If Votto enjoys watching the young players he should retire, buy a ticket, and let some developing player get a chance. Cincinnati Reds want a new park or high updates? Pay for them without taxpayer money. Or, leave.
Reds have won 9 of their last 15. Votto is correct…this is a very fun (but sometimes frustrating) team to watch. I’m all in on the rebuild. Their 3 studs in the minors are knocking the cover off the ball. Things are trending the right direction.
"rebuild", "trending in the right direction", yadi-yada, sorry I don't buy it. How many times have we heard this before? At this point I am a band wagon fan, pure and simple. If at some point they are doing well again on a regular basis, I'm very happy to jump on the band wagon again. Until then, I'm answering Phil Castellini's rhetorical question "Where you gonna go?" with my wallet. (Hint: it ain't a baseball team but they do play pretty much the same time of the year and are currently tied for 1st place in their conference.)
Many good points/ subject again today. But the one that's stuck in my craw is Huggins being made to donate that 1M to Xavier. Because we all know how badly private universities need money. So nice to know the Dr Gee put so much thought into it.
I am a Republican, but cannot fathom why anyone would support or vote for Trump again. Also was a huge Huggins fan but cannot understand how a 55 year old family man gets his livelihood and career destroyed for saying a word once, while a 69 year old millionaire gets off with a 1/3 reduction in pay and a donation for saying it twice and also disparaging an entire religion
Malignant narcopaths such as Trump don't change. He was just as obviously unfit for office 1o or 2o years ago as he remains today. Other than events having happened to flesh out the story, his shtick and narrative was proved again last night not to have evolved in any appreciable way
As to the Western & Southern Open, it seems that decision has already been made, despite claims to the contrary from the billionaire who bought the rights to the event last Fall. Nothing good was ever gonna happen from that for our region, sadly.
Thank you for not sticking to sports. I tuned in to CNN last night, and I lasted about a minute before I could no longer stomach it. I read the write-up on it this morning, and it's beyond disgraceful. I honestly don't know what is worse: Trump himself, or the TENS of MILLIONS of people who continue to support him, no matter what (literally). People get the politicians they deserve. I'm still thinking that while Trump is the clear and obvious front runner for the Republican nomination, he cannot win a general election. The contrast between Trump and Biden in 2020 was clear, and that contrast is ever clearer today and going forward.
Pretty sure part of the "big plan" from the extremist right wing is to eliminate the Republican party altogether. Democracy only works with two parties that work together to negotiate "for the desires of the people". He is breaking up our democracy simply by being an idiot and showing the world that we are actually considering letting him go thru with this ploy. Where are the indictments when we need them. Unless the Democrates show some power in their party and not continue to put up with the lawlessness with no consequences, they will lose both parties.
My first assessments circa the 2o15 primary were that Bubba Clinton was putting Trump up to torpedoing the R primary process and thus the nomination of the opponent of HRC in pursuit of the 2nd half of the 'Clinton Copresidency' ... I'm thinking i missed only on the orchestrater (Putin) and the target (takedown of R party in service of crippling US democracy). I suggest more study of details of the BMSK lobbying firm and that whole circa 198os period. Trump was their alpha client and the K is for Peter Kelley, the D part of their lobbying operations and confidante of the Clintons
I saw a few clips of the event. I was amused by Trump when he pulled out a print out of the tweets he made about J6 to disprove the timeline the interviewer was using. His asides in that exchange were humorous. That said, he is the R candidate I support the least.
Do you really feel comfortable contrasting anyone with Biden? The guy has not had a press conference all year, rarely takes questions, those questions he does take are submitted in advance with a photo and name of the journalist who will ask the question, can't remember that he was in a foreign country a week after returning from Ireland, has a hard time finding his way off stage multiple times, has to rely on a teleprompter at all times, and I could go on.
Sure, compared to Fetterman and Feinstein he is sharp as a used tack. Otherwise, let's recognize his diminished capacities and hope someone else steps into the race.
Love how the narcopathic tactics of gratuitously kicking an injured man when he's down talking point in re JF is so offhandedly played, above. Fetterman has a real opportunity here to become a lion in the mental illness and trauma psychology awareness and treatment arena that so desperately cries out for societal/governmental attention and focus thanks to gun violence issues
I used to vote Republican (not all the time but with regularity), for people like erstwhile US Sen. Rob Portman. Let's be very clear: Trump is not a Republican. He has conveniently used the Republican Patry and platform for his own benefit. What the GOP was in pre-Trump times is completely unrecognizable from today's GOP, where only one attribute matters: loyalty (to Trump of course). "Establishment" values like integrity, competence, science, truth, etc. are utterly and openly disdained in the GOP. As for Biden diminished capacities, that is true to some degree but the reality is that there has been no serious challenger from within the Democrats. I for one am thankful each and every day that Biden is in the White House.
This year (2023) marks the 40th anniversary that I arrived in this country (July, 1983). If someone would've told me even just 15-20 years ago that today the GOP is the party of non-stop lies, conspiracy theories, insurrection, anti-democratic, voter suppression, women's rights suppression, pro-Putin, anti-NATO, anti-migration (legal or otherwise), and all the other stuff too long to mention, I would have never believed it. Yet here we are.
How about I flip this? Ds are party of suppression of free speech, authoritarianism, pro-war, pro-criminal, pro-teen genital mutilation, no border enforcement, and no voting security. And a bunch of other stuff too long to mention.
Meanwhile, many of those conspiracy theories about Covid were actually true - started in a lab, natural immunity is as effective as vax immunity, vax doesn’t stop transmission nor infection. All true, but banned thoughts at one time. Also, we were assured earlier this year that the government was not coming for our gas stoves while NY is now banning them and 13 state AGs are looking into doing so. Last, we knew the government was directing social media to suppress or remove info it disagreed with. Elon’s ownership of Twitter has revealed that was true.
They aren’t really conspiracy theories if they are true. Perhaps you should be a bit more skeptical and less accepting of what you’re being told.
Well that certainly reads like a grievance triggered counter posting 'rebuttal' hitting the majority of the usual suspects echo chamber talking points menu alright ... let's see your source for this true fact admisson that covid started in a lab
That article quoted over a dozen divergent sources ... and the WHO statement was that there was absolutely no consensus and that the answer might never be pinned down. Hence my interest in this definitive source. I'm halfway expecting it to be it was from Hunter Biden's laptop left there by Brother Seamus, some blind Irish monk
Biden is refreshing in being an anti Cult of Personality candidate, which of course the scripted grievance/outrage addicted talking points propaganda narrative gaslights him in every conceivable way for being so
What does that even mean, Wayne? Your second clause is channeling Kamala's word salads.
If you find Biden "refreshing" while being unable to acknowledge his cognitive deficiencies, either because of partisan blindness or living in a blue bubble, we will never be able to meet in the middle.
And while we're at it, what exactly did you find so "empty, incoherent, unintelligible or nonsensical" about the second clause? Tell us which parts or concepts you couldn't comprehend and maybe I can clean that up for you. Slash words throw you for a loop?
