TBideon

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-cook-county-soda-tax-edit-1115-jm-20161114-story.html Cook County beverage tax spells end to soft-drink bargains The tax should be substantially more. I'm talking at tobacco levels. But it's a start.

What does running out of poor people mean? There are still a lot of high crime and impoverished areas throughout De Capital. Or do you mean fewer areas to gentrify and thus displace? DC is a long way from being a San Francisco or Manhattan.

The closest comparison I can think of off the top of my head is when Daley shut down Meigs Field overnight due to bogus concerns of terrorism (sound familar) when in reality he wanted a big public park. Chicago had to repay a million in development grants along with a $33 thousand dollars fine -- and now it has an outstanding peninsula called Northerly Island, a major draw for music acts and park enthusiasts. Well worth it. Apples and oranges aside, Cleveland has a $12 million fine for shutting down a street and Chicago a fraction of that for destroying an entire airport? Crazy.

A bill for $12 million? With a 30-day deadline? To a struggling city that can't possibly draw the funds in that short period? I could see Cleveland coming up with the money next week if the FTA were asking for something as important as a new modernized scoreboard, but not for this. No way in hell the FTA would send crap like that to New York, LA, Chicago, Philadelphia, etc. What a middle finger to the city. I wonder if there are some politics involved or other factors.

It is a rational fear; we are an awfully litigious society. Look at some of the footage of Muslim women being harassed on trains and no one doing anything about it; it's not that people are complicit but rather aware of a lack of Good Samaritan protections. If they step in, they can be fined, arrested, sued, lose employment, etc. Americans are not allowed to be vigilant and it's a shame -- and it wasn't always quite like this..

People have changed; neighborhoods have changed dramatically. I can imagine someone taking a spill while shoveling or de-icing a neighbour's sidewalk and immediately calling his attorney.

Luna Bakery on Fairmount is also quite good (and now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure they're open at 7). Also, I live in Chicago but am in Cleveland ever 2 to 3 weeks to help with my folks. And we go to a lot of coffee shops in the metro area. My parents really enjoyed Rising Star on 29th during my last visit -- but my dad is absolutely enamored with Coffee Phix in South Euclid. He's there virtually everyday, no exaggeration, and is close with the owner and some of the regulars.

First things first, On the Rise has mediocre coffee but amazing, amazing bread. And I love how they're open at 7. Phoenix Coffee on Cedar/Lee is also open that early; Whole Foods in University Hts at 8 (but the coffee shop used to be open at 7). And my favorite, Coffee Phix, is open at 9. Important information here folks; jot it down. Next, I thought cities salt and/or shovel people's sidewalks, then send the bill. Isn't that how it's usually done when the homeowners won't do it themselves?

My point is it's foolish for tax payers, many of whom are low income and themselves derive no benefit, to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to billionaires to indirectly benefit relatively few hotels, restaurants, and parking lot owners. The financial benefits just aren't there as a whole. And yes the city is contractually obligated -- I'm just commenting on the principle

I remember there being a hell of a lot more daytime workers and companies of all sizes, with the Flats being a once in a lifetime party scene that few cities have ever witnessed, not to mention the orchestra, ballet, and theater district thriving. And that was without Gateway and the Browns stadium. Somehow the city managed.

I'll just speak to cities I've actually visited and/or lived in: 1. San Diego 2. New Orleans (going back Jan 10-14!!!!!) 3. Washington D.C. 4. Boston 5. Cleveland tied with Chicago Sports have had absolutely nothing to do with any of these choices, though the Wrigley Field experience is second to none.

I read your post several times but don't understand your point. Sorry. You want to combine Larchmere with Shaker Square, and thus Buckeye-Shaker, and call it all Buckeye-Shaker? Is that to diminish the stigma of Buckeye? As of now Larchmere is an entirely different neighborhood with some real stability and draws, whereas Buckeye is pretty rundown since the Hungarians left, and Shaker Square a mixed bag.

The Gateway Project in its inception promised 30,000 new jobs - nope. The budget went up to $400 million. No accountability. Then there's this nonsense from last month: "The Cavs want $70 million more in public money to renovate the Q" http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/2016/11/the-cavs-want-70-million-more-in-public-money-to-renovate-the-q/ Meanwhile the potholes in streets get bigger and bigger but just try to get funds allocated for repairs. It's a fundamentally broken system that should be challenged and criticized at every opportunity, and every dime Gilbert doesn't put into his building is ten cents that people in Central and Slavic Village do.

