Allentown's Arena.. Yeah It's A Bit Like This

I have always been against taxpayers paying for buildings millionaires can use to further enhance their bottom line. This is especially true for cities who can ill afford their own budgets somehow falsely imagining almost each and every time it will somehow enhance city coffers.

The tired old line goes something like this.
     (1) Build the sports arena/stadium.
     (2) Neighborhood values will improve.
     (3) Somehow taxpayers will benefit.
Reality Bites;
(1) Millions of dollars falls into the laps of well connect team owners and developers.
(2) The immediate neighborhood residents are cost driven out of their homes to their determent.
(3) Somehow the taxpayers never seem to come out ahead because (a) The increase in city services they require. (b) Naming rights are turned over to team owners who then receive almost free rent to use them. In addition teams get to keep the money from exclusive merchandise and of souvenirs sold within the building (especially clothing- no sales tax in Pa.) (c) There's so many tax exclusions no amount of parking fee increases, taxes on players or on tickets will offset the cost to build the monument. (d) The once tax paying businesses and homeowners usually displaced. results in the revenue prior coming from them to evaporate.I wonder how many fans sitting in those seats express resent towards government welfare given to the poor. Yet have no apprehension of the million$ more they spent in taxes in order to the line the pockets of multimillionaires.

That said I submit the following video. "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Stadiums (HBO)"-- He said, "90 percent of U.S. sports stadiums have been rebuilt on the dime of local taxpayers. Some $12 billion was spent on 51 new luxury facilities between 2000 and 2010 alone."




* If we're going to spend taxpayers money on entertainment, shouldn't we take care of business first? Things like infrastructure, transportation, education, pensions promised and so forth. It's like spending money on a good time before paying the rent or making repairs.

* If the government is going to involve itself in private enterprise shouldn't we have a right to expect a return on our investment? My taxes haven't gone down. Has yours?

* I use city services everyday. I and many more have no interests in sports. I drive the streets, need garbage collection, etc.... but why am I paying for some entertainment venue so others can have a good time at my expense? Call it pay as you go if you will. I thought that's what capitalism is suppose to be about.. supply & demand. Obviously I'm laboring under a misapprehension, eh?


Further Reading

The Chronicle Of Education--
David P. Barash (March 20, 2009)
Professor of psychology at the University of Washington
The Roar of the Crowd