Practically everything you write is scripted trigger worded echo chamber talking points tripe. Biden doesn't have dementia and edited youtube clips of 'stumbles' and 'wandering' are characteristic of narcopathic infantilism dog whistle tactics. Everything is fueled by the underlying amygdala hijacking presentation mode stoking grievance addiction cues
Wayne, I listed five other things besides him not being able to find his way off stage, all of which are also indicative of cognitive decline. That is in addition to the way he shuffles when he walks. You are in denial about his diminished mental capacity and trying to deflect.
Btw, I don’t watch or read Fox, or much other legacy media, so what I write are hardly talking points but simply my observations strung together.
His popularity has eluded me since 2015. I watched the R debates back then, for the sheer entertainment value, never considering he'd win the nomination. He's a guy completely lacking everything necessary to at least try to be a decent human being. Empathy, compassion, humility, grace, courage, wisdom, a semblance of veracity. Sad that he remains viable.
Pretty much nailed it, Doc. The thing is, the longer he shared the public eye as President, the more any semblance of those good human virtues you've listed diminished in him, as his thirst for total power took over. Just for a moment reflect on his rages and piques as he would fire people left and right who would not kiss his ring and recognize his deity. The man is flat out bad, bad poison. We can only hope the justice system has finally started to catch up with him.
Subsequent to the Huggins radio comments, Bill Koch and Jason Williams both stated that they observed Huggins making vile comments to his players using some of the same words. Yet I don't remember either of them ever reporting this. Do you think they shirked their responsibilities?
I sat in the third row directly behind Huggs when UC played John Calipari’s Memphis State team. Last game of the season. I believe it was for the regular season championship and I think the game went in to overtime.
The entire game…ENTIRE GAME…both of them dropped more f-bombs than you could possibly imagine. What was kind of funny is that if Bob used a different cuss word, Calipari would parrot that word seconds later. It was the heavyweight championship of foul language and both were cuss drunk at the end.
At first, that experience was kind of shocking but it ended up being quite entertaining for me but I wasn’t there with kids which, obviously, would have been an issue.
I have no reason to doubt Koch or Williams but I never heard either coach say the word they referred to and they dropped A LOT of them.
Losing the Western and Southern tournament would be such a blow to the Cincy sports culture. Going to a night session on beautiful summer night and enjoying a glass of wine is "civilized." Great event for adults and children. As Doc mentions, this could be the first domino to fall in Cincinnati losing sports relevance. Our republic's greatest blessing and curse is the inability to change. I say this in an endearing manner and it is large reason why I wanted to raise my kids in this town. But let's face it, Cincinnati is not a high growth market attracting new companies and workers. We have a thriving business community but we just don't have the same horsepower of some the growing markets in the sunbelt or even Columbus. Very few people care about legacy/tradition anymore so I have been preparing myself for a day when FC Cincy, Cyclones, UC, and Xavier will be the only shows in town.
I politely disagree that Cincinnati does not have the ability to change. I believe that to be an overused 19th century sterotype thanks to Samuel Langhorne Clemens.
1) For years, the Western & Southern Open has consistently improved their facilities. I'm not exactly sure who paid for them, but the grandstand's silhouette is very different today than in 2000.
2) There are three professional sports stadiums (MLB, NFL, & MLS) in our lovely downtown. We know who paid for the first two (the homeowners, shoppers, & tourists of Hamilton County). TQL Stadium construction I believe was privately funded ... although there were a number of land deals that raise the eyebrows of our citizenry.
I agree with you the stereotype of Cincinnati reluctance to change is probably somewhat exaggerated. There are certainly examples you can point to that illustrate innovation or progress - downtown revitalization (OTR), FC Cincinnati, and there are some successful startup company stories. Howevuh, the MSA population growth is fairly stagnant and the big company landscape has been the same for the past 30 years - P&G, Kroger, Cintas, Fifth Third Bank etc. I guess the point I was trying to make is that we're not a high growth market like some of the typical cities mentioned for sports relocation - Austin, Nashville, Raleigh, Charlotte etc. I worry that most folks care more about money these days and will be drawn to these markets rather than Cincy.
The Reds need to either be all in or all out. There's no reason for Newman to be starting. Bring up McLain and CES, those guys have nothing else to prove in Louisville. De La Cruiz needs a little more time, but not much. The Reds need to figure where these guys are going to play and get them in the line-up. Oh and stop playing position rotation with their positions on the field and in the batting order.
If the Reds really want to increase fans while the team is 'rebuilding', they need to reduce the cost for concessions. I saw a study recently that showed GABP has among the highest food and beverage prices in the league. Reducing the prices would make a ballpark outing more appealing and affordable. I expect that TQL's lower prices are one of the reasons they outdraw the Reds.
Although I don't pay attention to Trump any more, Biden's speech about the debt limits was downright depressing. How he could claim he reduced the deficit and that the Inflation Inflammation act has not created a financial precipice for our country shows how clueless he is. His press secretary is claiming we have no border problem while 10,000 illegal immigrants will be crossing the border per day in a few days. Although I support moving to alternative energy sources, a vast majority of the green energy investments produce very little benefits. The 6 million recent 'immigrants' probably release more carbon dioxide than will be saved by all the green energy projects. I actually hope Trump is found guilty of something so the Republicans can perhaps nominate a viable candidate that appeals to more independents like myself.
The Inflation Reduction Act has created jobs, projects to cut the deficit, establishes a fairer tax code, and reduces pollution while directly lowering energy and health care costs. Jobs are up, inflation is down. The financial precipice we're facing is due to Republicans hijacking the debt limit so the country may default on its debts. This isn't new money; it's money already approved in the budget process. Think about where we were when Trump left office. His economy bled almost 3 million jobs and the debt increased by $7.2 trillion. These are all facts. Those 10,000 immigrants you mentioned -- that's the number apprehended. Isn't that what you want? As for the climate measures, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 will help reduce America’s carbon emissions 40% by 2030. It's not enough, but it's a great start. Again, these are all facts. Look them up. And I beg you -- rethink where you get your news.
SOME agreement (with significant agreement on the Dems successfuly orchestrating voter irregularities to promote their chances...please, NOT to suggest the election was 'stolen' per se, I don't agree w that allegation). Covid was pretty damn scary in way of unknowns for 3-6 mos... certainly in hindsight, with 20/20 vision...older, retired folks like myself and those with compromised health shoulda just 'stayed home' while the economy continued to move forward. The most successful thing the Dems did to improve their election odds was shutting down the economy (of course, exerting control over the economy / the means of production is the very definition of Socialism...and the Dems are certainly focused on that ; (
Everything that happens is the fault of Democrats intentionally making victims of Republicans 😆 people need to google "identifying personality traits of malignant narcissists" and they'll be able to predict nearly every aspect of the Republican running 'narrative'
I guess you believe anything they tell you rather than actually looking at the numbers. Inflation rates for March and April are lower than the previous months, but are on top of the 8.5% increases the previous year. Avg. prices have increased over 13% since 2021. The projections of deficit reduction for the impact of IRA are pipe dreams and assume many things that will never happen. When the government spends 10 trillion dollars on things that have little immediate impact for most people, inflation will occur. You believe anything the press or Democrats tell you. The government can't just keep adding debt without making some important cuts. The economy under Trump prior to Covid was the strongest in my lifetime and inflation was never over 2.5%. The 'job bleeding' only occurred due to COVID shutdowns. I never liked Trump the person, but his policies put the country in a much stronger position than it is today. The 10,000 is the estimate for the future, and 6 million have been processed and allowed to enter the country while their cases are being reviewed. That is equivalent to the population of four major cites. I get my information from multiple sources and objective scientific studies, not from special interest lobby groups or the press propaganda.
