Progress? What Progress?

Bad to BizarreWhen John Cranley promotes the progress of Cincinnati but places a wager using a bunch of old shit…
In placing a bet on a football game with the San Diego mayor, they San Diego mayor offered 'craft beers' from his city. Cranley offered Gold Star Chili, Montgomery Inn Ribs & Graeter's Ice Cream. At his own personal expense.
If you are going to tout the city's progress & the other guy is wagering beer, why not…

• Triple Digit Brewing
• MadTree Brewing
• Rock Bottom Restaurant Brewery
• Mt. Carmel Brewing
• Rhinegeist Brewery
• Christian Moerlein
• Rivertown Brewing
• Blank Slate Brewing

Does this man have any idea what's going on in this town or is he locked in the 70s?
His amateurish, (not very) cheery Cheneyesque press conference was somewhere between creepy & sad.
Man, I miss Mark Mallory already...

Getting People Into The Casino
Not everybody's happy about the giant sign erected by the Cincinnati Horseshoe Casino that has made it's place in the local skyline. Apparently big ads for banks on top of Carew Tower are different...
Still, Another alternative might have been using robots to just drag passing autos into the parking lot - sort of like the way guys drag pedestrians off the sidewalks and into strip clubs.
This would have been a more unique solution with some distinct Porkopolis charm that, IMHO, would have drawn tourists from near and far.

More from WLWT here

Fortunately, Ohio's General Assembly is dominated by liberty loving, business friendly, small government types because, otherwise, they'd be shuttering businesses and prohibiting popular entertainment in the state. As it is, they are offering a, "I might have shot you but I didn't kill you" option.
House committees have 2 bills to regulate & kill internet cafe gambling. Obviously, you need oversight & regulation on games of chance to make sure they're not rigged & folks in the industry agree, but warn the onerous HB7, promoted by a pentad of freedom loving, business friendly Republicans could wipe them out.
Who are they trying to help?

Noose Son story here

Ohio Casino Revenue Disappointswotta surprise…..
The Ohio casino plan was doomed to, maybe not failure, but certainly not a rousing success. Las Vegas isn't just about gambling - it's an entertainment destination that relies on everybody in town participating. In Ohio we got 4 casinos & everything else is pretty much the same.
It was a bad plan & expecting humongous riches to come from it was ridiculous.
I STUB my plan was better.

Dismal news from WCPO

Everybody Wins
well, almost...

Given the proximity of the Hamilton County jail and the new Casino in Downtown Cincinnati, it seems that marrying the two could raise some much needed revenue for the governments, the casino & cut down on the jail population at the same time.
yep, gladiatorial fights to the death using prisoners! Folks could wager on the outcomes generating revenue for the city, county, state & casino owners and half of the contestants would get slaughtered mercilessly for the enjoyment of the spectators. It ties in with Roman roots, it's a proven draw, it adds to the variety of sports in the town, it reduces recidivism…
folks, this has gotta be a winner!

Any Way the Wind Blows

Ohio governor Kasich has reached a deal with casinos who already had a deal with the voters of Ohio that increases/decreases tax revenue but more importantly expands gambling in the state without voter approval.
When trying to plug a hole in the state budget, Democratic governor Strickland proposed slots at race tracks. He was set to have the state legislature vote on it & believed it would pass. As I posted before, this measure was opposed by a coalition of Republicans and church groups who demanded Ohio voters make the decision. This effort was led by Cincinnati Republican Tom Brinkman, COA T founder, ally of the CCV and no stranger to campaign ethics violation charges. Let Ohio Vote was was no exception.
The result was no slots at tracks and the cancellation of a tax cut extension for Ohioans that was capitalized on in the next gubernatorial campaign by Kasich, who characterized it as a tax hike.
One of the anti-slots campaign leaders is actually a Kasich appointee today. Do these guys talk? Will these conservative® Republicans cry foul and demand a public vote again or will this be a case of, it's ok if a Republican does it?

After Hours at the Casino / Club Ritz Part 2

I posted this video awhile ago. Recently the state legislature has been working on whether to allow free drinks, 24 hour drinking & age limits at the casino on Broadway Commons. There has also been a murder in Club Ritz.
WCPO reports that patrons believe private security allows guns inside. Another questions the metal detector wands functionality. I have questioned, in the past, if the police urging the use of off duty police was just a way of getting some more pay for fellow officers. These accusations from Club Ritz patrons lend some credibility to the concerns of the police over private security. In the video the Club Ritz managers discuss the money they have spent on security.
The Fishwrap reports on some of the aspects of the regulations concerning the casinos. Legislators are allowing for inspectors but no requirements for security minimums are listed. Patrons will have to be 21 or older. Some bars have established 35 & older when their licenses are threatened.
I am really looking forward to seeing how things pan out at the casino. I think Club Ritz is pretty much doomed.

The Blogging Isn't Cool Voting Guide


Because I know my reader would likely have a panic attack without this.... Man, I had no idea I had so many posts about Charlie Winburn. I think this explains why the Fishwrap endorses the clown. He makes for easy copy !

