Newspaper Burning Taxpayers At Both Ends

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It's the same old story being presented by our monopolized media. On the front page of Sunday's Janesville Gazette, their paid writers show they are fully capable of digging into the underbelly of local fiscal finances when it comes to school teachers wages. They'll selectively turn over just the right stones to present a salary chart loaded with circled talking points and sharpened arrows picking out all the details to promote their point of view. Next to the article in the hard copy, they re-enforced their point of objectivity with another story titled, "City Employee Pay frozen, but many still get raises." Got that? When it comes to the public sector or school teachers getting a raise - it's practically scandalous.

The trouble is, the ideologues at the newspaper have been doing this to the school teachers even during the roaring GM years - budget crisis or not. History tells me their chronic opposition is politically driven.

Yet, who can argue these are very different and much tougher economic times, so the paper implying city budget managers tighten the numbers on public service sector wages actually has some merit for the first time in decades. So you know they're going to eat that up and run with it. But flip over to their editorial and the newspaper writes generously about the reasons why the devastated taxpaying community should consider forking over $2 million+ to build a new ice arena for a for-profit group of wealthy investors junior hockey team.

City management with help from the Gazette also have been working over public opinion by presenting a false set of benefits and assumptions to justify tearing down and moving the current ice arena. In their view, the nearby downtown and residential riverfront properties will gain an economic boost by arbitrarily moving the ice arena even further away and building a new fire station at the current arena's site.

I'm thoroughly convinced these plans are a continuation of the "old growth" plans that have played a leading role in devaluing and depopulating Janesville's central core, but they'll say whatever they can to make it fit - and they'll make it fit. It is business as usual.

Sporting Event Impact Studies Excerpt:
The best recommendation is simply for cities to view with extreme caution any economic impact estimates provided by sports franchises, sponsoring leagues, or event-organizing committees.

Read different story - same conclusion. Milwaukee Bucks Stadium Swindle.

Should cities pay for sports facilities?