[Rhodes22-list] Taxes & Politics

[brad haslett]

Wally,

Originally there was supposed to be a vote on raising
taxes for the new arena but when someone brought a
lawsuit for mixing public funding for a private
business the local government did an "end run" or
maybe a "behind the back pass" would be more
appropriate and bypassed a referendum.  I give the
whole thing five years max and the team owner will be
blackmailing the county with a threatened move.

The new minor-league stadium is awsome (AutoZone Park)
and so far is successful.  The funding was a mixture
of private money (the owners) and public funding.  I
don't recall the mix.  All the bigwigs pointed to its
success as the model for the basketball team.  I sure
hope they're right.

Frankly I think its a little silly that NBA players
get paid millions to run up and down the floor for six
months but then I'm 5'11" and can't jump.  Welcome to
America, if people are willing to pay $75 each to
watch then more power to the players for earning what
they do.  Capitalism, you gotta love it!

Brad
--- Wally Buck <tnrhodey@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I don't know how the public got tricked into funding
> these stadiums and 
> arenas. I say if a team doesn't want to stay let
> them go. If they can't run 
> their business and make money without taxpayer help
> then something is wrong 
> with their business model. If it weren’t for the
> fact that I have gotten 
> free tickets to major league sports I would never
> go. It is not worth the 
> money.
> 
> The taxpayers in Memphis pay for a new arena for
> their NBA team. This team 
> is awful. Unless Jerry West turns it around I
> predict that low fan turnout 
> will have them moving on to a new city in five
> years. Then Memphis will have 
> two nice arenas for UM and the circus.
> 
> I do like the minor league stadium you guys have
> downtown, was this built 
> with tax money as well?
> 
> Wally
> 
> 
> >From: brad haslett <flybrad@yahoo.com>
> >Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
> <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
> >To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
> <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
> >Subject: RE: [Rhodes22-list] Taxes & Politics
> >Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2003 06:22:07 -0800 (PST)
> >
> >Wally,
> >
> >The last crime stat I read puts us about number
> four
> >but that constantly changes depending on who's
> doing
> >the reporting.  I fly mostly days but when I do
> work
> >nights its with the cell phone on and a straight
> shot
> >to the suburbs..... You're right, the Pyramid
> wasn't
> >good enough for the NBA because it didn't have
> enough
> >corporate suites.  My thought was; if there are
> that
> >many corporations that want basketball, let them
> build
> >the arena.  Boy am I dumb!... Right again, I buy
> >everything I can online.  If they pass an income
> tax
> >were outta here.  Florida or Texas.  I hear New
> >Hampshire is caving in on the tax thing and
> Washington
> >is a longer commute than I want to make. At the
> very
> >least I'd move back to Nashville or your end of the
> >state so you can turn off the TV and pretend none
> of
> >this exists. Its difficult to listen to others
> propose
> >their solutions to social problems when you are
> >frontline witness to so much waste, corruption, and
> >failed agendas.
> >
> >Brad Haslett
> >--- Wally Buck <tnrhodey@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > > Brad,
> > >
> > > Actually I had no idea things were that bad in
> > > Shelby County. I did hear on
> > > the radio that Memphis now has the nations
> highest
> > > rate of violent crime. Is
> > > this true? I never did understand why a new
> arena
> > > was needed. I guess it
> > > didn't have enough corporate suites? It seems
> like
> > > this thing was just
> > > built. What a waste of tax payers money.
> > >
> > >
> > > My biggest fear is that they will roll in an
> income
> > > tax and keep the sales
> > > tax at the current rate. I would be for a TN
> state
> > > income tax on wages but
> > > only after a major overhaul of current tax
> > > structure. The high sales tax is
> > > easy to get around and soon we will see revenues
> > > from sales tax drop, unless
> > > of course it is raised even higher. I order just
> > > about everythihng I can on
> > > line, usually with no sales tax.
> > >
> > > Wally
> > >
> > > >From: brad haslett <flybrad@yahoo.com>
> > > >Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
> > > <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
> > > >To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
> > > <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
> > > >Subject: RE: [Rhodes22-list] Taxes & Politics
> > > >Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2003 05:42:18 -0800 (PST)
> > > >
> > > >Wally,
> > > >
> > > >Since we seem to be the only Tenneseans I'm
> aware
> > > of
> > > >on the list I'll keep this discussion local in
> > > nature.
> > > >  As you are probably aware, Shelby County
> > > (Memphis)
> > > >has more debt than the rest of Tennessee
> combined.
> > > >Plus, were adding another $250 million to the
> > > existing
> > > >$1.3 billion to build a basketball stadium.  Of
> > > course
> > > >we have the Pyramid that isn't paid for yet. 
> The
> > > last
> > > >number I heard was that 60% plus of the states
> > > social
> > > >welfare spending went to Shelby County.  The
> > > Memphis
> > > >city schools have two years to clean their act
> up
> > > or
> > > >be taken over by the State.  Yesterday, Mayor
> > > Herenton
> > > >announced plans to have the county take over
> the
> > > city
> > > >schools since he failed to have the city merge
> with
> > > >the county schools under his command.  Whats my
> > > point?
> > > >  You can't possibly throw enough money toward
> this
> > > end
> > > >of the state and solve all the problems.  There
> is
> > > >more than just dirty water flowing down the
> > > >Mississippi.  We have the fourth most
> regressive
> > > tax
> > > >structure in the Nation in TN.  I would be all
> for
> > > an
> > > >income tax and a reduction or elimination of a
> > > sales
> > > >tax if the problems got fixed.  They won't.
> > > TennCare
> > > >is broken and thank God we didn't get a
> socialized
> > > >medicine program like it Nationwide, not that
> its a
> > > >bad idea in theory, but it just isn't working. 
> If
> > > I
> > > >look at all this from a purely a
> self-interested
> > > >perspective, lets pass a state income tax and
> make
> > > it
> > > >a big one.  This sink hole I live in will suck
> off
> > > the
> > > >bulk of the revenue and maybe my property taxes
> > > will
> > > >go down to keep the county out of bankruptcy. 
> To
> > > all
> > > >of you who live elsewhere, remember;  what
> works on
> > > a
> > > >micro scale works on a macro scale as well.  I
> get
> > > >excited thinking about all that Connecticut
> money
> > > we
> > > >can get our hands on and how quickly we can
> make it
> > > >dissapear!
> > > >
> > > >Brad Haslett
> > > >--- Wally Buck <tnrhodey@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > > > > Bill,
> > > > >
> > > > > I did say we needed to throw the tax book
> out
> > > and
> 
=== message truncated ===


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