I'm not surprised you didn't notice, but I said prior to covid. Check out the economics of the first 3 years of his administration. I don't know any hard working professional who is in better shape today than in 2019 and early 2020 prior to lockdowns.
I sure do miss $1.79 a gallon gas, highest labor participation rate, lowest unemployment among blacks, Hispanics and women ever. Keep peddling your bullshit, but you’re “gonna need a bigger boat” Brody🙄
Also, Inflation Reduction Act has now replaced Jumbo Shrimp as the biggest oxymoron in history
$1.79 gas was only because there was nothing open and nowhere to go because of Covid lockdown. No demand = low prices because of severe overstock supply. If you don't understand and actually long for that (nowhere to go and nothing to do but stay home in quarantine) you're either a scripted IRA trolbot or so brainwashed by them and their aping parrots that there's extremely little reason to expect you're smart enough to ever understand much of anything except you'll keep buying into "Republicans are better for the economy". Republicans are better for the persons who own businesses because they give the most "government handouts" in the form of tax breaks to the persons who already have all the money already In large part because they have owned the Republicans with those "government handouts" in a self sustaining cash feedbacl loop with those gifts since Reagan and "supply side" voodoo economics. The economy for everyone grows under Democrats because they feed the ecomonic food chain more from the bottom up (where We the Voting People are) benefiting everyone (including the T Rex class) rather than the obese fat cat T Rex oligarchs at the top who own the Republicans as their loyal pets
Gas prices in Ohio ranged from $2.05 per gallon to $2.60 per gallon in the strong economic times prior to Covid. I'll take those over the $3.50-5.00 prices caused by this administration's oil policies. It went up .40 this week and will likely go higher now that Russia and Saudi's are controlling OPEC.
I think Trump was the benefactor of good timing prior to Covid. The economy was already humming along quite well when he took office after Obama inherited the Great Recession. I don't see how continuing to cut taxes is sustainable in our economy, unless you want every road you drive on to be a toll road. Most of the roads we drive on in the Tristate are pieces of shit. Everyone bitches about them, but those same people whine about paying for them. Then we were waging 2 wars, increasing defense spending so that we can project power in 2 hemispheres, and also spend tons of money trying to fight wildfires, as well as cleanup from hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods.
The border is a mess, but neither side really wants to do anything about it. Oh, you can say, Trump tried to build a wall, but he did that basically stealing money that was appropriated for defense spending, and building a wall is just a band-aid. It's not addressing the root cause(s) of the problem, and if they are not addressed, the wall just becomes a smokescreen, and something that, even if it was effective, would require constant upkeep.
There is a lot of consternation about inflation, and what is causing it. I don't think it can be pinned down to one thing, but looking at the national debt is just an easy target. Inflation occurs when there are not enough goods and services to satisfy demand. This happened because of the pandemic. It is still a factor, even though we stopped wearing masks. In 1982, the national debt first passed $1T, under Reagan. It has steadily climbed since. Now, the worrisome thing isn't just the debt. You have to also look at GDP and the ratio of debt to GDP. In 1982, it was 34%, which means that it's still manageable even if the number is mind-boggling. The scary thing is that in 2022 it was 123%. Ouch! But don't think Trump did anything to help. The ratio climbed every year he was in office, even pre-Covid. Covid blew it out of the water at 129% in 2020, but since Biden took office the ratio has dropped. Not enough, of course, but at least it's on a downward trajectory. So, the thing is, Trump's presidency was like a volcano that was heating up, but hadn't blown yet.
Regardless, playing politics with the debt ceiling is dumb. First off, the debt ceiling should move with the spending. You spend a dollar, you commit to paying the bill at the time you place the order. The GOP is only playing this game because they don't control enough of Congress to make cuts on their own. But how much can you keep cutting? Everyone points to handouts because they piss some people off, but the reality is that only 11% of the budget is spent on Education, Training, Employment, and Social Services combined. It's just not that easy.
My references are below. You can draw your own conclusions. Have a nice day and weekend everyone!
Good information. I agree; if you're gonna spend a dollar, have a plan in place to pay it back. One quick point: "income security" is another of the annual categories on the fed gov spending pie charts, and it refers specifically to what are usually known as "hand-out" programs, such as welfare, SSI, unemployment, milk for mothers, school lunches, etc).. In 2022, it was a whopping 14% of the overall fed budget. Adding to that, Social Security and Medicare combined for almost 33% of fed dollars spent ($1 of every $3).
One of the flaws of capitalism is that politicians are expected to keep generating growth and increasing wealth for their constituents and the country at large, which is a difficult, if not impossible, premise to work under. To be successful and avoid losing the next election, they do back room deals "with the devil" to add some pork to their home supporters' pockets. This makes balancing the budget at odds with staying in office and blocks effective debt reduction legislation. Not a sustainable system.
The problem now with the increasing debt is that interest rates are also increasing. This will result in higher % of govt spending being needed just to cover the interest expense. I recall the Carter years of 13.5% adjustable rate mortgage rates. We are headed in that direction unless both parties can get together to reduce spending. I agree with you about the bad roads and bridges. It is unfortunate that only a small percentage of the 'Infrastructure' bill goes to highways and bridges. A significant amount goes to installing charging stations for the rich who can afford to buy electric cars rather than letting the private sector figure it out. Did taxpayers ever pay for gas stations to be built?
Regarding the charging stations, by installing them, in theory it will help to incentivize more people to purchase EVs. Yes, eventually the market could figure it out, but that would add significant delay. Had the government not invoked CAFE standards, your car would still probably get only 15 mpg. EVs are not just for the rich, and newer models will keep pushing the price down, just as the first HDTVs were thousands of dollars for a 40" set. Now they can be purchased for just a few hundred dollars. Ultimately, people will find that they love EVs. You just have to drive one. I've owned probably 30 something vehicles in my life. I bought a Tesla Model 3 nearly 3.5 years ago. I paid $47,900. How is that a car for the rich? I could spend far more than that on an F-150. I basically have no maintenance, and I'm saving a ton in gas, even considering what I'm paying for electricity. I paid an electrician $200 to add a 240v outlet in my garage. I charge overnight. I'm not sure why anyone would hate an electric car. My Tesla is built in America even.
I am not against EV's. I think it would make a lot more sense to evolve rather than force people to convert to something that isn't ready for the mass market. The focus should be on hybrids that already work with the existing infrastructure, provide significant reduction in fossil fuel use, are less expensive than most EV's, and are more familiar to car owners and mechanics. I would rather have my taxpayer dollars be used to replace roads and bridges than for charging stations. The private sector should be doing that.
