Posted by
thekeenobserver on Thursday, December 17, 2009 11:26:18 PM
Cleveland?
Could it be America's most misunderstood city? The Mistake on the Lake?
Perhaps it all started back in the late 1950's, on a TV show called, "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" - an inane sitcom about adolescent love, starring Dwaine Hickman.
But the program survived only because of the iconic popularity of "beatnik" Maynard G. Crebs," (played superbly by Bob Denver - aka Gilligan), who stole the show.
With his quirky disdain for "avoiding work", whenever Maynard Crebs appeared, he would always be on his way to see the movie "The Monster that Devoured Cleveland" - then a barrage of uproarious canned laughter would follow.
Hence, from the 1950's on, Cleveland's curse of hapless notoriety would take hold; and nowhere would this become more apparent than with its professional sports teams:
In 1954, The Indians won an incredible 111 games, and were expected to sweep the underdog NY Giants in four straight. Then irony struck in game two of the World Series:
At a crucial point, feared power-hitter, Vic Wertz, with runners aboard, hit a herculean, 480-foot, high-arcing blast to dead center field, only to have Giant rookie Willie Mays, make his legendary, impossible over-the-shoulder catch - instantly ruining the Indian's momentum; and Cleveland then lost 4 straight in utter humiliation.
In 1959, the Indians featured Rocky Colavito, a cannon-armed right-fielder, who occasionally pitched in relief, and quickly became a fan-favorite.
The "Rock" had movie-star looks; he was the second-most-feared hitter in the league (besides Mickey Mantle), and hit a league-leading 47 home runs that year. The Indians - led by their cult hero - held first place until the last week of the season.
But then, yet another Cleveland debacle: on the first day of the 1960 season, Frank Lane, Indians general manager, on a spur-of-the-moment quirk, called the Detroit Tigers, and offered Colavito for Harvey Keunn, a singles-hitting short stop, who had led the American league with a .321 average the previous year.
Thinking Lane had gone insane, the Tigers jumped at the chance, and made the deal on the spot. The reaction in Cleveland was WHAT???....ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!
To this day, the town has never recovered.
If the deal to sell Babe Ruth (from the Red Sox) to the Yankees had precipated the 84- year "curse of the Bambino," the Colavito-for-Keunn deal would have an equally devastating effect on the Indians.
In 1960, attendance - which had always been Cleveland's forte -completely collapsed. Fans felt betrayed. Soon, the franchise came within a inch of leaving town - saved only by the eleventh-hour intervention of Vern Stouffer, a longtime local businessman.
Then, in 1966, Cleveland's affinity for athletic irony would strike again; this time, in the form of Art Modell, the 5-year owner of the Browns (da Browns).
But first we regress, back to 1957, when Cleveland drafted their iconoclastic running back, Jim Brown - their last first-round pick to become a star.
From the day Jim Brown arrived in Cleveland, those who saw the man play knew there would never be another:
Brown had sprinter's speed, and seemed to be chiseled from granite. On his patented sweep play - with his hall-of-fame guard Gene Hickerson blocking - Brown would take the ball upfield, with opposing players LITERALLY bouncing off his body- lying in his wake.
It was as if Superman himself had donned a Cleveland uniform.
Brown led his team to the NFL championship in 1964, defeating the Colts; it would be the last championship of any kind for Cleveland.
By 1965, Jim Brown had set every record in the league; many of which stand to this day.
But Brown - although he loved Cleveland - despised Modell, who foolishly alienated the mega-star by nitpicking at his demands to be paid accordingly.
Then Modell (who knew as much about football as "Lassie" the collie) made the most foolish blunder of any owner in pro football history:
During the off-season, Brown had been in Italy, filming the spaghetti western,"100 Rifles," with co-star Raquel Welch. Production had been delayed by heavy rains in spring (1966).
When training camp broke in late July of that year, Brown insisted on finishing his movie. He bitterly resented Modell's demand that he be in camp for the very first day of summer practice; a no-no for someone befitting the status of the all-time leading rusher in pro football history.
Then Modell issues his ultimatum: He calls Brown long-distance in Italy, and tells him..."either leave now for training camp, or be kicked off the team." Brown, in effect, tells Modell..."you can't fire me, I quit."
The next day, Jim Brown would shock the sports world (and rock Cleveland down to its very foundation) by announcing his official retirement from football - that he would assume a new career as a full-time Hollywood actor.
Again - to this day - it would be another Cleveland team that has yet to recover.
With his freakishly-solid physique, and fierce determination, Jimmy Brown could undoubtedly have played for at least another five, maybe seven, or possibly even ten more years.
