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If you think that the politicians in Washington, D.C. are out-of-touch with real America, well, you can look right here at local politicians for good examples, too.
In spite of a lingering recession that has left many Denver area folks with stagnant incomes, elected officials and corporate hucksters are planning new empires to build with subsidy funds extracted from Colorado taxpayers.
The 'National Western Stock Show-Gaylord Entertainment' deal reeks of arrogance and a "we know best" attitude emanating from rarefied circles of Aurora and Denver insiders. Just like the empire builders in Arvada and Jefferson County governments and their tollway scheme, it all seems to be about helping certain, special developers through 'public-private' partnerships. You know what this ultimately means: you pay ... the corporations get the profits and local government officials get more tax revenue to funnel towards even more grand projects.
Generally speaking, I don't like taxpayer's money being used to pick winners-and-losers in the private sector ... I don't like subsidies to help 'big box' stores at the expense of small local shops, I don't like imminent domain used to grease the skids for special 'chosen' businesses; I don't like entire transportation plans and government resources skewed towards the benefit of one particular developer, and so on and so forth.
Perhaps the National Western Stock Show does need to be moved to a new location. However, the report in the July 1, 2011, Denver Post about Aurora and Denver governments seeking a state subsidy for this deal and even more recent Post articles on this topic, should cause average citizens in Aurora and Denver (and now apparently all Colorado taxpayers) to be suspicious of the manner and tone in which this 'deal' has suddenly risen to the top of the agenda.
Who is helping whom, why ... and who pays?
If a grandiose project like the Stock Show-Gaylord deal is seen to be ultimately so profitable, why must taxpayers be put on the hook for subsidies? Isn't this just the latest example of 'corporate welfare'?
Aurora and Denver on Thursday applied for $91.5 million in state subsidies to build a huge hotel and stock-show facility in Aurora.The application was submitted on behalf of a complex that would host a Gaylord Entertainment hotel and conference center alongside the relocated National Western Stock Show. It calls for the bulk of the incentives to go toward the Gaylord portion of the deal. ... MORE!
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Dave Chandler
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