Comments on Advance Indiana™: Unveiling The Fraud Known As The CIB Bailout

http://indianapolis.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?v...

2009-04-01T23:37:00.000-05:00

http://indianapolis.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=3&clip_id=2452

Check out the Metropolitan Development Committee's response (or lack thereof) to a fairly passionate, articulate remonstrance to a tax abatement request on April Fool's day. Guess who the fools are? Tax abatement, without any proof, is supposed to be an economic development tool, however, it is just a game (with Site Selection Specialists and their vaunted secret negotiations being the Aces in the deck) in which we are played as fools (Yeah, we are the Jokers in their eyes).

The fact that no questions were asked (like what evidence is there that this project would not occur without the abatement).

Anyone challenging the status quo is basically ignored, because tax abatement is an accepted practice and everyone (participating in the game)knows it is the right thing to do because everyone in the games says it is so. So, every tax abatement is approved by the MDC after supposedly being throughly vetted by staff, without discussion, dissent and taxes.

The Sports Mafia is a stronger and more evil force that can not be beat without literally protesting in the streets everyday.

But hey, look at the shiny quarters every communit...

2009-04-01T17:55:00.000-05:00

But hey, look at the shiny quarters every community in the state is going to receive for economic development! Those shiny quarters that are buying the support of legislators AND providing them political cover.

When you can pass along $500,000 to $700,000 to West Lafayette & Bloomington, even more to Fort Wayne, the legislators are going to swoon. Gotta love those sin taxes.....

Paul, As it is, virtually all of the revenues gene...

2009-04-01T17:24:00.000-05:00

Paul, As it is, virtually all of the revenues generated from downtown are captured by a TIF district, if they aren't abated. Marion County government, the City of Indianapolis, the school districts and other taxing districts have been choked off from any economic benefit that these projects are said to return. We are reaching the point where nearly 100% of tax revenues generated in the mile square go to only economic development efforts within the mile square. We are already hamstrung because of the enormous amount of nonprofit, tax-exempt property here. This only further exacerbates the problem. When it's state tax dollars that are being diverted, it's just that much less money flowing into the general revenue fund to fund basic services of government.

I'm being told the creative tax district will also...

2009-04-01T17:01:00.000-05:00

I'm being told the creative tax district will also overlap Circle Ctr.Mall and that the increased tax on the mall will go to the Simon's as a 'gift' from the State. Thoughts?

While there's nothing palatable about the whole 'b...

2009-04-01T16:33:00.000-05:00

While there's nothing palatable about the whole 'bailout the billionaires' deal, the most disgusting aspect is we don't even get the opportunity to speak out as citizens. I realize it would be, as in most other cases, just a formality and they'd do what they damn well please. But still, it would be the decent thing to do.

And on top of that, they do it with flagrant disregard for the state Constitution.