Posted: 11/27/2009 6:24:24 AM EDT
|
They're talking about needing a new convention center. They're talking about building a 70 acre central park.
I worked on the Myriad (Cox Convention Center) in 1971. We were told it would help OKC for the next 50 years. I worked on the Crystal Gardens slab in 1975 as part of the "String of Pearls" that was supposed to bring class to OKC. They didn't finish it for 9 years. Same thing with the Mummers Theater in 1968. It was supposed to a cultural icon throughout the southwest. Now we have MAPS III. No new taxes, just keep the ones we have. I do remember in junior high how they promised the Turner Turnpike would be free after the bonds that built it were paid off in 1966. And the Thunder has really made this city a boom town, hasn't it? Unemployment in the OKC area is at a 20 year high. MAPS III? All I can say is BOHICA. |
People who have loads of money pushing things they like...but expect everybody else to pay for, I get a lot of the same BS here in Shawnee. Just recently the school administration was pushing more BS about a bond issue, a couple of years ago they pushed a bunch of new construction since a bond was expiring, new construction without a tax increase, it was stuff they wanted but didn't need, now they come back to us and tell us about stuff they need, but this will have a property tax increase attached. They spent their money on stuff they didn't need and now want money for repairs they have known were coming for years, it was their choice to intentionally neglect maintenance. The school admin and school board are a bunch of crooks, but all the local rich guys want this, I say teach them a lesson about managing their money, but the local newspaper endorsed the bond issue and wouldn't print any letters to the editor that were against it, the whole bunch of them are scumbags!  |
|
Quoted:
People who have loads of money pushing things they like...but expect everybody else to pay for, I get a lot of the same BS here in Shawnee. Just recently the school administration was pushing more BS about a bond issue, a couple of years ago they pushed a bunch of new construction since a bond was expiring, new construction without a tax increase, it was stuff they wanted but didn't need, now they come back to us and tell us about stuff they need, but this will have a property tax increase attached. They spent their money on stuff they didn't need and now want money for repairs they have known were coming for years, it was their choice to intentionally neglect maintenance. The school admin and school board are a bunch of crooks, but all the local rich guys want this, I say teach them a lesson about managing their money, but the local newspaper endorsed the bond issue and wouldn't print any letters to the editor that were against it, the whole bunch of them are scumbags! Get ready. We are about to see a whole bunch of tax increases. |
|
Maps made a lot of money for a very few people. The Gaylords own 33% of Bass Pro and it was financed by tax dollars.
The top wages at Bass Pro for one of the workers is $8.50. I'd have liked Maps if it had put money in a lot more people's pockets. Remember the "String of Pearls"? It fell apart because the same city leaders who made money off of BrickTown wouldn't have made any money from things like the "Crystal Garden". It took almost 12 years from start to finish to do the Crystal Gardens. It was an eyesore downtown and finally had to be finished. Taxes are going to go up, even if Maps is turned down. |
| Well the only things that are certain are Death and Taxes after all. Now if they would do somthing about the other side of brick town. You know the south side on the other side of the road. That would be nice. Personally I dont care how nice brick town really looks. You dont eat where you shit. Look around. Just traveling a block south in the wee AM hours may very well get you dead. Not my kind of area. |
|
hell fister, you don't like seeing all the bums living under the crosstown?
all the areas around bricktown are shit (why do you think okcpd has an outpost located in bricktown, got to give the sheep spending money there the illussion of being safe), just a bit to the NE is the duce, of course it's been "cleaned up" a bit too, but if you're light skinned you don't want to be over there after dark  .
don't like the look of bricktown, just wait a couple of years when the state brings to a vote of the people for allowing true class III vegas style gaming into the state, the SE side of bricktown is going to have several casinos there, bet a little of the maps funding will go to help build the casinos/give tax incentives. |
|
Quoted:
hell fister, you don't like seeing all the bums living under the crosstown? all the areas around bricktown are shit (why do you think okcpd has an outpost located in bricktown, got to give the sheep spending money there the illussion of being safe), just a bit to the NE is the duce, of course it's been "cleaned up" a bit too, but if you're light skinned you don't want to be over there after dark .
