Hockey Ping!
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Posted on 07/27/2013 7:08:05 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Failure sometimes has an inertia that is difficult to stop. Detroit’s reality is anything but pretty:
Detroit city services are already stretched extremely thin. On average, police take about an hour to respond to calls for help, and 40% of street lights are shut off to save money.
Because of a lack of funds, the police force has shrunk in size to the point that it simply can’t respond in any meaningful way to help citizens who are victims of crime. As you might imagine then, crime is horrific. City services are so minimal as to almost be non-existent. Yet the refusal to face that reality and deal with it still exists among those who should know better:
Advocates of the arena say it’s the kind of economic development needed to attract both people and private investment dollars into downtown Detroit. It’s an argument that has convinced Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Kevyn Orr, the emergency manager he appointed to oversee the city’s finances, to stick with the plan. Orr said Detroit’s bankruptcy filing won’t halt the arena plans.
“I know there’s a lot of emotional concern about should we be spending the money,” said Orr. “But frankly that’s part of the economic development. We need jobs. If it is as productive as it’s supposed to be, that’s going to be a boon to the city.”
A boon? How can it be a boon to a city no one is willing to call home? How can it be a boon to a city where the chance of being the victim of a crime is almost off the charts in comparison to other cities? Without addressing those problems, how is a hockey rink going to attract anyone to Detroit?
It is this sort of leadership lunacy which led to Detroit’s current situation. And the governor and state legislature don’t escape blame either, as it took a vote there in December to okay the project and expenditure. In one of the few times you’ll see me agree with a Democrat about spending, I agree with this lady:
“If you want people to live in the city, and not just visit to go to games, you have to invest in schools, in having the police to respond to calls,” said Gretchen Whitmer, the Democratic leader in the state senate. “There are so many investments that should trump a sports stadium.”
Precisely right. So why, then, is this still going forward, given the current situation? It’s absurd (and frankly, I’ve always believed that sports teams make enough money to build their own stadiums without taxpayer subsidy).
The state legislature approved it. They can now disapprove it. Yes, there may be a few contracts they are legally obligated to pay that have been let since the approval in December. But it won’t be near $440 million dollars. And, if that money is still available after it has been reclaimed, perhaps Kevyn Orr should make another trip to the capitol and convince the governor and legislature of the need to invest that money where it might help salvage Detroit, or at least begin to do those things necessary to improve the quality of life there so people will come back to live in the city.
A hockey rink isn’t one of those “necessary” things.
It’s not a monorail at all. It’s a linear acceleration train identical to Vancouver’s Skytrain. At least Skytrain is a success because it goes places where people want to go and carries a vast number of people daily. But then, Vancouver is a successful city.
Only 400 million (the same price as the hockey rink) for 2.9 miles of "People Mover".
Liberalism at its finest.
Way better demographic situation and ton of Asian money.
The tiger stadium is a nice .
Or Detroit could build a Disney World theme park and a Space Station with a Unicorn farm... Must be fun to run Detroit - where reality doesn't matter.
Just brought this up last night in a conversation. The uniformed see it as a way to bring revenue in...I just do not get it. Whole world = nutso
Visit The Quaint CIty Of Detroit where EVERYTHING..... is SIMPLY SURREAL!
who in their RIGHT MIND...with a dollar to their name.....would .....
allow me to repeat the word SURREAL...again
Exactly. Who can afford to go to these games? If they build it, people will come? Wild.
Ha. Ha ha ha ha.
I mean, seriously.
“Throwing good money after bad”
That being said, it should be a good enough investment that no tax dollars would be needed.
Private business could finance it.
I'm still angry at our government here in PA for making taxpayers foot $47.6 million of the $321 million cost of Consol Energy Center. A deal was in place that would have given the owner a gambling license in exchange for using no taxpayer funding.
But Ed Rendell refused, giving the gaming license to one of his buddies in Pittsburgh.
It should be done privately, there is no excuse for this stuff
Absolutely!
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The thing is, there is no real relationship between the cities and the franchises named for them. The “profit” and jobs so many prosper from comes mainly from suburban fans and Big Media income streams. If every square foot of Detroit was used to a purpose like that of the Red Wings, Detroit would be fat and prosperous.
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The Red Wngs are the only thing in Detroit that makes any money. Unless the Wings themselves are putting up the money, this should be a non-starter.
On a lighter note, with my son going up to the Northeast to play college hockey this year, I am officially out of retirement and will be coaching again.
Sorry Mom, the mob has spoken.
They should build a $440M basketball arena while they're at it, and change the NBA team's name to the "Detroit Pissed Ons"
Detroit HAS a monorail. It’s called The People Mover and has been operable in a loop through downtown for more than 25 years. Few people ride it because you are trapped on there between stops with everyone else and that includes the odd urban feral.
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