Nah,Louie, not another of your classic movie plot metaphors again!


Why not?


Ok,I'm still obsessed w/the 50 Fabulous Ladies of Hollywood promo-trailer -I challenge any real man to watch it and tell me that they're not affected by it(make certain that you watch it where she removes her jacket, then slowly unzips her skirt revealing....check out the unusual tattoo on her back,her backside,her creative use of colour on her stockings,etc). Ladies-you check it out too for the education in eroticism-why am I thinking about rowing a boat?


Phew---back to Sunset Boulevard- a 1950 b&w movie starring Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond - a faded silent screen star that didn't make the transition to the "talkies". Norma Desmond refuses to take a REAL look in the mirror. Norma refuses to recognize any of her failings as her responsibility and now has the help of those around her,particularly her ex-husband who helps her live in the past by creating a dream world for her.

Ok, sounds like Y-town to you? Sure does to me.

We now are the ONLY county in the State of Ohio(88 counties) that is under the the control of three United States Federal Judges! We are releasing people from the Mahoning County Jail DAILY--people who,according to OUR local judges,should be IN JAIL,not out! Who's lives do these release-ees affect? All of our's! Local law enforcers-the women and men who don bullet-proof vests to go to work in-tell me that their mornings,afternoons and nights are filled with re-arrests. Risking their lives re-arresting people who've been immediately released from OUR jail due to the failure of the Dysfunctional Criminal Justice (non) Working Group, the Mahoning County Commissioners,Judges,prosecutors,school administrators,mayors,state representatives & senators,US congressmen & senators, the media,the county democrat and republican parties,ALL OF US.

I've often said on the radio show that when I have "extra money"(whatever that means) I want to do some 'special projects'.One of those special projects would be creating the un-official flag of Mahoning County: The Oroboros-a snake eating it's tail-consuming itself !

We're great at killing the messenger.

When Forbes Magazine-a magazine that's in the hands of most business decision makers-observes us,reflects our image back to us, we respond by pointing out just how wrong Forbes is. When we're named one of the WORST cities to live in-we point out the low cost of living.

Low Cost of Living?

Last week, one of my radio-show guests was Professor Joshua Cohen. Dr.Cohen teaches philosophy and political science to students at Massachusetts Institute of Technology,MIT-in Boston. Prof. Cohen also is the co-editor of The Boston Review(www.bostonreview.net) Josh and I have developed a really nice relationship
o're the years and he's become a somewhat regular guest. Josh shared w/us on-air last week his plans to move this summer to San Francisco.
Professor Cohen said "Louie, have you looked at the price of real estate in S.F.?(that's a question that answers itself for anyone that knows me). He then talked about how the price of real estate goes up w/the desire of people to live in that place. So what does that say about the cost of living being so low here? Well, in the city of Y-town,the school system graduates LESS than 60% of the city's kids! I know-this is ,what I call, a "dandruff issue" to most of you. A quick brush of the shoulder w/a smug "where's the parents" comment and most of us are done w/the issue.
What's the sales point to an out-of-town business? How do we spin the drop-out rate/low cost of living to a new business creating futile soil for economic growth?


How do we spin the Dysfunctional Criminal Justice System into futile soil for economic growth?

Hey! I've got it! as I told Forbes Magazine for their 22 May Issue :

YOUNGSTOWN-THE CITY OF THE FUTURE!!


Finally, we'll be at the forefront,the lead of modern American cities!


The Solution:


We LOVE prisons here and are not interested in graduating more that 60% on the city kids, so.....
We build more private prisons(ethical? "we don't need no stinking ethics...").
WHY? Then we'll have jobs for the high-school graduates AND a place to put the H.S. drop-outs when they break the laws!!!! A REAL lose-lose, I mean win-win situation!-as long as -like Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard-we don't really take a long and honest look in the mirror ! -and after all,we're Youngstown Ohio w/a low cost of living and a lot of culture-in the yogurt!



~Louie
11 June 06 11:14 p

(hey,maybe I missed it when I checked 08 May 06 NEWSWEEK 's America's Best High Schools-The Top 100)