Miserable? Who's Miserable?

Well, I see we made another list.

 Last week the 20 most miserable places to live in America was announced by some magazine or think tank or charitable organization, and guess what?

 We're Number 18.

 The optimist in me says at least we weren't in the top 10.

 The realist in me says who cares? In the last two weeks, we have been getting more good news than we know what to do with, if you listen to the talking heads (no, not THE TALKING HEADS). V&M announced a major expansion. Tim Ryan landed a new firm for downtown Youngstown. GM is adding a third shift and a new company is relocating to Brookfield. I mean that's all good, right?

 I guess so. But peruse the headlines last week and you see some guy gets shot to death on the South Side and two others wounded after some sort of altercation on South Avenue. JJ Cafaro helps his daughter a little bit too much and will have to face a federal judge. And former Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge Maureen Cronin gets a maximum sentence for accepting a ``loan' from an unnamed person. And then there is the scourge known only as Traficant. I don't have to say anything more.

 I heard that one of the benchmarks in the survey was climate, and we do not stack up well against anyone in that respect, unless they're comparing us to Juneau. But it's typical. Whenever someone has a list or survey of something bad, chances bad are we will end up on it -- although we made some good lists last year for business and opportunity.

 So where is the truth? I don't know. I do know the crime problem in Youngstown and now Warren has to be addressed, and soon, because it is causing people to flee and they will never come back. And we do have our faults: We are leery of change and outsiders and are sometimes too close minded.

 But our strengths more than outweight that. We go to the wall for people. We pitch in when someone needs a hand. We know to have fun -- legally, for the most part.

 I think most of our problems, real and perceived, are part of a negative mindset, and I admit here and now that at times I am more negative about this place than anyone else. But it's the people here who make this place great. I would stack us up against anyone. Every place has its warts. These people who rip on our mob past always forget that our mobsters were working for mobsters in other cities, who were bribing their politicians and cops as well. They have short memories.

 And so do I. I have too much on my plate to keep lists, as I'm sure a lot of you do as well. I guess we just have to keep on keepin' on -- by letting the days go by.