Daniel Shelton
dpshelton@blogspot.com
Eng. 201.501
Essay 2 Final draft
2,090 words
Just a small town in the middle of the country, Indianapolis, Indiana had aspirations of becoming a big city. With no big sites to entice people to visit what was being referred to as the crossroads of America. The city saw professional sports as a means to reach their goals. The city of Indianapolis, Indiana has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of professional sports.
Indianapolis, Indiana in its history has had only two major sports team, The Colts and the Pacers. The Colts are one of the original NFL teams. The franchise was moved to the city of Baltimore, Maryland back in the 1940’s. The Miami Seahawks moved to Baltimore and was dissolved a couple of years later, next the Dallas franchise relocated to Baltimore and thrived there until they moved to Indianapolis. They spent forty rollercoaster years in Baltimore helping the city to prosper as more than just a port town and also helped to establish the NFL as one of America’s favorite sports. Don Shula, Johnny Unitas, and Raymond Berry where some of the greatest coaches and players in history and they were involved in some of the greatest games in the history of not only the NFL but football period (indystar.com). The Colts carried the city of Baltimore into greatness when they won the greatest game ever played, the 1958 world championship over the New York Giants. In 1972, after the Colts won their first Super Bowl against the Cowboys, which is nicknamed the Blunder Bowl, the team was traded to Robert Irsay for the Los Angeles Rams franchise; Irsay family still owns the Colts franchise today. In 1984, then owner Robert Irsay, who was unhappy that is demands for the city of Baltimore to renovate the stadium has been denied, moved the Colts franchise to Indianapolis. Many fans in Baltimore still feel betrayed that their team snuck away in the middle of the night as they slept. For most of its time the Colts franchise in Indianapolis did not live up to its world champion reputation, having trouble making the playoffs and trading away hall of famers; Eric Dickerson and Marshall Faulk. 1998 brought new life to the Colts when they acquired quarterback Peyton Manning and when coupled with wide receiver Marvin Harrison, one of the top in the league, the Colts had a dangerous duo. The offense was strengthened the next year when the colts drafted Edgerrin James at running back. Even with all these additions the Colts would be labeled in the following years as master chokers, never making it past the AFC Championship. Their fortunes changed in 2007 when the Colts finally made it over the hurdle that was the New England Patriots, reaching and winning their first Super Bowl in Indianapolis (indystar.com).
The Indiana representative in the basketball world, the Indiana Pacers, traveled a much different road. Some local leaders in Indiana had decided to create their own basketball league. The new team adopted the name Indiana to give everyone in the state a feeling of participation and Pacer after the pace car in professional racing, the state’s only other major event at the time. The Pacers started their life in 1960 as a member of the American Basketball Association, or ABA. They had very humble beginnings playing their games at the coliseum at the State Fair Grounds (lostindiana.net). When the Pacers exploded and dominated the ABA winning three consecutive championships just a few years after their creation, then Mayor Richard Lugar believed that the organization could fuel the growth that downtown Indianapolis needed. So in 1972 he proposed his solution to build a home for the upstart Pacers in the heart of downtown. He petitioned for the city to use the city’s funds to build the new stadium. Again local entrepreneurs helped the city to overcome a hurdle in the effort to legitimize the city and state. Built straddling market street in Indianapolis and constructed by an investor group known as “Market Square Associates” the stadium was named Market Square Arena (lostindiana.net). Market Square Arena would be the home of the Pacers until 1999 when the city built the newer more state-of-the-art Conseco Fieldhouse. The Pacers were a major part of the ABA for the next two years, until the ABA and the NBA merged. The Pacers and three other teams; the San Antonio Spurs, the New York Nets, and the Denver Nuggets, where all absorbed by the NBA along with many of the customs that made the ABA popular. The Pacers who had been so dominate in the ABA struggled tremendously in the NBA, achieving only one winning season in its first thirteen years as a NBA franchise (nba.com). Their fortunes changed in the 90’s, where through better overall team management they made the Eastern Conference Finals from 1994 to 2000, where they sealed their only trip to the NBA Championship. Since the Pacers were swept in the NBA finals by the LA Lakers, they have spiraled downwards having more felony convictions that world titles. The years after 2000 Pacer legend Reggie Miller retired, the team was involved in a street brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit which involved the teams and the fans in the seats, and have had multiple players suspended and arrested for violating drug policies and getting into shootouts at downtown nightclubs.
