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Root, Root For The Home Team !
July 29, 2017 
As soon as citizens had an election lined up to vote on funding a minor league baseball stadium outside Washington, D.C. in Virginia, the minor league team owner forfeited his attempt at getting public financing. He was apparently out hit, out fielded, and out of money. That no hitter game sounds strikingly similar to the one being played in Boise. See BALLPARK MAY FACE EXTRA INNINGS.
In fact, according to website REASON.COM there is so much opposition to spending public money for the benefit of these private promoters, congress and conservatives are pushing for laws to ban public funding.
This is another sign of the growing political opposition to building stadiums with tax dollars. Earlier this year, Sens. Cory Booker (D–N.J.) and James Lankford (R–Okla.), proposed legislation in Congress to ban the use of tax exempt municipal bonds (as in CCDC) in financing stadium projects.
Their bill would not mark the end of government-subsidized stadiums, but would close a major loophole that’s been exploited by cities from New York to San Diego in recent years. According to a recent analysis by the Brookings Institution, a centrist think tank, since 2000, 45 major professional sports stadium projects have been financed in part by more than $13 billion in municipal bonds.
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Comments & Discussion
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Jul 29, 2017, 10:08 pm
It is time to stop having the public fund private development.
Please contact your legislator and ask them to stop groups like the CCDC and Renewal Districts and other quasi political groups from going around the public and funding assets that benefit developer.
Jul 30, 2017, 4:14 pm
Mr. Guardian….
exploited might not be the right word. Stolen?
The report by the Brookings Institution revealed that $3.2 billion in federal taxpayer money has been used. The largest federal subsidies, according to the report, include the New York Yankees ($431 million), the Chicago Bears ( football) ($205 million), the New York Mets ($185 million), the Cincinnati Bengals (Football)($164 million) and the Indianapolis Colts (Football) ($163 million). The average cost of a ticket to a MBL game now is about $60.00. Football tickets average is now over $130.00. And Lord help you if you want a beer or a hot dog. And of course this doesn’t include parking…And in Chicago’s case it doesn’t include a life insurance policy.. ( little joke.)
If only we could have some of that money for a trolly system in Boise all of our problems would be solved.
And on a side note when I was driving down town yesterday headed up to Idaho City I saw 2 people on a city bus. New record.
Jul 30, 2017, 4:44 pm
When a poor person is given an incentive it is called a hand-out. When the wealthy get a hand-out it is called an incentive.
The taxpayers are on the hook in Las Vegas for the relocation of the Oakland Raiders even after the owner wanted to soak the taxpayers of Oakland for a new stadium he decided the deal wasn’t to his benefit and then decided to relocate to Vegas.
I am a fan of baseball, but have not once seen the Boise Hawks play, I doubt a new stadium will change that.
Aug 3, 2017, 5:36 pm
Drove by Memorial Stadium during a Monday evening game and the 1st base stands were not even 10% full. Went to another game on a Friday evening and the stands were just barely over half-full.
It’s Short Season A. A new stadium does not make sense. Just make improvements to Memorial Stadium and call it good.
Aug 13, 2017, 10:15 pm
It is sad but people and families are too underpaid to go to the games more than never, or once a year.
Wages are the problem in this town. Money can only go in one pocket, and that is the bosses’.
When will they have government night, when government people get in free?
Aug 14, 2017, 12:13 pm
Bullcrap about underpaid. You must rent and not pay taxes. If you owned and paid taxes you would also know this is about the cheapest place on earth to live a good life. Many simply fail to manage money properly. Socialism has destroyed all it touched. Building this stadium is socialism too.