Sunday April 2, 2006 Goody, more taxes!

It's really nice. We get to vote ourselves a tax increase, all by ourselves. And it's all for a new and improved stadium. We didn't keep up the old one, so it needs major improvements. We'll do better this time?

Usually the politicians pass the tax increases without asking us. They know best and we just have to accept their better judgement and groan. This time I guess the staggering amount of half a billion dollars was just too much for them to swallow without consulting with the public. I know that I really want to raise my taxes on everything I buy so that the billionaire owners and the millionaire players and the wealthy business men who profit from the sports business won't have to front the money themselves. I used to be able to afford to go to a game now and then, but that was 20 years ago or so. Since then, I would rather buy food for my family or pay a bill than spend the money to go to a game. They keep telling me all the good things that sports have done for me – all the business revenue that they have brought to our fair city. That's probably why my property taxes and sales taxes have only increased by 50% over the years instead of doubling. Now don't get me wrong, I think sports are good character builders for young men and women and the fact that some of the professionals take drugs or set bad examples shouldn't detract from the sport. It's a game. It allows young men to play a game for a few years before they have to settle down and work. In the old days, the players knew this and enjoyed their years of play, knowing that eventually they would have to settle on a career. Now many of the players consider the few years of play a career in itself and plan on retiring after their years are up. We have allowed (or rather, big business has allowed) this new concept to develop and here we are. Big business would sure like us, the public, to pay for their excesses and finance their business so they just have to worry about making money. That's why it's nice that we get to vote ourselves a nice tax increase, even if we can't afford to go and watch them play their games.