^^I like your passion but disagree a great deal. Not only have economists routinely asserted that cities lose much more than they gain with these tax subsidized stadiums and awful deals (for example, Cleveland owns the Browns stadium but can barely use it off-season for events due to its nonsensical leasing agreement), but I don't see people moving here, or anywhere, due to sports. They move to places due to jobs, families, and possibly weather. Did people really boomerang to Cleveland due to Lebron? There are always outliers, but do you really think his decision had any real impact on the majority of new residents (or people who reconsidered moving)? I don't think sports really correlate with major cities any more. Look at Vegas, Austin, Albuquerque, Omaha...the list goes on and on. Meanwhile Detroit, Baltimore, Buffalo, and other dramatically struggling cities have multiple teams. So what. Maybe sports provide a necessary distraction in those depressed areas, but it's a minor footnote at the end of the fiscal year. Sure it's nice to have sports, at least when your team is winning, but when you break down the costs and who's paying for these stadiums - mostly lower income people who themselves can't afford to watch the very teams their money is supporting - there is something terribly wrong with the system. And as for the argument that restaurants make bank, well, you can't really run an economy on a few dozen restaurants at the end of the day. And when your team is 0 and 13 and no one is showing up except the tax collector, then you really don't see restaurants generating any kind of revenue anyhow. If I could, I would flush that godforsaken Browns stadium and its despicable owner (you too, DEE), since its endless negative publicity and morale has taken an enormous toll on fans and those associated with Cleveland. In hindsight the city would have been far better without the team, as that property could have been used for something special that could generate direct revenue. Instead, the city spent almost $300 million for that piece of s-hit with an additional $30 million in "renovations" for the next 15 years. It's a colossal waste of resources and other people's money, certainly not Haslem's -- and with the the Q, certainly not Gilbert's. Corporate welfare at its most obvious.

About 1.3 million people die a year in car accidents globally; in the US it's roughly 100 a day. Globally, an additional 20-50 million are injured or disabled due to car crashes every year. If automated technology can dramatically improve those numbers (didn't the google car only get in one accident, and that was the fault of another driver?), then I'm all for it.

Well, at least women can't have legal abortions after 20 weeks. Watch the millennials and businesses pour in now.

That's awesome. The more our culture shifts to driver-free cars, the more lives are saved

F-UCK YOU NFL http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2016/12/cleveland_browns_to_host_in_lo.html#incart_most-commented_news Cleveland Browns to host Vikings in London in 2017 As terrible as the Browns are this year, it's completely unfair to the region that this tax subsidized, money and morale losing stadium is going to be used even less. Will the bonds be reduced by 12.5% as well? Between NFL Europe, Thursday Night football, and its endless support of women-beaters, this former "non-profit" is about as bad as FIFA.

Better that than losing over a million Allied soldiers and millions of Japanese soldiers and civilians.

It goes: 1. Slavery 2. Vietnam 3. The Filipino genocide 4. And then Iraq. W is directly responsible for the fourth most horrific foreign policy decision in US history. No rose colored glasses please; the man's fervent, gleeful ignorance led to tens of thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of injuries and trauma globally. For absolutely nothing. That's the only thing he should be remembered for. And I'm not even going to bring up all the other disasters of 2001-09 of which he failed his country miserably.

"Today we lost a great pioneer of air and space in John Glenn. He was a hero and inspired generations of future explorers. He will be missed." Finally an accurate tweet.

Very little are more beautiful and American than row houses in picture one. Talk about starting with a bang.

^^I used to go to Lopez on Thursdays for half off margaritas. Not shabby. Good memories there. While Coffee Phix is by far my favorite coffee shop in Greater Cleveland (no exaggeration, my dad goes there every morning and gave some money to help them re-open), the most attractive clientele is at Rising Star on W.29th (in Hingetown). It's refreshing to see that many good looking people day in day out.

Plus the behavior of RTA personnel. I can't tell you how many unprofessional employees I've seen at Tower City over the years.

Soooo.......how about that scoreboard!!