Trump inherited the Obama recovery from the previous Republican disaster of crashing the economy under Bush. Republicans deliberately cause economic debt crises so that their masters with all the money can then buy up everything for pennies on the dollar when everything goes south.. and the Democrats get voted back in and repair things and build it back up for all (relatively .... those already with all money are still the squeakiest wheels paying mouthpieces to demand their cut) ... with the Republicans deliberately now obstructing them and also blaming them the entire time for how bad they themselves made things to be that way
The government should also make everyone pay their fair share of taxes. Trump tried to tear up NATO. I can't imagine where we'd stand now if Biden hadn't healed that wound. Trump also OK'd the insurrection. "Much stronger position''? Hardly.
I agree with you on taxes, but every time that taxes are raised for the 'wealthy', it is the middle class that receives the greatest impact. The wealthy can always find tax breaks or move money offshore. I would like to see a major overhaul of capital gains taxes. Long-term investment should be encouraged and short-term gains should be taxed at a much higher level. Tax gains under 3 months by 60%, 3-6 months: 50%, 6 months-1 yr at std tax level for the bracket, and over 1 year taxed at half the standard rate for that bracket. This would reduce market manipulation and result in more market stability, as well as generate more tax income from the people who really did nothing to earn it. When Trump lowered the corporate tax rate, many companies moved back and created US jobs, which actually resulted in higher tax revenue. Many of the pharmaceutical companies moved overseas (esp China) when corporate taxes were raised by Obama. I'm not a fan of NATO and I think many countries had more respect or fear for US with Trump. We weren't on verge of war during his administration and we were much less susceptible to actions by OPEC. Covid changed the country and Trump. I don't like what he did just prior to or after the election.
That's an interesting point. Trump did seem to earn the world's fear, as you suggest, but he did it by scaring the world with his erratic, bullying, deeply narcissistic personality, much like Putin or the fat boy in North Korea. Trump's childish rants on social media and crazy instability in his hirings and firings within his staff certainly left the world wondering if a mad man was running the US. Not the best way to be "respected". I think NATO has done a wonderful job of neutralizing Russia's cold war build up of nuclear weapons, and is the only reason most of Europe is not speaking Russian today, or gotten slammed by USSR nukes in the decades both before the Soviet Union breakup and after..
I think that's a really underappreciated fact. Trump had all but divorced us from NATO. The cohesion it has now, thanks to Germany, France, GB and a fully engaged US is obviously all that has prevented Putin from conquering Ukraine.
Heard a stat the other day. 42% of federal income tax is paid by the 1%, 37% is paid by the 90% (poor, working, middle class), the other by the 91-99th percentile. That’s a progressive tax policy. Where would you change it?
It's a misleading stat, for one. Tell me how much taxable income the 1 percent is earning. That's a start. Maybe you could also tell me why Bezos apparently pays nothing.
"Income" is what's taxed and not the entire picture ... and tax discussions like this leave out the "wealth" aspect of those discussion and are largely scripted propaganda obfuscations designed to overwhelm the actual understandings of what's really going on in the bigger picture anyway
The most wealthy are also the biggest political donors to both parties and therefore always can weasel tax breaks. Having spent a career in the corporate world, I also believe most CEO's are making too much money and do more to harm their companies than help them. They are slaves to Wall Street rather than champions for their employees and customers.
You would have to look at individual tax returns. Amazon’s tax payments follow the same logic as your 401K and write offs. Depreciation and capital gains. Do you want unrealized gains in your retirement account taxed? What if they lose value?
I agree that it won't be solved until parties work together to minimize the current flow and develop a path to citizenship for the people who are already here. Countries and cities can't absorb the number of people currently coming over the border and there is no major attempt being made to keep them out, especially the drugs and criminals. The man who was charged last week in a rape in Forest Park had been deported five times, but still was able to get back into the country.
I believe it can be done - AND that both parties in Congress share responsibility for it not yet being done. That said, presently we need to actually close the border (as Trump essentially did) before we can put actual immigration REFORM in place (inclusive of a pathway to citizenship for those already here illegally, incl DACA, migrant worker visas, etc, etc).
I'm not a particular tennis fan, but have been going to the erstwhile ATP since they played it at Old Coney. Single-digit me walked right up to the likes of Ille Nastase and Stan Smith (lookemup, Mobsters) to chat and collect autographs. The facilities and access and title have changed, but the W&S is still one of the highlights of the annual sports calendar. It'll be sad to see it go, if it goes. Somewhere, the late Paul Flory sheds a tear...
I’ve thought for some time that those in control of the major sports leagues really think the correct way to spell “God” is “NFL” & “MLB”. After all, money IS everything and the ONLY thing that matters. Right??
" . . Initial reports suggested Bob Huggins would not be suspended from coaching. Actually, he will be suspended for WVU’s first three games next season. "
First three games are usually against powder puffs - Huggs will be missing nothing of significance.
"And he’ll make an unspecified donation to Xavier’s Center for Faith and Justice and Center for Diversity and Inclusion. " - do you really think he did this voluntarily and with kindness in his heart - gimme a break.
The Reds and Bengals aren’t going anywhere. Been a season ticket holder to Mason 23 years. Sure, I guess it’s possible the tournament COULD move. Doesn’t mean it’s going to keep the “Masters” level status if it’s moved. Who’s to say that if it does move to Charlotte that Mason doesn’t start another tournament at the “Masters” level and the Charlotte tournament is a lower tier tournament?
Love those Raspberries!
If Votto enjoys watching the young players he should retire, buy a ticket, and let some developing player get a chance. Cincinnati Reds want a new park or high updates? Pay for them without taxpayer money. Or, leave.
Reds have won 9 of their last 15. Votto is correct…this is a very fun (but sometimes frustrating) team to watch. I’m all in on the rebuild. Their 3 studs in the minors are knocking the cover off the ball. Things are trending the right direction.
"rebuild", "trending in the right direction", yadi-yada, sorry I don't buy it. How many times have we heard this before? At this point I am a band wagon fan, pure and simple. If at some point they are doing well again on a regular basis, I'm very happy to jump on the band wagon again. Until then, I'm answering Phil Castellini's rhetorical question "Where you gonna go?" with my wallet. (Hint: it ain't a baseball team but they do play pretty much the same time of the year and are currently tied for 1st place in their conference.)
I can appreciate where you’re coming from. Next year you’ll be back on the bandwagon and it’ll be fun.
Many good points/ subject again today. But the one that's stuck in my craw is Huggins being made to donate that 1M to Xavier. Because we all know how badly private universities need money. So nice to know the Dr Gee put so much thought into it.
Good one today 👍🏻
I am a Republican, but cannot fathom why anyone would support or vote for Trump again. Also was a huge Huggins fan but cannot understand how a 55 year old family man gets his livelihood and career destroyed for saying a word once, while a 69 year old millionaire gets off with a 1/3 reduction in pay and a donation for saying it twice and also disparaging an entire religion
The only thing worse than Trump would be four more years of Biden. We need a better option in 2024.
