Comments on: Small Government in Seattle? http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2006/11/small_governmen.html Dispatches from a Small Business Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:53:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Scott http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2006/11/small_governmen.html/comment-page-1#comment-4078 Scott Wed, 15 Nov 2006 16:37:00 +0000 http://coyote-blog.com/wordpress/2006/11/small_governmen.html #comment-4078 <p>A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.</p> <p>Excellent observation so true in so many governement messes.</p> A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.

Excellent observation so true in so many governement messes.

]]> By: Phil http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2006/11/small_governmen.html/comment-page-1#comment-4077 Phil Wed, 15 Nov 2006 05:09:24 +0000 http://coyote-blog.com/wordpress/2006/11/small_governmen.html #comment-4077 <p>There's little "economic benefit" to speak of from hosting a sports team - at least in terms of measurable activity. If you go to a baseball game, you're not going to, say, a movie or a restaurant. So there's little, if any, new spending within an economy. It's mostly just redistributed.</p> <p>Add to that the fact that professional athletes and team owners have a greater tendency to live away from the areas they play in (compared to local restaurant and bar workers). The smaller the area, like a suburb, the more likely the owners and players call another city home. Thus, a dollar spent on a baseball game is more likely to leave the economy.</p> There’s little “economic benefit” to speak of from hosting a sports team – at least in terms of measurable activity. If you go to a baseball game, you’re not going to, say, a movie or a restaurant. So there’s little, if any, new spending within an economy. It’s mostly just redistributed.

Add to that the fact that professional athletes and team owners have a greater tendency to live away from the areas they play in (compared to local restaurant and bar workers). The smaller the area, like a suburb, the more likely the owners and players call another city home. Thus, a dollar spent on a baseball game is more likely to leave the economy.

]]> By: Highway http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2006/11/small_governmen.html/comment-page-1#comment-4076 Highway Tue, 14 Nov 2006 23:06:03 +0000 http://coyote-blog.com/wordpress/2006/11/small_governmen.html #comment-4076 <p>Plus, didn't Seattle just finish constructing their two stadiums with public funds? So, maybe this is more a case of closing the barn door after the horses have run out.<br /> </p> Plus, didn’t Seattle just finish constructing their two stadiums with public funds? So, maybe this is more a case of closing the barn door after the horses have run out.

]]> By: Matthew http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2006/11/small_governmen.html/comment-page-1#comment-4075 Matthew Tue, 14 Nov 2006 20:32:00 +0000 http://coyote-blog.com/wordpress/2006/11/small_governmen.html #comment-4075 <p>If you don't play the game then another city will and you'll lose the team and the economic impact that comes with it. It's not an evenly matched game.</p> If you don’t play the game then another city will and you’ll lose the team and the economic impact that comes with it. It’s not an evenly matched game.

]]> By: Mark Bigelow http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2006/11/small_governmen.html/comment-page-1#comment-4074 Mark Bigelow Tue, 14 Nov 2006 16:30:58 +0000 http://coyote-blog.com/wordpress/2006/11/small_governmen.html #comment-4074 <p>Don't get too excited. WA voters (with Seattle-ites being the majority) also voted NOT to abolish the estate tax and they decided that in cases where the government passes a law rendering your property (residential or otherwise) worthless, the government doesn't need to reimburse you.</p> <p>Case in point, I have a friend who owns a large strip of land near a river. It's longer than it is deep, which means the vast majority of it is close to the river. Well, King County passed a law saying you can't build within 25 feet (I think) of a river, which means he can't build anything because his land isn't deep enough. So, thanks to this law, his property is worthless and the government feels no responsibility for that.</p> <p>Lovely.</p> Don’t get too excited. WA voters (with Seattle-ites being the majority) also voted NOT to abolish the estate tax and they decided that in cases where the government passes a law rendering your property (residential or otherwise) worthless, the government doesn’t need to reimburse you.

Case in point, I have a friend who owns a large strip of land near a river. It’s longer than it is deep, which means the vast majority of it is close to the river. Well, King County passed a law saying you can’t build within 25 feet (I think) of a river, which means he can’t build anything because his land isn’t deep enough. So, thanks to this law, his property is worthless and the government feels no responsibility for that.

Lovely.

]]>