Tampa Bay Raves and Rants is a weekly airing of national and local politics, sports, lifestyles and nostalgia items from a very politically incorrect viewpoint. As always, beware - much of what is printed here should not be taken literally.

(Editor’s note – Our This Week in History segment has moved between the politics and stuff and lighter stuff sections)

Answers to problems that don’t exist

With Biden’s ill-conceived “Build Back Better” being shot down after even Democratic economists say the bill would only add to the country’s super-heated inflation, Democrats wish to move on to a second solution to a problem that doesn’t exist – voting rights. The United States currently has the most liberal voting rights laws in its history, the words of The New York Time’s Yuval Levin, not ours (although we agree). About the only way to further expand voting in our nation would be adopting the long standing Chicago model of vote early, vote often, whether dead or alive. That’s a solution we don’t need.

Great Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Our condolences to the Crown family on the passing of Bill Crown, who headed the family’s long standing accounting practice. Bill, a community leader and a member of the Morton Plant Tree House, had just turned 80.

From the 5:05 Newsletter, a related note to our lead article: The $1.75 trillion “Build Back Better Act” failed to pass in 2021. At issue is whether or not the plan to pay it back by selling baked goods to foreign nations is really feasible.

Commerce Department reports that U.S. trade deficit was up in 2021. Now there is breaking news; inflation at 40 year high. Not a great week for the Biden regime.

Quote of the week: “Expectations are low.” The Wall Street Journal’s Peggy Noonan on the outlook for VP Kamala Harris’ next three years as second-in command.

Word on the street indicates that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez might oppose Senator Chuck Schumer in New York’s Democratic primary. The blowhard Senator never looked so good.

Kudos to Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody for her proposed strengthening of sentencing guidelines for thugs caught in the now epidemic smash and grab thefts that began in California and are now filtering east. Her proposals would put Florida ahead of the curve in this disturbing trend.

THIS WEEK IN 1919 – THE “GREAT EXPERIMENT” PROHIBITION BEGAN, IT WAS A FAILURE, BUT IT MADE ROBERT STACK’S CAREER.

Lighter stuff:

A lot of folks, including the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, considered the Ronettes’ Be My Baby to be the most influential rock song of the sixties. The group’s lead singer, Ronnie Spector, passed away last week at age 78.

This week marks the 100^th anniversary of the birth of the late Telly Savalas – TV’s Kojak. “Who loves ya, baby?”

The MLB Network cut ties with arguably their best on-field commentator Ken Rosenthal. His greatest sins were occasionally being critical of MLB ayatollah Rob Manfred. Fortunately, he will still appear in The Athletic, which was recently purchased by The New York Times.

Other than the Braves miracle finish, the other team that deserves the most credit for overcoming adversity in 2021 is the Toronto Blue Jays who won 91 games despite having to call three different cities, including Dunedin, home.

Just weeks after our comments on the hapless Giants and Jets (TBR&R 12/19/21), a lawsuit has been filed in New York to force both teams to return to playing their games in New York rather than New Jersey. It might even help their games –see Bills, Buffalo.

Topping the charts fifty years ago this week was Don McLean’s opus American Pie. It would remain there for four weeks and was the third biggest selling record of the year.

Seen on a T-Shirt: Hold on, let me overthink this.

You’ve lived in Pinellas County a long time if you ever enjoyed the authentic Eastern Carolina BBQ at Butler’s on 94^th Avenue North in St. Pete.

How not to handle NFL Week 18

The NFL, CBS and Channel 10 made no friends last weekend when the Baltimore – Pittsburgh game, the result of which had playoff implications for both teams, was cut off in overtime with the score tied. The Bucs game was scheduled to start and we get that, but no backup plan – CBS Sports Network or the NFL Network? To make matters worse, during the opening drive by Carolina in the Bucs game, Channel 10 interrupts the live action for a promo for their weather department. This was amateur hour at its best by a supposed professional sports league, television network and network affiliate. Not their finest hour – for people older than dirt, a repeat of the infamous “Heidi Game” on NBC in 1968.

UP NEXT: Only in NYC; Student loans; Florida & the lockout

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