The trucks have been unloading in front of the Aragon for days, we've seen a lot of guys in dark suits keeping an eye on the 'hood, and the barriers are on the parkways, ready to divert traffic. Hey, looks like the President is coming to Uptown!
From Ald. Cappleman: "President Obama will be celebrating his 50th birthday with a fundraiser in Uptown tomorrow night at the Aragon Ballroom. The President is scheduled to be in Uptown between 5p.m. and 10p.m. We anticipate high levels of congestion due to street closures on Lawrence Ave. and surrounding streets. There may be delays on the Red Line, Bus Routes and Lake Shore Drive. Please take this into consideration in any plans you may have for tomorrow evening."
From the Obama team to attendees: "The Lawrence L station will stop service from 5:30PM to 9:45PM. We strongly encourage you to access the venue from the North side and use the Argyle Red Line L Station, a quick 2 block walk from the Aragon."
And of course the Tea Party will be convening across the street, at the Green Mill. Gonna be an exciting night! We will pass along any information about closures that we learn.
Glad to see the Tea Party people / Breitbart are up to their usual standards of excellence. (Sarcasm knob on 10.)
ReplyDeleteMaybe those of us living in Uptown should show up and counter-protest the protesters.
Perhaps the Tea Partiers can step out of the Green Mill and meet some Tea Baggers from Crew.
ReplyDeleteThat's Uptown..........bringing different people together.......uncomfortably.
That being said the TP'ers do have a right to protest.
That William J Kelly TP'er in Chief is a bit of an attention whore. Ran for office. Does ambush interviews.
Oh well. Maybe he can get some attention for himself.
In any case having President Obama here in Uptown and the people protesting is good for our local economy.
Perhaps the Tea Partiers can do some Paul Revere takeoff slam poetry at the Green Mill.
Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight slide of Bill Kelly.
On the third of August, in twenty eleven;
Bill Kelly thought he was in heaven.
He said to his friend, "If the Kenyan marches
By land or chopper from the hood to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the Uptown Bank arch
Or the Wilson Yard tower as a signal light,–
One if by land, and two if by air;
And I on the opposite street will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Uptown block and condo development,
For the Tea Party folk to be up and to arm."
I truly owe Longfellow an apology for that.
And you dear UU readers. And you.
Well that makes it official...If Jon Trott disagrees with the Tea Party then I am all for them.
ReplyDeleteYou see Jon, some of us out there understand that freedom and personal responsibility are a good thing. For years you managed to cradle the the government teet when Helen was in office. What did we get in return? An eyesore of a building and a few pay to play protesters coming out of your ranks.
Government assistance seems to be a Trott legacy.
Please do counter protest the Tea Party rally. Let the people make the choice as to who they want to stand next too. If America's future is JPUSA, then show yourself and let us know what you have to offer. What is the JPUSA economic plan?
I know this may sound a bit harsh, but I see what you're doing. You're trying to recover from backing the wrong candidates in the last few elections. You're trying to "rebrand" yourself, and Im not buying it.
Chip... so are you a Tea Party fan? A yes or no will suffice. Just wondering. I've campaigned for Obama avidly since he first showed up on the national scene, so I'm unsure what you mean regarding my "rebranding" myself. Campaigning for Obama within the context of America's white Evangelical subculture is no treat, either.
ReplyDeleteNow, you may be confusing two different topics -- namely, national politics with local politics. And yes, I supported James Cappleman's opponent. For me to support James as the duly elected Alderperson now is not "rebranding." I would hope you would have supported a new Alderperson if it would *not* have been James.
Look, we can keep up the same old hostilities. That worked out so well for all of us, didn't it? (sigh...) Or we can, understandably with a bit of trepidation all 'round, see what a lack of hostility is like. Hostility usually comes from feeling vulnerable. I know I've felt vulnerable in the past (witness some comments made here about me and you might understand why). But I can't afford to care about that, frankly. Likewise, I treated Uptown Update roughly on a few of my blog entries. It was election season and all of us were doing our civic (if not always civil) duty!
But here we are. James won. Obama's visiting. The Tea Party is coming. And, to quote Monty Python, I fart in their general direction.
Interesting post, Jon. I appreciate /support the overall theme you're working on there.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, if you (like many of us) would like to lower the amount of hostilities around here, might I suggest that unprovoked eye-poking of people with whom you disagree might not be the best route to take.
Not that I'm a fan of Breitbart/Tea Party types - but they have every right to speak their mind as you or anyone else - and, cranking your sarcasm knob on 10 in a pseudo-inflammatory post does seem a bit counter-productive.
