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And they just saved $7 mil. Makes you wonder if San Antonio de Bexar is paying attention.
When Spurs chairman Peter Holt let it be known during the NBA Finals that improvements were needed at the AT&T Center to keep pace with other NBA arenas, my thoughts turned right away to Miss Elvira, the biggest Spurs fan I know.
In her professional life, Miss Elvira is a teacher at my daughter's preschool. She calls the children she cares for "my babies." She has a sing-song voice, sparkling eyes, beautiful white hair and the kind of personality that makes you think she's about to hug you.
I don't know how much money Miss Elvira makes but it isn't enough to buy a car. So every weekday morning, she wakes up at 3:30 a.m., gets ready for work, then heads to the bus stop a block from her home on the city's north side, just inside Loop 410. She has to be there around 5 a.m. to make it downtown before parents start dropping off their children.
Miss Elvira's schedule is especially hard on the mornings after the Spurs play because she stays up to watch the games. That means West Coast road trips hit her as hard as they do the players.
Originally from Mexico, Miss Elvira has lived in San Antonio for years. My daughter has moved on to another classroom, but Miss Elvira still baby-sits for us occasionally. This delights our children so much that we often struggle to get their attention so we can tell them to behave.
Miss Elvira almost always wears brightly colored clothes — she has a sweatshirt with Tweety Bird on it — and her arrival is an event.
She did see a Spurs game at the AT&T Center once, but I think she sat pretty high up. She was thrilled, just the same, but she is also happy to watch them on TV.
When Holt announced during the Finals that the arena needed improvements, he didn't say what should be done. He just said, "Our fans demand the best, and we want to give them the best."
He asked that some of the county's tourism tax, which funded construction of the arena before it opened in 2002, be used for the upgrades.
Those needs will be competing with other interests for the tax money, roughly $250 million over 15 years, according to the county. Tourism officials want $125 million allocated for the San Antonio River Improvement Project. A performing arts center and amateur sports facilities are also in the running.
This week, county officials held public meetings to talk about specific spending options.
The Bexar County Commissioners Court will weigh in with the final decision, which could go before voters next May.
I know there are restrictions on where venue tax money can go — essentially, it has to be used for "venues" — but I don't think spending it on the AT&T Center is such a good idea.
It's a fine arena and Mr. Holt is an excellent businessman, but the Spurs are worth some $390 million, according to Forbes, and they already have a fund for arena improvements.
Under the original contract, fans pay a $1 fee on tickets and parking to make repairs. So it's hard to see how more venue tax dollars are needed. More importantly, we have better things to do with the money.
As a matter of fact, the median preschool teacher in Texas makes $15,090 a year, according to the Texas Early Childhood Education Coalition.
So if we're going to use public money to subsidize private businesses, why not simply to hand the money over to preschool teachers like Miss Elvira?
Maybe then she wouldn't have to wake up so early after watching the Spurs.
Subsidies
And they just saved $7 mil. Makes you wonder if San Antonio de Bexar is paying attention.
Actually our boy Reagan can be blamed for a lot of this.
He felt he could let education and infrastructure slide, while spending tens of billions on mythological weapons systems. And continued to take down unions and people-oriented laws to benefit his corporate sponsors. As a result, we are one of the most ignorant populaces in the civilized world. People are the biggest asset, yet we failed to invest in them.
That would explain at least some of the threads around here!
wich helped take down the USSR.while spending tens of billions on mythological weapons systems
But don't let your mythological hate of a good president get in the way of your stupidity.
Politics forum, please, before this ends up being yet another left wing-right wing thread.
Take the politics to the political forum, and leave this for discussion of publically subsidizing the Spurs when there are other places that could use the money.
Not that preschool is unimportant (at all), but government funding for preschools seems more like a state problem than a city problem.
I need subsidy money.
This thread seemed pretty inherently political due to the OP's article.
Until the NBa adopts NFL revenue sharing rules the Spurs will always be at a disadvantage about $$$. Green Bay survives in this era becasue of those rules. Otherwise the big markets would be buying up every stud in sight. Am I the only one who recalls the days when if the Lakers were in town it was on pay per view for $20. I didn't pay then and I wouldn't pay it now. Spurs basketball on free tv is who we are as a city. Maybe some diligent lister could find out how much revenue the Bulls, Lakers and Knicks generate for their teams from cable tv vs our Spurs?
The Knicks get over 100 million per year for their TV rights.
That is why they can spend over 45 million in luxury tax and still make stupid trades for bloated contracts.
BTW I am against this crap of upgrading a arena just because the toilet seats aren't made of gold. You don't have to keep up with the jones' s when you sell out every freaking game already. If he needs more money just raise ticket prices, it isn't a big deal to most people if ticket prices go up a couple dollars, San Antonio is beginning to mature as a city and that means there are more people with the money to support the team.
Now I will say that if the money he is talking about is there to improve infrastructure around the arena, then I agree completely, the more we build up that area of town the better it is for everyone.
I was not a Reagan backer but he did initiate alot of the technology we see today with the Strategic Defense Initiative, I do believe GPS for cell phones, mariners, etc. came out of this. I know their are lots of other technologies that we rely on today that are a direct result of SDI.
The Spurs don't have any money but somehow manage to buy a nbdl team.
The best estimate I've heard around here is that the Toros cost around $6M. That doesn't buy a lot of stadium work these days.
People about the Spurs not spending money but somehow neglect to mention the four rings. Some of you ers are so spoiled you don't deserve to win any more.
I had to laugh at this line- as the AT&T is my third favorite NBA arena in Texas."Our fans demand the best, and we want to give them the best."
GEORGE BUSH is GOD!
BILL CLINTON for GOVERNOR of TEXAS!
The trade of Scola came at a bad time for Holt Cat.
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