The city has jumped through many hoops in an attempt to attract professional sports teams to Indiana. First came the Pacers home, Market Square Arena, an 18,000 seat building which would not only serve as the home of the Pacers but would also be used for concerts, hockey games, and amateur sporting events. With inflation the same $24 million stadium built in 1972 would cost $122.2 million in 2008 (westegg.com). The staggering cost is nothing compared to the precedent it set. The Arena was a collaboration between city officials who showed the desire for the new stadium and private investors who fronted the money necessary for construction and demolition of the site. The design of the stadium was also unique in that the stadium sits atop two parking structures and straddles Market Street below. The design and the use of public and private money to fund the stadium were completely unheard at the time, but today is the set standard. The Hoosier Dome, which would later have the naming rights sold to RCA, was also revolutionary. The idea of an air supported roof was did not sit well with many. Back then Indianapolis, IN, Minneapolis, MN, and Canada were the only to put it to action. With inflation the $77.5 million would cost today roughly $158.6 million (westegg.com). Unlike Market Square Arena the cost of the Hoosier Dome was not split between the city and private investors such as the Colts organization. The city was left to fund the stadium completely and did so by enacting a one percent food and beverage tax on Marion County. Both the RCA Dome and Market Square Arena brought the city to the forefront of the nation.
The Colts and the Pacers have both told the city of Indianapolis that they may be forced to leave. After twenty years the Colts organization decided that it was time for an upgrade. They started to demand that a new more advanced stadium be built. They told the mayor that if the new stadium wasn’t built they would shop the team to other cities that would be more willing to meet their demands. Mayor Peterson folded and allocated many of the city’s depleting funds to attempt to fund the Colts future home. The new stadium would cost an estimated $172 million which would have to be paid for almost exclusively by the city. The city again defaulted to an increase in the food and beverage tax, but this time the tax would be added onto the one percent already imposed to pay for the RCA Dome thirty years before. When the Capital Improvement Board lobbied the Colts to front more of the starting cost and attempted to reopen negotiations with the Colts owner Jim Irsay said that "I'm not going to renegotiate. That's the bottom line. All we did was negotiate in good faith. We've done everything we can to have a great organization. We've lived up to our part. We've exceeded our part." Irsay then said that "In other words, we'll let you know what we want, when we want it. What you signed means nothing." Under the terms of the new lease, the Colts get a hold of forty percent of all concession, merchandise, and ticket sales in the stadium. They receive all the profit from companies who want to advertise inside the stadium. On top of all that they don’t have to pay rent or hire anyone to work in the stadium. All of the concession and ticket vendor, ushers, security, and janitors are all paid for generously by the taxpayers (http://www.indystar.com/). Rob Grand the chairman of the CIB said "We're making guesses until we have actual numbers, We're bleeding cash right now, absolutely" (www. football.ballparks.com).