"Perhaps the Tea Partiers can step out of the Green Mill and meet some Tea Baggers from Crew."
ReplyDeleteRolling on the floor laughing my A$$ off.
Chip:
"You see Jon, some of us out there understand that freedom and personal responsibility are a good thing."
If you believe that is what the tea party is really about-you are a victim of the marketing.
I am not a liberal, but the tea baggers are a bunch of D-baggers. I can't believe they are taken seriously.
Well I am not opposed to the occasional jabbing, so let me take this one for Jon Trott. The Tea Party is a joke, but a scary joke. The Tea Party went against everything they preach about patriotism and constitutionality when they held the country hostage the past few months. The Tea Party is not about democracy and freedom. They are snakes, hypocrites and liars. I will certainly be dropping by the Green Mill to tell them so directly.
ReplyDeleteHey IP, You're the master of words. How about suggesting some anti-tea party slogans.
ReplyDeleteThis is all I came up with:
Restore sanity to America...drink coffee.
f*ck Tea
Tea Party? No Thanks
The Tea Party is not about democracy and freedom. They are snakes, hypocrites and liars.
ReplyDeleteAll hail diversity!
Not that I'm a fan of the tea party or Bill Kelly, but I'm always amazed when those who preach tolerance of other peoples' beliefs are so quick to disparage a group of people that they've probably never met and more than likely never had a detailed conversation with.
I guess the Tea Party and JPUSA have a lot in common, no?
Put together a sign with any of the following and maybe arrows pointing in various directions and stand amongst the TP'ers.
ReplyDelete"We have no idea what we're talking about".
"Thank you Fox News for keeping us infromed."
"I'm teabagging for Jesus"
"Teabag this"
"Don;t mortage my children's future"
"More fun, less taxis."
"Just say no to socillism"
"Don't spread my wealth. Spread my legs"
"Get a brain morans. Go US of A."
"We the pepole"
"No Pubic Option"
"O bama 1"
"O Sama Done"
"Tea Bagging Patriots"
"Palin 2012. Because the End Times can't come soon enough"
Stimulate This.
I have a rite to be herd.
Honk if you speek English.
I shaved my balls for this?
Don't tred on me.
Most of these are actual signs real Tea Partiers used at various events.
Others I made up.
A few were from the anti tea warriors.
Brought to you with the help of google and Crest toothpaste. Four out of five dentists recommend Crest to their patience. I mean patients.
Here's some anti tea party bumper stickers.
ReplyDeleteTea parties are for little girls with imaginary friends.
Don't tea on me.
Palin 2012. Because Stupid People Deserve Representation too.
and my personal favorite......
Palin's bush. 2012
The Dow is down, commodities are WAY up, our streets are littered with empty store fronts, consumer spending is down, unemployment is at 9.2%, The Presidents last budget got voted down 97-0 by the Senate, companies are not hiring because we have a dreadful healthcare bill hanging over them Who is holding this country "hostage?" This "Dept Deal" is so good that gold is up $17 just today?
ReplyDeleteI know, I know..."Bush's fault."
See my beef with Jon is the same as it is with corporations...Stop hiding behind the tax loopholes.
You want to help elect and support big spending big taxing politicians? Then get some skin in the game. Revoke your TAX EXEMPT status. Pay to play like the rest of us. Compete and earn like the rest of us. Throw some money in to the pot that you like to suck the resources out of. The government could use some of that JPUSA money. Why is his "religious organization" so involved in the political world? Come on Jon, let's all work together!
BTW, Happy Birthday Mr. President.
yo,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your point re my tweaking the Tea Party folks... as Buckaroo Banzai would say, "Don't be mean."
But re me knowing a lot about the Tea Party... Oh, I do. As an Evangelical Christian active on the web, I find my moderate-progressive "Obama" type politics regularly being vilified by my fellow Evangelicals. On my facebook page I probably have more right-leaning "face book friends" than otherwise, and have at least a few times been accused of being a communist, a backslider, an unbeliever, a charlatan... you get the drift. Who knows, maybe I'm in for a surprise when I appear at the heavenly gates...
But yes, I know the Tea Party. I've spent a whole lot of time -- probably not my most productive use of same -- attempting to reason with Tea Party folks' interpretation of everything from black history to theology. I usually walk away wondering why I'm such a masochist.
But perhaps this post is one more example of same! (Hehehehehe...)
Hey Jon,
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking my post in the spirit it was intended.
"...attempting to reason with Tea Party folks' interpretation of everything from black history..."
ReplyDeleteOk, a white guy trying to "reason" with other white guys (mostly, I will admit)about "black history." Wow.
