Thursday, January 15, 2009

A Million to One


Times are tough here in the 775. Few people are eating out at restaurants, fewer people are gambling and everyone seems to be pinching pennies. Everyone, that is, except the New York Yankees. So when SK Baseball rolls up to the Reno City Council and asks for millions more in tax dollars we just wanna fusticate something.



SK Baseball wants to build three restaurants and three nightclubs in the city’s new entertainment district which also happens to contain their new baseball stadium. Problem is, they don’t have the money and they want us to give it to ‘em.



Question: If you owned a restaurant or a nightclub in the area, would you want to spend your money financing the very competition that’ll soon drive you out of business? Probably not.



Problem is, Mayor Bob Cashell and the rest of the bobbleheads on the Council are more likely than not to rubberstamp the idea. Why? Because helping developers crap all over the area with their strip malls and entertainment districts is what they do. Help the little guy? Not a chance. Give millions of dollars to bourgie rich motherhubbards? Well, that’s how politicians get reelected.



Here’s one solution for SK Baseball: The New York Yankees are paying just four players a combined $800 million. That’s more money than a lot of countries make. Major league baseball is rolling in dough. Why don’t y’all go ask used car salesman Bud Selig to fork you some scratch? Any politician willing to give that kind of money to a developer should have his or her career take a dirt nap.




(8.-)