Wednesday, May 4, 2022

JUST ODDS AND ENDS

 I'm a little confused over the recent movement to wipe out student loans. You want to attend college but you can't afford it so you make a deal with a bank for a loan that you pay back when you're done with school. Sounds like pretty basic business to me. I had a student loan and paid it back according to their schedule and life went on. WHY SHOULD THESE MILLENIAL WADS get their loans dismissed? You took the money after applying for it. Now pay it back.

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Would you ride the trains in Chicago? It seems to change year to year but apparently THE RED LINE is now the best place to get robbed, raped, shot or murdered. And who's lying to whom? Shootings in the downtown area are up 64% but the police commissioner says murders and shootings are down for the month of April but 26 people were shot and wounded over the past weekend in addition to nine fatalities. You think those numbers are bad? Just wait.  The hot weather is just around the corner and then all of the jungle creatures will be out in force and the violence numbers will rise accordingly.

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ROE vs WADE became a victory for liberals in 1973 but the heavily right wing supreme court appears ready to reverse that ruling and eliminate a "constitutional right" to have an abortion which means those procedures would no longer be allowed under government sponsored insurance programs such as Public Aid, Medicare and Medicaid. If I read the opinion correctly, individual states could still allow them but they wouldn't be covered by federal insurance. I see a huge problem resurfacing in the low income neighborhoods when they can't afford the procedure and the only option is to have the baby and put him on the welfare rolls for the next 18 years. Gee, I wonder who pays for that?

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In just six more weeks, PEDOPHILE R. KELLY will be sentenced in New York for racketeering, kidnapping, bribery, illegal sex with minors, forced labor aand a few other sexually related crimes which could result in a life sentence. Kelly's Chicago trial starts August 1 and his attorney tried desperately to have the New York sentencing delayed until after the Chicago proceedings but that motion was denied so now he will face 21 more sex related charges. 

At 55, any sentence over 25 years will be just like receiving a life sentence because the federal system is much different regarding early release. There may be no need for a Chicago trial if the judge has a heavy hand on June 15.

In case you haven't figured it out, Kelly is a piece of crap who needs to be flushed down and out of sight. He has had numerous sexual accusations regarding minors over the last 30 years along with numerous domestic violence complaints but his wealth and notoriety always got him off the hook....but not this time. Kelly is currently being held in the federal detention center in New York City, in case you want to drop him a card or letter.

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Amazon continues to zig and zag regarding union status at various warehouses and  after the union was elected in Staten Island last month, they expected repeated success on Monday in New York but the union was soundly defeated by a 2-1 margin. A third union vote is yet to be decided in Alabama because of over 400 challenged ballots but the beat will continue across the nation as Amazon fights charges of unsafe conditions and arbitrary terminations along with allegations that they make up the rules as they go along.

Starbucks is facing the same challenges but the union has prevailed at FIFTY stores while losing only five with 230 more stores filing for a union vote. Starbucks has countered the movement by announcing new and improved benefits and pay raises but only for those stores which are non-union.

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If Mayor Lightfoot gets her way, it looks like the Bally Corporation will get the approval to build Chicago's first casino, which will be located in the River West neighborhood, located at the hypnotic address of 777 w. Chicago Ave. which is the current address of the soon to be defunct Chicago Tribune printing plant at the corner of Chicago & Halsted.

It's not a done deal but Bally's has been the front runner from the start over the objections of some aldermen who are resisting the upcoming congestion but the mayor appears to have the 26 votes from the city council.

The casino will generate at least $200 million annually and that money is currently earmarked to pay down the city's 16 BILLION DOLLAR total pension debt to both the police and fire departments as well as provide 12,000 temporary construction jobs and thousands of permanent positions at the casino.

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And finally, a sad goodbye to COUSIN JACKIE who died peacefully in her sleep on Monday night. Godspeed to you and I'll never forget the good times we had at Arlington Park when just the two of us snuck over there for some nice Friday afternoons. Rest in peace.

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That's it for now.




                                                          



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