LeBron and the RNC

Cleveland has been all over the media lately, and not just for flaming river jokes.  We managed to land both the 2016 Republican National Convention and LeBron in the same week.  Unless "King James" is a secret Reaganite, these are obviously separate news items.  But is there a common theme?

There is, and it is that the Republicans have something to learn from LeBron's return.

Depending on how you look at it, the crowds are either forgiving or fickle.  A few years ago, LeBron was seen as the Judas of Cleveland, forsaking his allegiances for the chance at a ring or two.  Heck, just a few weeks ago, much of the town was rooting for the San Antonio Spurs, just to see LeBron's Heat lose.

With his announcement to return, LeBron was given instant prodigal son treatment by the same fans who had sworn eternal anger at him.

Republicans, are you watching?

The rush to embrace LeBron shows how easily swayed the masses can be.  Yes, the GOP has struggled for decades in Cleveland, but there was a time that this was a good Republican town.  Can the GOP Convention be "The Return" for Republicans?  Can it peel away the horrible reputation that Democrats have painted on the GOP in Cleveland?

In all honesty, the GOP convention in Cleveland will be lucky to turn enough hearts for it to be worth it.  But considering the wildly passionate embrace the once hated LeBron received, it's always good to remember how quickly popular opinion can sway.

RNC Cleveland.

It's official...the 2016 Republican National Convention is coming to Cleveland.

I recently wrote about this with some skepticism.  Really, I was hoping it was just a ploy by the GOP to rally at least a little support in our dear swing state.

But the Republican Committee went ahead and did it.

This move is likely a symbol of the 2016 elections as a whole.  Either the Republican Party has learned nothing in its eight years of defeat (2010 excluded), or there is something so brilliant going on that we don't even know it's brilliant.  I mean, Cleveland?  Really?  This is a staunchly Democrat town in the heart of the Rust Belt.  It is the opposite of "cool."  I can say from experience that Beltway types often gasp when hearing of a bright young professional who chooses to stay in the Midwest.

But it is a swing state, both politically and economically.  Maybe the GOP sees that its only chance of winning is engaging those far away from the eastern seaboard.

I'm still pretty skeptical, though.  It's not called the "Stupid Party" for nothing.

What Matters Most in Life?

You might notice that I post a lot of Prager University videos on here.  They are not lacking for content and aesthetics.



This week, Dennis discusses what is most important in life:  good values.  It is somewhat ironic that he presents this in a value-free fashion.  That is to say, he assumes that anyone with good values would not cheat.  Is this realistic?   Some people value getting into a good school over honesty.  So Dennis is not just advocating values, he is advocating a certain set of values -- that is, the Judeo-Christian values.  This is, after all, the value set which has done the most good for mankind.  I'm not sure if this was intentional to avoid setting off secular viewers, because Dennis is usually not afraid to bring God into his arguments.  But speaking of "values" without a context does not do much in the way of "life studies."

The Costs of Brazil vs Colombia: Protest and Poverty at Brazil's World C...

An important look at the "unseen" impact of publicly funded professional sports.



I don't know too much about the examples of China and Brazil that the video brings up, but no one should be surprised.  I can comment a little on America's questionable government/sports relationship.



Eminent domain claims have not been used in America (yet), but we've come close enough.  Cleveland levies a "sin tax" that goes to fund pro sports infrastructure.  These facilities get massive tax breaks and subsidies to occupy prime real estate, where some of them are used only a few times a year.



People are crazy about their sports, but it's time to stop offering unconditional love and look at the crony capitalism behind a lot of these stadium projects.

4th of July Declaration

Mississippi -- Another reason to repeal

This is starting to cycle out of the news, but I wanted to spill a few pixels over Mississippi's election.

Dirty secrets are still surfacing, but it looks like the Republican establishment really outdid itself this time.  I try to avoid cliches, but "with friends like this, you don't need enemies."

I might be naive, but it seems like politics has been getting dirtier the past few years.  This seems especially apparent at the state and local level, where the margins are usually smaller and just a few votes can tip the balance.  Al Franken's election comes to mind.  How to avoid some of this behavoir?

Repeal the 17th!

We've discussed this earlier, but the 17th Amendment allowed for the direct election of senators.  This gave greater control to the state government and served as a moderating force to the whims of the people.
It also helped avoid voter fraud.  It is much easier to re-count the votes of 100 or so state legislators than thousands of private citizens, some of whom may not even have identification cards.  The reality of voter fraud was all the more apparent in the Mississippi election, where Democrats were openly voting in the Republican primary, and little effort was made to check their eligibility.

It was likely not a determining factor, but the avoidance of voter fraud is one of the best consequences of an indirect election process.  We should go back to this system instead of facing another questionable election such as in Mississippi.