College Shakeup: Potential Super-Conferences on the Rise

It has finally happened. Colorado is officially making the move from the Big 12 to the PAC-10. Nebraska has done everything but officially come out and say they are moving to the Big 10 from the Big 12 (and was actually reported on Y103 this morning that it has actually occurred which is not accurate), with an announcement expected sometime today or early next week.

Is this the end for the Big 12?

There have been reports that if Colorado and Nebraska make the move, then Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State would move to the PAC-10, practically dissolving the Big 12 conference. The remaining schools would be Iowa State, Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State, and Baylor. These schools will need to align with a conference somewhere, particularly Kansas.

This would create a super-conference in the PAC-10 comprised of some of the best football programs in the nation. If that happens, I cannot see the Big 10 just settling for a 12 team conference. It almost forces the Big 10 into expanding, and the Big 10 will probably take another look at Missouri down the line if what is expected at the PAC-10 comes to fruition.

Also, it raises a question about the SEC, because the conference has been very quiet in regards to all of this. Geographically, it makes more sense for Texas and Texas A&M to join the SEC. Also, SEC teams typically have bigger TV contracts than the PAC-10 (ESPN reports that the typical contract for an SEC team is $205 million compared to a $58 million contract in the PAC-10). There are already rumblings about Texas A&M considering the SEC as an alternative to the PAC-10, and I would not be surprised if the SEC begins making contact with Texas.

Big 10 options—Remnants of Big 12 and looking at the Big East

If the PAC-10 expands further than Colorado, the Big 10 should (and probably will) expand further than just Nebraska. They have several options to consider, one of which will involve Notre Dame.

The Big 10 can consider forcing the collapse of the Big East by approaching West Virginia, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati, in hopes that it would force Notre Dame into joining the Big 10, bringing the number of Big 10 schools to 16 (supposing Nebraska comes through). It would be risky, because I am not sure if Pittsburgh, WVU, and Cincinnati would be a good fit for the Big 10, though academically they are a good fit. However, you have the chance of picking up the coveted Notre Dame program.

The Big 10 can also choose to look west and pick up Missouri. I think Missouri would be a good fit in the Big 10, both geographically and academically. The Big 10 can also consider bringing Kansas into the fold. It would preserve the rivalries between MU, Nebraska, and Kansas. Additionally, they can still look to pick up a school like West Virginia or Pittsburgh, in hopes Notre Dame would still be in play. If the Big 10 can pick up one Big East school, it might force a collapse of the Big East program notwithstanding, as it is already a weakened conference.

I am in favor of the second alternative, because geographically with 16 teams, you can make two divisions: Big Ten West and Big Ten East. Chances are this would be the last expansion of the Big 10, and if they are sitting on 15 teams, the pressure is going to be on for Notre Dame to join and be number 16. It would be enticing because Kansas, Pittsburgh, and WVU tend to have decent basketball programs, and Notre Dame would benefit in both respects.

The Mang

Arizona Rising--The Front Line for Real Immigration Enforcement

In effort to reassert the authority of the states, in upholding what is in fact a federal law, Arizona has passed what is broadcasted as a “controversial law” in regards to illegal immigration. It is not entirely dissimilar from the federal law, perhaps less stringent in certain aspects. But nonetheless, Arizona’s answer to a poorly planned federal approach to immigration policy has met widespread criticism from those on the left that are quick to make the issue about race rather than upholding the current laws.

Unfortunately, it is out of necessity this law was created because the Obama Administration has failed to take action in securing the borders. It is one thing Obama has in common with Bush—inability to follow the law on immigration policy and failure to take the necessary steps in securing the borders.

Before going any further, let us address the issue of racial profiling. Mexico is a Latin American country. Hence, illegal aliens are going to be of Latin American descent. So, naturally, if there is going to be an illegal immigrant in Arizona, 99.9% of the time it is going to be someone who is Latin American. That is not making a racist statement. That is the reality of the location and situation. Arizona’s law discourages racial profiling, but if it would please the far left, Arizona should make it mandatory that EVERY person pulled over or questioned for lawful cause must show proof of citizenship.

The real question is who benefits from opposing Arizona’s new legislation? Could it be certain individuals are seeking votes? I believe that to be as true under Bush as it is under Obama. It could be certain groups want open borders. Hate to break it to those groups, but few countries have an open border policy for non-citizens. Sorry to rain on the parade for those people, but that is the law here in the U.S. No open borders.

Why would Arizona pass this law? Kidnappings are the highest in the nation in Phoenix as a result of the illegal immigration situation. Murders are on the rise in the state. There are a fair amount in the prison system that is costing the state money that otherwise would not have to be spent to house these illegals.