Malignant narcopaths such as Trump don't change. He was just as obviously unfit for office 1o or 2o years ago as he remains today. Other than events having happened to flesh out the story, his shtick and narrative was proved again last night not to have evolved in any appreciable way
Sam Vaknin, a Doctor in Psychology who was diagnosed with NPD himself, offers an informed insider's description of Trump's condition from May of 2o16
https://samvaknin.medium.com/president-trump-dd064672d9d9
Always a dreamer, hey, Boog?
As to the Western & Southern Open, it seems that decision has already been made, despite claims to the contrary from the billionaire who bought the rights to the event last Fall. Nothing good was ever gonna happen from that for our region, sadly.
Thank you for not sticking to sports. I tuned in to CNN last night, and I lasted about a minute before I could no longer stomach it. I read the write-up on it this morning, and it's beyond disgraceful. I honestly don't know what is worse: Trump himself, or the TENS of MILLIONS of people who continue to support him, no matter what (literally). People get the politicians they deserve. I'm still thinking that while Trump is the clear and obvious front runner for the Republican nomination, he cannot win a general election. The contrast between Trump and Biden in 2020 was clear, and that contrast is ever clearer today and going forward.
Pretty sure part of the "big plan" from the extremist right wing is to eliminate the Republican party altogether. Democracy only works with two parties that work together to negotiate "for the desires of the people". He is breaking up our democracy simply by being an idiot and showing the world that we are actually considering letting him go thru with this ploy. Where are the indictments when we need them. Unless the Democrates show some power in their party and not continue to put up with the lawlessness with no consequences, they will lose both parties.
My first assessments circa the 2o15 primary were that Bubba Clinton was putting Trump up to torpedoing the R primary process and thus the nomination of the opponent of HRC in pursuit of the 2nd half of the 'Clinton Copresidency' ... I'm thinking i missed only on the orchestrater (Putin) and the target (takedown of R party in service of crippling US democracy). I suggest more study of details of the BMSK lobbying firm and that whole circa 198os period. Trump was their alpha client and the K is for Peter Kelley, the D part of their lobbying operations and confidante of the Clintons
I saw a few clips of the event. I was amused by Trump when he pulled out a print out of the tweets he made about J6 to disprove the timeline the interviewer was using. His asides in that exchange were humorous. That said, he is the R candidate I support the least.
Do you really feel comfortable contrasting anyone with Biden? The guy has not had a press conference all year, rarely takes questions, those questions he does take are submitted in advance with a photo and name of the journalist who will ask the question, can't remember that he was in a foreign country a week after returning from Ireland, has a hard time finding his way off stage multiple times, has to rely on a teleprompter at all times, and I could go on.
Sure, compared to Fetterman and Feinstein he is sharp as a used tack. Otherwise, let's recognize his diminished capacities and hope someone else steps into the race.
Don't be fooled, Trump is in no way "humorous". His humor is only aimed at the destruction and spite for others he wants to have threatened.
Your TDS is strong, Kate.
Wish I could hide it and hate that we have to deal with it Again!!!
Love how the narcopathic tactics of gratuitously kicking an injured man when he's down talking point in re JF is so offhandedly played, above. Fetterman has a real opportunity here to become a lion in the mental illness and trauma psychology awareness and treatment arena that so desperately cries out for societal/governmental attention and focus thanks to gun violence issues
😀
I used to vote Republican (not all the time but with regularity), for people like erstwhile US Sen. Rob Portman. Let's be very clear: Trump is not a Republican. He has conveniently used the Republican Patry and platform for his own benefit. What the GOP was in pre-Trump times is completely unrecognizable from today's GOP, where only one attribute matters: loyalty (to Trump of course). "Establishment" values like integrity, competence, science, truth, etc. are utterly and openly disdained in the GOP. As for Biden diminished capacities, that is true to some degree but the reality is that there has been no serious challenger from within the Democrats. I for one am thankful each and every day that Biden is in the White House.
This year (2023) marks the 40th anniversary that I arrived in this country (July, 1983). If someone would've told me even just 15-20 years ago that today the GOP is the party of non-stop lies, conspiracy theories, insurrection, anti-democratic, voter suppression, women's rights suppression, pro-Putin, anti-NATO, anti-migration (legal or otherwise), and all the other stuff too long to mention, I would have never believed it. Yet here we are.
How about I flip this? Ds are party of suppression of free speech, authoritarianism, pro-war, pro-criminal, pro-teen genital mutilation, no border enforcement, and no voting security. And a bunch of other stuff too long to mention.
Meanwhile, many of those conspiracy theories about Covid were actually true - started in a lab, natural immunity is as effective as vax immunity, vax doesn’t stop transmission nor infection. All true, but banned thoughts at one time. Also, we were assured earlier this year that the government was not coming for our gas stoves while NY is now banning them and 13 state AGs are looking into doing so. Last, we knew the government was directing social media to suppress or remove info it disagreed with. Elon’s ownership of Twitter has revealed that was true.
They aren’t really conspiracy theories if they are true. Perhaps you should be a bit more skeptical and less accepting of what you’re being told.
Well that certainly reads like a grievance triggered counter posting 'rebuttal' hitting the majority of the usual suspects echo chamber talking points menu alright ... let's see your source for this true fact admisson that covid started in a lab
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/new-covid-origins-study-links-pandemics-beginning-to-animals-not-a-lab
Quoting the WHO on health is like quoting the UN on peace keeper rape prevention.
That article quoted over a dozen divergent sources ... and the WHO statement was that there was absolutely no consensus and that the answer might never be pinned down. Hence my interest in this definitive source. I'm halfway expecting it to be it was from Hunter Biden's laptop left there by Brother Seamus, some blind Irish monk
Would you like me to reserve time in The Octagon for youse?
Is that something like ballroom dancing?
Biden is refreshing in being an anti Cult of Personality candidate, which of course the scripted grievance/outrage addicted talking points propaganda narrative gaslights him in every conceivable way for being so
What does that even mean, Wayne? Your second clause is channeling Kamala's word salads.
If you find Biden "refreshing" while being unable to acknowledge his cognitive deficiencies, either because of partisan blindness or living in a blue bubble, we will never be able to meet in the middle.
And while we're at it, what exactly did you find so "empty, incoherent, unintelligible or nonsensical" about the second clause? Tell us which parts or concepts you couldn't comprehend and maybe I can clean that up for you. Slash words throw you for a loop?
Practically everything you write is scripted trigger worded echo chamber talking points tripe. Biden doesn't have dementia and edited youtube clips of 'stumbles' and 'wandering' are characteristic of narcopathic infantilism dog whistle tactics. Everything is fueled by the underlying amygdala hijacking presentation mode stoking grievance addiction cues
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/12/12/trump-grievance-addiction-444570
Wayne, I listed five other things besides him not being able to find his way off stage, all of which are also indicative of cognitive decline. That is in addition to the way he shuffles when he walks. You are in denial about his diminished mental capacity and trying to deflect.
