More places that serve the alcoholic drinks and no easily accessible overnight parking means more belligerent drunks pouring out of yet more bars. People with a major lack of inhibitions and all common sense/intelligence out there risking our lives and theirs on the roads of Kent and onward. I guess the police get more revenue, but only at the expense of everyone's safety. :(
I do see an awful lot of yellow plates around here. Those worthless drunks shouldn't be allowed to drive. Soon they will kill someone, hopefully just themselves. By the way, you have to get in an awful lot of trouble to get the yellow plates.

moral: yep.

How do you equate "more belligerent drunks pouring out of yet more bars" with 1) a wine & jazz bar, 2) a wine and craft beer bar, and 3) an italian restaurant??? That is utter nonsense. Most establishments with liquor licenses downtown already cater mostly to the college crowd at night, yet when a prospective business wants to do something different, i.e. cater to an older, more responsible crowd, the same old whiners still complaint about it. Many adults can responsibly use alcohol to complement their evening downtown--whether they are watching a concert at the Kent Stage, listening to live Jazz music, or eating a pizza. Just because you don't, doesn't mean the rest of us are belligerent drunks.

that's right, teresa. it's where people go to get drunk - and too hook-up also! move to hartville if it's a no alcohol-hartville kitchen-chastity pledge ball kinda town you're after.

You mean hook-up as in get drunk and have sex with someone you don't really know? Go America! Fun!

Casual sex may run rampant throughout the world, but I happen to live here in America. Maybe I'll start focusing on another country. Might make it easier.

Every day, almost 30 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. This amounts to one death every 48 minutes.1 The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than $51 billion.2

Also, my friend, alcoholism is a disease. They are sick. And they need help. To label them all as irresponsible is a bit much. Also, lack of self-control, psychological or biological, is one of the first things that jumps out the window when alcohol is present.

Percent of adults 18 years of age and over who were current regular drinkers (at least 12 drinks in the past year): 51.5% (For 2011)

Number of alcoholic liver disease deaths: 15,990
Number of alcohol-induced deaths, excluding accidents and homicides: 25,692 (For 2012)

Alcohol is the number one drug problem in America.

There are more than 12 million alcoholics in the U.S.

Three-fourths of all adults drink alcohol, and 6% of them are alcoholics.

The stats are why I, & a MAJORITY of Americans, don't drink & drive; why we use alcohol responsibly. We CHOOSE to be responsible not irresponsible, honoring a "social contract." ALL people who drive intoxicated are engaging in irresponsible activity-- by Free Will. Nobody forces them to drive. They're making a bad choice-- no matter what the reason. And not all people who drink are alcoholics or drive. Of course alcoholism is a disease-- both psychological & biological. Who stated otherwise? But, just because a person is "sick & needs help" does not relieve them of personal responsibility. The law is clear; it is enforced by edict of the MAJORITY. Logic-- Are all alcoholics drinkers/former drinkers? Yes. Are all drinkers alcoholics? No. Are all alcoholics who drive drunk engaging in an irresponsible act? Yes. Is an irresponsible act irresponsibility? Yes. Is irresponsibility selfish? Yes. Are all drinkers who drive irresponsible? No. Are all drivers who drive drunk alcoholics? No. Are all drinkers who drive drunk irresponsible? Yes. Do all "alcoholics" engage in irresponsible driving behavior? No. Do all "drinking" alcoholics engage in irresponsible behavior? Yes. (They're impacting themselves & others negatively) Do all drinkers engage in irresponsible drinking related behavior? No. Do all drinkers pee themselves? No. Do all drinkers slobber? No. Do all drinkers vomit? No. Do all drinkers lose inhibitions? No. Do all drinkers lose psychological & biological self-control? No.

An aside-- Prescription drug abuse is currently the #1 addiction in America. Nicotine addiction is right up there. 400,000 deaths per year in America.

"...estimated 1.3 billion people are smokers worldwide and every 6.5 seconds a current or former smoker dies, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Also, 33 percent to 50 percent of all smokers are killed by their habit...reports say that around 5.4 million deaths a year are caused by tobacco. On this basis, smoking is set to kill 6.5 million people in 2015 and 8.3 million humans in 2030. Meanwhile, cancer is the second leading cause of death and was among the first diseases causally linked to smoking." (Source: Stop Cigarettes)

Addiction to food is also quite high in America-- increased obesity is an indicator of this trend.

Deaths in America-- final 2010 data:

•Heart disease: 597,689
•Cancer: 574,743
•Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 138,080
•Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 129,476
•Accidents (unintentional injuries): 120,859
•Alzheimer's disease: 83,494
•Diabetes: 69,071
•Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 50,476
•Influenza and Pneumonia: 50,097
•Intentional self-harm (suicide): 38,364

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/dvs/deaths_2010_release.pdf

In my humble estimation, people need to take full responsibility for their personal actions because a person's individual actions do eventually impact the entire society, and often in a negative manner. That's all I was saying.

Mental health is a big issue this country. We don't address it and take a "You take care of yourself" mentality even though many can not.