Perhaps it would have been the Browns who would've defeated Joe Namath and the New York Jets in the 1968 Super Bowl - and changed the course of pro football history.
Perhaps the Browns would have gone on to win four consecutive super bowls.
But Cleveland would be left to forever wonder about what "coulda-shoulda-been"- all because of the idiopathic stupidity of Art Modell, who fired both the greatest coach in history (Paul Brown) and football's greatest player ever.
But through it all, thick and thin, Clevelanders could count on one thing: their great hometown newspaper, "The Plain Dealer."
In 1969, when the Cuyahoga river caught fire, everyone rushed out to buy a copy of the Plain Dealer: Grease had been discharged from a river-front plant, formed a floating slick, then became ignited from sparks coming from a train crossing a trestle.
Time magazine ran pictures of arcs of water - shooting from fireboats - landing in an impressive ring of fire on the Cuyahoga’s surface.
Predictably, the wire services, morning disk jockeys, and late-night comedians had their wildest dream come true- yet another way to humiliate Cleveland.
Then, on October 16, 1972, the Plain Dealer carried the tale of how mayor Ralph Perk accidentally set his hair on fire while attempting to use a welder's torch for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at a downtown convention.
Yep. Another time-honored way to bash Cleveland.
But the Plain Dealer was always there to defy the city's reputation as some backwater hick town - one that couldn't get out of its own way. From the '60s to the '80s, Cleveland had become the Rodney Dangerfield of cities.
Then, in 1981, a Plain Dealer ad campaign came to light, to combat Cleveland's sullied, hapless image. A clever theme had emerged..."If New York's the Big Apple, Cleveland's a Plum."
Finally, a spark! A budding revival had taken hold - designed to reveal the city as more cosmopolitan, more sophisticated; more interesting; cooler than one could imagine.
Under Mayor George Vionovich, plans were made for a lakefront Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame: and around it all, began a new downtown revival.
By the1990's, America had taken notice.
The Plain Dealer began touting the Cleveland Clinic as the number-one ranked heart hospital in the United States, with a staff comprised of the best cardiologists one could find anywhere.
Cleveland then began to ballyhoo its educational excellence- Case Western; a world-class university with a biotech research department second to none.
Then viola! The piece' de resistance.'
The Plain Dealer broke a story that would once and for all cement Cleveland among the pantheon of great Amercan cities: the Euclid corridor - a private/public developement that would connect the downtown - via a new modern public transit system - to the midtown area, comprised of several Hospitals of the Cleveland clinic complex.
And lastly, the corridor would run out to University Circle, serving the Case Western campus.
At once, doubters emerged. Critics said it wouldn't be feasible.
Cleveland's inner city had a reputation as one of the most dangerous anywhere, and naysayers predicted people would avoid public transportation in droves; that the idea to link downtown to the outer corridor - using public transit - was an expensive boondogle.
But The Plain Dealer stayed out in front of the critics; and with its recent completion in 2008, the Euclid Corridor has blossomed into a smashing success.
In 20 minutes, you can get from downtown (Tower City), past the midtown Cleveland Clinic complex, and arrive at University Circle. Thus, the central city & the region's two largest employers are now linked to many of the city's cultural, educational, medical and business centers.
And along the way are a plethora of all-new condos, apartments, restaurants, shops, etc. that dot the entire corridor.
Heard any Cleveland jokes recently?
Cleveland at last is again showing itself off to the nation - living up to the Plain Dealer's claim...the Euclid corridor would "pump new life" into Cleveland's economy and be the "rebirth of Downtown and Euclid Avenue."
Indeed, like few other urban areas, Cleveland can proudly extol its claim of a med-centered, recession-resistant regional economy:
POINT: Cleveland’s healthcare institutions are consistently ranked on par with anywhere else in the nation.
POINT: the Cleveland Clinic has developed its widely-copied philosophy of "patient-centric" care - encouraging innovation and adoption of leading-edge med technologies - attracting brand new businesses - specializing in the latest in patient-care and med devices.
POINT: More than 400 bioscience companies are located in Northeast Ohio; Cleveland is now known as a budding new life-science research center, with its strategic midwest location on Lake Erie.
POINT: Cuyahoga County employs more than 120,000 healthcare professionals, including 36,000 at the Cleveland Clinic; 25,000 at University Hospitals - providing interaction with influential leaders from top medical associations and administrations around the world.
Day-by-day, Clevelands prowess as America's great new health metropolis just seems to get better.
