Deal Saver - brought to you by the Charlotte Observer

This is embarrassing. See, all along I’ve been mocking this idea of spending $126 million for a trolley that follows the same route as a bus.

This cuckoo idea of imposing tolls on Lake Norman commuters got a boost this week when Cornelius Mayor Lynette Rinker broke a 2-2 tie among the city’s commissioners on the issue and voted yes.

If we were being nitpicky, we’d point out that the stadium deal – which puts the taxpayers on the hook for $87 million – never precisely spells out how the Panthers are going to use the money.

It wasn’t the worst branding campaign I’ve ever seen, but then again, I’m really old.

Here are the 20 most unspoken phrases in Charlotte:

When it comes to ransom demands, I am a reasonable person. Thus, I do not reject out of hand the Carolina Panthers’ request for $144 million from Charlotte to spiff up their field.

After discovering a loophole in the arcane state law allowing the General Assembly to steal other people’s airports, I am announcing today that Charlotte will replace Raleigh as the state capital.

With our benevolent overseers in Raleigh beavering away to steal our airport, some changes are in order.

I just don’t know what to think about this airport-takeover thing.

A lady he works with said one day he needed a puppy for his son. He didn’t want one.

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Mark Washburn
Mark Washburn writes television and radio commentary for The Charlotte Observer.