Sunday, September 7, 2014

Beat the Press

They  opened with an Obama speech (boring) and moved on to celebrate some US cities that they thought were doing well on their own, with out assistance (money) from Washington.  They selected Oklahoma City, Tacoma, and Pittsburg.  They had the mayors on, and a lot of happy talk ensued. 
   No numbers were ever mentioned.  Like population, then and now, metropolitan domestic product, employment or unemployment, number of welfare recipients, municipal tax revenue, number of businesses,  number of students per classroom, nothing of substance, nothing to show me that these carefully selected towns were doing any better than any other American city. 
   No discussion of business activity, manufacturing, what industries were important, what industries had moved into town.  what new startups  were in town, new industrial parks started, nothing about the town's business at all.  Which is odd, it's business that makes a city tick.  Business employs the citizens, pays the taxes, builds the buildings, and ultimately pays for everything in town. 
   Anyhow it was a nice puff piece for three favored mayors, but it wasn't real news. 

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