Arizona should be applauded for trying to do something, rather that ostracized for political motivations. The same cities like San Francisco that welcome illegal immigrants under the banner of a “sanctuary city” are being let free to run amok of things rather than criticized for their failure to follow federal law.

You want to cut money in the federal budget? Cut off federal funding to cities that openly declare they are sanctuary cities and have legislation supporting that stance. If the federal government can cut funding to states that refused to lower their speed limits, they can cut funding to cities that refuse to enforce the federal law. Those cities would shape up in a hurry, but no one has a cajones to do anything about it.

Grow some backbone for God’s sake and do what is right and lawful rather than pandering to the far left and using race as the be all and end all excuse for doing or not doing something. Race is the excuse for everything anymore, and as an argument it is growing old fast. No, it is already old and cliché and those using race as a criticism for everything people do not agree with need to get a new line.

This is not that difficult folks. Mr. President, do your damn job and enforce the law.

The Mang
Conservative Capo of Youngstown

The Return of Mang Now! Post Election Edition

It has been a few weeks since writing, but the reality of work has prevented me from doing anything with great certainty outside of the campaign. Even in consideration of losing the 6th Congressional primary by a mere 1,634 votes to a person whose character and morals I continue to question, I believe the experience has been completely worthwhile. I have taken a lot away from this race, and I intend to continue to participate in running races in the future.

To those of you who have noticed that my Allen for Congress magnet continues to remain on my car door, I am aware of that fact. When I am ready, I will take it off.

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Interesting races as of May 4th. Carol Rimedio beats Dave Ludt. County Sales Tax Renewal passes huge. Fisher blows out Brunner.

Politics is a funny thing. Once you become involved in the election process, everything else seems to become boring. Accounting, for instance, is not very appealing right now given the excitement and strategic planning of a campaign. There is so much that goes into a race that it can be very consuming and time demanding, and for once I think I have finally found something I enjoy doing for a living that actually has potential to pay off. It also means I now have to muscle through the CPA exam even when my heart is not 100% in it, but I will do my best.

Accountants talk about the busy season—a once a year gig that lasts for three and a half months. Campaign staffers and candidates are quite aware that there are two busy seasons for them. During an election year the entire year itself may be a single busy season. It can result in days that start at 5:30AM and last until 1:00AM the next day. The campaign may require traveling as much as 8 hours on the road in a single day. It may involve fighting with the Secretary of State or the Federal Elections Commission. Very likely, it will result in keeping track of all the finances and paying payroll taxes with all the appropriate agencies. If things are going the wrong way, you may find yourself knocking on the doors of 1,000 people in a single week.

One thing for certain is it is never boring. Crunching numbers or playing the best game in the world? I think I know where my loyalties lie.

The Mang
Conservative Capo of Youngstown

Mahoning County Results: Donald Allen: 52% Bill Johnson: 36% 103 precincts won out of 124.

Columbiana County Results: Donald Allen: 43.4% Bill Johnson: 42.8%

Jefferson County Results: Donald Allen: 41% Bill Johnson: 37%

Don't Fear the Healthcare Reaper--The Real Fight Begins Now

It is always darkest before the dawn. That is what I can say about tonight’s passage of this healthcare takeover initiative. Tonight we witnessed history, certainly without any question. Healthcare reform as defined by the liberal Democrats, and only the liberal Democrats, has passed in the name of what one Congressman referred to as “social justice”. I do not want to get into the details too much in regards to “social justice” theory, but for purposes of this article let me just say it is something I have reservations about.

Healthcare has become the obsession of liberal policy. It has been for years. They went to any and every length to get this piece of legislation passed, in spite of the wishes of the American people. There has been overwhelming opposition to the legislation as it had been drafted. There have been protests nationwide. Phone lines have been jammed to the point of collapse on Capitol Hill. And despite all of this, they passed this legislation. Even with 54% of Americans disapproving and only 36% approving, they passed this legislation. Public opinion be damned.

Will of the people or fulfillment of their own personal crusade? I think we know where the truth lies. You can see it in their eyes. You can hear it in their voice. Pelosi’s face was practically glazed over with giddiness tonight. Congresswoman Slaughter’s attitude and tone of voice clearly indicated a high opinion of her own self-worth and came across very condescending. I know what narcissism looks like because I have lived it in my family, and people like Pelosi and Slaughter are showing the classic symptoms.

In the words of Chris Matthews, I think there were a lot of thrills going up the legs of the Party leadership there tonight.

It is like these people are crazily obsessed, and you could have pointed that out in any one of those liberals in the lineup tonight. They think they know what is best for you, and their body language and tone of voice clearly show that is how they think. And they think they are wonderful for it.

