This is why I do not like celebrities... deals with the hurricane

[RD]

It is not that I do not like celebrities parents mind you, but what in God's name makes Brett Favre's parents and their house getting caught by the hurricane so damn important that its newsworthy?

here is the link:
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/4824234

who gives a sheit!   What about all those non-celebrity houses out there that are totally gone.
quote:
She indicated the family home is destroyed and probably will have to be bulldozed, but the good news is that everyone in the family appears to be fine.

What about those non-celebrity families that have lost loved ones?   Where is their article on msn?

Just another rant, I know, but damn I hate that stuff.

[Brock Samson]

and here I though your inital meant "race"... 

[RD]

and here I though your inital meant "race"...  

  you fricken kill me strat!

[694spdRT]

Not being mean but, are there any other celebrities down that way....news people have to tie in celebs. It might be important to some people down there as Brett is probably a pretty big star ...he is up here in Packer country.

BTW: Brett's dad died last year. 

[RD]

Not being mean but, are there any other celebrities down that way....news people have to tie in celebs. It might be important to some people down there as Brett is probably a pretty big star ...he is up here in Packer country.

BTW: Brett's dad died last year.  

no offense 694, but I honestly am not saddened at all about his plight.  Many people go through far worse than a millionaire's family losses.  How about those that are not millionaire's and their primary source of income goes with the death of their father, husband, wife, mother....

I mean for those that put these people on pedestals, than hey, I am not saying you have to stop holding this guy, who just throws a football around and receives millions of dollars for playing a game, in high regard.  I just dont understand why you do.

[694spdRT]

I wasn't disagreeing with you RD and I didn't even care to read the link. That should tell you how affected I am by his loss or whomever's place it was. Your post is the first I heard of it. I can honestly tell you I was really bothered when the reports of dead and missing started coming out. It is sad buildings and homes were lost...but at least that stuff can be replaced in time.

For some reason or another people relate to celebs and news agencies flock to that. His family is way better off than many if not all of those affected but, the fact is, people pay attention when celebs names are mentioned.

The Michael Jackson, O.J., and other overplayed news stories happen everyday to normal people and they don't even get mentioned. Just in my small town area there was a 29 year old lady in Darlington, WI that was stalked and murdered a few days ago by her ex boyfriend and a 19 year old stabbed to death by her husband a month ago? Those girls didn't get any big headlines and within a week or two it will be forgotten...sad really.

[bull]

Everybody knows that celebrities are way more valuable than the common folk. Their pure genetic makeup and extraordinary upbringing make them superior in all ways. 

[Charge It!]

I don't think it is a matter of celebrities being more important. Let me put it this way- If you had relatives in the same situation, wouldn't you do what ever you could to help and find out about thier situation? The celebrities do that also, it's just that they have greater means than most of us. Bret Farve was being interviewed, so he brought it up. He used what he could to find out.
Watching Good Morning America this morning, they had several clips of people using poster boards with thier names and the words "we are ok"   running behind the reporters. They used what was in thier means to deliver thier message. Just my  

[derailed]

Brett who?

[Chris G.]

It's obvious they did an article on Brett because of who he is. Their objective is to get people to read their paper (it worked with you).

The whole situation is a huge mess, and it's getting uglier by the minute. Someone needs to step up and get the water to stop flowing in. It sounds like too many people are making decisions. I feel terrible for the people who lost everything. I mean where do they go? Where is the income coming from? So many questions are racing through my mind at this point.

ps- Let the Crocs snack on the looters. I get the feeling they purposely stayed behind because they knew the stores would be empty. I don't think they anticipated the amount of water though, and are now wishing they left. Maybe I'm just   for thinking that?

[6pkrunner]

Brett can replace his families belongings and house. How about those that cannot?

[694spdRT]

OK, I decided to read the article posted and just noticed it is on FOX Sports NFL, it does seems like news for a "NFL sports" site. I did not hear a word about him on the major networks. The coverage of the devastation down there this morning was mainly talking with gov't officials, rescues, and local reaction.

The one thing reported that I did not care about at all was the all the Casino boat losses....

[RD]

The one thing reported that I did not care about at all was the all the Casino boat losses....

[RT DAVE]

I'm sure the media sought them out and not the other way around.  Why is it the celebs fault that the media seeks them for a story?  I just don't understand some of the ways some of the people on this board think sometimes...

[RD]

I'm sure the media sought them out and not the other way around.   Why is it the celebs fault that the media seeks them for a story?   I just don't understand some of the ways some of the people on this board think sometimes...

as others may view you in the same distinction.  we are all different, and that is the answer to your question.

[Dale The Bold]

Poor ol' Brett not only has to worry about barely scraping by on a thin budget, now he has to find a way to help his parents get a new house.  That's a dang tragedy.

[Jon Smith]

Who's Brett Favre?

[Dale The Bold]

Who's Brett Favre?

Man, I wish I lived in your world.  I live in Green Bay, and he's the star something-or-other for some sort of sports team in this area, I don't remember which.

[RT DAVE]

Poor ol' Brett not only has to worry about barely scraping by on a thin budget, now he has to find a way to help his parents get a new house.   That's a dang tragedy.

Actually, he'll only have to buy his mom a new house because his dad is dead as of last year. 

[Charger_Fan]

The one thing reported that I did not care about at all was the all the Casino boat losses....

Emphatically!

The Casino losses are definitely on the bottom of the worry list!

[Troy]

The one thing reported that I did not care about at all was the all the Casino boat losses....

Emphatically!

The Casino losses are definitely on the bottom of the worry list!

To run this completely off topic...

