no one would be calling their local politicians about it. You wouldn't see Chris Monzel's photo in the article's montage.
History shows, and we have the city neighborhoods to prove it, that when poor minorities moved into a neighborhood, most of the whites moved out. We have come a long way since this happened, but the mindset is still there in far too many minds, and those with the kneejerk reaction to move when the thought of 32 more poor minority households are to be added to their community are a big part of our continued race relations problems. It would be nice if they would act like adults, but we can't expect miracles.
Local News at Risk
Jim Hopkins at the Gannettblog had an interesting post recently discussing a study that states that America is facing a "shortage of local, professional accountability reporting."
We don't have enough reporters covering local and state level government. Cincinnati audiences have a handful of reporters covering nearly all of the local governments on a regular basis. Some reporters from TV sometimes will add some coverage of local governments, but nothing consistent.
The cause of this shortage is obviously the debatable issue. People will blame corporations, exclusively, or blame one political party over the other. The group that deserves most of the blame, as I have said often, is the audience.
At this year's Cincinnati Fringe Festival an edgy production called Music for Newspapers and Radios illustrated this issue quite well. At one point in the show, four actors read out loud different portions of that day's Cincinnati Enquirer. One person read the sports section out loud. Another read the TV listings, while still another read out the crossword puzzle. The fourth was reading the front page story on the State budget deal. She was passionate about it and felt the importance of the story and read it louder to the others so they might pay attention. They were oblivious and stuck to the entertainment they had before them. As if almost in a trance, they focused on sports, TV, or the crossword and ignored her rising voice issuing a news story that would affect them. It was important for them to know what it said, but being entertained was more important. After while the front page news reader tired and just fell asleep with the others. She gave up.
News outlets have given up trying. They are giving people what they want and they want to be amused. They don't care about consuming news that actually will have an impact on their community and would be needed to make choices on who should run the government. The idea of not having to think and just buying a pre-made idea is so much easier for our mindless consumer and image based society.
Our local news is at risk and when it dies, neither American Idol or ESPN will carry the story.
We don't have enough reporters covering local and state level government. Cincinnati audiences have a handful of reporters covering nearly all of the local governments on a regular basis. Some reporters from TV sometimes will add some coverage of local governments, but nothing consistent.
The cause of this shortage is obviously the debatable issue. People will blame corporations, exclusively, or blame one political party over the other. The group that deserves most of the blame, as I have said often, is the audience.
At this year's Cincinnati Fringe Festival an edgy production called Music for Newspapers and Radios illustrated this issue quite well. At one point in the show, four actors read out loud different portions of that day's Cincinnati Enquirer. One person read the sports section out loud. Another read the TV listings, while still another read out the crossword puzzle. The fourth was reading the front page story on the State budget deal. She was passionate about it and felt the importance of the story and read it louder to the others so they might pay attention. They were oblivious and stuck to the entertainment they had before them. As if almost in a trance, they focused on sports, TV, or the crossword and ignored her rising voice issuing a news story that would affect them. It was important for them to know what it said, but being entertained was more important. After while the front page news reader tired and just fell asleep with the others. She gave up.
News outlets have given up trying. They are giving people what they want and they want to be amused. They don't care about consuming news that actually will have an impact on their community and would be needed to make choices on who should run the government. The idea of not having to think and just buying a pre-made idea is so much easier for our mindless consumer and image based society.
Our local news is at risk and when it dies, neither American Idol or ESPN will carry the story.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
New Restaurant Coming to Downtown?
morning. This is on Vine Street between 6th and 7th Streets.
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