The Pacers on the other hand are a struggling organization; with the lack of success on the court attendance has been dwindling. They have told city officials that they are having problems just paying for the upkeep of the new Conseco Feildhouse. The Pacers have pleaded with the Capital Improvement Board, CIB, to take some of the burden from the organization. The trouble with asking the CIB to help alleviate some of its debt is that they themselves have a monstrous $78 million deficit (ballparks.com). The Pacers’ organization is concerned that if their financial issues don’t improve they will be forced make drastic changes. Pat Early, the vice president of the CIB said "It's possible they could move the team. It's possible they could sell the team. It is also possible they could shut the team down. What's not possible is the Pacers losing the kind of money they're losing this year indefinitely. (espn.com)"
They proposed the food and beverage tax as all that was necessary to fund construction and maintain upkeep of the new stadium. The food and beverage tax is a one percent tax on any food or beverage. For consumers that mean a tax on what they eat drink at restaurants, fast food place, or at the local deli. For the owners of these restaurants and delicatessens, this means a one percent tax on any equipment or product that is necessary to prepare and sell this food. So the ingredients, the oven or fryer, the utensils to cool the food, the packaging you intend to sell the food in, any utensils that the consumer needs to eat the food with, and the actual finished product being sold all has a one percent tax on it (http://www.in.gov/ pdf). The actual amount of money needed was too much for just one county of 876,804 people, so the city council petitioned other counties that surround Marion to pass the food and beverage tax to lighten the burden (http://www.city-data.com/). The bill was introduced to all the surrounding countries and was successful in almost all of the potential ten counties, only failing to pass in Morgan County. Some other counties and towns throughout the state have formally requested that the bill be brought before their legislature and passed in the towns of Allen, Carmel, Martinsville, and in the counties of Delaware and Vanderburgh. Since its passage the food and beverage tax has raised in the past four years $141.8 million which is actually above projected values and has exceeded the expectations of the local legislature in all counties it passed in except for the central county of Marion. This could be due to the fact that the food and beverage tax was added onto the already existing food and beverage tax that was proposed to pay for the now demolished RCA Dome and the fact that the taxpayers are disturbed that the money isn’t going to pay off the $75 million dollars still owed on the RCA Dome (solidarity-us.org).
From the crossroads to the limelight, Indianapolis has pushed it way onto center stage. The city has recently made some large investments toward its future. Whether or not these investments lead to a brighter tomorrow remain to be seen. These long-standing and historic franchises have given the city its start and it prosperity to this point; now all we can do is hope that they continue to do the same.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Work Cited
Fish, George. "Indianapolis' Extortion Dome." Solidarity. 31 July 2008. Web. 14 Aug. 2009. http://www.solidarity-us.org/node/1610.
"Food and Beverage Tax." Indiana Department of Revenue. July 2005. Web. 14 Aug. 2009. http://www.in.gov/dor/3983.htm.
Friedman, Morgan.The Inflation Calculator.21 August 2009.< http://www.westegg.com/inflation/>
“History of the Indianapolis Colts.”IndyStar.com.14 January 2008.21 August 2009.http://www2.indystar.com/library/factfiles/sports/football-pro/indpls_colts/history/colts.html
"Http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/129711." Sports Business Daily. Street & Smith's Sports Group, 27 Apr. 2009. Web. 14 Aug. 2009.http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/129711.
Kim , Theodore.”RCA Dome gave life to Downtown.”IndyStar.com.20 December 2004.21 August 2009.< http://www2.indystar.com/articles/8/203505-8278-196.html>
"Lucas Oil Stadium." Lucas Oil Stadium. Ballparks.com, 15 Sept. 2008. Web. 14 Aug. 2009. http://football.ballparks.com/NFL/IndianapolisColts/newindex.htm.
“Market Square Arena.”Lost Indiana.April 2009. 21 August 2009.< http://www.lostindiana.net/Lost_Indiana/Lost_Indiana__Market_Square_Arena.html>
“Marion County Indiana.”2007.city-data.com.21August2009< http://www.city-data.com/county/Marion_County-IN.html>
McFeely, Dan. "Lucas Oil Stadium has shown success in bookings." IndyStar.com. 13 July 2009. Web. 14 Aug. 2009. http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090713/LOCAL18/907130352.
“Pacers must make 'difficult decisions'.”12 March 2009.ESPN.21 August 2009.< http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3975398>
Ruthhart, Bill. "CIB answer likely won't include Colts, Pacers." Indy.com. Star Media, 29 Apr. 2009. Web. 14 Aug. 2009. http://www.indy.com/posts/cib-answer-likely-won-t-include-colts-pacers.