Btw, I don’t watch or read Fox, or much other legacy media, so what I write are hardly talking points but simply my observations strung together.
His popularity has eluded me since 2015. I watched the R debates back then, for the sheer entertainment value, never considering he'd win the nomination. He's a guy completely lacking everything necessary to at least try to be a decent human being. Empathy, compassion, humility, grace, courage, wisdom, a semblance of veracity. Sad that he remains viable.
Pretty much nailed it, Doc. The thing is, the longer he shared the public eye as President, the more any semblance of those good human virtues you've listed diminished in him, as his thirst for total power took over. Just for a moment reflect on his rages and piques as he would fire people left and right who would not kiss his ring and recognize his deity. The man is flat out bad, bad poison. We can only hope the justice system has finally started to catch up with him.
Subsequent to the Huggins radio comments, Bill Koch and Jason Williams both stated that they observed Huggins making vile comments to his players using some of the same words. Yet I don't remember either of them ever reporting this. Do you think they shirked their responsibilities?
I sat in the third row directly behind Huggs when UC played John Calipari’s Memphis State team. Last game of the season. I believe it was for the regular season championship and I think the game went in to overtime.
The entire game…ENTIRE GAME…both of them dropped more f-bombs than you could possibly imagine. What was kind of funny is that if Bob used a different cuss word, Calipari would parrot that word seconds later. It was the heavyweight championship of foul language and both were cuss drunk at the end.
At first, that experience was kind of shocking but it ended up being quite entertaining for me but I wasn’t there with kids which, obviously, would have been an issue.
I have no reason to doubt Koch or Williams but I never heard either coach say the word they referred to and they dropped A LOT of them.
I don't make it a habit to tell other people how to do their jobs. In my profession, I mean. LOL.
Losing the Western and Southern tournament would be such a blow to the Cincy sports culture. Going to a night session on beautiful summer night and enjoying a glass of wine is "civilized." Great event for adults and children. As Doc mentions, this could be the first domino to fall in Cincinnati losing sports relevance. Our republic's greatest blessing and curse is the inability to change. I say this in an endearing manner and it is large reason why I wanted to raise my kids in this town. But let's face it, Cincinnati is not a high growth market attracting new companies and workers. We have a thriving business community but we just don't have the same horsepower of some the growing markets in the sunbelt or even Columbus. Very few people care about legacy/tradition anymore so I have been preparing myself for a day when FC Cincy, Cyclones, UC, and Xavier will be the only shows in town.
I politely disagree that Cincinnati does not have the ability to change. I believe that to be an overused 19th century sterotype thanks to Samuel Langhorne Clemens.
1) For years, the Western & Southern Open has consistently improved their facilities. I'm not exactly sure who paid for them, but the grandstand's silhouette is very different today than in 2000.
2) There are three professional sports stadiums (MLB, NFL, & MLS) in our lovely downtown. We know who paid for the first two (the homeowners, shoppers, & tourists of Hamilton County). TQL Stadium construction I believe was privately funded ... although there were a number of land deals that raise the eyebrows of our citizenry.
I agree with you the stereotype of Cincinnati reluctance to change is probably somewhat exaggerated. There are certainly examples you can point to that illustrate innovation or progress - downtown revitalization (OTR), FC Cincinnati, and there are some successful startup company stories. Howevuh, the MSA population growth is fairly stagnant and the big company landscape has been the same for the past 30 years - P&G, Kroger, Cintas, Fifth Third Bank etc. I guess the point I was trying to make is that we're not a high growth market like some of the typical cities mentioned for sports relocation - Austin, Nashville, Raleigh, Charlotte etc. I worry that most folks care more about money these days and will be drawn to these markets rather than Cincy.
I never knew the Raspberries were from Ohio. Wow!
The Reds need to either be all in or all out. There's no reason for Newman to be starting. Bring up McLain and CES, those guys have nothing else to prove in Louisville. De La Cruiz needs a little more time, but not much. The Reds need to figure where these guys are going to play and get them in the line-up. Oh and stop playing position rotation with their positions on the field and in the batting order.
Newman is featured to boost potential prospect return in trade
I get that, but there's still no reason for him to play as much. They have to see if Barrero is going to be able to hit or needs to be traded.
If the Reds really want to increase fans while the team is 'rebuilding', they need to reduce the cost for concessions. I saw a study recently that showed GABP has among the highest food and beverage prices in the league. Reducing the prices would make a ballpark outing more appealing and affordable. I expect that TQL's lower prices are one of the reasons they outdraw the Reds.
Although I don't pay attention to Trump any more, Biden's speech about the debt limits was downright depressing. How he could claim he reduced the deficit and that the Inflation Inflammation act has not created a financial precipice for our country shows how clueless he is. His press secretary is claiming we have no border problem while 10,000 illegal immigrants will be crossing the border per day in a few days. Although I support moving to alternative energy sources, a vast majority of the green energy investments produce very little benefits. The 6 million recent 'immigrants' probably release more carbon dioxide than will be saved by all the green energy projects. I actually hope Trump is found guilty of something so the Republicans can perhaps nominate a viable candidate that appeals to more independents like myself.
The Inflation Reduction Act has created jobs, projects to cut the deficit, establishes a fairer tax code, and reduces pollution while directly lowering energy and health care costs. Jobs are up, inflation is down. The financial precipice we're facing is due to Republicans hijacking the debt limit so the country may default on its debts. This isn't new money; it's money already approved in the budget process. Think about where we were when Trump left office. His economy bled almost 3 million jobs and the debt increased by $7.2 trillion. These are all facts. Those 10,000 immigrants you mentioned -- that's the number apprehended. Isn't that what you want? As for the climate measures, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 will help reduce America’s carbon emissions 40% by 2030. It's not enough, but it's a great start. Again, these are all facts. Look them up. And I beg you -- rethink where you get your news.
nonsense, assertions don't necessarily equate to facts (as by and large, yours don't).
“Job bleeding” was from Covid! 🙄.
I think you meant to say Scamdemic not Covid
covid was real, but the Left's response to it was indeed largely a scam (it worked, it got Biden elected).
Covid was real…but nothing more than a flu bug used to hijack an election
SOME agreement (with significant agreement on the Dems successfuly orchestrating voter irregularities to promote their chances...please, NOT to suggest the election was 'stolen' per se, I don't agree w that allegation). Covid was pretty damn scary in way of unknowns for 3-6 mos... certainly in hindsight, with 20/20 vision...older, retired folks like myself and those with compromised health shoulda just 'stayed home' while the economy continued to move forward. The most successful thing the Dems did to improve their election odds was shutting down the economy (of course, exerting control over the economy / the means of production is the very definition of Socialism...and the Dems are certainly focused on that ; (
Everything that happens is the fault of Democrats intentionally making victims of Republicans 😆 people need to google "identifying personality traits of malignant narcissists" and they'll be able to predict nearly every aspect of the Republican running 'narrative'
I guess you believe anything they tell you rather than actually looking at the numbers. Inflation rates for March and April are lower than the previous months, but are on top of the 8.5% increases the previous year. Avg. prices have increased over 13% since 2021. The projections of deficit reduction for the impact of IRA are pipe dreams and assume many things that will never happen. When the government spends 10 trillion dollars on things that have little immediate impact for most people, inflation will occur. You believe anything the press or Democrats tell you. The government can't just keep adding debt without making some important cuts. The economy under Trump prior to Covid was the strongest in my lifetime and inflation was never over 2.5%. The 'job bleeding' only occurred due to COVID shutdowns. I never liked Trump the person, but his policies put the country in a much stronger position than it is today. The 10,000 is the estimate for the future, and 6 million have been processed and allowed to enter the country while their cases are being reviewed. That is equivalent to the population of four major cites. I get my information from multiple sources and objective scientific studies, not from special interest lobby groups or the press propaganda.
thoughtful, accurate assessment. THX
If you think the country was in a "much stronger position" under Trump, you've lost all credibility. Every shred.
