I don't have time to round up lame stories from earlier this year.
TKC IS ALL ABOUT THE FUTURE!!!That's why I'm making a few predictions for next year that have more basis in fact than anyone would dare to possibly imagine.
Here goes:
THE BACKLASH AGAINST GLORIA "BIGFOOT" SQUITIRO WILL CONTINUE TO GROW
TKC broke Mammy-gate but the thing is yet to be resolved. IF the Funky Bunch get lucky then the EEOC case won't amount to much. HOWEVER, if Ruth Bates wins her case then expect an uproar
when KC residents have to pay for the misdeeds of an unsanctioned City Hall presence. Even if the lawsuit isn't resolved,
THERE IS NOT ONE PERSON ASKING FOR SQUITIRO TO STAY IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE!!! (Other than the Mayor, of course) Yet again, the Funkhouser's stubborn insistence that she stay could prove to be his downfall.
MARK AND GLORIA AGAINST THE WORLD!!!
Actually, I kind of like this one . . . The Funkhouser and Squitiro duo are turning inward with only their (pagan?) love to guide them rather than hiring a real political adviser; you know somebody who could get another job without sacrificing their integrity and working life for a campaign.
In all of their troubles they've yet to take advice from anyone outside of their marital union. It's the stuff that Lifetime movies are made of even if it makes for a horrible Mayoral administration. All hail King Funky and Queen Squitiro!!! It's a love story not seen since Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI - Hopefully the ending is more upbeat.
2008 IS THE YEAR OF THE MINORITY BOYCOTT OF KANSAS CITY!!!
La Raza isn't coming. After the Cauthen debacle . . . The presence of other organizations looks doubtful. The NAACP, the SCLC will most likely boycott Kansas City as well and IF those two groups back out because of Mayor Funkhouser's racially divisive tactics . . .
EXPECT TALK OF A NCAA BOYCOTT . . . Which could actually make even the most reactionary Funky supporter think twice.
RECALL TALK GETS REAL
We all have to live together, like it or not. Mayor Funky has tried to run this city using racially divisive politics while ignoring the fact that since the time minorities earned the right to vote
NO KANSAS CITY MAYOR HAS BEEN ABLE TO GOVERN THIS TOWN WITHOUT REACHING OUT TO MINORITY COMMUNITIES. As of now, Mayor Funky has
NO CREDIBILITY in KC's Black or Latino neighborhoods (Don't argue, you'd be wrong if you did) . . . IF he can't change that then the 16k signatures to get him out of office wouldn't be that hard to come by . . . The ensuing feeding frenzy by every ambitious politico in Kansas City would then move to put him out of office. Remember that Funky doesn't have very many Democrat friends and the local Party won't hesitate get behind another candidate IF somebody else sets the process in motion.
A WHITE WOMAN WILL GO MISSING, THE MEDIA WILL HIGHLIGHT THE CASE MUCH MORE THAN ANY CRIME IN THE MINORITY COMMUNITY!!!
I almost hate to predict this one because it involves the pain and suffering of real people played out on a media stage . . .The practice of
Missing White Woman Syndrome may cater to advertising demographics but it also ignores members of the minority community who are more often the victims of crime. TKC takes a brief look back and sadly realizes that
Kelsey Smith received 24 hour news coverage for nearly two weeks while a
COMPLETELY INNOCENT KC Rapper named Andre "ACE" Taylor was gunned down outside of his house in a case of mistaken identity and local news outlets barely made a mention. The disparity does more damage than most people realize.
Similarly . . .
KANSAS CITY CHEERLEADERS WILL CONTINUE TO IGNORE CRIME INVOLVING BROWN PEOPLE
This has been the same old story since I started this blog. Most shootings or murders involving minorities rate only a brief mention by most media outlets . . . Any gun play involving middle-class white people is treated as an affront to God. It's pretty much the basis of supremacy and part of the cultural logics that keep this town divided by more than just suburban district lines.
