Comment Archives: Stories
Re: “The Comparison of Detroit and Memphis, Again”
Player, you asked for proof that schools in Memphis suck. I provided proof. Your only response is to discount the validity of the proof? C'mon, man. 'Zat all you got?
"This annexation thing has race all over it." What? All I am looking at is the results of all the previous annexations. Is Frayser a toilet? What about Hickory Hill? Don't blame the observer for making a valid observation. Race has nothing to do with it. It's incompetent leadership. Period. Now you can watch it happen all over again in Cordova.
Memphis has vast areas that are dying. Street after street after street of abandoned homes. Underutilized schools are closing. Property values are dropping. Meanwhile, your politicians are more concerned about renaming parks. The city council lurches from one crisis to the next, and one expensive project to the next. Your leaders provide no leadership.
When is the last time Wanda Halbert did something meaningful or beneficial for the city? How about Janice Fullilove? Bill Morrison came up with the brilliant idea of withholding $57 million from the MCS maintenance of effort and gets re-elected. Joe Brown has never had a fiscally sane thought in his entire life, while Shea Flinn is 100% focused on payback for every nickel that the city ever spent on MCS outside of the MOE. The only reason there is ever turnover on the city council is when someone chooses to not run for re-election; the sheeple are well trained and the shepherds continue to suck on the public teat.
The only person on the council with half a brain is Jim Strickland, and he will lose to Martavius Jones in the 2015 mayoral race. Hey, things will really turn around then. Martavius has done such a good job with schools, let's turn him loose to run the entire city.
Player, Memphis absolutely is headed down the exact same path as Detroit, just a few years behind; the politicians know it, and are sitting idly by watching it happen. Just continue to view it all from your front porch with your rose-colored glasses, and repeat the mantra of the car dealer on South Third: "It's all good."
And no, I'm not sitting on the fringe, enjoying the dismal scene unfold. I just understand that organic change, which is what's required to turn it all around, is not on the horizon. It's going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better. And it's the entire county that will suffer, not just the unfortunate folks in the urban areas.
Re: “John Willingham, Barbecue Maven and All-Around Achiever, Dies at 80”
A GOOD MAN, friend, mentor. Brilliant. Open-minded. I'm a better person from your influence. Godspeed.
Re: “Game 5: Griz 88, Thunder 84 — Western Conference Finals Bound”
After that absolutely DISGUSTING dunk in game 5, I take back every bad thing I said about Tayshaun's tentative offense in game 4
Re: “The Comparison of Detroit and Memphis, Again”
"Has FEDEX Forum helped out Memphis financially? NO it sent the River Kings into Mississippi."
Oh no! How will the Memphis economy ever survive without the River Kings?
Re: “Pit Stops”
Never had the bbq at Fat Larry's, but the steak is awesome.
Re: “The Comparison of Detroit and Memphis, Again”
I hate to break it to you OTP, but I'm a white guy, living in midtown with my family and I have been against the forced annexation of outlying suburban areas as long as I can remember. I think you're a good bit more wrong than usual on this one.
Re: “Game 5: Griz 88, Thunder 84 — Western Conference Finals Bound”
This is true -- Griz in 5. I said the same thing to Verno. But I felt like making that my "official" pick would come across as too homer-ish. Lesson learned. Follow your gut.
Re: “The Comparison of Detroit and Memphis, Again”
@Bruce
Thanks, I will feel free to fire away.
Welcome back, OTP.
Re: “Letter From the Editor”
I think I remember reading somewhere, that every second term President in US history has had a scandal or two during the second term. So this is just par for the course. Republicans and Democrats may have different labels but deep down, they are both politicians. And both play from the same playbook.
Re: “The Comparison of Detroit and Memphis, Again”
I'm going to regret this, but ... Yes, the "new" OTP is the same person as the old OTP. And Drift, the Flyer staff doesn't come on here under false names or anonymously. We leave that to you.
