Clevelander17

Here's an interesting article about how most of Cleveland's attractions, which are used by residents from across the region, are being mostly funded by Cuyahoga County residents: http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/13788 The article is somewhat poorly written, but the point remains important. Many of the region's greatest assets (sports stadia, convention center, etc.) are funded by Cuyahoga County residents, though these institutions are benefiting residents in many of the surrounding counties. Should anything be done to change the funding structure? If so, how might it be fixed?

I've spent parts of the past few weekends at 668. Definitely very nice, though it's a bit tricky for someone like myself who was there to visit friends because of the double-security. The courtyard area of Zinc is pretty cool and the gym looks amazing.

The examples he gave, like the Westside Market and city golf courses, are obvious. Why does the government need to run those things? On a broader scale, it's not too late to stop moving forward with the Medical Mart albatross and refund those tax dollars.

Great photos!

I was wondering what that structure was when I was in the neighborhood a few weeks back.

Your estrogen-fueled screams for assistance may help some (provided that the thug hasn't neutralized you already), but there's more than one way to skin a cat. Like you said, the cops can't be everywhere at once. Well, if you want to live life gripped in the fear of what 95% of the time will not happen anyway.....that is totally your prerogative, and I respect that..but I chose to not live that way. No need for the insults either. I would rather adhere to the philosophy that lets our brains do the thinking...not our balls, and I reserve that right to be evolved. Get real, you're the one that started with the insults. This is not about "fear," it's about precaution. If you think the overburdened cops are going to be able to prevent you or your grandmother from being the victim of a violent crime, 95% of the time you're going to be disappointed. I'm not arguing that your block watch idea is a bad one, it can and does work. But it's not the end-all, be-all, and ultimately YOU, personally, are responsible for your own safety. There may not be anyone else around, whether it be a cop or neighbor, when the thugs that some wanted in the neighborhood for diversity purposes decides that they want your car or wallet.

Your estrogen-fueled screams for assistance may help some (provided that the thug hasn't neutralized you already), but there's more than one way to skin a cat. Like you said, the cops can't be everywhere at once. Man come on with that insulting BS. EC is right in this situation. We have far to many people to sit back and say , "they should do....." but wont get involved themselves and that attitude is 50% of the problem in some neighborhoods. Insulting? I was just giving him a taste of his own medicine. Not everyone who carries a gun is looking for a shootout driven by testosterone. :roll:

If I said Nevada, would that be cheating? I know it's probably fun to gang up on the new guy, but come on Dan, I'm shocked that you wouldn't agree with me here. Or maybe not...

The market worked fine for who? Not non smokers as 2nd hand smoke engulfed non smoking areas. Engulfed? Really? I've always been a non-smoker and I was never "engulfed" by smoke in the non-smoking section of a restaurant. But that's fine, if the ban were just for regular restaurants, I'd be okay with it, but for bars and clubs (and now casinos)? That's nonsense. My views are more extreme than most, but I would actually support allowing all of that (besides some hard drugs, perhaps), with or without affiliation to any casino. Our government nannies us way too much. Great response! Really, who needs well-thought out arguments when you can simply post borderline funny pictures that get around the website's swear filter? ::) Maybe something is wrong with you if you think that the government should be peeking into the bedroom where consenting adults are engaging in adult activities. Maybe something is wrong with you if you think that the government should be stopping people from relaxing with their drug of choice, whether that be alcohol or marijuana, and whether it be 5pm in the evening or 5am in the morning. This state and country nannies us to no end because certain people think they know it all and their square views fit the round peg that is the country as a whole. What has any of that got to do with CASINO GAMING DISCUSSION? ;) It has everything to do with the casino gaming discussion. These casinos are hamstrung by the state's already on the books laws that limit cigarette and alcohol consumption. Casinos are adult-oriented businesses, and I believe that the owner's, not the state, knows how best to maximize profits. If that means they allow smoking (or doesn't), whatever works best for them is fine, as long as it's the people running the casino, and NOT THE STATE, that are making the call. Gambling in Ohio got off on the wrong foot by being the last to the table in the region. Because of that, we got suckered into a state-endorsed monopoly, and consequently, it's almost as if the state feels as though it's their place to tell the casino owners how to run them (almost as if it's a privilege, and unfortunately, it is sort of at this point). The whole thing is a mess that could have been avoided had the fickle moralist voting populace in this state simply voted to allow gambling a few decades ago and watch the free market investment pour in. Oh well, so typical of Ohio.

Your estrogen-fueled screams for assistance may help some (provided that the thug hasn't neutralized you already), but there's more than one way to skin a cat. Like you said, the cops can't be everywhere at once.

The market worked fine for who? Not non smokers as 2nd hand smoke engulfed non smoking areas. Engulfed? Really? I've always been a non-smoker and I was never "engulfed" by smoke in the non-smoking section of a restaurant. But that's fine, if the ban were just for regular restaurants, I'd be okay with it, but for bars and clubs (and now casinos)? That's nonsense. My views are more extreme than most, but I would actually support allowing all of that (besides some hard drugs, perhaps), with or without affiliation to any casino. Our government nannies us way too much. Great response! Really, who needs well-thought out arguments when you can simply post borderline funny pictures that get around the website's swear filter? :roll: Maybe something is wrong with you if you think that the government should be peeking into the bedroom where consenting adults are engaging in adult activities. Maybe something is wrong with you if you think that the government should be stopping people from relaxing with their drug of choice, whether that be alcohol or marijuana, and whether it be 5pm in the evening or 5am in the morning. This state and country nannies us to no end because certain people think they know it all and their square views fit the round peg that is the country as a whole.