I'm not surprised you didn't notice, but I said prior to covid. Check out the economics of the first 3 years of his administration. I don't know any hard working professional who is in better shape today than in 2019 and early 2020 prior to lockdowns.
I sure do miss $1.79 a gallon gas, highest labor participation rate, lowest unemployment among blacks, Hispanics and women ever. Keep peddling your bullshit, but you’re “gonna need a bigger boat” Brody🙄
Also, Inflation Reduction Act has now replaced Jumbo Shrimp as the biggest oxymoron in history
$1.79 gas was only because there was nothing open and nowhere to go because of Covid lockdown. No demand = low prices because of severe overstock supply. If you don't understand and actually long for that (nowhere to go and nothing to do but stay home in quarantine) you're either a scripted IRA trolbot or so brainwashed by them and their aping parrots that there's extremely little reason to expect you're smart enough to ever understand much of anything except you'll keep buying into "Republicans are better for the economy". Republicans are better for the persons who own businesses because they give the most "government handouts" in the form of tax breaks to the persons who already have all the money already In large part because they have owned the Republicans with those "government handouts" in a self sustaining cash feedbacl loop with those gifts since Reagan and "supply side" voodoo economics. The economy for everyone grows under Democrats because they feed the ecomonic food chain more from the bottom up (where We the Voting People are) benefiting everyone (including the T Rex class) rather than the obese fat cat T Rex oligarchs at the top who own the Republicans as their loyal pets
Blah blah blah 🥱🥱🥱
Just more liberal echo chamber minutia
Gas prices in Ohio ranged from $2.05 per gallon to $2.60 per gallon in the strong economic times prior to Covid. I'll take those over the $3.50-5.00 prices caused by this administration's oil policies. It went up .40 this week and will likely go higher now that Russia and Saudi's are controlling OPEC.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._economic_performance_under_Democratic_and_Republican_presidents
I think Trump was the benefactor of good timing prior to Covid. The economy was already humming along quite well when he took office after Obama inherited the Great Recession. I don't see how continuing to cut taxes is sustainable in our economy, unless you want every road you drive on to be a toll road. Most of the roads we drive on in the Tristate are pieces of shit. Everyone bitches about them, but those same people whine about paying for them. Then we were waging 2 wars, increasing defense spending so that we can project power in 2 hemispheres, and also spend tons of money trying to fight wildfires, as well as cleanup from hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods.
The border is a mess, but neither side really wants to do anything about it. Oh, you can say, Trump tried to build a wall, but he did that basically stealing money that was appropriated for defense spending, and building a wall is just a band-aid. It's not addressing the root cause(s) of the problem, and if they are not addressed, the wall just becomes a smokescreen, and something that, even if it was effective, would require constant upkeep.
There is a lot of consternation about inflation, and what is causing it. I don't think it can be pinned down to one thing, but looking at the national debt is just an easy target. Inflation occurs when there are not enough goods and services to satisfy demand. This happened because of the pandemic. It is still a factor, even though we stopped wearing masks. In 1982, the national debt first passed $1T, under Reagan. It has steadily climbed since. Now, the worrisome thing isn't just the debt. You have to also look at GDP and the ratio of debt to GDP. In 1982, it was 34%, which means that it's still manageable even if the number is mind-boggling. The scary thing is that in 2022 it was 123%. Ouch! But don't think Trump did anything to help. The ratio climbed every year he was in office, even pre-Covid. Covid blew it out of the water at 129% in 2020, but since Biden took office the ratio has dropped. Not enough, of course, but at least it's on a downward trajectory. So, the thing is, Trump's presidency was like a volcano that was heating up, but hadn't blown yet.
Regardless, playing politics with the debt ceiling is dumb. First off, the debt ceiling should move with the spending. You spend a dollar, you commit to paying the bill at the time you place the order. The GOP is only playing this game because they don't control enough of Congress to make cuts on their own. But how much can you keep cutting? Everyone points to handouts because they piss some people off, but the reality is that only 11% of the budget is spent on Education, Training, Employment, and Social Services combined. It's just not that easy.
My references are below. You can draw your own conclusions. Have a nice day and weekend everyone!
https://www.thebalancemoney.com/national-debt-by-year-compared-to-gdp-and-major-events-3306287
https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/federal-spending/
I forgot to mention that I knew better than to watch that garbage. Just an angry old man. He's pathetic.
Good information. I agree; if you're gonna spend a dollar, have a plan in place to pay it back. One quick point: "income security" is another of the annual categories on the fed gov spending pie charts, and it refers specifically to what are usually known as "hand-out" programs, such as welfare, SSI, unemployment, milk for mothers, school lunches, etc).. In 2022, it was a whopping 14% of the overall fed budget. Adding to that, Social Security and Medicare combined for almost 33% of fed dollars spent ($1 of every $3).
One of the flaws of capitalism is that politicians are expected to keep generating growth and increasing wealth for their constituents and the country at large, which is a difficult, if not impossible, premise to work under. To be successful and avoid losing the next election, they do back room deals "with the devil" to add some pork to their home supporters' pockets. This makes balancing the budget at odds with staying in office and blocks effective debt reduction legislation. Not a sustainable system.
The problem now with the increasing debt is that interest rates are also increasing. This will result in higher % of govt spending being needed just to cover the interest expense. I recall the Carter years of 13.5% adjustable rate mortgage rates. We are headed in that direction unless both parties can get together to reduce spending. I agree with you about the bad roads and bridges. It is unfortunate that only a small percentage of the 'Infrastructure' bill goes to highways and bridges. A significant amount goes to installing charging stations for the rich who can afford to buy electric cars rather than letting the private sector figure it out. Did taxpayers ever pay for gas stations to be built?
Regarding the charging stations, by installing them, in theory it will help to incentivize more people to purchase EVs. Yes, eventually the market could figure it out, but that would add significant delay. Had the government not invoked CAFE standards, your car would still probably get only 15 mpg. EVs are not just for the rich, and newer models will keep pushing the price down, just as the first HDTVs were thousands of dollars for a 40" set. Now they can be purchased for just a few hundred dollars. Ultimately, people will find that they love EVs. You just have to drive one. I've owned probably 30 something vehicles in my life. I bought a Tesla Model 3 nearly 3.5 years ago. I paid $47,900. How is that a car for the rich? I could spend far more than that on an F-150. I basically have no maintenance, and I'm saving a ton in gas, even considering what I'm paying for electricity. I paid an electrician $200 to add a 240v outlet in my garage. I charge overnight. I'm not sure why anyone would hate an electric car. My Tesla is built in America even.
