The retired newspaper employee that seems to enjoy reminding us that we were called “crazies” by our former city manager wrote another opinion piece for the Times the other day.
I wonder if he is being paid for his work. Might it be that he was moved from full time to part time?
This week’s piece addressed the street car system that we are going to get. His premise was that the real purpose of the system is economic development–it will move tax burden from residents to commercial property owners.
The way I read his article he called us stupid as well as crazy.
I suppose every economic theory can be argued and I am not arguing against the trolley system here. I think that we would be better served with a different route layout, but I have no illusion that it will operate profitably.
83% discount showed us that Sun Metro loses money every time a passenger boards one of our buses. Having more passengers might help us but in this case we are adding more capacity before we have the passengers.
Then when we factor in the new rapid transit system (BRIO) that will run up and down Mesa we will have even more vehicles that need to be filled.
The street cars will cost us money to operate. That money will have to come from taxes.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
Joe Muench stays up at night thinking of ways to prove Mr. and Mrs. Crazy wrong. I’m waiting for his opinion piece on how the financing of the ballpark is working out. HOT is already down and the shortfall will come out the city account funded by our taxes, just as Larry and Lupe Loco predicted.
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How can we find out if the HOT won’t cover the bond payment?
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The projected payments for the ballpark debt can be found at this site.
http://home.elpasotexas.gov/ballpark/finance.php
Click the second link at the bottom of the page. The payments include HOT, team payments, and other (parking fee and ticket fees that the City gets).
Keep in mind these figures are projected, but do tell us what amount is needed to cover the debt. Whether HOT will cover its projected yearly amount won’t be known until after Aug 14 when the total HOT collected for the year is determined. Page 23 of the FY2015 budget has a line for HOT (it’s called something like Hotel – 2% venue) but there is no current amount entered.
If the news is good, the City will probably release a glowing press release that will be printed verbatum by the Times. And Mr. Muench will rise from the couch to write yet another column (he may strive for wit but seldom reaches it). If the news is bad, don’t expect a news release. Mr. & Mrs. Loco will probably have to extract the figures digit by digit from the City.
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Too much beer and Wisconsin cheese not only gives you gas farts but brain farts as well.
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Joe has his opinion and you have yours…
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And opinions are like a-holes. We all have one and they stink!
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Now,now. Just drink this kool-aid and everything will be fine
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gulp, gulp.
it’s all good.
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Did anyone notice the oblique comment by Mr. Muench that the owners of the C’Dogs have purchased land next to the ballpark, proving their commitment to Dwntwn? What land next to the ballpark??? The parking lot reserved for VIPs on the west side of the park? There is no vacant land elsewhere…
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Either they have purchased more land downtown or Joe simply got confused about the timing and failed to mention once again that the ballpark was built downtown on the backs of others to enhance the value of property already owned by Foster and others.
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I’ll wager that the land the owners bought is the empty lot across the freeway, where, at one time, the Holocaust Museum was going to be located. Currently there’s a Chihuahuas sign on it.
Coincidentally, this lot would have been linked to the ballpark by those “improvements” that the old cronies in City Hall wanted to make, the ones for which they were going to trade funds with the state.
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Joe is a satirist. His columns are clever. Lighten up.
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Poor Joe Munch. PIty him. When you lack talent and you’re no longer relevant, being someone’s bottom rung bitch is as good as it’s gonna get.
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