If you fund Major League Soccer deal, brace for what’s next

I think I’ve heard this story before

If you give a mouse a cookie, she’ll probably want some milk.

If you give a moose a muffin, he’ll probably want some jam.

If you give MLS $87.5 million and acres of prime real estate, in a year they’ll want $1 million for pedestrian bridges; in three years they’ll want $5 million for a new parking deck; in five years they’ll want $10 million for stadium upgrades; and in 10 years they’ll pack up and leave town, taking their incentive payments with them.

Try PSLs; they worked for Panthers

This rush to judgment to finance the MLS stadium is unfair to our citizens and our representatives. Why not have Bruton Smith and his team sell PSLs and use the proceeds to finance the MLS stadium, like Jerry Richardson did? If the demand is as overwhelming as they claim, that should be no problem. Then, the city and county could ante up $13 million in land. Otherwise, we should bicycle-kick this opportunity to Raleigh.

I’m having flashbacks to the NASCAR Hall

I’m outraged that the city and county are considering using $87.5 million – paid for by taxpayers – to build a soccer stadium for a billionaire. This is so similar to the NASCAR Hall of Fame that it is laughable. We are often told that a sure sign of a high pressure sale/scam is the warning that we must act immediately, without proper consideration, or we will lose the opportunity. That is exactly what is happening here. Michael Smith’s statement calling this “the defining accomplishment of our generation” turned my stomach. What about housing the homeless and improving our schools? Do we have no social conscience at all?

Put on big-boy pants; Trump is in charge

Atttention, Trump Bashers, Inauguration No Shows, and Crooked Media: You have been conned into believing that the last eight Obama/Hillary years have been Utopia, Cinderella and La La Land, peaches and cream, and dancing in the street. Question for you: In eight years have you seen Obama and Hillary aggressively, passionately attacking the problem of jobs and companies moving away like President Trump has already done in his first few days? It is called eight years of passive management and ignoring the problem. So put on your big-boy and big-girl pants and accept that Trump won. We finally have a true leader.

With Trump, look past his words

While we should give our new president a chance, two news stories went underreported. Within hours of his inaugural address, he signed an order to repeal a mortgage premium reduction scheduled for next week which would have benefited a million-plus middle-class homeowners. Plus, he said we should buy American to an audience wearing Make America Great Again ball caps made in China, Vietnam and Bangladesh. Follow the actions, not the words.

An HB2 hit? I see no evidence of it

On the same day the Observer ran Ely Portillo’s front page story saying HB2 was hurting North Carolina’s business prospects (Jan. 18), Katherine Peralta had a story on the business page saying Wal-Mart would be adding 10,000 jobs, with 500 coming to North Carolina. If this is the kind of damage HB2 is doing to North Carolina, bring it on.

In the past few weeks Credit Karma also said it will open a Charlotte office that will employ 200 people. Wal-Mart and Credit Karma join other companies that have relocated or expanded here in recent months.

These announcements validate that North Carolina remains a good place to do business, in part because of its people’s traditional values and strong work ethic. The myth that HB2 is hurting business is a theory desperately in search of supporting data – and finding almost none.

Get this hatefulness out of legislature

On Monday night, my N.C. senator, Joyce Krawiec (R-Forsyth), tweeted this: “to all the crazies @ Women’s March - if brains were lard you couldn’t grease a small skillet. You know who you are.” We do know who we are, Senator Krawiec: We are your constituents. This official, who purports to represent me in Raleigh, stoops to the level of calling millions of people with whom she disagrees crazy and stupid. Shockingly, she ran unopposed in the latest election, as did 41 percent of her colleagues. Please join me in making sure that never happens again. Let us swiftly vote this kind of hateful, antagonizing rhetoric out of the state legislature.

This story was originally published January 24, 2017 at 5:32 PM with the headline "If you fund Major League Soccer deal, brace for what’s next."