What do you get if you?

Combine two sorry fatuous public relations campaign jingo's into one? Let's try this exercise this morning.

Take "I believe in Cleveland "and combine with "Positively Cleveland", and presto just as quick as you can say regional Countywide Government you get I POSITIVELY BE LEAVING CLEVELAND!

Yes boys and girls, college grads and political back thumping sycophants!

All you swell expense account lackeys lying for a living on our supposed “public radio" station. Harrouuumph, honorary degrees extended to one another?

Amid blasts of ballyhoo and vitriol plenty of back thumping over the radio waves plundered by WCPN this Thursday morning?

These radio jokers let loose on WCPN would give you the idea that they actually possess objectivity when it comes to the fates of the citizenry they are speaking in behalf of.

What hot air!

You radio jokers, political and media hacks alike pay attention! Let us now face some hard facts fellow Clevelanders.

The taxpaying segments of Cuyahoga County want no parts of the City of Cleveland, or East Cleveland for that matter.

A simple question should suffice: If you are in deep shit and drowning and only a finite amount of room exists in a metaphorical lifeboat?

Would you?

A. Drag more weight into the lifeboat and drown all aboard?
B. Paddle like the devil dogs of hell are on your tail and escape the fetid mess?

Most of the communities that comprise Cuyahoga County save perhaps East Cleveland would choose B. Hands down!

Most already have. See how these taxpaying citizens have already run with fervor to the adjoining five Counties that comprise our Northeast Ohio region.

True facts speak for themselves, and the actual number of citizens that have already made the exodus from Cuyahoga County is staggering.

Enough said...

Detroit, Michigan during the 1920's practiced what Columbus, Ohio has been up to in the past thirty odd years in expanding City limits and services via incorporating smaller townships, cities, and suburbs into their City Government.

Note that the greatest difference in City populations between Detroit and Cleveland during the 20th century was due to this expansion that the City of Detroit took on early in the Twentieth Century. Imagine all of Cleveland's inner ring suburbs, and early Twentieth Century developed communities, being a part of The City of Cleveland Government. Lakewood, Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, Garfield Heights, Parma ... you get the picture. All those burbs' part of Cleveland.

This earlier attempt at Regional government in Detroit only led to the premature flight of the upwardly mobile taxpayer to the adjoining Counties surrounding Detroit, leaving Detroit the destitute and decrepit carcass that it is today.

Sure, silver linings exist in both Detroit and Cleveland.

Mostly sad attempts to garner tourism via revamping hotels, restaurants, and the sort of white table cloth mentality that exists in the suburbs and comes a slummin' to these cities for a little wine and sin, leaving for the Blisteria Drives that these suburban tourists call home before midnight.

No real significant gains unless you count the corrupt casino culture of Detroit, or the second rate rock n' roll hall of fame blight at the foot of east ninth street as positive? I for one do not. Sad facts about introducing Casinos into a city is that they spike upward crime , and as for the insipid rock and roll hall of fame we can always wish for a

Tsunami!..

What really does make sense is an attempt to upgrade the infrastructure and services that are paid for by the taxpayers in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. The visible benefit of any form of Regional Government would be in the combining of safety forces.

Increased fire, police, and emergency medical teams would better serve Cleveland citizens.

I am all for regional Government, simply because it will serve Cleveland better than it will the suburbs that it will combine with… As for the proposed Convention Center and Medical Merchandise Mart that Cuyahoga County citizens are already paying for via a convenient tax placed in front of them this past hot vacation time month of August.

Just ask dear old Norman Krumholz to explain the reality of the non impact that either of these two pipe dreams will have on the bottom line of the City and County.

Norman Krumholz is a fine gentleman of the old school, but a severe victim of being a pawn in a larger political game that destroyed much of Cleveland during his tenure in City hall. Norman is up in years, and perhaps more than willing to rectify the horrible effects of serving as City of Cleveland Planning chief during the City's period of most severe decline.

Tell the people the truth about the effects of convention centers in the cities that have built them recently Norman. The simple truth is that like sports stadiums, convention centers do nothing in the realm of creating viable jobs outside of the broom, mop, and bucket variety. The for profit Medical Mart taxes should be quickly transferred to a infrastructure improvement for Cuyahoga County fund while some interested citizens still reside here. Let this be a call for citizens of Cuyahoga County to roll back the taxes gathered for the for profit medical merchandise mart into the means to save our crumbling infrastructure. We will need all the help we can get in this matter in the quick years to come...

Book Selling Time! It is a sad day when the same automobile is parked across the street for twenty four hours broken down and with Missouri plates on its hoopty frame.

Inside is a single woman at the end of the line, which in this case is East Ninth Street just north of Bolivar.

She was in the car all night, sleeping the evening in her ride, and I am now about to leave to pick her up a plate of hot food. I will donate the proceeds of the sale of today's book Walter C. Kidney's HISTORIC BUILDINGS OF OHIO, to her cause.

The Kidney volume features locally a fantastic set of architect’s drawings for the Cleveland Arcade, among many other historic Ohio buildings covered in this as new still shrink wrapped volume.

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