For some of us the recession is nasty but for minorities it’s a devastating Depression.

Every day in every way, Mayor Frank Jackson is a disappointment.

Bruce Ratner and Forest City Ratner made a deal with Russia’s richest man for the New Jersey Nets and a major Brooklyn project called Atlantic Yards.

If there’s going to be an investigation of the integrity of commercial property appraisals here, we ought to also probe tax reductions awarded to downtown property owners by official County and State of Ohio agents.

The fact that Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the National Basketball Association, will own casinos is reason for a NO vote against the casino issue on the November ballot.

Eric Boehlert writes about his fears of the climate being created by the right-wing forces regarding our President. He sees and feels Dallas 1963.

How is it six Senators from states that don’t have even 10 million people tell the people of the United States of more than 300 million that they can’t have the kind of health care they need?

The Plain Dealer this morning headlined a major public give-away as a “$54M injection” for the Wolstein Flats project. private development, SUPPOSEDLY.

Why Phillip Morris would bring Carl Stokes’s name into a discussion of a dull mayoral race is beyond me. Stokes wasn’t in any dull mayoral elections. Not in 1969. Not ever.

The Pew Research Report said that “Nearly three-quarters (74%) now say news organizations are influenced by powerful people and organizations…” What a surprise!

Duh!

If there is anything that has become abundantly clear it’s that Southerners, especially Republican Southerners, can’t cope with the fact that we elected a black President. The Civil War, folks, is NOT the past.

We have a problem Plain Dealer.

Bill Patmon slammed Mayor Frank Jackson on his “gift” of $2 million to Jeff Jacobs for a proposed fish tank for his Flats project. It’s a proper slam of the mayor.

One day after winning victory by a large margin, Mayor Frank Jackson showed he’s a conventional Cleveland Mayor by offering Jeff Jacobs $2 million gift.

For Mayor Frank Jackson a deep economic recession and an abysmally apathetic public made for a winning combination.

Hard to believe that it was 32 years ago that the first tax abatement for the National City Bank building at Euclid & E. 9th Street became a central issue in the defeat of a mayor. Presently, its new owners are seeking a $1,489,500 deduction in its value for tax purposes.

RTA tried a pathetic attempt to avoid solving a problem by trying obfuscation that really should fool no one.

I sort of don’t pay much attention to the Plain Dealer sports pages. But it’s hard not to read them since there’s so little else to read in the paper. So last week I caught Bill Livingston’s spanking of pitcher Cliff Lee.

WKYC’s Tom Beres remains one of the few serious reporters on local television. That said, it’s shameful that his “Between the Lines” Sunday show too often has conflict of interest written all over it.

Why did Sen. George Voinovich take such a strong slap at Gov. Ted Strickland on the slot machine issue? Health care.

NEWS BULLETIN! NEWS BULLETIN! The Greater Cleveland Partnership backs the County Reform for an executive and 11-member Council that it gave $100,000 to put on the ballot.

Signs continue to suggest disaster for local government as property taxes are ready to tumble. Tower City folk are seeking more reductions in the property value of the Ritz-Carlton.

A filing by the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Partnership/Tower City Avenue LLC - i. e., Sam and the boys, have asked for a value reduction on parcel number 101-23-101F. It is ever so with the Tower City bunch. Reduce my taxes, please!

In 2009 so far we taxpayers of Cuyahoga County have given $8.8 million to benefit the Billionaire Lucky Lerner family.

Cuyahoga County taxpayers now have “contributed” some $68 million for the proposed Medical Mart project. I guess all the great needs of this area have been superseded by special interests again.