Established in 2014, Tampa Bay Rants and Raves is a weekly airing of local and national news, sports and historical notes from a politically incorrect viewpoint.

First thing on our mind:

In the “afterglow” of the Democratic Convention, we paraphrase the words of our friends at the 5:05 Newsletter: Replacing Biden with Harris is like backing up the Titanic and hitting the iceberg again.

Leading off: Electric vehicles that make sense

The Biden/Harris administration continues trying to force electric vehicles on the American public. They cost too much, weigh too much and, most importantly, the infrastructure to support them is years, if not decades away. They are not the way to head to Grandma’s house. But electric buses are another matter. Pinellas’ transit system just received a $27 million grant to buy 12 new electric buses, along with four hybrids. The 12 will bring the fleet of electric buses to 30 by 2025. The infrastructure for the fleet is in place; they run short distances and help the air quality in our urban area. In short, they unlike individual electric vehicles, make sense.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

A sign of the times from recent financial pages – Target, T.J. Maxx and Ross parent companies sales and profits up; Macy’s down.

Ever use out of network ATMs? If you do, you’re paying the 7^th highest fees in the nation here in Tampa Bay. Our average cost is a few pennies under $5.00. Believe it or not, that’s higher than New York, Frisco, LA, or Philly.

Does RFK Jr.’s endorsement push Trump over the top? We’re skeptical – not whether Trump will win, but whether this move alone will be the difference.

The very loud clunk you heard last week was the reaction of both liberal and conservative media to Kamala’s economic plan. Quoting the ultra liberal Washington Post, “It’s hard to exaggerate how bad this policy is. It is, in all but name, a sweeping set of government-enforced price controls across every industry, not only food."

As more about Kamala Harris’ radical background comes to light, a new voting bloc seems to be emerging – Never Trumpers for Trump.” (With thanks to our friend TL).

The trial of the illegal alien charged with the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley has conveniently been scheduled for after fall’s presidential election.

Those pushing for more parental say in what goes on in our schools fell short in a couple of Pinellas races last week, but the issue will not go away.

The liberal Associated Press makes light of the fact a man was nabbed for voting in both Florida and Pennsylvania in the last presidential election, pointing out “only” 475 such people have been identified thus far. One is too many.

Known almost as well for their blimps as their tires, the Goodyear Rubber Company is founded this week (August 29) in 1898.

Sports, media and other notes:

Just in time for your fall diet, Chick-fil-A is bringing back their Banana Pudding milkshake. By the way, whatever happened to the tasty milkshakes that used to be on Zaxby’s menu?

From Bil Keane’s Family Circus, “I liked the Olympics better. They didn’t have as many speeches.”

Talk about tight races, a poll last week in The Athletic on this year’s AFC champion had the field at 50.3 percent and the Kansas City Chiefs at 49.7.

The answer: Kirby Smart and Dabo Swinney. The question, as we prepare to kick off the 2024 college football season, who are the only two active coaches with a national championship?

Factoid: Two men who won two MVPs each are not in the Hall of Fame, although they should be. They are Roger Maris and Dale Murphy. Now, it is becoming less likely that a three time MVP, Mike Trout, will make it. Trout simply cannot stay on the field due to injuries.

One last thing: Must see TV

One of the very best public affairs programs on television is The Journal Editorial Report produced by the editorial department of the Wall Street Journal. Capably anchored by Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Gigot, the paper’s editorial page editor, the show features outstanding journalists Paul Henninger and Kimberly Strassel. They are supplemented by experts in the fields of politics, finance and culture. Our only knock on the program is its unfortunate scheduling on Saturdays at 3 p.m. on the Fox Network – thank goodness for DVRs! The show is head and shoulders above other TV presentations of its type and well worth your time.

NEXT WEEK: MLB at the stretch; Claude Pepper; A dying paper

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