Established in 2014, Tampa Bay Rants and Raves is a weekly airing of local and national politics, sports, lifestyles and Tampa Bay memories from a politically incorrect viewpoint.

Leading off: Discouraging good office seekers

If you live in the bay area, chances are your community may have lost a lawmaker due to new laws that require local elected officials to file detailed financial statements. As one former office holder put it: for an often thankless job, overly intrusive financial questions are a big ask. Previously, large (over $10,000) assets and liabilities were all required along with the sources of your income. We need incentives to attract good public officials not roadblocks for jobs that are, for the most part, thankless, virtually volunteer positions.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Item: John Kerry to step down as Biden’s energy czar. That should lessen our nation’s carbon footprint by 5-10 percent.

It was fun watching liberal outlets, particularly the local bi-weekly, moonwalk after DeSantis finished ahead of Haley in Iowa.

Related, the GOP can take comfort that every poll in America shows either DeSantis or Haley beating Biden in the unlikely event Trump would step aside.

Further related: an ad hoc gathering of a TBRR focus group subcommittee answered this question: who will be the Presidential contenders in November? Of the four, two said Biden-Trump. Another is not so sure about Biden and the fourth not so sure about Trump – or Biden.

Lots of election stuff this week: Newsweek last week took a stab at four potential Trump running mates. Conspicuously absent from the list was Nikki Haley.

Amazon just purchased 450 acres in Covington, Ga. The price was $36 million. Can you imagine what that much acreage would cost anywhere remotely near the bay area?

“Genuine” was the word of 2023. One phrase to keep an eye on in ’24 is “coffee badging.” That’s where employees, who are being called back to the office after a few years at home, protest the move by showing up long enough for a cup of coffee and to swipe their badge, then go home to do their day’s work.

This week in 1968 (Jan. 22):Sock it to me! Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In debuts on NBC.

Sports, media and other notes:

It appears the end is very near for Sports Illustrated, a staple of sports journalism for 70 years. The magazine, now a monthly, has laid off the majority of its staff in the past few weeks.

Jaw dropping: watching local and national sports writers, who can’t balance their checkbooks, try to explain the complex financial issues surrounding Diamond Sports Group. Diamond carries the Lightning and Rays games among a couple dozen others. The bottom line is this; you’ll get the Lightning and Rays this season. Where and the cost remains to be seen.

Factoid: Less than five percent of “journalists” at major dailies, network and cable news outlets are registered Republicans – a fact that should shock no one.

Answer: 70. The question – how many colors of bricks do Lego currently produce? The company, founded in 1949, has had as many as 110 colors in its palette over the years.

From the 5:05 Newsletter: Has anyone else noted that it seems we can no longer engage in any kind of economic transaction, including with armed robbers, ATMs or vending machines, without being asked if we wish to leave a tip? More on this below.

One last thing: What’s up with tipping?

You’re in a restaurant and the electronic bill arrives and you’re suddenly confronted with a decision on a tip instead of your usual just rounding up from 20 percent. Or worse, some kid has just drawn you a coffee at a fast food counter and the bill asks if you want to tip for filling up a cup? You’ll even see a tip prompt on the receipts of some convenience stores. And how do you tip – cash or on the card? For years, cash was preferred because a lot of restaurants took a cut (illegally) of the tip because they had to pay a small percentage of the tip in credit card service fees. That practice has all but vanished. Some establishments automatically add 20 per cent to the tab – which sometimes can lead to double tipping, others will not allow you to tip off a gift card. And what if the service (any service) is provided by the owner? Folks like Emily Post of a gentler time said no tip. Now, in establishments like hair salons and the like, a tip for the owner is expected. The whole system has gotten a little out of hand, BUT if you don’t feel like tipping a server at a restaurant at least something, eat at home.

NEXT UP: TikTok; The Fonz; FTX

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