The tax is not on Washington residents, it will be on Washington businesses. There is a big difference there. According to the Mayor's plan-- which you are free to believe or not-- the stadium is not going to be built from existing tax revenue or any money that currently exists in the treasury. The money will come from a new tax on city businesses. Okay you can think what you want but both those statements are false, sorry. You might not have ever seen DC residents at Orioles games, and they might not go in as big numbers as they used to, but they do care, and they do like baseball. At least those of them who don't post on BigSoccer do, and even a lot of people here do want a team.
dcajedi... I don't believe this, but even if true, can the District of Columbia afford to have its commercial entities so taxed? Or stated another way: will you believe Mayor Williams when he says baseball won't cost anyting? Sorry for being cynical but I see a boondoggle and the D.C. citizens better stop this elephant now! IntheNet
What does this mean??? Particlarly the bolded section. What the hell are you talking about? If I didn't know any better, I'd wonder if this wasn't some sort of racist claptrap. But, hey, who knows. Maybe you're just a moron.
I like baseball. I want a team. I'm an overtaxed DC resident. The city council that assumes the office in 2 months is decidedly more sceptical of baseball than the ones that made/approved the original offer. I think it;s the perfect time to hold MLB's feet to the fire... They know the meaning of "Hardball." They need us more than we need them. Maybe I'm an optimist, but I don't count A. Williams as a sucker. The fact that he knows MLB would rather make a deal before Marion Barry gets to stick his thumb in the pie gives him a short term power boost. Use it. They were pretty shameless when they were playing us against the other cantidate cities. Now the worm turns. As for this business tax business. I already have to go to Virginia to get to a decent grocery store with decent prices. All the jobs in this city in the government and non-profit sector pay no taxes while their Mercades driving workers go back to the suburbs and pay their taxes there. There isn't much to tax and anyone that thinks that raising the cost of doing business in DC is good for DC businesses should demand a refund of any money they spent on Economics classes. Thank you for your patience with this rant.
Interesting. So I guess we can all assume by your lack of response to some fairly pointed questions that you are a) a racist or b) a troll or c) both. Thanks for clarifying.
Bottom line is that the support on the council right now is 7-6 for the baseball plan. And that includes the three council members who needed massive bribes in order to support baseball. Council Chair: All of you seem to be missing the reason that Linda Cropp has changed her tune on baseball. Originally a baseball supporter (on stage at the D.C. Museum with the Mayor), she read the handwriting on the wall when three baseball supporters lost in the recent elections, and knows that she stands a good shot at the Mayor's office in 2006 if she comes out as anti-baseball. Ward 1: Graham. Needed to be bribed. Ward 2: Evans. 100% Baseball supporter (on stage with Mayor). Ward 3: Patterson. Baseball negative. Ward 4: Fenty. Baseball negative. Ward 5: Orange. Needed to be bribed. Ward 6: Ambrose. Baseball supporter (on stage with Mayor, the new stadium is in her ward). Ward 7: Chavous. Original baseball supporter (on stage with Mayor), but lost the election to a baseball foe. Ward 8: Allen. Original baseball supporter (on stage with Mayor), but lost the election to a baseball foe Marion Barry and now needs to be bribed to secure her vote. Allen has never had a job that was not with the D.C. government, so her vote could quite possibly be bought with the promise of a job after her term expires in January. At-Large 1: Brazil. Baseball supporter (on stage with Mayor), but lost the election to a baseball foe. At-Large 2: Schwartz. Doesn't want to be seen as someone who lost baseball for D.C. (on stage with Mayor though Williams asked her "why" she was there within earshot of reporters), but at the same time has severe reservations about the Mayor's financing plan. At-Large 3: Catania. Baseball negative. It's neck and neck to determine whether Fenty or Catania is more baseball negative. At-Large 4: Mendelson. Original baseball supporter (on stage with Mayor) Mendelson changed his mind on the Mayor's gross receipts tax because he started to hear complaints from businesses. Let's look at the stadium financing in more detail. I work for one of those businesses that will be taxed under the Mayor's plan. I'm not cool with that. Cropp's ideas while not very fleshed out or well considered (not that I think the Mayor's