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I have to comment on the blog by Ron Pies on Waveyard in the Republic. First, he admits that he lives in Tempe, so right there, he has no credibility on the subject. Ron Pies, Todd Stallion, whats with people from Tempe hating on Mesa? Its like telling someone else how to raise their kids. In the end, the whole Waveyard debate seems to come back to one thing: Incentives.
First, a math lession. Whats half of nothing? Have you guessed? Well, the answer is NOTHING. People are complaining that the City of Mesa is entering a deal that will generate sales tax dollars for the city and they are willing to give away some of the profits in order for that to happen. Doesn't the old saying go, it takes money to make money?
Incentive is defined as:
Something that incites or tends to incite to action or greater effort, as a reward offered for increased productivity.
Subsity is defined as:
A direct pecuniary aid furnished by a government to a private industrial undertaking, a charity organization, or the like.
Which definition fits here? I think "incentive" is a much better fit. Can anyone argue that Waveyard would not offer increased productivity compared to Riverview Golf Course? Its a 9 hole golf course that barely anyone outside of Mesa uses. Its not some superspectacular course - it is a public course that is lost in the sea of the other high class golf courses that are found all over the Valley.
Some of these taxpayers seem to think that any incentive paid is coming out of their pocket. The fact is, people who shop there, but a surfing ticket, sit on the beach, etc are the ones who pay the incentive. Whats wrong with Mesa trying to do something to increase revenues?
Look around, we have potholes in the streets, police and fire are stretched, and the city needs to think of ways to make more money. Yet, people sit there and are saying no, because they think its "direct aid." This implies that there is no benefit to the government, when in this case, there clearly is.
Unless you are going to start coming up with alternatives of your own, I am sticking with supporting Waveyard.
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2 comments:
Unfortunately, the small minded people read the headlines, skip right to the comments section and pound away at the keyboard without ever looking at the real facts. The good thing for Waveyard is that most of these people won't ever end up voting for one reason or another. If they really understood the deal and how it is structured, more of them would probably not say much. Unfortunately, we're stuck with the whacky people and uninformed journalists from other cities.
That seems pretty much like the truth. People see what they want to see and are going to act accordingly. I just wish people would look at something based on the facts instead of just shooting everything down outright.
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