Posted on 09/21/2006 9:55:17 PM PDT by DaveTesla
Taxpayer Abuse: Your Millions in Katrina Relief Go To . . . A Football Stadium
By Debbie Schlussel
With all the news stories in the world--Ahmadinejad & Chavez Double-Teaming America, Jihad against the Pope, the House Voter ID bill--USA Today chose the most important item of the day as its cover story, today:
New Orleans NFL Homecoming: City Throwing a Party at Restored Superdome Buried toward the end of the story is the money-shot--an answer to the question we all deserve to know about:
Who paid for the $185 million in improvements, repairs, and reconstruction of the Superdome--the office of millionaires, billionaires, and gazillionaires?
$170 Million of Your Katrina "Relief" Was it the billionaires who own teams throughout the NFL, including the New Orleans Saints that are housed in the Superdome? NOPE. According to USA Today, the NFL gazillionaires donated only $15 million of the $185 million cost--a drop in the bucket to these fatcats.
Was it the millionaires who play in the Superdome at all Saints' home games, every football season--and owe their millions to those who come to see the games and buy team merchandise? NOPE.
We can't have billionaires and millionaires putting money out of their own pockets, their own wallets. That just wouldn't be right.
So who paid for the newly glimmering Superdome--$170 million of $185 million in Superdome costs?
YOU DID!
Yup. Taxpayers paid money in the name of public assistance programs for relief from Katrina and other disasters. Who knew the "public assistance" was not for poor, homeless, downtrodden hurricane victims, but for . . . NFL gazillionaires?! Should "public assistance" go to improved scoreboards, upgraded suites and club lounges, and "leatherette" upholstery? Taxpayers got soaked.
From the article:
The money being used for this was from the public-assistance program from FEMA on insurance disasters. Here's what your money went to pay for. Does this sound like "hurricane relief" or "public assistance" to you?:
Besides repairs, improvements and upgrades were made during construction. About $42 million was spent. The most noticeable change for fans will be new scoreboards. Scoreboard system
* Two larger (41% bigger) video boards (27 by 48 feet) in the end zones, with high definition quality.
* Four LED ribbon boards, or video halo boards (3 feet, 6 inches by 193 feet).
* Four color scoreboards (8 feet by 44 feet) replace a black-and-white system. Located in four corners in the 400 level.
Concessions
* All 38 concession stands and three kitchens modernized with stainless steel. . . .
Stadium seats
* 8,000 club-level seats and 4,000 box suite seats replaced with leatherette seats.
Future renovations (September 2006-August 2007)
* Four club lounges, each 19,000 square feet (in design) in each of the four corners.
* 137 suites remodeled and refurbished.
Your tax dollars at "work." USA Today's headline is incorrect. New Orleans isn't throwing the party at the Superdome. You are.
I hear that. Benson caused me to boycott the Saints including TV for 2 years haha. People dont realize that more than just poor welfare recipients lost everything. Lakeview was my Mothers old stomping grounds, 3 of her 4 remaining friends there have lost everything. They were anything but poor.
The money generated by the operation of the Dome will do more for the city than most other uses of the aid.
All the beneficiaries of that revenue are in the city of New Orleans. The money to fix the facility came out of the pockets from people all over the United States who will never get any return on the money improperly diverted to the use of professional football players, team owners and people in New Orleans.
I know it's hard for everyone to understand but we need the Dome and the Saints--can't stand Benson though!
By the way--I'm from Lakeview.
They will, but the libs never listen to Rush.
"Normally I would ignore this, but... As a resident of New Orleans who left after the hurricane...
The Dome was damaged as a result of the hurricane. The Saints bring millions of dollars to city. Thousands of people are employed as a result of the team and the dome.
Now just call me a liberal or some other such nonsense and get on with your bashing, but at least look at all the facts."
----
No bashing from me. As you pointed out, New Orleans needs the Saints and the Dome. This investment (and I hate Liberal speak) will reap big dividends.
Did you see what the dome was like after the people living in it and the raid coming in on the old boars etc? No? I didnt think so. Speaking from ignorance is never a smart thing to do.
The scoreboards were ruined, the concession stands were torn up by people looking for food. The seats were damaged by humans and rain.
Done with you.
I think you missed part of my post-honest and reasonable folks who lost everything moved on, rebuilt, or started over. Was it painful? Im sure it was. But these folks were not the ones you saw on TV. No, the ones that were splashed all over the media, were the ones blaming Bush for not sending money fast enough. My cousin's company in the days after the hurricane, worked on employees houses. There was no work for them, so they started at the worst employee's home and worked their way through the company. When they were done taking care of their own, they moved outward, to surrounding nieghborhoods. The stories he tells of ill treatment, refusal to help themselves and blaming everyone else for what happened was very disheartening. A lot of people told him they didnt need his charity, the government was going to buy them all new homes.
Good, go back to socialist DU....
and take your welfare stadium with you.
Yes, it absolutely is. He COULD have vetoed the legislation that made these expenditures possible. Why didn't he? While he is not the only one to blame for ths travesty - and even bears less of the blame than the Congressional weasels, he ceratainly shares the blame with them thanks to his inaction and platitudes. Wake up to reality. Jorge Busheron is no conservative. He's a true liberal Texan though - following in the footsteps of LBJ.
This might be a stupid question, but didn't the city have any insurance on the Dome?
Ouch sorry to hear that. I was living in Metairie at the time on the Metairie ridge, my home is currently filled with relatives who have nothing so they take care of the bills there while my family and I decided to make a clean start in Georgia.
After 22 years in the USAF I was not ready to fight the recovery, thats for younger people!
Gee did I forget the /S ?
The Dome was built using bonds initially and is now a self supporting entity, I have no idea about insurance, I am sure it did, but the insurance companys are weaseling out of paying claims faster than they can be filed.
My own fight was mercifully brief and I was able to repair the light dmage to my home so family could move in.
Yes, ouch! I hope Georgia is treating you right.
Trying to get my mom to move out here now :) You know how those people are that grew up in Lakeview in 50s are though! It aint there no more!
There was a news story tonight about some of them getting thrown out of their apartments. Talk about *itching. I say TOUGH!
They have been living off the government their entire lives. Why expect them to change now?
I know it is so sad. I absolutely loved Lakeview. I miss it so much. I'm thinking of getting out of NO myself--wanted to believe in the rebuild, but it is so far gone and will take so much time.
Not only do you have good taste in user names, you have just posted the best damned tag line I have ever seen.
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