Who are the men behind the curtain?

There are some powerful forces supporting putting the arena in Duranguito.

Weird, huh? Who wants the arena?

Obviously no one is telling us the whole truth.

(That must come as a shock to you.)

But you’ve got Richard Dayoub, Jack Chapman, and the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce actively fighting for the arena. Dan Olivas and the Greater El Paso Association of Realtors. A scourge of trolls (actually two) and agitators on Facebook.

I could see people supporting it if it made any sense. Am I missing something?

When we passed the Quality of Life Bonds in 2012, the population of El Paso was 676,401, according to US Census Bureau estimates. Three years later, the population was 681,124. In three years, the population grew 4,723. Thats 0.7 percent. Seven tenths of one percent. Point zero zero seven. Over three years.

I’d like to see better jobs in El Paso. More economic opportunities are beneficial for everyone. But if growth is the rationale for all this taxpayer supported “progress,” we’re getting ripped off, because we’re not getting more jobs, and we’re not getting better jobs.

And if we’re not getting any economic growth, why do the billionaires keep sticking their hands in my pocket?

To make matters worse, we’re paying more and getting less.

Our infrastructure is deteriorating (mostly the streets). Property taxes have gone up. Fees have gone up. Electric rates have gone up. Gas rates have gone up. Am I missing something?

About the only thing that’s gone down is trust in government.

And now some faceless behemoth wants to put an arena in Duranguito.

Somebody is going to make some money building the thing. Foster Jordan probably won’t get the contract, because their last project for the City was 50 percent over budget. (The ballpark cost around $75 million and it was a $50 million Guaranteed Maximum Price contract.)

(I’m just kidding. Foster Jordan is a lock for the contract.)

But after the arena’s built, then what? The taxpayers are going to get soaked for Operations and Maintenance costs for the next million years as well as paying off $180 million in debt.

The arena doesn’t make any sense, but somebody wants it, so we’re going to get it.

When the elections come around, remember who sold you out.