Super Bowl of Welfare

[bajisima]

It's an extortion racket. Pay up or we leave.
If enough cities say no, then that ends. Hell, the leagues could end that by adding a couple of expansion teams. There's only so many cities that can support sports teams. But they'd never do that. Why would big sports end their gravy train?

But thats what corporations do as well. Sports franchises arent the only ones that do this. FOXCONN in WI got super duper tax incentives to locate there. GE got no taxes for a decade to move to Massachusetts. All they have to do is say "jobs" and they get what they want. We have a defense contractor up here in NH that has been playing this game for over 20 years, they say every 5 years, "give us a 5 year no taxes break and we will stay." They threaten to move elsewhere if they dont and the people freak out.

 

[Macduff]

But thats what corporations do as well. Sports franchises arent the only ones that do this. FOXCONN in WI got super duper tax incentives to locate there. GE got no taxes for a decade to move to Massachusetts. All they have to do is say "jobs" and they get what they want. We have a defense contractor up here in NH that has been playing this game for over 20 years, they say every 5 years, "give us a 5 year no taxes break and we will stay." They threaten to move elsewhere if they dont and the people freak out.

Which is also wrong. I'm all for tax cuts. But they have to apply across the board. You can't have the government picking the winners and losers and giving special favors to big corporations.

 

[bajisima]

Which is also wrong. I'm all for tax cuts. But they have to apply across the board. You can't have the government picking the winners and losers and giving special favors to big corporations.

I guess I could understand an initial investment to lure them into an area. But only for a six month or year period. They then wont just pick up and leave as easily. When one offers them free taxes for a decade that just makes them coming back for more and blackmailing the municipality.

 

[Claudius the God]

I view these deals as purely the fault of the elected officials who agree to them. Much as I blame owners for ridiculous salaries for players, the blame rests solely upon the entity that pays up. One can say that it is a hostage situation, that a team becomes the identity of the town, bla bla bla but that is merely an attempt to obscure the truth. No one should be faulted for trying to deflect the costs to another party, its a smart move. The only one at fault is the one who agrees to comply.