You're right. Yet, I don't totally agree with the old "I'm a victim...whaaaaa! I can't control myself...forgive me!" routine for all cases of mental illness generated behavior-- repetitive alcoholic- driven drinking & driving being one. Besides, the test for Insanity in a court of law is very rigid. You can basically be a Serial Killer & still not meet the legal standard. The pertinent question—“Did the defendant understand the difference between right & wrong when he committed the crime?” What to do? I say we take all serial "driving" alcoholics & incarcerate them in mental institutions. They can’t take care of themselves & endanger the public; we must forcibly stop them. Drunk driving laws do not. Drinking establishments abound. We must act. It'll give Ward A a whole new meaning. Think of the raisin-orange peel Toilet Hooch! We'll recoup the lost business revenue, un-generated taxes, and employment loss from not granting 3 businesses a food/liquor license; and also reestablish Kent as a beachhead for cutting edge mental health reform. Reopen Fallsview & maybe the Lawson's plant too. I can get some good French Onion chip dip on my way to visit my alcoholic friends who were formally sipping wine, nibbling on cheese & crackers, & listening to Jazz. It's been nice chatting in circles with you. Good day, Mars, and have a responsible Sunday Sip-- It's not Iowa, yet-- or Toke-- oh ya’ll can't, it's not California—ok, perhaps have some real fun and take in a "Meeting."

I couldn't agree more. I know and have known far too many people in my life who are unable to drink and keep themselves from getting behind the wheel.

Why are you killing the messenger? I don't like DUI drivers any more than I like people who don't use sound logic. Never said I did. In fact, I oppose them, and I said as much. I just like American Democracy over fascism. Read much for comprehension? Newsflash-- all drinkers are not drunk drivers, or alcoholics. In fact, some drinkers don't even drive. And imagine this-- not all drinkers are fall-down drunks. Wow, who’d thunk! But hey, But, ok, have it your way-- round up all the drinkers in America-- social, responsible, and otherwise-- might as well gather up the pasta and pizza eaters as well-- and then just get rid of them. How you do it is up to you. Good luck with that! Or, you could just live in complete fear of everything. Just curious-- what are you proposing, Prohibition? I seem to recall that didn't work too well. I think Joe Kennedy had something to do with that-- business and the Mob trumping the Christian Temperance Movement, Carrie Nation, and her moralistic ilk. In the end, all I'm advocating for is personal responsibility, not a general extermination of the "minority drunk driving" population and a destruction of business. One side says my way or the highway; the other side says the same...what always happens?

I hate to break it to Mars, and others, but downtown grocery stores, drug stores, hardware stores, etc., are a thing of the past, with very few exceptions. I'm not saying that is a good thing, but it is reality.
Don't you think downtown's developers and landowners would've put a grocery store or hardware store in downtown already if it was economically viable for the developer, landowner, and business owner? We all miss Kline's Grocery, Thompson's Drug Store, Kent Hardware, etc., but the City didn't force those places out of business, and it's not the City's fault that no similar businesses are knocking on the door to come downtown. Blame Acme & Giant Eagle, CVS & Walgreens, Home Depot & Lowes. Or just blame the times.

The constant griping that these new stores "don't offer me anything" is so trite and ridiculous. They are 'specialty' stores, and they are not supposed to offer you what you can buy at Wal-Mart. The developers chose 'specialty' stores and restaurants because they spent a lot of time and money, and determined these types of establishments give them the best chance of return on their investment. Are they all going to survive? Of course not. But they have a better chance than a grocery store, drug store, or hardware store. Why? Because (unfortunately) people will still go to Wal-Mart, where they can buy their groceries, medicine, and tools in one stop. At least these new stores offer you something you can't typically buy at a big box. store.

Oh, but my house value dropped yet again. Not to mention the rentals near me are empty and there are several foreclosed homes within a stones throw. I can't go. I sure would though.

"There is no such thing as drinking responsibly." Oh, my bad. I just read it on the back of the beer can, and thought it was true. Are those Church bells I hear ringing.

Mr. Myers you seem like a stand-up guy. However, I don't normally respond to Circular Reasoning arguments. And, I stop at all Stop Signs. It's the law. I also do not drink and drive. It's not safe; and, in the end, it is up to the investigating officer to determine if a person is over the limit. Why take that interpretative chance, especially since "It's against the law?" And very democratic, since it was majority legislated. And, I was re-sarcasting you on your sarcastic "do you read the newspaper?" comment, Old Chap. Of course I do, even the electronic ones. It's in my job description-- Big Brother and all. Hey, it's Spring Forward Sunday...and I'm late....gotta get drunk before Church. Thinking about a quad-triple Irish Coffee with a splash of Brandy and a Bailey's floater. It makes the self-serving, self-righteousness I'm about to bear somehow easier to swallow. But I'll walk. Have a good one, sir.

That's what I was hoping for. Getting less for my house than I invested in it. That's why I succumbed to the American Dream.

Thankfully we have different tastes.

Steve and Dharma, I completely agree. I'm so tired of people who always view the glass as half empty. Grow-up, take a loss on your property (if need be), and move somewhere where you're happy (and not such a negative force in our community.) Or invest in this community and start the kind of business you want to see downtown - Plenty of others have. I'm not wealthy, but I ran my own business for over 20 years. As a third generation Kent-resident, I'm proud of Kent, Ohio, our history, and our progress.

Oh yes, only bright shiny happy people can inhabit Kent. No one with an opinion other than your own can speak. If you don't like something, shut up and leave. Yes, that's the town I know.

Agreed! I think there was for a long time, truth to the affluence statement, but it has been nearly twenty in the past. Kent has changed since the West River neighborhood was a miniature ghetto of abandoned buildings.