Ok, I give up on this dialogue. Pretty sure my spaceship is waiting for me because I can not be from the same planet as Jon. No way, no how.
Pirate, make me laugh.
Chip... JPUSA does pay taxes.
ReplyDeleteAnd we don't drive Welfare Cadillacs [replace preceding w/ 'shiftless poor' cliche of your choice], either.
(couldn't resist!)
The rest of your politics re Obama I won't address here, cuz I'm trying to be good.
But I agree... "Happy Birthday, Mr. President."
@ Yo, I certainly think you should be tolerant of other people's beliefs. Personally, me not punching every tea bagger I see directly in the face is a huge testament to how tolerant I am of other peoples beliefs. But not when those beliefs continue to widen the gap between the right and the left. Or when those beliefs are literally running this country into the ground. Just ask a teapartier how we can balance the budget without raising taxes. That's what they think can happen. The Tea Party is one big fallacy.
ReplyDelete"Personally, me not punching every Jew I see directly in the face is a huge testament to how tolerant I am of other peoples beliefs."
ReplyDelete"Personally, me not punching every Homosexual I see directly in the face is a huge testament to how tolerant I am of other peoples beliefs."
Funny how just replacing a word shows exactly how intolerant you really are.
As far as "Just ask a teapartier how we can balance the budget without raising taxes."
Um I don't know how do you balance your own personal budget? Does your Boss laugh you out of the room every time you tell him you need more money because you spent more than you brought in? I would. Or do you cut back on personal spending and try to live within your means? Yeah, Ramen noodles suck, but sometimes that's all you can afford. Should I go knocking on my neighbors door and demand his filet because I didn't work as hard or wasn't dealt the same cards? No.
You're angry at THE ONLY group of folks who didn't help cause our economy to collapse.
Sheep, man. Sheep.
Pirate, still waiting for that laugh.
@ChiTownPhilly: Come now, be honest -- if you punch them, you don't get their handouts.
ReplyDeleteUptown liberalism at its finest.
Personally, me not punching every tea bagger I see directly in the face is a huge testament to how tolerant I am of other peoples beliefs.
ReplyDeleteWell, that's certainly a good start ;)
@ ChipDouglas and @Luke,
ReplyDeleteAre you kidding me? Handouts? I couldn't get a government handout if I tried. I probably make more money than your average tea party memeber. Most of them consist of suburban hillbillys and old people living off social security (ironic right?). Fortunately for me, I worked hard in high school, went to college, earned a scholarship and am not drowning in student loan debt. Instead, I enjoy a nice job downtown, paying plenty of taxes. Which brings me to Chip.
"Um I don't know how do you balance your own personal budget? Does your Boss laugh you out of the room every time you tell him you need more money because you spent more than you brought in? I would."
No, I would INCREASE REVENUE for the company by bringing in more business, busting my chops and EARNING MORE MONEY! If I want to spend more, I need to earn more. Your logic doesn't work this time. America is trillions of dollars in debt. You can cut every existing government program and still wouldn't be close to tackling our debt. SO, THE ONLY THING TO DO IS INCREASE REVENUE. Do you know how the government does that? Taxes. But guess who is against that vehemently? The tea party. Close corporate tax loopholes and start bringing in revenue. Cutting just won't do it; it needs to be done, but it is not the end all be all.
As far as the tolerance goes, it is hard to tolerate such ignorance. Chip, do you think (YES OR NO PLEASE) that we can get America out of debt by cutting spending alone, leaving taxes off the table?
Jon Trott, how about ChipDouglas and his request on your giving up your tax exempt status? I think that would be a start to show you are a being a proactive part of the community.
ReplyDeleteBTW, when ARE you going to start cleaning up that craptastic buildings on Wilson?
Most of them consist of suburban hillbillys
ReplyDeleteit is hard to tolerate such ignorance.
... dude.
Alright, maybe I shouldn't hurl insults like those, Yo. I'll keep the jabs directed only at things that people can change, that's the rule afterall right?
ReplyDelete@IP, great sign suggestions! How about one that says "Im with stupid" and points in every direction?
@ChiTownPhilly: I'm guessing you didn't get an English scholarship, then -- the question wasn't "do you pay taxes", but rather "are you taking handouts". Hint: if you don't make enough to cover your *actual* share of the federal, state, county, and city budgets, and you don't have enough cash to pay off your share of the national debt, then congratulations, you're taking a handout.
ReplyDeleteIt apparently wasn't in math, either: in your somewhat ridiculous example, if you keep collecting taxes, but cut government spending to zero, of course you're going to be running a surplus! Come on -- that's just blindingly obvious.