“Year by Year with the Pacers.” 2009. Pacers.com.21 August 2009.< http://www.nba.com/pacers/history/franchise_history.html>
"Food and Beverage Tax." Indiana Department of Revenue. July 2005. Web. 14 Aug. 2009. http://www.in.gov/dor/3983.htm.
Friedman, Morgan.The Inflation Calculator.21 August 2009.< http://www.westegg.com/inflation/>
“History of the Indianapolis Colts.”IndyStar.com.14 January 2008.21 August 2009.http://www2.indystar.com/library/factfiles/sports/football-pro/indpls_colts/history/colts.html
"Http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/129711." Sports Business Daily. Street & Smith's Sports Group, 27 Apr. 2009. Web. 14 Aug. 2009.http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/129711.
Kim , Theodore.”RCA Dome gave life to Downtown.”IndyStar.com.20 December 2004.21 August 2009.< http://www2.indystar.com/articles/8/203505-8278-196.html>
"Lucas Oil Stadium." Lucas Oil Stadium. Ballparks.com, 15 Sept. 2008. Web. 14 Aug. 2009. http://football.ballparks.com/NFL/IndianapolisColts/newindex.htm.
“Market Square Arena.”Lost Indiana.April 2009. 21 August 2009.< http://www.lostindiana.net/Lost_Indiana/Lost_Indiana__Market_Square_Arena.html>
“Marion County Indiana.”2007.city-data.com.21August2009< http://www.city-data.com/county/Marion_County-IN.html>
McFeely, Dan. "Lucas Oil Stadium has shown success in bookings." IndyStar.com. 13 July 2009. Web. 14 Aug. 2009. http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090713/LOCAL18/907130352.
“Pacers must make 'difficult decisions'.”12 March 2009.ESPN.21 August 2009.< http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3975398>
Ruthhart, Bill. "CIB answer likely won't include Colts, Pacers." Indy.com. Star Media, 29 Apr. 2009. Web. 14 Aug. 2009. http://www.indy.com/posts/cib-answer-likely-won-t-include-colts-pacers.
“Year by Year with the Pacers.” 2009. Pacers.com.21 August 2009.< http://www.nba.com/pacers/history/franchise_history.html>
Thursday, August 20, 2009
hyperlink
The city of Indianapolis, Indiana has seen professional sports been the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Indianapolis, Indiana in its history has had only two major sports team, The Colts and the Pacers. The Colts are one of the original NFL teams. The franchise was moved to the city of Baltimore, Maryland back in the 1940’s. The Miami Seahawks moved to Baltimore and was dissolved a couple of years later, next the Dallas franchise relocated to Baltimore and thrived there until they moved to Indianapolis. They spent forty rollercoaster years in Baltimore helping the city to prosper as more than just a port town and also helped to establish the NFL as one of America’s favorite sports. Don Shula, Johnny Unitas, and Raymond Berry where some of the greatest coaches and players in history and they were involved in some of the greatest games in the history of not only the NFL but football period. The Colts carried the city of Baltimore into greatness when they won the greatest game ever played, the 1958 world championship over the New York Giants. In 1972, after the Colts won their first Super Bowl against the Cowboys, which is nicknamed the Blunder Bowl, the team was traded to Robert Irsay for the Los Angeles Rams franchise; Irsay family still owns the Colts franchise today. In 1984, then owner Robert Irsay, who was unhappy that is demands for the city of Baltimore to renovate the stadium has been denied, moved the Colts franchise to Indianapolis. Many fans in Baltimore still feel betrayed that their team snuck away in the middle of the night as they slept. For most of its time the Colts franchise in Indianapolis did not live up to its world champion reputation, having trouble making the playoffs and trading away hall of famers; Eric Dickerson and Marshall Faulk (indystar.com).