Issue 2
Link
Link
Ohio Staves of HSUS

Issue 3
Link

Issue 7
Link

Issue 9
Video Report
Video Report
9 Makes Kids Cry
Populations
Changing Trends
Permanence or Success ?
Streetcar Arguments That Make Me Wonder
Streetcar Arguments That Make Me Wonder

Charlie Winburn
Can Charlie Be Trusted ?
Charlie Winburn's Dreaming

Issue 3

I don't gamble. It bores me. I would just as soon give my money to people on the street. I realize a lot of people enjoy it, tho, and that Ohio money is going out of state without the gambling here.
Las Vegas is a fun place to visit. The casinos are a sight to see. The thing is, out there, there are slots everywhere. From the moment you arrive at the airport you hear the sound of coins tinkling everywhere ! (I can imagine Edgar Allan Poe dealing with that!) Small bars might have one slot or video poker machine. Places with no gambling have entertainment out the wazoo. There is a ton of stuff going on in Las Vegas without gambling. It is a unique and immersive experience.
This is what I don't get about Ohio & it's various plans to do gambling. We always want to have just one or two single casinos. Why don't we want to set up something that would compete with Vegas, or for that matter, Branson ? Why can't we just license machines & dealers to establishments that want them ? Why do we have to have an out of state entity run one casino without any competition ? Here in Cincinnati, I imagine someone like Jeff Ruby could do a casino just fine.
I really think the place for a gambling town would be Pomeroy. It has the Ohio River, wooded hillsides, camping. It's a pretty little town with a nice riverfront. I am sure the infusion of cash would be welcomed.
Sandusky, on the lake, would make another good location. The thing is, it should be an immersive and a uniquely Ohio experience. It should not be a single monopolized cookie cutter blob stuck into areas with a lot of voters.
I will oppose all gambling measures in the state that are concocted like Issue 3 and pretty much every other plan for gambling that's been put on the ballot.

COA T co-founder Tom Brinkman - Ohio's Answer to Harold Hill ?
Brinkman and a couple of his political fringe cohorts have banded together to make the political/legal case against gambling in Ohio in a move parallel with the Talibanish Ohio Roundtable group. One of his pals did work for the failed gubernatorial campaign of (sonofabitch) Ken Blackwell. Another is, theoretically, a member (president ?) of the right wing Buckeye Institute, an organization known for screwing up numbers and statistics as badly as COA T.
Brinkman has been trying to change state law so he can lobby for COA T (maybe shoulda thought about that while still in office instead of procuring grills for Alms Park). When he was in office, he wasted state money on admittedly pointless legislation that would have have forced young women to bear the fruit of incestuous rape. He has failed repeatedly to get the support of constituents in his congressional district who would rather have daggone Jean Schmidt. He was involved in overturning Cincinnati's gay rights protections which involved working with the Talibanish CCV and the illegal collection of ballot signatures.
While maybe not working directly with the religious extremists, we can easily surmise he is in league with them on this issue, too.
COA T's campaigning trademark is hysterical fear mongering laced with paronomasia & outright lies - similar to what we see Robert Preston doing in this scene from the cinematic version of the Music Man. What snake oil can we expect from their co-founder on the gambling issue ? Or will he and his "communications experts" just funnel that to the Ohio Roundtable group ?
-sigh-
Harold Hill was, in the end, redeemed. His heart having found true love with the local librarian and satisfying the citizens of the River City by actually conducting the promised youth band. Unfortunately, I doubt we can expect any turnaround from this particular rogue.

Cowtown Politics article here.

Does Ohio Need Casinos ?
No
Leave the casinos to Las Vegas. They do it right. Low end casino towns, like Deadwood suck.
If you just want to gamble, get a game going with your friends or coworkers.
The latest push for a casino in Ohio is coming out of Wilmington, which is getting creamed by the abandonment of a major employer, DHL.
Las Vegas was built into a success a long time ago by people that Wilmingtonians would not want for neighbors. Las Vegas, today, is a result of that success built upon by big entertainment corporations. What Wilmington, or any location in Ohio, would get with a casino, is, basically, a bone from the entertainment moguls that would provide low paying jobs to locals and siphon off the lion's share o the cash while leaving Ohio and Wilmington holding the bill for infrastructure improvements and public services.
A smarter location in Ohio would be on Ohio's northern lakefront, southern riverfront or in south east Ohio's hills. That is, areas that have natural attractions tourists want. But the tiny profit and large headaches would still be the same.
If Ohio really wants to succeed in the tourist trade, it should legalize marijuana. Still, most of the jobs in the tourist industry just don't pay all that well and, frequently don't provide much in the way of employment for older people.
Ohio, and it's cities need to focus on using and marketing their resources. Cincinnati is right to have a major focus on the downtown areas of OTR, CBD & the Banks. OTR, in particular represents an old neighborhood that is still salvageable but would be impossible to re-create.
Ohio should focus more on new industrial jobs. First Solar has recently announced plans to expand and add jobs in Perrysburg. Renewable energy would be a great industry for Ohio. It would create jobs, it's adoption could lower energy costs, making the cost of living and doing business in the state more palatable. A cleaner environment would aid in tourism, the agriculture industry and cut health care costs.
Expanding and diversifying our agricultural industry (what Ohio was built on) is crucial. Agriculture for energy is one idea, focusing on specialty stuff like Alpacas is another.
I offer no quick fixes, no "jackpots", but with some work, dedication and investment in things that are already somewhat in place, Ohio can do a lot better in the long run than by looking to casinos for band-aids.