Drew Carey talks with Cleveland City Council

[danwismar]

http://reason.com/archives/2010/09/08/the-confrontation

From the October issue of Reason magazine, a piece titled "The Confrontation", it's a transcript of the May 28 meeting between Drew Carey and Reason's editor Nick Gillespie, an Ohioan, and members of the Cleveland City Council, following up Reason's Internet video series "Reason Saves Cleveland", a project Carey undertook out of concern for the declining state of his home town.

It's kind of long, and I know the topic of Reason's video has been aired out a bit here in NHB, but I found it interesting to read, and thought it was worth posting.

Discuss...

[FUDU]

Nice link.

Carey is so right about the WSM, and the approach to owning things like it and a golf course.

As far as infrastructure one of my biggest complaints with this city (and many other cities do this as well) is not doing it right, sensibly the first time. IE: roads to know where, or to be more accurate repaving roads in asphalt. The up front cost savings is not worth it in the end, there are examples of it in many places in this city and in Cuy. Co. (particularly on the west side). Dozens of streets have been repaved with asphalt in the last 20 years and most of them have needed to be repaved for the last 5-7. Meanwhile a fairly well traveled road like Rocky River Dr. was repaved with concrete 10 years ago and it is fine and won't need attention for probably 15-20 more years. That is one reason there are still so many brick roads on the west side b/c the residents of those streets fight having them repaved with asphalt b/c frankly the bricks are holding up just fine after 8000 years.

One thing in that discussion that bugged me was the instance on noting Carey and his pal's political leanings as being Libertarian...so what who gives a shit, the bottom line is to come up with sensible solutions to problems, it shouldn't matter one iota what side of the isle a sensible solution comes from, and that right there is still part of the issue with this city.

[Orenthal]

I am not so sure about the WSM. If the city awarded a contract to operate, maybe, but private industry would never have put anything close to the WSM there, ever. It would either be a Dave's, which is close by, or some hipster-like Whole Foods.

[jb]

JD Filing linked to this months ago as you noted.

Scroll down if you want to see the vids.

Looked like more Jack Kemp "privitzation is panacea" circa 1978. Not really using this as a platform to knock that, just saying I didn't find the ideas novel at all. But I guess some changes surely couldn't hurt what is currently in place.

Whether the deck chairs are positioned by private or publlic sectors means little. What NEO needs is the return of a plausible manufacturing sector jobs preferably in newer technologies. Period. Like T Friedman says repeatedly, we have to grow the pie.

[Orenthal]

Pie doesn't grow in NEO because it isn't business friendly. That change only happens when we replace the political machine that operated during our boom years. The regulation, labor's attitude, and a fatigued old guard all contribute. Those groups behave like we still have an abundance on manufacturing to lean on. City should be selling out to business, then worry about getting some concessions.

Seeing Jimmy taken away in handcuffs is a start.

[jb]

Pie doesn't grow in NEO because it isn't business friendly. That change only happens when we replace the political machine that operated during our boom years. The regulation, labor's attitude, and a fatigued old guard all contribute. Those groups behave like we still have an abundance on manufacturing to lean on. City should be selling out to business, then worry about getting some concessions.

Seeing Jimmy taken away in handcuffs is a start.

I'm prety sure plotical change is underway with the new county government system, but this is much, much bigger than government; local or national.

Need a game changer along the lines of steam - > oil.

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Pie doesn't grow in NEO because it isn't business friendly. That change only happens when we replace the political machine that operated during our boom years. The regulation, labor's attitude, and a fatigued old guard all contribute. Those groups behave like we still have an abundance on manufacturing to lean on. City should be selling out to business, then worry about getting some concessions.

Seeing Jimmy taken away in handcuffs is a start.

I'm prety sure plotical change is underway with the new county government system, but this is much, much bigger than government; local or national.

Need a game changer along the lines of steam - > oil.

Lotta wind and current on that lake, eh?

Sitting on a section of the largest natural gas deposit on earth, too, IIRC, just like Erie.