Indianapolis, Indiana in its history has had only two major sports team, The Colts and the Pacers. The Colts are one of the original NFL teams. The franchise was moved to the city of Baltimore, Maryland back in the 1940’s. The Miami Seahawks moved to Baltimore and was dissolved a couple of years later, next the Dallas franchise relocated to Baltimore and thrived there until they moved to Indianapolis. They spent forty rollercoaster years in Baltimore helping the city to prosper as more than just a port town and also helped to establish the NFL as one of America’s favorite sports. Don Shula, Johnny Unitas, and Raymond Berry where some of the greatest coaches and players in history and they were involved in some of the greatest games in the history of not only the NFL but football period. The Colts carried the city of Baltimore into greatness when they won the greatest game ever played, the 1958 world championship over the New York Giants. In 1972, after the Colts won their first Super Bowl against the Cowboys, which is nicknamed the Blunder Bowl, the team was traded to Robert Irsay for the Los Angeles Rams franchise; Irsay family still owns the Colts franchise today. In 1984, then owner Robert Irsay, who was unhappy that is demands for the city of Baltimore to renovate the stadium has been denied, moved the Colts franchise to Indianapolis. Many fans in Baltimore still feel betrayed that their team snuck away in the middle of the night as they slept. For most of its time the Colts franchise in Indianapolis did not live up to its world champion reputation, having trouble making the playoffs and trading away hall of famers; Eric Dickerson and Marshall Faulk (indystar.com).
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Executioner’s Outline
Thesis: The city of Indianapolis, Indiana has seen professional sports been the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Topic Sentence: Indianapolis, Indiana has only two major sports team
a. Brief history of the Colts franchise
a. Colts in Baltimore
b. Colts in Indianapolis
b. Brief history of the Pacers franchise
a. Pacers in ABA
b. Pacers in NBA
Topic Sentence: The city of Indianapolis has jumped through many hoops to attract professional sports teams
a. RCA Dome
a. History of the RCA Dome
b. Costs of the RCA Dome
b. Market Square Arena
a. History of Market Square Arena
b. Costs of Market Square Arena
Topic Sentence: The professional sports team that had brought such prosperity to Indianapolis has flipped coin in the blink of an eye.
a. Threatening to abandon the city
b. Lucas Oil Stadium
a. Cost of Lucas Oil Stadium
c. Conseco Fieldhouse
a. Costs of Conseco Fieldhouse
d. CIB
a. Deficit
Topic Sentence: The means that the local government has proposed to pay for the stadiums has been a food and beverage tax.
a. Food and Beverage Tax
Conclusion Strategy: Point to the future
Topic Sentence: Indianapolis, Indiana has only two major sports team
a. Brief history of the Colts franchise
a. Colts in Baltimore
b. Colts in Indianapolis
b. Brief history of the Pacers franchise
a. Pacers in ABA
b. Pacers in NBA
Topic Sentence: The city of Indianapolis has jumped through many hoops to attract professional sports teams
a. RCA Dome
a. History of the RCA Dome
b. Costs of the RCA Dome
b. Market Square Arena
a. History of Market Square Arena
b. Costs of Market Square Arena
Topic Sentence: The professional sports team that had brought such prosperity to Indianapolis has flipped coin in the blink of an eye.
a. Threatening to abandon the city
b. Lucas Oil Stadium
a. Cost of Lucas Oil Stadium
c. Conseco Fieldhouse
a. Costs of Conseco Fieldhouse
d. CIB
a. Deficit
Topic Sentence: The means that the local government has proposed to pay for the stadiums has been a food and beverage tax.
a. Food and Beverage Tax
Conclusion Strategy: Point to the future
Friday, August 14, 2009
Picking on the Little Guy
Daniel Shelton
dpshelton@blogspot.com
Eng. 201.501
Essay 2 Draft
1,157 Words
Picking on the Little Guy
Taxes are an essential part of the American economy. They provide funding to the government for vital components of everyday life; roads, schools, and fire and police stations. We rely on our elected officials to use common sense to distribute our tax money responsibly; unfortunately, this is not always the case.
