The savvy senior has that at the back of their mind when selecting retirement communities. There isn't enough to do for for a retired person. Its one thing to come down to Athens a couple of times a year for an event. Athens in my estimation would do better if they could develop an arts district around the ridges, attract a higher level hotel and bring more tourism dollars for that twice visit. Make it more attractive to parents of prospective students. A lot of older alums if they are going to go down to Athens won't stay anywhere below OU Inn caliber. There is a crowd that will go AirBnB if they have a dog. They don't want to take a road trip to stay in a Super 8.

Having lived here for 43 years, there is more than enough to do. Yes, it would be nice to have a few more local restaurants (I'm not a chain guy) and a golf course or two and some dedicated outdoor pickle ball courts, but you can be as busy as you want to living in Athens. As for hotels, the Hampton and Fairfield are just fine and I'm Hilton Diamond and Marriott Gold so you can say I've seen my share of hotels. Stuarts Opera House brings a wide range of talent and at a very reasonable price and Fur Peace has traditionally had great shows.

One thing people often forget is that for four months a year, this town is pretty empty. In measuring the size of a town I look at the size of the local high school graduating class. Athens High is right around 185 and close to half them don't live in Athens. Tough to run a business when you only have eight consistent months of revenue.

Alan with respect to golf course popularity that peaked out around 2005 and less communities are being built today with a golf course as a centerpiece. Hocking Valley is a getaway for Columbus area residents and that is driving the numbers more so than Athens residents. Most of Athens County doesn't live in Athens proper either so Athens with 10,000 fewer in the summer doesn't have the impact on East State street that you could otherwise infer when that is the shopping district for the whole county. Certain businesses sure can take a big hit but they can close for the summer or cut back on staff.

Tourism dollars are enough regionally to support another full service hotel. Burr Oak Lodge and OU Inn are the only full service hotels. An expanded OU Inn might do the trick. A new full service hotel at the corner of the Ridges was part of the 2016 campus master plan which to go with the basketball practice facility were put on the backburner. In general there is more cultural/counter cultural things to do in Athens. 4 wineries and 4 breweries. Various shows and festivals in town. Setting lacks the mystique of New Mexico or the cruise ship ports of Florida. Athens has a vibe of being in the country and not the mountains. Morgantown has more of the mountain vibe but also gives off a blue collar West Virginia city vibe.

As for the statement I actually made, here's why I feel that way:

1) The Ohio Supreme Court -- thanks to its Republican appointed chief justice -- ruled the Ohio electoral map unconstitutional. District lines have not been re-drawn.

2) The Princeton Gerrymandering Project gives Ohio's lines an F. https://gerrymander.princeton.edu/redistricting-report-ca...

3) Ohio maps have been struck down six times in a row by the Ohio Supreme Court.

3) In a state where 42% of residents identify as Republicam, 40% as Democrat, and 18% as Independent, 12 of 18 house seats are held by Republicans.

And how does that show itself in how the state's actually governed?

1) 53% of voters want to protect abortion rights in Ohio. Only 39% want it restricted. The state legislature passed one of the nation's most restrictive laws.

2) 60% of voters opposed a change to concealed carry laws. The law was passed regardless.

3) 85% favor expanding background checks, 79% support raising the minimum purchase age of certain guns, and 75% support red flag laws. Instead, the gun laws passed in Ohio were so extreme they were denounced by the Fraternal Order of Police.

4) A 10 year old rape victim couldn't receive the medical care needed in Ohio and had to travel out of state. How do you think the electorate feels about that? Less than 14% of voters support banning abortions in all cases.

5) In 2012, Ohio voted for Obama by 3 points. Sherrod Brown won easily. Republicans won a 60-39 super majority in the house. Why is that? The Ohio Statehouse now has a 64-35 advantage. The state Senate has a 25-8 advantage. As I mentioned earlier, 42% of residents identify as Republicam, 40% as Democrat, and 18% as Independent. That's completely unreflected in the state government.

What is the definition of clean energy?

Does it mean anything cleaner than coal?

Is a 5000 acre field of solar panels clean? What about the resources to make the panels being factored in?

Is nuclear power clean relative to NG? if so, why not build a bunch more?

I have no answers just questions.

It would be discrimination against the residents of less populated counties. Why make Gramps drive 30 miles to the county seat when someone in a populated area can drop a ballot off at the corner 7/11? Population has nothing to do with it because the drop box will be big enough and able to hold all the ballots, you don't need more than one.

One box can more easily be monitored as well.

Vote absentee and stick it in your mail box, that's probably closer than any drop box.

What's the argument in favor of making voting harder? I don't get it.

Also, why do drop boxes need to be monitored? Can't we finally put the voter fraud thing to rest? The GOP has been frothing at the mouth for years about it how, and have host shown over and over that there's no evidence suggesting it's a problem.