The mindset of today's media is to view each news event only in isolation. They're conditioned to believe that making any connection between two or more events will subject them to derision or scorn for being conspiratorial. It's unfortunate because the causal connection is often both logical and omnipresent. Fellow blogger Fred McCarthy
dares make such a logical connecting of the dots in discussing three separate stories in the latest edition of the IBJ. The first story discusses the plight of the Simons' losing NBA franchise, the Indiana Pacers, which recently received a $33.5 million subsidy courtesy of the taxpayers because of the owners' claim the franchise is bleeding cash. The second story discusses a $20 million shortfall the city of Indianapolis faces we're told is due to declining income tax revenues and property tax caps. Finally, the third story discusses the Broad Ripple Parking garage deal where the city has agreed to provide $6.35 million in funding to a private developer.
There is a connection between these news stories because together they represent nothing more than a continuation of long-standing public fiscal policy. It is a policy which makes taxpayer dollars available for back room deals with professional sports and with private developers for proposals approved for the right people by the right people in the current administration. And we use the term "current" because it has apparently carried through administrations of both political parties.
We continue to shovel public funds into the local branch of a dying enterprise. We continue to make deals smelling very much of crony corporate welfare. And we also continue reducing or eliminating ordinary municipal services to which taxpaying individuals are entitled.
Is this really how a "world class" city operates?
