Blog predicting gang attacks on Plaza is wrong...

Yet again. You know the one. THAT blog. The one who predicts gangs attacking, etc.. etc. The one written by the guy so full of himself. NO, the other guy and his blog. Yeah, THAT one.

Quote of the day II--Billionaire for tax cuts

Warren Buffett proposed a further tax cut for the middle class, upper middle class and lower middle class -- essentially, everyone except the wealthy -- in an interview Tuesday with CNN Money's Poppy Harlow, at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit in Washington, DC

The billionaire investor, who, with a roughly $45 billion net worth, is the country's second richest person (behind Bill Gates), also said the government should raise taxes on the richest 2 percent of the country. That particular message was nothing new: He's been saying for years that the rich need to bear a greater share of the tax burden. Buffett reiterated Tuesday that he has the lowest tax rate of anybody in his Omaha office, even despite the fact that he doesn't have a tax shelter. But his tax cut proposal was new.
"I think maybe we should cut taxes for the middle class," he said. "Upper middle class [and] lower middle class."
Taxing the rich, he said, is the best way for the government to boost its income.

"The question is, Do we get more money from the person that's gonna serve me lunch today, or do we get it from me? I think we should get it from me," he said.

I couldn't agree more, Mr. Buffet.

Link to the original post:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/05/warren-buffett-tax-cuts_n_751503.html

Roy Blunt: wrong for Missouri

Alonzo Washington: possible "gang wars and killings in area--and it could get worse"

If you haven't yet read this entry from and by Alonzo Washington, go read it. He says the word in the Black community is that the gangs are out on a bit of a "war" already and that the drive-bys and shootings and killings are expected to continue and only increase soon. And yes, it's the hottest part of the Summer and we expect that to happen but I have questions, we have questions, I think: a) If this is the case, what are the area police supposed to do about this? How can they prevent this senseless violence from happening and, heavens forbid, from increasing? b) b) What can the Mayor and his office do about this, if anything? d) What can community and church leaders do about this ignorance, if anything? e) What can you, Alonzo, do about this, if anything? f) Area City Councils? g) What about us, the citizens of the area? Because I have to say, I know there is a pretty deeply and widely felt opinion in this town that there's nothing we can do but stand back, stay away and let them kill each other. A lot of us out here would like to see that not happen. Answers? Alonzo? Dr. Evans? Tony? Anyone? It's the most important conversation this city can have and we need to have it now, before this gets any worse.

Apologists make me ill

Anyone and everyone who paint themselves as apologists for the people who started and continued either--or both--of the melee's on the Plaza in the last two weeks deserve to be given police duty the next time one of these breaks out.

That includes Alonzo Washington.

Let me make it clear, too. I have no "bone to pick" with Mr. Washington. I just read his blog entry on this and had to react.

There is no excuse for what happened Saturday evening.

Since when can you not go to a movie on the Plaza if you live anywhere else in the city?

When did the behavior that broke out in the last two weeks become acceptable because there isn't a movie theater on the East Side or some other neighborhood?

Should the Mayor, the Mayor's office and the city have addressed these issues earlier?

Yes, absolutely.

Is this city racially polarized?

Sure, you bet. I said as much here, earlier, on this site, this weekend.

All that--and a lot more--taken into consideration, no one can still come to the conclusion that what happened Saturday night on the Plaza or that used to happen up in Westport, before that got shut down is somehow "understandable" or otherwise acceptable behavior.

It's not.

And explaining it away as understandable makes it allowable.

A question/suggestion to KC to stop the shootings and murders

Suggestion/question:

Why don't people like Airick West, Alonzo Washington, Mayor Pro Tem Alvin Brooks and Ernest Evans (from KCK) get together with the churches and other community organizations to see what can be done to stop the shootings and murders in Kansas City?

I don't mean this as a challenge, per se. I mean this as an earnest question (no pun intended).

Clearly, if we are to stop this, we have to do it as a community.

And yes, I'll join in to work on this, too. It's "put up or shut up", absolutely. (Tony? Would you join us?)

I'm just asking.

The singularly biggest story in Kansas City both this year and right now

The biggest story in Kansas City is our murder rate and how mostly innocent people are being shot and killed.