In 2005 the Indianapolis Colts were seeking to increase the amount of money and coverage they received on game days. Instead they ended up extorting an entire state of taxpayers, most of whom are loyal fans of their state’s team. In September, former mayor of Indianapolis, Bart Peterson agreed to an extended lease with Colt’s president, Jim Irsay, the day the Colts were set to play the Baltimore Ravens. Mayor Peterson also agreed to start construction on the most state-of-the-art and expensive stadiums in the NFL. The new stadium was projected to cost about $720 million with the expansion of the convention center, which will be attached to Lucas Oil Stadium, to bump the cost up to a projected $900 million. At the time the city of Indianapolis had an income budget of $542,692,697 and an expenditure budget of all $542,692,697, much less than required to build one of the most sophisticated stadiums in the country (www.indy.gov).
The plan that the city council had to fund the new stadium was, surprise, a new tax. They proposed the food and beverage tax as all that was necessary to fund construction and maintain upkeep of the new stadium. The food and beverage tax is a one percent tax on any food or beverage. For consumers that mean a tax on what they eat drink at restaurants, fast food place, or at the local deli. For the owners of these restaurants and delicatessens, this means a one percent tax on any equipment or product that is necessary to prepare and sell this food. So the ingredients, the oven or fryer, the utensils to cool the food, the packaging you intend to sell the food in, any utensils that the consumer needs to eat the food with, and the actual finished product being sold all has a one percent tax on it (www.in.gov pdf).
The actual amount of money needed was too much for just one county of 876,804 people, so the city council petitioned other counties that surround Marion to pass the food and beverage tax to lighten the burden (www.city-data.com). The bill was introduced to all the surrounding countries and was successful in almost all of the potential ten counties, only failing to pass in Morgan. Some other counties and towns throughout the state have formally requested that the bill be brought before their legislature and passed in the counties and towns of Allen, Carmel, Delaware, Martinsville, and Vanderburgh. Since its passage the food and beverage tax has raised in the past four years $141.8 million which is actually above projected values and has exceeded the expectations of the local legislature in all counties it passed in except for the central county of Marion. This could be due to the fact that the food and beverage tax was added onto the already existing food and beverage tax that was proposed to pay for the now demolished Market Square Arena and the fact that the taxpayers are disturbed that the money isn’t going to pay off the $75 million dollars still owed on the RCA Dome.
Many people are feeling déjà vu with the new food and beverage tax to fund the new Lucas Oil Stadium. Conseco Fieldhouse, the home of the Indiana Pacers, in Indianapolis was built in 1999 after the Indiana Pacer basketball organization threaten to leave the state and find some other city if Indianapolis did not build them a new stadium to play in. The city government caved and spent almost $30 million to build what is now Conseco Fieldhouse. Since then the Pacers have sunk to the bottom of the basketball world, having more felony convictions that world titles. We can only wonder if the same mediocrity is destined for the Colts and Lucas Oil Stadium.
Jim Irsay probably used the same principals of intimidation that the owners of the Pacers used back in the day to extort the city into wasting valuable tax money on a stadium. Smaller venues are often marked by sports teams because they are often much more ardent to spend more money in fear that the team will leave. He and city officials had spent years negotiating terms for the creation of a new stadium. When the Capital Improvement Board lobbied the Colts to front more of the starting cost and attempted to reopen negotiations with the Colts owner Jim Irsay said that "I'm not going to renegotiate. That's the bottom line. All we did was negotiate in good faith. We've done everything we can to have a great organization. We've lived up to our part. We've exceeded our part." Irsay then said that "In other words, we'll let you know what we want, when we want it. What you signed means nothing." Under the terms of the new lease, the Colts get a hold of forty percent of all concession, merchandise, and ticket sales in the stadium. They receive all the profit from companies who want to advertise inside the stadium. On top of all that they don’t have to pay rent or hire anyone to work in the stadium. All of the concession and ticket vendor, ushers, security, and janitors are all paid for generously by the taxpayers (www.indystar.com). With all the expenses that the Capital Improvement Board stuck the taxpayers with, their deficit has ballooned to a monstrous $78 million. Rob Grand the chairman of the CIB said "We're making guesses until we have actual numbers, We're bleeding cash right now, absolutely" (www. football.ballparks.com).
