The nicest thing that I can say about Nancy Pelosi is that she's the vice president in waiting after the 25th Amendment kicks in on Joe Biden, who was formally declared the winner yesterday. She'll be Kamala's second in command provided that transfer of power happens before January 2023. 

A recent survey (until the 9:14 mark) shows that people hold her more accountable than Mitch freakin' McConnell--and McConnell is bonafide horrid. All Pelosi had to do was to pass a standalone stimulus or try give us a UBI and pay small businesses to remain open through this pandemic. Instead, she told reporters to "calm down" and that "we feed them."

Bottom line: Nancy Pelosi is a worse negotiator than Nido Qubein whose poor skills led to the current zombie state of Oak Hollow Mall when Dillard's and Sears prevented him from building High Point University's pharmacy school where it made the most sense.

Uber & Lyft: From Underdogs to Gatekeepers

In response to all of the hoopla with Uber and Lyft in California, an honest assessment about the two ridesharing companies.

The truth is that Uber and Lyft used to be disrupting forces but are now rent seekers who are interested in holding onto their power and keeping out others.

The turn from upstarts to bullies started when Austin, TX called the ridesharing companies on their bluff, forcing them to leave town. Alternatives popped up but the 2017 South by Southwest Festival that most of them weren't ready for prime time. Whining by the elites attending the festival helped the experienced players lobby Texas legislature to pass a law that overruled the will of the Austin City Council in 2015 and Austin voters in 2016. After Governor Abbott signed it, the big companies returned while the alternatives saw their share plummet with most of them going out of business.

Ridesharing has taken place in cities where bus service has been slashed. There's a reason why Vancouver has bucked the trend. There has been talk about cooperatives and decentralization. If it happens, then, Uber and Lyft will deserve whatever happens to them when things are opened up.

• Looking back to a previous post, it appears that the skeptics were right about Warren Buffett's motivations in owning newspapers as he's not only selling both of the Triad's dailies but is getting out of that business altogether
• Speaking of monopolies, this is pretty accurate
• FDR is not coming through that door anytime soon but with the way things are going, it's more likely that America will have something akin to fascism than to socialism by the next financial crisis and that regime won't hesitate to squash any rebellion against the ultra rich ruining everyone else's lives

Uniquely High Point

So, the Sheetz on South Main Street closed last week. Think about that, people! Sheetz never closes! And yet, it made an exception for South High Point. If this isn't a wake-up call to leaders and residents as a whole, then, I don't know what would be. The drugs and violence have gotten so out of hand that a 24/7/365 gas station no longer exists in a part of town.

A bigger problem

The recent blowback where MLS owners blocked their own fans from combatting fascism and racism is part of a bigger structural problem in American soccer. Many of the owners are NFL guys who just happen to own MLS teams and their ideological affiliations are much closer to the POTUS than the people who attend the games.

Franchised/single entity/closed leagues are exclusionist for a reason, so these enthusiastic soccer fans need to push for an open system that includes every club and allows for community-based teams that reflect the fans’ values.

If people in MLS markets really care about soccer, they need to turn their backs on the league and start backing lower tier clubs outside of USL since MLS and USL are part of the same soccer cartel that is ruining things for the bottom portion of the pyramid.

Here in North Carolina, NCFC is trying to move from its current taxpayer funded stadium in Cary by urging county and local officials to build a new taxpayer funded stadium just south of downtown Raleigh. Steve Malik is no longer guaranteeing that capital city will even get an MLS team, which makes the idea of a new stadium even more ridiculous and it was a good thing that the Wake County commissioners passed on funding that stadium. I don’t know if the Raleigh City Council will be as strong in resisting.

As a result, I am far more likely to support one of the UPSL teams—Lazers SC, SOSA FC or Raleigh International FC—instead.

People in Atlanta can rally behind Atlanta SC or Georgia Revolution FC of the NPSL or the likes of a team (LSA Pro) or an entire conference (Atlanta Caribbean) in the UPSL if Atlanta United won’t do right.

The people in the NY metro area aren’t short of options to back instead of the two MLS franchises. If the Cosmos aren’t your cup of tea, support another NPSL squad, rally behind a UPSL club, go to a Long Island Soccer Football League game or attend a Cosmopolitan Soccer League match.

Out west, where things really got heated during the August 23 match between the Timbers and the Sounders. Rather than buying a ticket, Timbers fans should have stayed away from CenturyLink Field and in the future dump the team in favor of FCM Portland or PDX FC (both in the NPSL).

The same goes for Sounders fans protesting fascism and the halfhearted responses from the Pacific Northwest teams and the league. The NPSL’s OSA Seattle FC and Crossfire Redmond as well as the UPSL’s Seattle City Pro would appreciate your presence.

DJ Kool Herc street naming

The flip side to this news in 2011 is that the pioneer of hip has a street named after him

Greensboro bringing back red light cameras
So, the city hasn't learned its lesson. Just wait until someone sues like they did in High Point in 2005. On the other hand, it could be one of the ways that the Gate City plans on recouping lost revenue due to a lawsuit that has been filed against it due to police negligence.


Say Yes Guilford is collapsing
I'm sure glad I don't have any kids. It's not like others didn't try to warn the public of that Ponzi Scheme. I mean it's #UniquelyGuilfordCounty.