Yeah, give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he sits in a boat getting drunk, losing his paycheck playing poker and crying because his wife is so bitchy!

Sorry. In reality, every dollar in the TIF deal is money that should have become available for City of Wichita, Sedgwick County and USD 259 school district to pay for general fund needs.

Way back, I estimated the downtown white elephant arena would cost far more than the $189 million or so being raised by the unfortunate easy come, easy go sales tax. A couple years ago, I estimated the arena would cost a quarter of a billion dollars for which I was criticized by the holdover county commissioners and their surrogates on this blog.

I now see I even vastly underestimated the eventual cost which I now believe will approach 3/4 of a billion dollars … all to be paid by local taxpayers.

Frankly, this Intrust Arena needs a federal government bail-out!

This TIF district is part of the added cost although hidden in the verbiage that establishes it. At the last minute today or yesterday, an additional $10,000,000 was sneaked in for some parking projects in the arena area.

This $10,000,000 would have gone a long way to paying for the renovation of the Kansas Coliseum which estimate was $65 million to turn it into a sparkling arena with all the necessary bells and whistles.

Then the $1/2 billion dollars used for the downtown arena could have financed:

** Renovation of downtown Wichita buildings, streets, businesses, etc. to produce a kind of Country Club Plaza atmosphere in Wichita featuring our “Roaring 20’s” ambiance.

** Built a convention center on the west side of the Arkansas River along north side of Douglas using the Roaring 20’s theme.

** Renovated Century II into a modern Bowling Center Emporium with enough pizzaz to draw tourists to Wichita from all over the World. Remember during WW II, Wichita had some kind of reputation as a Bowling mecca.

** Tied all improvements to the Wichita downtown hotel district.

** And still had some $300 million dollars left over to improve Wichita’s infrastructure: bridges, overpasses, boulevards, storm and sanitary sewers, museums, schools, etc.

BUT NO. Selfish arena cheerleaders used public funds to support the wrong-headed downtown sports arena to the detriment of all other improvements.

Sorry Sedgwick County and Wichita taxpayers … that’s what happened to your 1/2 billion dollars of hard earned sales tax money.

I hope those Arena guys can come up with a good opening act – they failed miserably at attracting the bowling tournament. And I sould STRONGLY suggest that they have an open house so we owners can see what our tax money paid for.

You are absolutely wrong! These hardworking businessmen are using those funds to create many jobs; look how much they’ve invested in sex workers!

And my comment wasn’t with regards to your statement about keeping someone in their home. It was in response to your statement about giving someone food vs. the opportunity to get a job.

Woof.

Me thinks you see a socialist under every teacup….

Now, how about answering my question?

“When you give government cheese to business, you think it’s a good thing. When you give food to real live humans, it’s a bad thing.
Just let that sink in, if you can.”

You are familiar with the proverb of giving a man a fish vs. teaching a man to fish? You’d rather give him a fish and keep him little more than an indentured Gov’t servant for the rest of his life?

HOW has that “government cheese” for businesses worked so far?”

crickets chirping….

Uh huh.

Just like aid for the needy to keep them out of nursing homes is not a handout.

When you give government cheese to business, you think it’s a good thing. When you give food to real live humans, it’s a bad thing.

Just let that sink in, if you can.

Answer my question.

HOW has that “government cheese” for businesses worked so far? Are they creating jobs with their handouts?

Or taking the money off shore and paying bonuses to their executives and shareholders.

You really are easily duped.

And right on cue, heckie is giving a koolaide drinking tutorial on the open thread. Right now.

Heheheh. HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAhAHAHAHAHAHAHHHHHHAAAAAAAAA…..

It would be even funnier if it wasnt so sad.

And stupid.

HOW many recessions do we have to have before you get it that supply side voodoo doesnt work?

Harry Truman was right. Exactly HOW MANY times do you have to be hit over the head before you see who, and what, are hitting you?

Keep drinkin’ that koolaide.

For whom?

It’s kinda hard to hold down a job when you are in a nursing home.

You supply siders are worse than christians when it comes to swallowing fairy tales hook line and sinker.

When the state cut business taxes to create “jobs”?

HOW THE F did THAT work out?

Would we have this recession if those “cut the taxes and increase the supply” lies worked?

Supply side economics is indeed voodoo. It has NEVER worked. Here’s a little example. There’s lots of “supply” in the money supply. And yet the banks need a bailout. There is plenty of “supply” in autos sitting on docks in Houston. Is that helping the carmakers? Is is prompting people to buy?

Hehehe. HAHAHAHAHA.

Laffer. There was NEVER a more appropriately named economist.

You ass wipes are SO WORRIED about someone who needs help actually getting that help that you will wreck the economy just to make sure there are no “handouts”.

And all the while, you are giving away the biggest dollar “handouts” to businesses who say they are creating jobs. And then dont.

Sumbiotch. I got a beachfront property in western Kansas I’d like to sell you….

Temporary break in our agreement:

You are absolutely right, KFG.

Isn’t job creation a better idea than a handout?

I’m not a fan of these TIF programs. They almost NEVER work out or fulfill the promises made when they are sold to the public.

Here’s a tip from someone who spent over twenty years in the economic development biz. We are TRAINED to tout the upside of ANY project, and to talk about the potential downside not so much.

“Wasn’t the arena billed as a place that would improve economic development? Therefore no tax incentive would be necessary.”

Heh. That ranks right up there with “we’ll be greeted with flowers as liberators”, “we’ll make sure the banks get oversight with this money” and “the check’s in the mail”.

How do you know an economic development “professional” is lying?

When their lips are moving….

Good? All I have to say is WTF!

And you were told so when this albatross began. More of pouring good money after bad will not make this boondoggle any less a boondoggle.

And we need to bring obama’s mama back from the grave to certify that he is a citizen.

And you want this country to worry about people in NEED?

Sheesh. Liberals.

This freezing of programs to keep the elderly and disabled in their own homes will end up taking MORE of the state’s already phcuked up budget.

If they cant stay in their own homes without the help of caregivers and programs, they will have to go… TO NURSING HOMES.

And we all know how much money THAT will save the state…

BIG eye roll.

Sorry Mary. All the money has gone to military contractors and the banks.

Disabled, elderly and poor will just have to eat cake. I mean, this country has it’s priorities and NEED has nothing to do with it!

Reminds me of Prine.

“I’m sorry my son, but you’re too late in asking. Mr. Peabody’s coal train has hauled it away”.

There’s no money to pay people to say “hello in there”.