I am not against EV's. I think it would make a lot more sense to evolve rather than force people to convert to something that isn't ready for the mass market. The focus should be on hybrids that already work with the existing infrastructure, provide significant reduction in fossil fuel use, are less expensive than most EV's, and are more familiar to car owners and mechanics. I would rather have my taxpayer dollars be used to replace roads and bridges than for charging stations. The private sector should be doing that.
Trump inherited the Obama recovery from the previous Republican disaster of crashing the economy under Bush. Republicans deliberately cause economic debt crises so that their masters with all the money can then buy up everything for pennies on the dollar when everything goes south.. and the Democrats get voted back in and repair things and build it back up for all (relatively .... those already with all money are still the squeakiest wheels paying mouthpieces to demand their cut) ... with the Republicans deliberately now obstructing them and also blaming them the entire time for how bad they themselves made things to be that way
Thank you for the civil and facts-based post.
The government should also make everyone pay their fair share of taxes. Trump tried to tear up NATO. I can't imagine where we'd stand now if Biden hadn't healed that wound. Trump also OK'd the insurrection. "Much stronger position''? Hardly.
I agree with you on taxes, but every time that taxes are raised for the 'wealthy', it is the middle class that receives the greatest impact. The wealthy can always find tax breaks or move money offshore. I would like to see a major overhaul of capital gains taxes. Long-term investment should be encouraged and short-term gains should be taxed at a much higher level. Tax gains under 3 months by 60%, 3-6 months: 50%, 6 months-1 yr at std tax level for the bracket, and over 1 year taxed at half the standard rate for that bracket. This would reduce market manipulation and result in more market stability, as well as generate more tax income from the people who really did nothing to earn it. When Trump lowered the corporate tax rate, many companies moved back and created US jobs, which actually resulted in higher tax revenue. Many of the pharmaceutical companies moved overseas (esp China) when corporate taxes were raised by Obama. I'm not a fan of NATO and I think many countries had more respect or fear for US with Trump. We weren't on verge of war during his administration and we were much less susceptible to actions by OPEC. Covid changed the country and Trump. I don't like what he did just prior to or after the election.
That's an interesting point. Trump did seem to earn the world's fear, as you suggest, but he did it by scaring the world with his erratic, bullying, deeply narcissistic personality, much like Putin or the fat boy in North Korea. Trump's childish rants on social media and crazy instability in his hirings and firings within his staff certainly left the world wondering if a mad man was running the US. Not the best way to be "respected". I think NATO has done a wonderful job of neutralizing Russia's cold war build up of nuclear weapons, and is the only reason most of Europe is not speaking Russian today, or gotten slammed by USSR nukes in the decades both before the Soviet Union breakup and after..
I think that's a really underappreciated fact. Trump had all but divorced us from NATO. The cohesion it has now, thanks to Germany, France, GB and a fully engaged US is obviously all that has prevented Putin from conquering Ukraine.
NATO likes the US when we pay for most of the bills. Compare how much US taxpayers have paid for the Ukraine war compared to these other countries.
Heard a stat the other day. 42% of federal income tax is paid by the 1%, 37% is paid by the 90% (poor, working, middle class), the other by the 91-99th percentile. That’s a progressive tax policy. Where would you change it?
It's a misleading stat, for one. Tell me how much taxable income the 1 percent is earning. That's a start. Maybe you could also tell me why Bezos apparently pays nothing.
"Income" is what's taxed and not the entire picture ... and tax discussions like this leave out the "wealth" aspect of those discussion and are largely scripted propaganda obfuscations designed to overwhelm the actual understandings of what's really going on in the bigger picture anyway
https://whorulesamerica.ucsc.edu/power/class_domination.html
The most wealthy are also the biggest political donors to both parties and therefore always can weasel tax breaks. Having spent a career in the corporate world, I also believe most CEO's are making too much money and do more to harm their companies than help them. They are slaves to Wall Street rather than champions for their employees and customers.
You would have to look at individual tax returns. Amazon’s tax payments follow the same logic as your 401K and write offs. Depreciation and capital gains. Do you want unrealized gains in your retirement account taxed? What if they lose value?
Spot on response sir. Good luck penetrating that skull of his which is firmly entrenched in the liberal echo chamber
I tend to believe the border problem can't be solved, by either party,
I agree that it won't be solved until parties work together to minimize the current flow and develop a path to citizenship for the people who are already here. Countries and cities can't absorb the number of people currently coming over the border and there is no major attempt being made to keep them out, especially the drugs and criminals. The man who was charged last week in a rape in Forest Park had been deported five times, but still was able to get back into the country.
I believe it can be done - AND that both parties in Congress share responsibility for it not yet being done. That said, presently we need to actually close the border (as Trump essentially did) before we can put actual immigration REFORM in place (inclusive of a pathway to citizenship for those already here illegally, incl DACA, migrant worker visas, etc, etc).
It would be one less thing to fight about. No incentive to solve by either party.
Yes it can be solved. I tend to believe that neither side WANTS to solve the border problem.
That is true. It's not politically expedient to even try. Much better to keep pointing to the other side's failings.
Thank you Stephen.
I'm not a particular tennis fan, but have been going to the erstwhile ATP since they played it at Old Coney. Single-digit me walked right up to the likes of Ille Nastase and Stan Smith (lookemup, Mobsters) to chat and collect autographs. The facilities and access and title have changed, but the W&S is still one of the highlights of the annual sports calendar. It'll be sad to see it go, if it goes. Somewhere, the late Paul Flory sheds a tear...
I’ve thought for some time that those in control of the major sports leagues really think the correct way to spell “God” is “NFL” & “MLB”. After all, money IS everything and the ONLY thing that matters. Right??
" . . Initial reports suggested Bob Huggins would not be suspended from coaching. Actually, he will be suspended for WVU’s first three games next season. "
First three games are usually against powder puffs - Huggs will be missing nothing of significance.
"And he’ll make an unspecified donation to Xavier’s Center for Faith and Justice and Center for Diversity and Inclusion. " - do you really think he did this voluntarily and with kindness in his heart - gimme a break.
One of the games is against Pitt.
I have no idea why Huggins gave money to X. I wonder more why X took it.
The Reds and Bengals aren’t going anywhere. Been a season ticket holder to Mason 23 years. Sure, I guess it’s possible the tournament COULD move. Doesn’t mean it’s going to keep the “Masters” level status if it’s moved. Who’s to say that if it does move to Charlotte that Mason doesn’t start another tournament at the “Masters” level and the Charlotte tournament is a lower tier tournament?
wish it were that easy.
Do they have space for another tournament on the schedule? You assume they do.
One of the newer lower level tournaments can get yanked. It’s happened before. Indianapolis and New Haven Connecticut used to have tournaments