The great thing about baseball is that even a mediocre Indians team can go into Yankee Stadium on a given night and beat the Evil Empire 22-0. :)

There was also little or no respect for the rule of law and those enforcing it. Whereas now there is? In that case, all guns should be banned and everyone will comply, correct? Before we go any further, I need to concede that most of my understanding of the old West comes from movies. ;) But that said, I do think there is a decent level of respect for law enforcement these days amongst most people. Respect in the manner that they may not like the cops, but they realize that they can take their freedom away if they break the law. However the problem is that the police force in large cities like Cleveland is spread way too thin and the citizens can't always count on them to be there 24/7 to protect them. Citizens must be prepared to protect themselves, and if there were most instances where thugs in the act of committing crimes are blown away by citizens protecting themselves, that it should act as a deterrent down the line.

I don't think the free market is quite as efficient as you think it is. Everything I've seen tells me that restaurant business has been better since the smoking ban went into effect. Maybe, as it turns out, the status quo was so comfortable in regards to smoking that the magical "free market" never corrected it. Actually, a lot of restaurants did have non-smoking sections. The market worked fine, but of course this wasn't enough for the anti-smoking special interest groups who insisted upon forcing adult establishments such as bars and nightclubs to abstain from allowing patrons to smoke, too. My views are more extreme than most, but I would actually support allowing all of that (besides some hard drugs, perhaps), with or without affiliation to any casino. Our government nannies us way too much.

Cleveland will obviously never be Vegas and we're not competing with them for visitors. But that doesn't mean that we should still half-ass this casino effort, because we're still competing on a regional level with casinos in the surrounding state. We should be one-upping them so maybe some people will make the trip to visit. Just my opinion, though if it were up to me we would have legalized gambling 30+ years ago and never gotten ourselves into this predicament in the first place.

There was also little or no respect for the rule of law and those enforcing it. I'm sorry I even mentioned the term "Wild West" because now a few of you guys have turned it into a red herring. Regardless of whether or not more people start carrying, our modern society will continue to have little in common with the old West in the 1800s.

Lenny Wilkens, Tom Izzo? The Cavs are not going to get a current NBA coach with jewelry, so they may need to think outside of the box a bit...

Fickle? The Browns have been one of, if not the worst NFL franchise (in terms of winning %) over the past 10 years, yet they're holding their own in attendance. I'd love to see any other NFL teams attendance after suffering through 10 years of abuse like the Browns fanbase has.. The only team that I would say with certain that would be as good, if not better in attendance is Green Bay. Re-read my post. The fickle comment had to do with the other pro teams here.

That's right, the idea is deterrent. The criminals are always going to have access to weapons, that cat is out of the bag unfortunately. Either we can let them run wild and hope that the cops (who are outnumbered greatly) can stop them all, or we can be proactive.

Argosy has a hotel if I'm not mistaken. :)

And what research are you basing that on? Show me some numbers that support your position. Numbers? How about 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42? I don't need numbers, simply look at how long it took us to finally legalize gambling. Look at the indoor smoking ban we recently passed. Look at the other blue laws that have been in place for decades, especially concerning alcohol. This state is incredibly restrictive of personal and business freedoms. OK Hugo! But you're avoiding the question. You have no numbers of facts. It's your personal opinion. What the hell has smoking got to do with this? I go out more than ever because I don't have to worry about 2nd hand smoking. I glad there will be no drinking as I doubt I'll have to worry about some drunk idiot spoiling my night while I'm trying to win big at the craps table! I'm not sure what you're asking for even makes sense. This isn't something that needs to be quantified. The proof is in the way this state's populace has voted over the years on these issues. As for your comments (and those of bfwissel), that's all anecdotal. If there were a true demand for non-smoking bars and casinos, the free market would ensure that such an option existed. I'm a non-smoker and I hated coming home from the bars reeking of smoke, but I realize how detrimental such anti-business laws to our country. Going back to my Arizona example. Even though the state has an indoor smoking ban, Indian casinos are exempt (for good reasons). If we're not hoping for these casinos to attract people from outside of the region, then what's the point? All we'll be doing is shifting entertainment dollars around. If we want these casinos to truly be successful, we need to find out just how loose the gambling regulations of our neighbor states are, and attempt to "one up" them. If that means allowing for drinking until 4am, smoking, and comped drinks, etc., than that's what we should do.

And what research are you basing that on? Show me some numbers that support your position. Numbers? How about 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42? I don't need numbers, simply look at how long it took us to finally legalize gambling. Look at the indoor smoking ban we recently passed. Look at the other blue laws that have been in place for decades, especially concerning alcohol. This state is incredibly restrictive of personal and business freedoms.

I can only envision the kind of scene this would make. This is the Archie Bunker argument. :roll: I'm not advocating Wild West-type shootouts. However a criminal is less likely to mess with you if they believe there's a chance that you could be packing. The police do a great job, but they can't be everywhere at once to protect all citizens. You have to be prepared to defend yourself against the bands of thugs that have taken over large swaths of Greater Cleveland and other major metropolitan areas.

The Indian casinos in Arizona give out comp drinks. It's really a shame that the moralists in this state prevent businesses from really succeeding. We finally get a casino and it's going to be so tame that it won't do nearly as well as it could.

We wouldn't need to build more prisons if we stopped with the fruitless War on Drugs. If there is no room in jail for real criminals (the ones committing violent crimes against others), then perhaps we're doing things wrong, because our incarceration rate is still much higher than every other country in the Western world, I think.