HOUSING CRISIS CONTINUES TO HIT KANSAS CITY HARD
Already the
housing crisis is at a record level. Nobody is buying new homes right now and that trend is going to continue. The Condo, loft craze is dead in the water and these financial numbers are going to thwart so much of the irrational exuberance broadcast by downtown cheerleaders.
Correspondingly . . .
ELECTRIC AVENUE WILL GET OFF TO A GREAT START THANKS TO PR BUT WILL ULTIMATELY FAIL
It's just bad luck (and poor planning) that downtown's retail, shopping, fine dinning showcase is going to premiere in harsh economic times. I've always had doubts that the Power & Light District would attract anyone in the long term . . . But as soon as next year the prospects look grim at a time when even suburbanites are staying home. Still, look for stories of great success on the first weekend with absolutely no follow-up from The Star in much the same way that downtown businesses have failed to see much consistent benefit from The Sprint Center.
KEEP WAITING FOR KANSAS CITY LIGHT RAIL!!!
Mayor Funky canceled Light Rail for Kansas City. Once again he was stubborn and couldn't reach a compromise thereby forcing himself into a corner. Mayor Funky has neither the skill nor the credibility to make a regional plan work, he isn't even giving himself great odds of his plan meeting with success. Forget about light rail for the rest of this Mayor's term and not at all next year.
KC SPORTS STAY MEDIOCRE
The Chiefs have nothing to rebuild from and the Royals are not only losing good people but adding folks whose better days are bygone. 2008 will serve up the same Kansas City mediocrity with sports personalities feigning excitement while everyone but children understand that the outcome will always end in a losing effort.
KANSAS CITY BIKERS DON'T BACK DOWN
Things aren't all doom and gloom around here . . . I'd like to predict that
fewer local cyclists will be killed by cars next year. This is because the small, vocal, affluent, white minority who only care when one of their own middle class contingent is killed will step up their efforts to reclaim the road. Motorists who hit irresponsible bikers, recklessly careening down the road will get the blame, a ticket and possibly jail time. Kansas City has fallen victim to the bullying tactics of bicycle enthusiasts and the criminal contingent which comprise a significant portion of KC's cycling cadre . . . Now more than ever, they run the streets.
MISSOURI HATES MATT BLUNT SLIGHTLY MORE THAN MEXICANS
Matt Blunt is going to lose and he could host a photo op at which he personally beat Mexican illegal immigrants to death and it still wouldn't help him. (Although, I'd watch) His years of failure can't be made up with a few pre-election announcements. The fact is that Missouri is a much worse place after his tenure. All the conservative posturing in the world won't help his horrible record when it comes to jobs, healthcare, education and a really creepy smile.
NATIONALLY . . .
THE RECESSION HITS HARDER THAN ANYONE THINKS
Nope, it's not a good time to be broke but at least po'folk will have a lot of company. The recession is on and cutting interest rates or flashy advertising isn't going to help.
GOLD (AND GAS) GO UP
I've heard from people who know more about this stuff than I do that gold is a good investment for people other than
Scrooge McDuck or Ron Paul supporters. Unfortunately, TKC is broke so buying gold is out of the question. Even worse GAS is going up again and in KC we'll see $3.50 a gallon by the end of the summer without a mention of the promise from President Bush that Iraqi oil would pay for the war.
US TROOPS KICKED OUT OF ASKED TO LEAVE IRAQ
The party is over in Iraq. The surge numbers are essentially meaningless but they might provide a nice way for the US to leave the region without completely admitting failure.
Like it or not, US neo-imperialism inadvertently brought about a new Persian empire (of sorts).
The surge didn't work,
THE SHIA WON.
Most of Iraq will become Iran either by name or deed . . . There's little political will to stop it now.
RICH GET RICHER!!!
Again, things are not all bad for people who have money. The upper class will be able to buy abandoned condos and white women with greater ease and eventually this could see us all through the hard times.
Essentially, I'm bullish on Kansas City in the long term . . . Ignoring the fact that in the long term everyone ends up dead.
