Why do we do this?

Submitted by Roldo on Mon, 03/17/2008 - 11:06.

Just as a reminder to relate to the cost of the medical mart and  the new convention center construction, bonding and payments, don't forget that the County already spends heavily with tax fund for the convention business.

The County  - via the bed tax - provides $7.5 million annually at this point to promote the convention business.

Over the last 16 years, county taxpayers have been the Convention & Visitor Bureau, now known by the silly name,  "Positively Cleveland," more than $100 million.

Yes, that's one hundred million dollars!

The business members of "Positively Cleveland" gave $450,000.

To read more detail about this, check Lakewood Buzz at http://www.lakewoodbuzz.com/RoldoBartimole/RB-122607-Cleveland%20Convention%20Bureau-Lakewood%20Ohio.html

As I've said before, downtown Cleveland floats on a sea of subsidies.

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$100 million for lead poisoning eradication!

Imagine if the county had spent that $100 million on lead poison eradication, and now spent the additional $35 million/year in sales tax revenues from the MedCon fund on the same - we would have rehab'd and made safe all our urban and xurban housing stock and neighborhoods, improved education and the workforce, reduced crime, lowered costs for providing most social services and reduced healthcare and incarceration expenses - saved $ billions. But hey, those Shriners sure do drink beer, and the MedMart guarantees the success of the new Cleveland+Strippers Zone in the Flats, so perhaps conventions are the best way to spend taxpayer money?!?!

Why do we do this? Because we were lead poisoned.

Disrupt IT

A Passion for Justice

Laura - Is this book in the Library yet? I think this might need to be required reading for realneo readers. I certainly want to add it to my reading list. Thanks for the heads up Roldo!

Carol joined Ed Hauser, Martha Eakin and me as a consulting party on the ODOT Innerbelt issues. She is brilliant and clearly has done the research on Cleveland, buildings neighborhoods and government. Carol has written extensively on the region; see her books here. Wouldn't it be great if our elected officials included people like Carol, Roldo and David Ellison? People who know the history and could help to untangle the web of corruption that seems to exist here...

Tom Johnson, Mayor of Cleveland from 1901 to 1909, carried on a vigorous campaign against 'Privilege.' His comments on the proper strategy for change are instructive:

"There was a certain river and many human beings were in it, struggling to get to shore. Some succeeded, some were pulled ashore by kind-hearted people on the banks. But many were carried down the stream and drowned. It is no doubt a wise thing; it is noble that under those conditions charitable people devote themselves to helping the victims out of the water. But ... it would be better if some of those kindly people on the shore engaged in rescue work, would go up the stream and find out who was pushing the people in. It is in this way that I would answer those who would ask us to help the poor. Let us help them, that they may at least fight the battle (against) Privilege with more strength and courage; but let us never lose sight of our mission up the river to see who is pushing the people in."

 

I think that one thing we continue to do here at realneo is to go up stream and find out who is pushing us in. The banks are slippery and rocky however, so I am most appreciative of the guidance given us by those who have been at this longer than we have. Carol, David, the League of Women Voters, Roldo, Ed Hauser are a few. Who are the others? Norm Krumholz? Kathleen Barber? Who else?

Passion for Justice

Jeff Buster, Norm Roulet, Susan Miller...you can't add me to that list just, yet.  I have some baggage to shed. Note: even the author of the book has ties to the machine.  Seems we are all related to someone...