It might help to understand the impact of the casinos before bashing them (yeah, I really don't care if business is slow for a few days either but some people do). Much like the refineries or "evil corporations", their impact is rather huge for Louisiana's economy. Just a few stats that I found:
1. Riverboat casinos have ~15,000 employees averaging $25,000 per year ($31,863 after benefits etc.).
2. Since 1994, Louisiana riverboats have contributed over $2.02 billion in state and $557 million in local taxes. In FY 2002-2003 the riverboat casinos alone paid the state over $335 million in gaming taxes, with another $78 million going to local governments. The annual state gaming tax rate is now 21.5% of adjusted gaming revenues, while our neighbors in Mississippi tax their casinos at 8%.
3. Louisiana riverboats purchased over $454 million in good and services in 2002, with over 70% of that coming from in-state vendors. With many riverboat casinos having hotels associated with their operations a tremendous range of products are purchased, from seafood and soft drinks to concrete and fine linens. The vendors supplying these goods and services in turn have created jobs that are directly linked to casino purchases and range from large food distribution centers to true "mom and pop" operations supplying specialty gift items.
4. Since its inception, the riverboat casinos have made more than $1.7 billion in capital investments including hotels, shoreline and marine facilities, parking areas and live entertainment facilities.
5. The jobs provided by the riverboats have also allowed our employees and their families to purchase nearly 4,000 homes, 9,000 cars and 10,000 major household appliances in one year.
6. The Louisiana riverboat casinos have also done their part in supporting the hundreds of worthwhile charitable and civic groups in Louisiana. Over $22 million has been donated by the riverboat casinos since 1994 with over $3 million donated in 2002 alone. Further, our employees donate thousands of hours to community service.
7. Louisiana riverboat casinos admitted 32.9 million people in 2002, millions of whom stayed overnight in nearby hotels, ate at nearby restaurants and shopped at local stores... Estimates of visitor spending indicate an out of town traveler will spend $150.00 per day on food, lodging, gifts and gasoline. The Casino Association using only $50 per day conservatively calculates these out of town visitors spent more than $873 million in 2002 while visiting our casinos.
Taken from their site: http://www.casinosoflouisiana.com/louisiana.htm

Ok, so when the state has to pay its police, fire, rescue, highway workers, and national guard troops costs during the cleanup do you think they might just miss the casino revenue? Do you think the people working for the casinos and the people who sell them food, clothing, entertainment, cars, gas, and everything else will miss that income? What about all the supporting businesses that rely on the casinos and tourism to survive? Many of the casino employees rely on tips for a part of their income and when the casino is closed or there are no tourists then they can't pay their bills. It's easy to say that you don't care about the casinos themselves but a large protion of the community depends on their revenue. I personally don't care for legalized gambling but the sudden financial impact of shutting them down adds to the devastation in the community (and the state) in many ways. (Yes, I know that not all of the casinos are in that area - I think there are 15 total but I don't know how many were directly affected. Each has a little over 1,000 employees.)

As for moving away from there.. believe it or not, some people would never dream of moving away from where they or born and many don't have the financial means to do it. My aunt never traveled more than 50 miles from home until she was almost 60. She has lived through tornados, droughts, and floods and will be buried 5 miles from where she lives now. No place is perfect but some places have more history for an individual.

Troy

[MichaelRW]

The Wall Street Journal reported today that Misssissippi stands to lose about $500,000 a day in tax dollars while the Gulf Coast Casinos are closed.

[694spdRT]

I do realize your point Troy and it is valid. Tourism is probably the only thing that keeps many areas still alive in this country. Try visiting northern WI over Labor Day....I swear there are no Wisconsin plates on the cars. I remember one bumper sticker that read..."NOT EVERYBODY HERE IS ON VACATION".    It is a double edged sword with hopefully more positives than negatives. 

The tone of the report just seemed out of place coming right after the talk of the dead and missing...and then jumping right into casino boats and there revenue loss. In any event I doubt many people will be flocking to the casino's in the near future so the losses incurred will likely show up long into the future. I would hope most of those businesses carry insurance, but no use to debate that yet. Unless the reports of insurance company woes are coming in already too.        

To get this back on topic...anyone hear what impact this has had on Faith Hill....I think she's a Mississippi girl.         

[Charger_Fan]

The one thing reported that I did not care about at all was the all the Casino boat losses....

Emphatically!

The Casino losses are definitely on the bottom of the worry list!

It might help to understand the impact of the casinos before bashing them (yeah, I really don't care if business is slow for a few days either but some people do). Much like the refineries or "evil corporations", their impact is rather huge for Louisiana's economy.

I obviously didn't think of the surrounding revenue generated from the casino's...I was sort of tunnel-visioning when I posted.
When the word 'casino" comes up, I automatically think of the guys at the top of the money tree.

Nice stats you found there.

[ChargerRob]

 

[Troy]

694spdRT: I know it's kinda stupid how the news works. I don't suppose they really have time for a pause in between death and destruction and the dog show. Tourism and gambling both have many pros and cons but that's a debate for another day. I'm not worried about the businesses because I know they have insurance. The employees and all the supporting people/industries probably don't have insurance for lost income though.

Troy

[694spdRT]

Troy

I agree the employees will be hit the hardest. It really is unfortunate and the problems down there are just beginning. My hometown was leveled by a tornado in 1984 that killed seven people in a town of 500. 20 years later the town still is haunted by that day. For all those in the path of Katrina it will likely take years to recover after the cleanup. The lost casino jobs and its trickle down effect are just the tip of the iceberg.

On a side note I think tourism is a good thing and enjoy being a tourist myself. Gambling precious Charger money away at a casino is not really my thing though.  The stock market has been hard enough on me the last few years.