Re: “The Comparison of Detroit and Memphis, Again”
Look at the facts Detriot was a major distribution city in the 1950's that is one reason there population was so high, Memphis was not as big. And the census says that the population of Memphis is going up not down like Detroit. Memphis is also the 20th largest city in America.
Re: “Letter From the Editor”
"Charles Krauthammer is to wisdom what monkeys are to quantum entanglement."
Bingo. Were it not for his stunning resemblance to Robert Redford, he'd have no credibility with anyone.
Re: “The Comparison of Detroit and Memphis, Again”
OTP
Sorry, your post just does not look right.
By all means, have Bruce authenticate you and we will converse again. Otherwise, I am still with Drift and think you are an imposter. I value the adversarial relationship with the old man too much to waste time on substitutes.
Nice imitation, though. Just not quite right. In the future, please try to remember that when OTP gets really worked up, his spelling and grammar go to hell.
Re: “Game 5: Griz 88, Thunder 84 — Western Conference Finals Bound”
We should all give praise where praise is due. My lucky shirt.
Re: “The Comparison of Detroit and Memphis, Again”
I am no fraud! This was and is the real Oldtimeplayer.
Let us straighten some things out. Memphis will not and does not need to de-annex anything! It is a little rough in the short time, but in the best interest of the city to keep what it has already annexed. I have lived in cities where they were reluctant to annex sparsely populated areas. Those areas started to build up and became incorporated, leaving the city cut off from their tax base. Let us also face the fact that it is the whites that don't want to be a part of Memphis because it is controlled by African Americans. That is the 2,000 lb elephant in the room.
As I said before, taxes have very little bearing on where companies locate. Actually, when it comes to corporate headquarters, the basic reason they choose the place to locate has to do with the home of the founder, ceo, etc. Please don't brag about Texas. Yes, Texas leads the nation in jobs growth, but, it also leads the nation in minimum wage jobs.
To quote Tennessee Report Card statistics for schools is a farce. Tennessee ranks 47th out of the 50 states in education. High School graduation rates are mostly contingent on the mindset of the student. It has no bearing on whether the schools give everyone the opportunity to learn. Better yet, look at the last census. The people with college degrees is virtually the same for Memphis as it is for the suburban county. Schools can be rated by many factors, however, the main factor should be; can a child recieve a basic, quality, free education in the Memphis Schools. That is all that the state requires and it is resoundingly clear that any child that takes advantage of this educational opportunity in the Memphis Schools can succeed.
As the economy improves, so will the financial situation of Memphis improve. It is like the federal government. With the improving economy, the federal government has taken in over 2 billion more than it has spent. Cuts do not improve the economy, growth does! It has been proven lately, after debunking the spurious austerity report that the gop has relied on that, severe cuts in government spending actually makes the economy worse and stiffles growth.
This annexiation thing has race all over it. The suburbs are mostly white and the city of Memphis is mostly African American. It is just like the schools, suburbanites don't want a people that it feels is inferior having control.
In essence, you suburbanites have came to assumptions about Memphis, not based on facts, but clouded by your hidden racism.
No, I am the real Oldtimeplayer, the only fraud is the screwed up so-called facts that you suburbanites try to use to justify your feeling s about Memphis.
Re: “Game 5: Griz 88, Thunder 84 — Western Conference Finals Bound”
This is a great day in Grizzlies history, and I feel good about our chances in the next 2 rounds. Kudos to the entire team especially Marc, ZBo, Tony. I just hope Pera remembers to send flowers to Patrick Beverly.
Re: “Letter From the Editor”
Poor Bruce, is caught in the "web." And can't get out.
Re: “Letter to the Editor”
Right on J.C. I'm surprised this liberal rag, printed your letter.
Re: “Benghazi Syndrome”
I have a name for the irrational and absolutely rabid dislike for the president by racist Republicans. I call it POSD (Post Obama Stress Disorder) It's a disease suffered by racist white males who just can't get past the fact a non-white person is in the White House. The cure? Two sedatives and another try in 2016.
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Re: “John Willingham, Barbecue Maven and All-Around Achiever, Dies at 80”
I'll miss seeing his signs in yards every election.