For two years now, The Plain Dealer has carried plans for a huge new 120,000 sq. ft. Cleveland Medical Mart; a combination convention center, showroom, meeting complex, etc. for major medical manufacturers and service providers.
The completion of the Cleveland Med Mart could catapult the city as the pre-eminent location for the latest in cardiology, surgery, OBGYN, medical imaging, orthopedics, sterilization, office furnishings, patient care, IT, and medical devices.
But ironically, is a new curse about to dawn on Cleveland?- one borne of political ignorance, that could (one day) undermine all the planning, all the construction, all the new jobs - destroying much of the progress made thus far?
After all these years, has the once-great Plain Dealer turned on the great city it has served so well?
Disastrously, Cleveland has fallen victim to the great media cover-up - hiding the true-to-life monster of government run healthcare!
Do the people of Cleveland even realize the calamity - coming out of Washngton - that awaits them in five years? Once it begins, they can thank the censorship of the wonderful Plain Dealer - and its liberal editors.
That's right Clevelanders; your great hometown newspaper has betrayed you. They have taken up the cause of the left - one that will leave Cleveland in shambles, and Washington DC with unprecedented power to control Northeastern Ohio for the next 100 years.
Has the Plain Dealer even bothered to explain terms like "Public Option?" Or "single-payer?" Or defined the role of HHS secretary Kathy Sebelius?
So here's a quick refresher. Learn it well, lest you be caught blindsided like the rest of the sheep, who are about to be led to the slaughter.
When government-run healthcare takes hold, it inevitably creates a public option: i.e. the federal government eventualy becomes the only one (single payer) to compensate the medical providers. Hence, they automatically begin to restrict health care, making it as "economic" as possible (e.g. rationing - pulling the plug on grandma).
Got it? Let us expound further:
The government now will be able tax private-employer insurance policies, leading to the eventual dropping of all private coverage- forcing everyone into the public option, and ergo - more rationing!
Result? A complete takeover of the entire American medical estabshment!
This means funding will be drastically cut for medicare; drastically reduced payments to doctors and hospitals for all procedures; hospitals will reduce services; many will go bankrupt; doctors of all specialties will be performing less procedures. Less cancer treatments; less heart bypasses. Less of everything; many physicians & nurses will retire out of necessity - or disgust.
With single payer, the goverment can tell any doctor/hospital to either take the fee we offer you - or leave it! Quit! Close down; or go elsewhere! What do they care? The profit incentive in medicine is GONE!
With single payer, boitech and research companies will have no incentive to innovate. Many will fold. Pharmaceutical innovations will come to a standstill!
With single-payer, many college students will chose fields other than nursing and medicine. The inevitable shortages of medical professionals will lead to an influx of Indian & Muslim doctors into northeastern Ohio, who will be required to fill the gap.
For many, expensive cancer treatments will be denied by Health & Human Services secretary Kathy Sebelius, who will have the god-like power of life or death over the eldery, and those stricken with all forms of carcinoma.
Premature babies will be left to die; Down's syndrome children will be out of luck; the autistic will be denied therapy; older disabled people could be denied modern wheelchairs.
The nightmares go on and on: new expenses on employers of companies with more than fifty employees , who MUST provide health coverage or pay a fine. All other individuals MUST maintain qualified health coverage or pay a fine. If you refuse the fine, you are subject to imprisonment!
Even worse, with the unconstitutional mandate of everyone having to purchase health insurance, it will suck hundreds of billions out of Cleveland's economy to Washington, and transferred to inner city community centers across the country - providing subsidies to "poor people."
And being forced to buy expensive health insurance- many college students will abandon their post-grad educations, and enrollments at local Cleveland universities will suffer, leading to staff cuts, and yet more unemployment.
Wage-earners - rocked by higher federal taxes - will have much less disposible income to spend in the local economy.
Many of Cleveland's medical device makers will see profit margins suffer, with the burden of a federal 2.5% excise tax on everything - from canes, to the braces the orthodontist will install on one's crooked teeth.
With socialized medicine, everyone gets to share in the misery; but nothing like what is about to befall Cleveland.
Consider: no longer will the Cleveland Clinic be able to operate as a "world class health center." No longer will Case-Western obtain proper funding for its world class reseach. The Cleveland Med Mart may open just in time to see it become a white elephant in its first few years.
But Cleveland has asked for it: given its number of medical centers, the town will one day operate like a giant department of motor vehicles: endless lines; endless waits; endless anger and frustration.
Northeastern Ohio voted heavy for Barack Obama; and Obamacare will be the monster that finally devours Cleveland.