Tithing on Sunday

      Well, if you head to downtown SLO on Sunday for shopping, lunch and a movie, it'll now cost you;  The city will raise parking rates, and there'll be no more "free" Sundays.  And in the Tribune story, apparently the City Council didn't discuss the possibility of offering "validated" parking for the structures?  As in, merchants, restaraunts, theatres would offer validated parking for X amount of time, with X amount of purchase. Like, buy a theatre ticket and get your parking ticket validated; buy lunch and get another validation.  Would that encourage folks to hang around downtown longer?
     Personally, I'll be rethinking any and all Sunday trips.  I would often to head to a movie, do some shopping, grab a bite to eat.  You know, consolidate a trip to save gas, spend a pleasant few hours downtown gooning around?  And do it on "free parking" Sundays.  But now?  Any shopping will be specifically targeted -- as in run in to one specific store and keep it all under the 1 hour free parking limit, then get out.  Movies?  Hit the Palm weeknights only. So any merchants who might get my attention (and money) while I'm wandering around on a nice Sunday afternoon, will just have to do without my shekels.
      Meantime, wonder if some smart cookie will think about putting in a multi-plex theatre at the new Target center?  Or even back to the Madonna Plaza.  Used to be one there once.  Maybe there will be again, as the shopping center shifts to the new development?  Dalidio, anyone?
     And when the Los Osos sewer gets built, maybe Jim Dee will once again consider opening a theatre out here.  How cool would that be? Of course, that might not work out because there'll be so little discretionary income left in the community after paying the sewer bill that until the economic cleansing is completed, very few people will be going to any movies anywhere.  Let alone paying for a movie and for parking. 

Glen Beck Bites The Dust?  

Just heard on the news that our own batshit crazy version of Father Coughlin has had his run and like all things in this world, is going away -- at least his show in its present form will be. Well, guess his usefulness as a political and financial tool for his handlers ran out. Time for the Next Dog & Pony Show to gin up ratings by whipping up the seriously Low-Information Voters, the folks who so beautifully represent America's "fearsome and feverish credulity," as Thorsten Veblen put it.
     Pity the writers on "The Daily Show."  They're losing one of their biggest Muses.