don't like the look of bricktown, just wait a couple of years when the state brings to a vote of the people for allowing true class III vegas style gaming into the state, the SE side of bricktown is going to have several casinos there, bet a little of the maps funding will go to help build the casinos/give tax incentives. Brother L, you know as well as I do that the guys pushing MAPS are going to make a whole lot of money out of it. Like our ex Mayor Humphreys owns the downtown airpark that borders on the river/canal. I swear, if OKC residents approve MAPS, they're dumber than sheep. They're going to build a "senior center" with the MAPS money. It'll be a friggin' indoor swimming pool the city won't maintain worth a damn and charge an arm and a leg to use, even though it's a "senior center". They're trying to buy votes. The whole thing is one big joke on the tax payers. |
|
well hell yeah they're going to make money, don't know if it's true or not, but rumor once was that some of the okc council memebers had shared ownership of property in bricktown.
if so, then when the state opens up for true class III gaming, then they'll stand to make huge profits from casinos/hotel being built in bricktown. the city will make damn good sales tax money from the casinos also. |
|
Quoted:
well hell yeah they're going to make money, don't know if it's true or not, but rumor once was that some of the okc council memebers had shared ownership of property in bricktown. if so, then when the state opens up for true class III gaming, then they'll stand to make huge profits from casinos/hotel being built in bricktown. the city will make damn good sales tax money from the casinos also. Norick and his family owned a bunch of that property downtown. It wasn't a rumor. |
| I read in the paper they are planning a 25 million dollar white water rapids course for kyaks. This is to bring in Olympic like stuff and make 28.8 million a year, hundreds of jobs, please give me a break. With all of the economic problems the governments having they need to get people back to work on permenment jobs. |
|
Quoted:
I read in the paper they are planning a 25 million dollar white water rapids course for kyaks. This is to bring in Olympic like stuff and make 28.8 million a year, hundreds of jobs, please give me a break. With all of the economic problems the governments having they need to get people back to work on permenment jobs. It's not so much for bringing jobs in but to make some already rich people much richer. 
|
|
I got FOUR separate pamphlets in the mail today asking us to vote for MAPS, Who is paying for all these mass mailings and TV commercials?
I'm going to vote no with absolute surety that a vote yes will insure tax payer's money will put money in the pockets of those who already have more than they need. |
|
No kidding Dan. If they use the money they spent on commercials and flyers they could fund all these damn projects themselves.
I have decided the government has plenty of money to do anything they need if they were not so wasteful and will vote no everytime they ask for any sort of tax increase local or federal. |
|
I don't understand why they want to waste money during a recession. The construction of parks, aquatic centers,
and a stupid light rail will not add any new long term jobs. They had a light rail in Houston where I went to school and it seemed like a mobile bum collection center. In addition, it was very expensive to maintain and a hazard to traffic. Likewise, pools and parks will be grandiose projects that will be left to rot like every other park in OKC when the city runs out of money. I support projects that add meaningful employment like tax breaks and infrastructure improvements to attract a major manufacturer like Boeing or Toyota. Those initiatives will be a net positive for the city and would diversify our economy. However, the MAPS projects are similar to pork included in the stimulus bill and will only benefit a few folks. |
I took my wife to vote this evening when she got home from work. I'd already voted early. While I was waiting for her, I did my little exit poll of people walking out. 
That doesn't always work about predicting but I'm thinking it's gonna pass. 
People are pretty dumb sometimes. |
|
Quoted:
I took my wife to vote this evening when she got home from work. I'd already voted early. While I was waiting for her, I did my little exit poll of people walking out.
That doesn't always work about predicting but I'm thinking it's gonna pass.
People are pretty dumb sometimes. Not all "smart people" voted no!!! |