plan is well-considered either) at least shows someone is brainstorming. Let's consider what happened with recent arena construction in this area. Jack Kent Cooke spent $400 million of his money to build a stadium in Landover. That’s private investment capital being invested upon which the state and county will reap handsome rewards from taxes the stadium generates. So I have no problem with the state spending some money to build an interchange, widen a road, or build a metro station which feeds a building that will bring in 90,000 people at a time. These things help the 90,000 taxpayers get to the building and mitigate the effect upon the other taxpayers whose lives would otherwise be inconvenienced by the traffic the building generates. Those people who don't wish to support Snyder merely need avoid FedExField since their tax dollars are not still paying for the stadium. The same goes with the MCI Center. Abe Pollin spent $200 million of his money to build an arena downtown. That’s private investment capital being invested upon which the state and county will reap handsome rewards from taxes the stadium generates. So I have no problem with the city spending some money to build widen roads or build a metro station entrance which feeds a building that will bring in 20,000 people at a time. These things help the 20,000 taxpayers get to the building and mitigate the effect upon the other taxpayers whose lives would otherwise be inconvenienced by the traffic the building generates. Those people who don't wish to support Pollin merely need avoid MCI Center since their tax dollars are not still paying for the arena. If D.C. wants baseball great. Spend $13-18 million to upgrade RFK stadium to house a baseball team. That investment should be covered many times over by the rent and taxes that the baseball team generates over the upcoming season. Then if baseball wants a new stadium, MLB should sell the f---ing team to someone who can afford to build a stadium. <SARCASM>I love seeing Wilbon talk about the revival around the MCI Center in the Post</SARCASM>. The reason there is a revival around the MCI Center is because Pollin invested his $200 million dollars in that area (and I remember that area when the 930 Club and d.c. Space were the only things open after 6pm down there). You invest $200 million of private capital in any area and you’re going to see a revival. But if the government spends that money, then that is money that could be spent elsewhere on items (on schools, roads, parks, libraries, infrastructure) that will help multiple taxpaying citizens. That new business tax is something that will affect my employer. Why should my business subsidize Bud Selig & George Steinbrenner & Peter Angelos & Anhauser-Busch & Fox & Disney and the other millionaires and corporations that own MLB franchises and thus the Washington Expos? Hmm, what can one ascertain from the list of the 10 most valuable sports franchises in the world? Only one (the Seattle Mariners) doesn't either own their stadium outright or financed their facility privately. #1 Manchester United $287.5 Million #2 NY Yankees $278.8 M #3 Juventus $249.6 M #4 AC Milan $228.9 M #5 Wash Redskins $226.1 M #6 Real Madrid $220.2 M #7 Boston Red Sox $211.1 M #8 Seattle Mariners $207.1 M #9 Dallas Cowboys $197.1 M #10 SF Giants $192.2 M I learned that the best way to make any new Washington baseball franchise valuable is to have the owner pay for the stadium so that it becomes an asset that goes with the team. We all want a new soccer specific stadium (preferably one that can show a live feed with "controversial" replays on the Jumbotron). If Anschutz or whomever he sells United to pays for the stadium I'm all for it. Soccer or baseball, the city of Washington should not be buying a stadium for either team.
So did you send this (very well thought out) posting to the ward bosses? (O.K., you probably don't want to send your assessments of them, but otherwise . . .) They've got email addresses. It couldn't hurt, and it might help. This link might help: http://www.dccouncil.washington.dc.us/members.html
God forbid the D.C. City Council would actually read the newspaper of record in their city: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43902-2004Nov11.html What they need is registered (and voting) voters and former campaign contributors promising to make them jobless in 2006 if the approve public stadium funding.
I find it rather interesting that the most prominent anti-baseball voice on the sports page lives in New York.
Excellent post, couldn't have said it better myself. I'm a DC resident and am strongly opposed to half a billion dollars of public money being used to build a stadium for a multi-billion dollar industry. It's not like MLB is in the poorhouse, and even if they were, it'd make no difference.