Let us set the record straight. There are going to be a lot of people going on a permanent vacation from D.C. this November, and I look forward to playing an active part locally in that process. When the Supreme Court hears this case (and I say “when” because they will hear this in the near future guaranteed), they will find it unconstitutional, and everyone that voted for this disaster of a bill are going to have nothing to show for it—not even their job.

You cannot in good conscience find this bill as written to be constitutional, and I believe the Supreme Court will do the right thing. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I sure as hell am happy I did not infuriate the Supreme Court on more than one occasion over the last couple of months. Unfortunately for our president, he cannot say the same thing. And no amount of judicial ass kissing is going to save him. Sell crazy somewhere else—we’re all stocked up here.

The Democratic Party and their interest groups have made a career in dragging things through court. Now we will return the favor 20 fold. By the count of Real Clear Politics, it may be 38 fold and growing. How is that for a stimulus package? The Feds are going to have to hire a lot of attorneys to defend this one.

Do not fear the reaper. Republicans will fight tooth and nail, and for every inch. We should not fear the reaper. The liberal Democrats, however, should fear the reaper. Because in their case, the reaper is going to come to them in the form of 9 Justices clothed in black robes.





The Mang
Conservative Capo of Youngstown

We're Not Gonna Take It: Battle Royale in Congress over Healthcare

It is Battle Royale in Congress, and we're not gonna take it. The healthcare debate is coming quickly down to the wire and every Congressman is now considering his or her own position in the scheme of what will be one of the most controversial votes in history. Shots are being taken at both sides of the aisle. Republicans are stonewalling, having fortified themselves in a seemingly unbreakable, unified stance. Democrats are fighting amongst themselves. Blue dogs are fending for their seats in the upcoming election against anxious and awaiting conservative candidates, but Speaker Pelosi continues to bring down the hammer with her obvious fake smiles and pandering.

President Obama himself came out to Northeast Ohio to pick off a vote from Dennis Kucinich, who politically will be safe in November but no less will likely face stiff opposition regardless of the district’s makeup. Obama even came on to FOX News of all places, the very place he and his administration has criticized up and down since 2008.

My God, the carnage! The humanity! And you thought politics was boring and uninteresting. No, this is a very real thing, and far from boring. The shady deals, arcane proceedings in Congress (i.e. “deem and pass”), the masses rising up in opposition—Yes, THIS is politics today. THIS is the transparent process Pelosi referred to in all of her hypocritical glory.

Welcome to the party. Finally, Obama and Congress have awakened the angry giant that is the American people, and they have flooded the phone lines at the Capitol and have gathered en masse across the country to boldly stand up and declare, in the words of Twisted Sister, “We’re not gonna take it!” There is even Jim Traficant, a politician and convicted felon, coming out and fighting for the voice and will of the American people, however unusual his approach.

At this point, the Democrats do not have the votes. They are shy a handful. There will be no Republican crossovers. The Democrats will need to pass this bill on their own. Madame Speaker, in all of her wisdom and desperation to pass a failing legislative initiative, is invoking the “Slaughter Rule” (so appropriately named after Congresswoman Slaughter), or more commonly known as “deem and pass”. It is a vote on the rules that would in effect deem the legislation passed. No matter how you slice it, it is a vote for or against healthcare takeover, no matter how they try to disguise it.

It is shady and underhanded, and while it is apparent that Republicans have used this approach on different legislation over the years, never has it been done on something so comprehensive and transformative for the worst. It is a sham and insulting to think the Congressional leadership is trying to pull this kind of stunt.

But Obama says the bill will be posted for three days before passage.

Well, unless you are employing a small army of people, the likelihood of getting through a few thousand page bill in a couple of days is not very good. The way you beat transparency is to fill a bill with so much legalese and in a massive number of pages and let the public go through it. It may be available, but it sure as hell cannot be examined properly in a short amount of time.

I do not know if they will pass it. I know the leadership is going to employ every tactic at their disposal to do it, but I am unsure as to how some of the Congressmen will respond. It is my understanding the lawsuits to fight this legislation have already been drafted and are ready to go to court should this bill pass.

My advice: find some time to call and email your Congressmen. Make your voice heard on this one. It is not too late to make a difference.

