Comments on Advance Indiana™: Tully Presents Star Readers With False Choice On More Subsidies For Pacers

I believe anonymous was being facetious given that...

2013-09-01T20:29:03.649-05:00

I believe anonymous was being facetious given that Austin has no professional sports team but has performed economically much better than Indianapolis.

Anonymous - Please show us your proof for this sta...

2013-09-01T19:06:04.376-05:00

Anonymous -
Please show us your proof for this statement:
"A lack of sports teams is the main reason why Austin is failing, has a depressed economy, nobody is moving there and it has a poor reputation among young graduates as a relocation destination."
Thank you.

Here's my thought lets become the Gaming Capit...

2013-09-01T14:48:05.701-05:00

Here's my thought lets become the Gaming Capital of the World! Set aside a large part of the convention center with luxury gaming centers (comfy chairs, large high def monitors, mini frigs, high speed internet,etc) and book XBOX, PS2 and computer gaming tournaments. If done right you could book tournaments year round. Since every age group and demographic plays games it would bring in thousands of people to pack Indy hotels and restaurants. It would cost a fraction to what we are giving the Colts and the Pacers. Weather wouldn't be a concern and gamers don't cause trouble when they come to town. Then we could promote the Children's Museum and the downtown public library for gamers with kids.

Guest, You assume there are honest politicians to ...

2013-08-31T15:14:06.196-05:00

Guest, You assume there are honest politicians to play hardball. Greg Ballard, the candidate, said he was going to play hardball with the sports team owners. As soon as he got elected, he started enjoying all the free tickets, campaign contributions and other assorted goodies given to him, his wife and family by them and had a complete change of heart. Ditto the majority of the city council members, anyone appointed to the CIB, the governor, state lawmakers, you name them. Their votes can be bought for the right price. Until prosecutors get serious about enforcing bribery and honest services fraud laws, there's no disincentive not to play ball with the corrupt sports team owners. They joke among themselves about how easy it is to buy support from local politicians.

A lack of sports teams is the main reason why Aust...

2013-08-31T15:10:45.766-05:00

A lack of sports teams is the main reason why Austin is failing, has a depressed economy, nobody is moving there and it has a poor reputation among young graduates as a relocation destination.

It is mainly the lousy desperate contracts the cit...

2013-08-31T13:43:06.244-05:00

It is mainly the lousy desperate contracts the city signs with the Pacers and the Colts. Why should they keep the earnings from other events in the arenas that we the taxpayers paid for. We should at least get that payback for our tax dollars. How about some hardball from the city and state, then we could at least have self respect.

I wonder if Tully believes what he writes or he wr...

2013-08-31T13:08:25.632-05:00

I wonder if Tully believes what he writes or he writes what is expected to keep his job. Going back in time to the Pulliam Ownership Corporate Welfare for Billionaire Owners of Sports Teams was never questioned.

If the pattern holds true once the Pacers Pocket their cash, the Colts will be knocking at the Corporate Welfare Door.

We will probably have some guest Columnist in The Star that is a front man or woman for Corporate Welfare pen a column that will chock full of bogus economic conclusions on the value of Professional Sports. They probably invoke the other Red Herring of how we risk losing our status as World Class City if the Pacers leave.

I say give Peoria a chance to be a world class city and let the Pacers move there.

I will never quite understand what Tully's qua...

2013-08-31T11:52:21.876-05:00

I will never quite understand what Tully's qualifications are meant to be. He almost always argues in favor of whatever big spending project is coming down the pipeline. To his credit he backed away from the light rail boondoggle, though not before a lot of hemming and hawing from qualified experts/and the public.

Why can't Indianapolis be something other than a sports franchise haven? Why can't we focus on defining our fundamentals as education and infrastructure, transparency...and why if we focus on those things do they have to make some campaign contributor a slimy profit?