I also think that it's one of the most under-reported stories in the local paper, too.

There is a notice on the front page of the paper today says it will have a story breaking tomorrow that will go five days after their "reporters spent six months investigating America's effectiveness in combating modern-day slavery, traveling to Guatemala and Tijuana to trace the steps of immigrants and traffickers."

Guatemala and Tijuana?

How about go on the East side of the city and do an in-depth story on what the churches and community might do to reduce the murders in our own city?

There's a thought.

Here's another--how about going on the other side of Troost to do an expose' on how to get people to turn in the shooters and murderers?

No, no, the Star has to send reporters to South America to cover sex trafficking.

And yes, it's an important story and should be covered--but not before they cover local issues. Let's maybe leave sex trafficking for after we cover our own murder rate.

The newspaper, the churches, the community and all socio-political bloggers in the city should be covering this story until we can get this problem of shooting and murders solved.

It's too important.

We're losing people. And for no reason.

Yet another senseless death

If you read The Kansas City Star today, you can predict my column.

Bystander slain as bullets fly in gun battle

"A stray bullet from a rolling gun battle killed an bystander on his porch Tuesday night in Kansas City.

The man was struck about 8:10 p.m. when two groups of young men were shooting at one another while running south on Wayne Avenue between 35th and 36th streets."

Broad daylight murder, one more time.

I ask again: Where is the outrage at and from City Hall? The Mayor? The City Council? The Councilperson who represents this district? What is the Police Department's reaction? What is the Police Department doing to prevent this, if anything, now? Can the Police Department propose any solutions to prevent this kind of insanity?

However, I'm also going to ask, what is this community doing to prevent this kind of nonsense?

"Officer Darin Snapp, a police spokesman, said there were several witnesses to the shooting, but few were willing to give statements to police."

If you can't help yourself, it is much less likely anyone is going to help you.

Taking that further, if you won't help yourself, why should anyone intervene to do so?

___________________________________________________
If you know anything about who did this, please contact the Kansas City Crimestoppers TIPS Hotline at (816)474-TIPS. If you would rather not contact this source, contact Alonzo Washington at omega7toys@aol.com) or call him at(913)321-6764.

Link to full story:
http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/story/1378314.html

Addendum:

I'd like to quote someone but unfortunately they left this under "Anonymous" on another blog (Tony's KC):

"When the decent inner city people (and yes, most are) decide it is time to take back the streets from the thugs, it will be ugly but that is the only way to fix it."

Someone explain to me why this isn't true.

And this quote from Tony himself:

"...I'm certain there will be a meaningless press conference on the subject from local politicos as soon as a few more bodies turn up on local streets in rapid succession. August is a horrible month for KC murders and even worse for empty promises from elected officials."

That is absolutely not what we're needing or wanting from downtown, by any means.

Another senseless death

Three seemingly desperate cowards went into a beauty salon, of all places, yesterday, and killed one of the men there.

For twenty dollars.

At 6:45 pm.

That was in daylight, for pity's sake.

Quoting the article:

"Tom Lona, a friend of the victim, said it's inexcusable that no one has come forward with information."

"'I know there's people out in this community that know who did this,' Lona told KMBC's Martin Augustine. 'They took a husband; they took a brother; they took a son. It's not right. And for what? The community needs to stand up. This needs to end. It needs to end now.'"

And Mr. Lona is right, of course, in all aspects.

Where is the outrage from downtown? From City Hall? From the Mayor? From the City Council?

Where is the meeting before the press by the police, saying what they're already doing and what they're going to do?

With more than 4 months to go in the year, where will the shootings end? How high does this have to go before there's some official notice and something done?

Remember my entry a few days ago when I pointed out a woman was shot in her own home?

"'There's got to be justice. There has to be. This could have been your father. This could have been your brother. This could have been your son. You'd want to know, wouldn't you?' Lona said."

He couldn't be more right.

___________________________________________________
If you know anything about the cowards who did this, please contact the Kansas City Crimestoppers TIPS Hotline at (816)474-TIPS. If you would rather not contact this source, contact Alonzo Washington at omega7toys@aol.com) or call him at (913)321-6764.

Link to story:
http://www.kmbc.com/news/20352099/detail.html