I leave you with the wise words of Twisted Sister to Madame Pelosi. "Oh you're so condescending, you're goal is never ending, we don't want nothing not a thing from you! We're right, we're free, we'll fight, you'll see"





The Mang
Conservative Capo of Youngstown

Mang Now Endorses Donald Allen for OH-6 Congressional District

It has been longer than I would have liked since last writing. As it happens, we have been extremely busy with the May 4th Primary Elections coming upon us quickly. In politics, a month and a half is not a lot of time, especially when you have 261 miles to travel (4 hours and 40 minutes total from Canfield, OH to Portsmouth, OH). Dinners, events, town halls, local meetings, parades, and everything in between are involved in these kinds of campaigns, and there is the strategy and fundraising that are conducted amidst all of it. It makes for a lot of late evenings and early mornings.

The 6th District is my home and it has been for the last 24 years. It has always been special to me, even in the state of disrepair many areas are in here. That is why I and others are putting in a great amount of time into this Congressional race, because we all feel the Ohio 6th District deserves better representation than what we are seeing with Congressman Wilson.

Donald Allen is running for Congress in the 6th District in the Republican Primary, and I believe he is the best man for this job. He genuinely believes in working for the people of the district and cares about the problems people are facing here in Ohio during this economy. An independent businessman and local veterinarian, Don Allen truly knows the meaning of hard work and has faced the same realities every other hardworking American has faced—making payroll every pay period, paying taxes, paying insurance benefits for employees, and dealing with the reality of an economic downtown that has hurt everyone except Big Government.

One thing I can say for Don Allen is the man is genuine. I try to work for people of great character and integrity, and everything the man said he would do in the time I have spent working with him has been done, and usually with a smile on his face. He has yet to disappoint in my eyes, and a person who says what they mean and mean what they say is good in my book, and certainly worth a chance in Washington D.C. Additionally, he has a wonderful family (and a lot of cats), and I know someone so devoted to his family and his country (having served in the military for over twenty years) will be a good fit in the Capitol.

The time demands on a Congressional candidate are staggering, and he has made every effort and accommodation to run downhill into this primary. Our task is even more complicated given the difficulty in the geographic logistics of this district—261 miles is a lot of district for anyone. And yet given the balance between work, family, and campaigning, he is still going all out.

Someone who is honest, hardworking, and knowledgeable about the issues is someone we need to have in Washington. I would encourage you to look at where Donald Allen stands on the issues of healthcare, energy policy, foreign policy, and the other different issues we are facing as a nation today. His website is: donallenforcongress.com

Mang Now! officially endorses Dr. Donald K. Allen of Boardman, Ohio.


The Mang
Conservative Capo of Youngstown

On Crime and Local Politics

I have always been intrigued by organized crime and its connection to politics. It is something I have had exposure to in the media, through word of mouth from people who have heard rumors, and through generally researching over eighty years of articles published by the Youngstown Vindicator on the subject of organized crime and politics. We all know the stories, we all know the players--Bertram de Souza usually gets a dig in at the Mob and politics whenever he gets the opportunity to do so. It is something that we will never truly forget, even if we actively try to.

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Even at Ohio State during my Fraud Examination class, Phar-Mor was the the very first thing we covered. Walking into class, late mind you, I heard the words over the speakers "Hi, this is Ron Verb, you are on 570. What do you think about the Monus scandal?", with a big panoramic image of my hometown projected onto a twenty foot screen.

There are only a handful of books out there that exclusively deal with organized crime in the Mahoning Valley, and the two that come to mind immediately are “To Kill the Irishman” which primarily was about Cleveland’s organization but directly tied in the players in Youngstown and “The Merchants of Menace” which I believe is the only historical book that covers the Mafia in Youngstown for the first half of the 20th century. “The Merchants of Menace” is a rare book that is available in the library but cannot be taken out. Any research has to be done in house. It is expensive to purchase a copy of it, as it has been out of print for a long time.

Over the years I have collected different items to include in the research, more historical of course rather than modern (old police reports, old pictures, old magazine articles, mug shots, old fingerprints, etc.). Some of the items date back to the 40s. Some of those items related to events that happened only a block or two away from where my grandfather grew up.

There is a lot of story to tell from the last thirty years alone, and unfortunately I do not believe it will be told in its entirety until twenty or thirty years from now. The reality is it is a story that cannot be told, at least not now. I do not believe enough time has passed to delve into the details well enough and to obtain accurate accounts of the events as they unfolded. While it something I would like to research further, I am still not entirely comfortable asking a lot of questions about what happened twenty years ago. And I doubt many people would be willing to answer many questions about those events. I also suspect people would not be happy with my digging around in that particular past.

It would be a phenomenal story, involving crime, law, party politics, money, and the interactions of two city crime factions vying for control of Youngstown from Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

Maybe when enough time has passed, the story will get told. Unfortunately, given the current makeup of Mahoning County, that time simply is not now.

The Mang

Conservative Capo of Youngstown