The increase in the CIB’s debt adds pressure to get Lucas Oil Stadium to start making money to pay for itself. Unfortunately, the increased size and the sheer cost of the state-of-the-art facility caused the fee to increase per square foot. In the RCA Dome the cost per square foot was thirteen cents and snow in Lucas Oil Stadium the same event must pay twenty-four cents per square foot. This drastic increase in the price per square foot has some events worried that they may have to relocate to another venue to turn a profit. The IHSAA has alerted the CIB that they are considering moving the state football championships away from Lucas Oil Stadium because of the raised rates.
The idea that the food and beverage tax would ever be able to fund Lucas Oil Stadium is and has always been a fantasy. It adds pennies to every transaction and will take well over the thirty years to pay off the Lucas Oil Stadium. It is proven that increasing taxes actually decreases the revenue of the government.
"Conseco Fieldhouse." Conseco Fieldhouse. Ballparks.com, 08 Aug. 2008. Web. 14 Aug. 2009..
"Food and Beverage Tax." Indiana Department of Revenue. July 2005. Web. 14 Aug. 2009..
"Http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/129711." Sports Business Daily. Street & Smith's Sports Group, 27 Apr. 2009. Web. 14 Aug. 2009..
"Lucas Oil Stadium." Lucas Oil Stadium. Ballparks.com, 15 Sept. 2008. Web. 14 Aug. 2009..
Fish, George. "Indianapolis' Extortion Dome." Solidarity. 31 July 2008. Web. 14 Aug. 2009..
McFeely, Dan. "Lucas Oil Stadium has shown success in bookings." IndyStar.com. 13 July 2009. Web. 14 Aug. 2009..
Ruthhart, Bill. "CIB answer likely won't include Colts, Pacers." Indy.com. Star Media, 29 Apr. 2009. Web. 14 Aug. 2009..
dpshelton@blogspot.com
Eng. 201.501
Essay 2 Draft
1,157 Words
Picking on the Little Guy
Taxes are an essential part of the American economy. They provide funding to the government for vital components of everyday life; roads, schools, and fire and police stations. We rely on our elected officials to use common sense to distribute our tax money responsibly; unfortunately, this is not always the case.
In 2005 the Indianapolis Colts were seeking to increase the amount of money and coverage they received on game days. Instead they ended up extorting an entire state of taxpayers, most of whom are loyal fans of their state’s team. In September, former mayor of Indianapolis, Bart Peterson agreed to an extended lease with Colt’s president, Jim Irsay, the day the Colts were set to play the Baltimore Ravens. Mayor Peterson also agreed to start construction on the most state-of-the-art and expensive stadiums in the NFL. The new stadium was projected to cost about $720 million with the expansion of the convention center, which will be attached to Lucas Oil Stadium, to bump the cost up to a projected $900 million. At the time the city of Indianapolis had an income budget of $542,692,697 and an expenditure budget of all $542,692,697, much less than required to build one of the most sophisticated stadiums in the country (www.indy.gov).
The plan that the city council had to fund the new stadium was, surprise, a new tax. They proposed the food and beverage tax as all that was necessary to fund construction and maintain upkeep of the new stadium. The food and beverage tax is a one percent tax on any food or beverage. For consumers that mean a tax on what they eat drink at restaurants, fast food place, or at the local deli. For the owners of these restaurants and delicatessens, this means a one percent tax on any equipment or product that is necessary to prepare and sell this food. So the ingredients, the oven or fryer, the utensils to cool the food, the packaging you intend to sell the food in, any utensils that the consumer needs to eat the food with, and the actual finished product being sold all has a one percent tax on it (www.in.gov pdf).