Perhaps you should spend more time at your job and less time here. Things aren't going to get better any time soon, and from what I'm seeing here, you're not exactly at the top of the heap.
"Close corporate tax loopholes and start bringing in revenue."
ReplyDeleteNever said we wouldn't tidy up the ship. In fact, let's start with the loopholes over at JPUSA and then move on to companies like GE who pay ZERO taxes on over 5 Billion in US profits. Oh but their CEO is on the Presidents Jobs Council. Not going to happen right?
The current "tax law" was signed in to law on December 17th, 2010, by Barack Obama. The Tea Party simply agrees with the law that he signed just 8 months ago. If he now feels he needs to raise taxes, then by all means draw up a plan (he didn't have one in the last debate) and bring it to the American people. Im all for honest debate.
The rest of what you say drips of personal responsibility...
"Busting my chops"
"Earning more money"
"worked hard"
Not sure you even know what you're arguing for. Don't you go "punching" anyone in the face now. Tough guy.
that's the rule afterall right?
ReplyDeleteIt's a rule, indeed.
Another is to keep in mind that no matter how right you may be, the opposition (as it were) does have valid points, or valid concerns, or both.
The trick is to cut through the partisan smokescreens and take the time to understand what those points and concerns are and find some common ground upon which to build.
That is the goal of diversity, is it not?
ChiTownPhilly wrote:
ReplyDeleteYour logic doesn't work this time. America is trillions of dollars in debt. You can cut every existing government program and still wouldn't be close to tackling our debt. SO, THE ONLY THING TO DO IS INCREASE REVENUE. Do you know how the government does that? Taxes. But guess who is against that vehemently? The tea party. Close corporate tax loopholes and start bringing in revenue. Cutting just won't do it; it needs to be done, but it is not the end all be all.
And, again wrote:
Chip, do you think (YES OR NO PLEASE) that we can get America out of debt by cutting spending alone, leaving taxes off the table?
I have to agree these are the questions I see the Tea Party folks either not answering at all, or answering with platitudes about shrinking government lots and lots and lots. Perhaps so multinational corporations can privatize it? (Just a dash of irony)
Underlying the Tea Party philosophy (and I know this because of my Evangelical linkages) is the idea that churches and other private sources can take care of the poor just fine without big bad government. That of course is a load of high quality garden fertilizer. Nothing in history offers even the ghost of a suggestion that such silly math ever worked.
To Evangelicals' credit (see the New York Times editorial Evangelicals without Blowhards) the subculture does indeed give significantly above the norm to various causes most folks would deem worthy.
But there's no way Evangelical monies -- or any other group of religious folks' financial aid -- is going to erase poverty and all the systemic issues contributing to it. That takes the very "big government" so dreaded by the Tea Party folks. The same "big government" that just might regulate mega-corporations, who certainly will *not* regulate themselves.
Anyway, I hope the Tea Party has a nice party all by their nice little selves at the Green Mill...
One small fact that most everyone has overlooked is that the government cannot stop spending. Not because it is like a hollywood trophy wife on Rodeo Drive but because government spending constitutes about one half of our economic engine. Yes, spending cuts are needed but GROWTH, economic growth is the key this phoenix rising from the ashes of recession.
ReplyDeleteHow does growth happen? I suggest we
1. Reduce taxes for middle and small sized business.
2. Increase taxes on the rich and large cap businesses.
3. Keep the Bush era tax cuts for the middle class.
This will:
1. Promote job growth in the biggest single private job sector (small business)
2. Claim additional tax revenue from companies that NEVER should have been given such huge loopholes in the first place
3. Protect the greatest contributors to the citizen tax base (the middle class) while improving consumer spending (sales tax and GDP growth).
Done...
feedback please
Uptown Unity, I guardedly agree... but of course we're all ensnared by the numbers. What sorts of revenue would result with the pie sliced that way?
ReplyDeleteRe small business, how would you suggest we define "small"? I like that idea in principle, protecting small business while nicking the Walmarts and Apples of the world for a bit more.
Okay, I wasn't going to do this... but why not? I recently saw this interview on MSNBC's hardball of a Democratic House member, Chaka Fattah, who had a novel idea re taxation. First, here's the video:
Chaka Fatah on MSNBC.
Now, if you watch the video and see how both sides of the room were intrigued, his idea (a 1% tax on all monetary transactions, the income going to pay off the N'tl debt) has initial sparkle. I did some digging after seeing this, however, and also note that he's tried this a number of times and usually can't even find co-sponsors for the bill (in its various incarnations).
So why post it? Dunno, unless it is suggest that maybe we need someone with some "out of the box" ideas re taxation. Again, his idea was so seductive as an idea... but is it actually workable?