Mark’s Musings – January 25, 2017

| January 24, 2017
Mark Fortune

Mark Fortune

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is there too much complaining? Has anyone noticed an uptick in negativity? And it’s about lots of nothing sometimes. I am reminded of the second Ghostbusters movie – (I think it was the second) where the pink goo of negativity was running under the streets of New York City. The amount of pink goo was reflective of the amount of negativity in the city. I am not saying or even implying that this issues faces our community, oh sometimes it does but when you get out and talk to people in Coshocton, most are positive about the outlook for 2017 and further, satisfied with the results of 2016.

Not so the national media. These folks need to be very cautious going forward or they may very well find themselves outside looking in as the proverbial catchphrase goes. A case in point would be the coverage of the President’s Inauguration and the subsequent Women’s March in Washington and other cities around the world this past weekend. I heard this from another source – not myself. So know that going in. But also as we all know by now, headlines and sensationalism sell and draw eyeballs.

One of the major cable news channels made nary a mention of the march while another gave it almost non-stop coverage. Would this be considered a biased viewpoint? I would imagine.

We’ve all heard about the so called “fake news” that is running rampant around the country and even the world. You won’t find that in The Beacon. Local and Positive Content. That is our purpose and our mission in serving this community.

Surprised by the NFC and AFC championship game results? I was. I expected a better performance from the Packers and the Steelers. But as I watched some of the game I realized that the Packers were hit with lots of injuries prior to the game and even more players went down during the game. Hard to play your best when that happens but let’s give the Falcons their due. Pretty solid offense and defense.

Playing the Patriots on their home turf is always a challenge and it turns into even more of a battle against the odds when you lose a key player like your running back that helped your team get to the AFC championship in the first place.

Regardless it was cool to see the Falcons win the final game to be held in the Georgia Dome. The cost of the new stadium-to be dubbed Mercedes-Benz Stadium-is now estimated to be $1.6 billion versus an original cost of $1 billion. The city of Atlanta is also building a fancy pedestrian bridge that will make it safer for people to get to the stadium at a cost of $12.8 million. Not surprisingly, that cost has also risen.

I’m all for improvements but sometimes you have to question what goes through the mind of a City Administration when it comes to spending OPM. (Other People’s Money) As in the taxpayer. No doubt the city leaders can spin this tale any way they wish – as in it will bring much needed dollars to the city – and no doubt it will. But it is another case where the many are seemingly helping the cause of the few. And no, not all of the cost is taxpayer driven.

Time will tell whether this was a positive move for the residents of Atlanta. And I hope you did not take this as complaining. Not at all. I’m just putting the information out there.

Category: Mark's Musings, Opinion

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