The sociopaths running the city have decided that we’re getting a downtown arena, whether we need it or not.
They are dead set to jack our property taxes one more time.
Here’s the story from the El Paso Times. Listen to this:
“This is a very complex and a very unique project,” City Manager Tommy Gonzalez said. “This will be a once-in-a-generation kind of project for this community.”
Is it a lot different than the ballpark? One might have thought that the ballpark was a once-in-a-generation kind of project. I guess they saw that the taxpayers still had some life left, and decided to kick us some more.
Why build an arena?
Gonzalez and Mayor Oscar Leeser said that the arena is the type of project that can improve the quality of life in El Paso and help attract new businesses and more jobs.
“I’m very excited to be part of this announcement as we continue to move forward,” Leeser said.
Where have I heard that before?
They don’t even care if you don’t believe them. They’re going to keep telling you the same lies because they think that you’re stupid.
If you build it, they will come … with wallets bulging, eager to exchange greenbacks for peanuts, popcorn, hot dogs and beer, and T-shirts and ball caps with team logos.
At least that’s the theory embraced – time and time again – by mayors and city council members hoping to lure professional sports teams to their cities by promising to build new arenas for the teams. But one guy who’s not buying it is sports economist Brad Humphreys, a professor of recreation, sport and tourism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
That’s because Humphreys and colleague Dennis Coates, a professor of economics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, haven’t uncovered a single instance in which the presence of a professional sports team has been linked to a boost in the local economy.
Local government is a snakepit.
Empty Brios, ballparks, trolleys to nowhere and now this. These are the types of amenities cities usually provide when there is demand and when a lot of people have discretionary cash due to new, promising jobs.
El Paso has neither.
I guess what is confusing me about this one is that they are now claiming that this was part of the now infamous QoL Bonds passed way back in 2012. I don’t remember any arena being part of that.
They had to call it a “Performing Arts Center” because it’s against state law to fund a stadium or arena with Quality of Life bonds. Not that the City cares too much about what’s legal.
How can they now call it an arena?
John Dungan, it was in prop 2 of the 3 bonds on that vote. The studies and stats out there are overwhelming proof that stadium events do not create economic booms, and actually take money and attention away from other events happening at the same time. It’s truly frustrating.
Flint Michigan tried to revitalize their city after GM shipped off jobs to Mexico. Stockton California wanted to “invest in themselves”. Both ended in tragedy. So called experts prey on desperate cities and towns like El Paso with big plans and lots of promises, even get articles about their “successes” in big national media outlets like the New York Times. In the end the well connected of those towns get the last ounce of blood from the taxpayer and then insolvency comes. Pensions are reduced, city services are reduced and the death spiral takes hold and it’s all over.
El Paso is dying and I hope some of you can see that you move out before the proponents of these schemes leave town and the balloon of red ink bursts all over your so called home equity.