Comments on Advance Indiana™: How Much Will The NFL Cost This City?

A press release I got today says the Titans, along...

2010-05-10T10:23:42.726-05:00

A press release I got today says the Titans, along with the NFL and players union, will donate a whopping $400,000 to the Nashville flood relief efforts.

According to my research from usatoday.com, that is .00012% of the league's player salaries for 2009 ($3,379,678,881), or .032% of the Titan's 2009 salary.

.00012% equates to $1.78 for someone making the $7.25/hour minimum wage for a year at 40 hours a week.

Downtown Indy, I have the same memory of hotels b...

2010-05-07T19:36:30.085-05:00

Downtown Indy,

I have the same memory of hotels being picketed in San Francisco when I visited.

cswitzer, Well, you are part of the problem; the...

2010-05-07T19:33:20.642-05:00

cswitzer,

Well, you are part of the problem; the fact that some of the money comes from federal government (who takes it from us by taxes or inflation) does not justify spending 12 million dollars on one block. And if you didn't know the transportation enhancement grant may only cover half of the cost of this project. Meanwhile, our transportation network continues to degrade.

Yes, you are correct, let's replicate silly projects that take money away from very necessary projects that continue to be delayed for years and sometimes decades.

You might contact Peter Grossman, economics profes...

2010-05-07T19:27:50.405-05:00

You might contact Peter Grossman, economics professor from Butler. After reading one of his columns in the Star several years ago, I sent him an e-mail asking what he would do (being nearly 100% certain what his answer would be) if one of his students submitted the Lucas Oil "study," commissioned by the Peterson administration, purporting to gauge the stadium's economic impact. He replied that he would hand it back to them and tell them to start over after explaining how to properly conduct such a study.

Here is an example of his columns(he mentions the stadium in passing in this one also):

http://www.i69tour.org/hogwash.html

It's funny that you mention that, Downtown Ind...

2010-05-07T12:14:16.598-05:00

It's funny that you mention that, Downtown Indy because I hear that the Colts' highest paid player expects everything for free wherever he goes because he supposedly is such an added benefit as a patron.

I suspect those NFL players are typically generous...

2010-05-07T11:25:06.937-05:00

I suspect those NFL players are typically generous tippers. They probably require a lot of special service - room service, personal valet, parking valet, running errands, hookers (just kidding) and so on.

Just think, all those folks want to risk losing their tips on a 'big tip' weekend.

Oh, well.

Once again, Gary Welsh is making perfect sense. I...

2010-05-07T11:03:32.212-05:00

Once again, Gary Welsh is making perfect sense. I'm so thankful you're back!

I use Emerson a lot since I have a client on the e...

2010-05-07T10:24:38.898-05:00

I use Emerson a lot since I have a client on the east side of the city. That road is, as Gary puts it, falling apart. It hasn't changed much since I used that same road in high school, when I frequented the Emerson Theater. It's good to know Ballard has continued the tradition of previous administrations of neglecting the east side.

The abandoned homes in the area are also of great concern.

The players are only boycotting the hotels that wo...

2010-05-07T10:16:40.884-05:00

The players are only boycotting the hotels that won't let them rape and plunder without causing a police report.

"Welcome to Rome, Mr. Nero." "Fire?...

2010-05-07T10:14:18.627-05:00

"Welcome to Rome, Mr. Nero."
"Fire? Oh, don't you worry about that little ol' fire!"
"Here, Mr. Nero...here's your fiddle. You go ahead and play while ..."

The part of Emerson I've travelled on recently...

2010-05-07T09:00:36.638-05:00

The part of Emerson I've travelled on recently runs south of I-70. In early discussions, the plan has been put forward to close down a significant portion of the downtown area that would act as a green zone for security purposes. Access to this area will be limited. Special accommodations will have to be made for businesses and their employees located in that area.

Picketing hotels has been a popular union sport fo...

2010-05-07T08:40:19.937-05:00

Picketing hotels has been a popular union sport for a long time.

I used to make frequent trips to San Francisco and SEIU had a regular schedule of hitting hotels on registration day each time there was a convention being held at their downtown Marriott.

What's interesting is that those folks don't use all that time they spend walking up and down the street to get a degree, learn a trade or look for a better job.

In fact, the re-configured Georgia Street and the ...

2010-05-07T08:29:17.292-05:00

In fact, the re-configured Georgia Street and the portion of Meridian that will be used for the Super Bowl Village will be free and accessible to the public, not walled off as you suggest.
You also mentioned Emerson Ave. It is undergoing extensive repairs from 38th north to 56th.

Art...so what you're advocating is basic extor...

2010-05-07T07:51:45.945-05:00

Art...so what you're advocating is basic extortion?

Would you like explaining the abrupt resignation o...

2010-05-07T07:44:07.475-05:00

Would you like explaining the abrupt resignation of SEIU's president recently, art?

I find your remarks about the union representing t...

2010-05-07T07:39:43.951-05:00

I find your remarks about the union representing the hotel workers demeaning. You attempt to link them with your unbridled hatred of Obama is even worse. The employees work hard but have been treated badly. I say hurrah for the NFL players who are standing up for those in their community who make far less than they do. Other conventions are going to start boycotting those hotels which means that unless they sign an agreement with the union that Indy will lose some conventions.

This guy is not about to rise up and tell the NFL ...

2010-05-07T07:28:36.644-05:00

This guy is not about to rise up and tell the NFL where to go.

Indy gets a very nice design on a rather drab and ignored street, the Feds fund most of it, and all locals have to do is put up with being excluded from the street for, what, one week - sounds like a no brainer to me. This is exactly the type of project the city should embrace and replicate.

And remember, for every person who won't patronize a business on a union boycott list there is a person who shops exclusively at businesses on the list.

Oh, and lest we forget, the 2012 Super Bowl is NOT...

2010-05-07T07:18:39.782-05:00

Oh, and lest we forget, the 2012 Super Bowl is NOT a certainty. There's a good possibility of a lockout that year. There might not BE a Super Bowl in 2012.

I wonder what the proposal looked like that was su...

2010-05-07T07:16:33.228-05:00

I wonder what the proposal looked like that was submitted to request those federal dollars?

It's a 'transportation enhancement grant' but I don't see it enhancing transportation in any way. To the contrary, they intend to put a 'boardwalk' (their term) down the middle of the street.