Forget welding and machining jobs, unless you make a pitch to players like Harley Davidson, which is thinking of moving out of Milwakee. Those jobs are history, unfortunately for many

...and the entire C-Town area needs about 15,000 acres of abandoned buildings and such bulldozed and turned into piers and fish habitat for starters. Get rid of the blight and recycle the materials into something constructive.

[FUDU]

Pie doesn't grow in NEO because it isn't business friendly. That change only happens when we replace the political machine that operated during our boom years. The regulation, labor's attitude, and a fatigued old guard all contribute. Those groups behave like we still have an abundance on manufacturing to lean on. City should be selling out to business, then worry about getting some concessions.

Seeing Jimmy taken away in handcuffs is a start.

I'm prety sure plotical change is underway with the new county government system, but this is much, much bigger than government; local or national.

Need a game changer along the lines of steam - > oil

Brmbmbmbm brmbmbmbm brmbmbmbm brmbmbmbm

[jb]

Pie doesn't grow in NEO because it isn't business friendly. That change only happens when we replace the political machine that operated during our boom years. The regulation, labor's attitude, and a fatigued old guard all contribute. Those groups behave like we still have an abundance on manufacturing to lean on. City should be selling out to business, then worry about getting some concessions.

Seeing Jimmy taken away in handcuffs is a start.

I'm prety sure plotical change is underway with the new county government system, but this is much, much bigger than government; local or national.

Need a game changer along the lines of steam - > oil.

Lotta wind and current on that lake, eh?

Sitting on a section of the largest natural gas deposit on earth, too, IIRC, just like Erie.

Forget welding and machining jobs, unless you make a pitch to players like Harley Davidson, which is thinking of moving out of Milwakee. Those jobs are history, unfortunately for many

...and the entire C-Town area needs about 15,000 acres of abandoned buildings and such bulldozed and turned into piers and fish habitat for starters. Get rid of the blight and recycle the materials into something constructive.

Really?

That plant is h-u-g-e! Looked new as well. Was in Ml last month and drove right by it.

[danwismar]

Like T Friedman says repeatedly, we have to grow the pie.

He heard it from M Friedman

[Orenthal]

Pie doesn't grow in NEO because it isn't business friendly. That change only happens when we replace the political machine that operated during our boom years. The regulation, labor's attitude, and a fatigued old guard all contribute. Those groups behave like we still have an abundance on manufacturing to lean on. City should be selling out to business, then worry about getting some concessions.

Seeing Jimmy taken away in handcuffs is a start.

I'm prety sure plotical change is underway with the new county government system, but this is much, much bigger than government; local or national.

Need a game changer along the lines of steam - > oil.

Again a start, but the underlying problem of over regulation and hostile labor, may not die just cuz the head was lopped off. If EdFitz wins this election, I'll be doubtful of that...

[jb]

Pie doesn't grow in NEO because it isn't business friendly. That change only happens when we replace the political machine that operated during our boom years. The regulation, labor's attitude, and a fatigued old guard all contribute. Those groups behave like we still have an abundance on manufacturing to lean on. City should be selling out to business, then worry about getting some concessions.

Seeing Jimmy taken away in handcuffs is a start.

I'm prety sure plotical change is underway with the new county government system, but this is much, much bigger than government; local or national.

Need a game changer along the lines of steam - > oil.

Again a start, but the underlying problem of over regulation and hostile labor, may not die just cuz the head was lopped off. If EdFitz wins this election, I'll be doubtful of that...

can't hurt, I agree.

Bring back the Irish machine that Tom Johnson killed!

[Orenthal]

What is hilarious is Tom L. would be considered too white and wayyyyyyy to rich to win an election in the City of Cleveland today. A little progressive for my taste, but can't deny he was probably Cleveland's greatest mayor. Just too bad his Group Plan shifted all that money out of the private sector, and had a net negative impact on the surrounding area...

Even the muckrackers liked Tom.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Man your politics must really suck if you have to rely on shit ass Drew Carey to make a change.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Phil Davison wants to be the treasurer of Stark County, and he might be on coke.