[Impala64ssa]

I've heard it said that if we voted for Romney Detroit would go bankrupt. Well, I voted for him (in the general, NOT the primary) and looked what happened.

[fieldmarshaldj]

That’s why I didn’t vote for him (not in the primary nor the general).

[Netz]

As a FORMER Detroiter, I can state:

At LEAST the Detroit Red Wings WIN the Stanley Cup every now and then! They can be called a “good” team that MIGHT justify SOME tax payer expenditures, but the Joe Louis Arena is still pretty new. Why build and even newer one?

There is no justification whatsoever to build a new Ice arena.

The Detroit Lions football team, on the other hand, left the old Tiger stadium (which was a GREAT place) in 1976 for the modern, expensive “Silver Dome” in Pontiac. They played and of course LOST there, I think for 20 consecutive seasons!
After that stadium fiasco, they built “Ford Field”, again, using taxpayer funds. The Lions have been losing there, I think since 2005?

What possible justification can there be for even building that Ford Field? The Lions have been on a losing steak since 1957!!!!

MAYBE if they made it to the playoffs, or even, G-d forbid, to a Superbowl (it will never happen as long as the team is owned by the Ford family) then MAYBE a new stadium is in order but not until Hell freezes over.

[GeronL]

The money is coming from the rest of Michigan

[deoetdoctrinae]

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[RedWing9]

The article fails to mention that the public bonds will be paid back.

The Michigan Strategic Fund will issue 30-year bonds to cover the arena's capital costs, and those bonds will be paid off via:

• Annual DDA tax capture of $12.8 million to not more than $15 million annually, funding that was authorized by the state in December for use on the arena project
• $64.5 million in other DDA tax capture funds
• $11.5 million annually from Olympia as a concession fee.

No general fund tax monies from the city or county will be used for the project, Jackson said.

Over the lease of 35 years this is a commitment to return almost double the bond value. Revitalizing the arena district is a proper outcome.