The actual amount of money needed was too much for just one county of 876,804 people, so the city council petitioned other counties that surround Marion to pass the food and beverage tax to lighten the burden (www.city-data.com). The bill was introduced to all the surrounding countries and was successful in almost all of the potential ten counties, only failing to pass in Morgan. Some other counties and towns throughout the state have formally requested that the bill be brought before their legislature and passed in the counties and towns of Allen, Carmel, Delaware, Martinsville, and Vanderburgh. Since its passage the food and beverage tax has raised in the past four years $141.8 million which is actually above projected values and has exceeded the expectations of the local legislature in all counties it passed in except for the central county of Marion. This could be due to the fact that the food and beverage tax was added onto the already existing food and beverage tax that was proposed to pay for the now demolished Market Square Arena and the fact that the taxpayers are disturbed that the money isn’t going to pay off the $75 million dollars still owed on the RCA Dome.
Many people are feeling déjà vu with the new food and beverage tax to fund the new Lucas Oil Stadium. Conseco Fieldhouse, the home of the Indiana Pacers, in Indianapolis was built in 1999 after the Indiana Pacer basketball organization threaten to leave the state and find some other city if Indianapolis did not build them a new stadium to play in. The city government caved and spent almost $30 million to build what is now Conseco Fieldhouse. Since then the Pacers have sunk to the bottom of the basketball world, having more felony convictions that world titles. We can only wonder if the same mediocrity is destined for the Colts and Lucas Oil Stadium.
Jim Irsay probably used the same principals of intimidation that the owners of the Pacers used back in the day to extort the city into wasting valuable tax money on a stadium. Smaller venues are often marked by sports teams because they are often much more ardent to spend more money in fear that the team will leave. He and city officials had spent years negotiating terms for the creation of a new stadium. When the Capital Improvement Board lobbied the Colts to front more of the starting cost and attempted to reopen negotiations with the Colts owner Jim Irsay said that "I'm not going to renegotiate. That's the bottom line. All we did was negotiate in good faith. We've done everything we can to have a great organization. We've lived up to our part. We've exceeded our part." Irsay then said that "In other words, we'll let you know what we want, when we want it. What you signed means nothing." Under the terms of the new lease, the Colts get a hold of forty percent of all concession, merchandise, and ticket sales in the stadium. They receive all the profit from companies who want to advertise inside the stadium. On top of all that they don’t have to pay rent or hire anyone to work in the stadium. All of the concession and ticket vendor, ushers, security, and janitors are all paid for generously by the taxpayers (www.indystar.com). With all the expenses that the Capital Improvement Board stuck the taxpayers with, their deficit has ballooned to a monstrous $78 million. Rob Grand the chairman of the CIB said "We're making guesses until we have actual numbers, We're bleeding cash right now, absolutely" (www. football.ballparks.com).
The increase in the CIB’s debt adds pressure to get Lucas Oil Stadium to start making money to pay for itself. Unfortunately, the increased size and the sheer cost of the state-of-the-art facility caused the fee to increase per square foot. In the RCA Dome the cost per square foot was thirteen cents and snow in Lucas Oil Stadium the same event must pay twenty-four cents per square foot. This drastic increase in the price per square foot has some events worried that they may have to relocate to another venue to turn a profit. The IHSAA has alerted the CIB that they are considering moving the state football championships away from Lucas Oil Stadium because of the raised rates.
The idea that the food and beverage tax would ever be able to fund Lucas Oil Stadium is and has always been a fantasy. It adds pennies to every transaction and will take well over the thirty years to pay off the Lucas Oil Stadium. It is proven that increasing taxes actually decreases the revenue of the government.
"Conseco Fieldhouse." Conseco Fieldhouse. Ballparks.com, 08 Aug. 2008. Web. 14 Aug. 2009.
"Food and Beverage Tax." Indiana Department of Revenue. July 2005. Web. 14 Aug. 2009.
"Http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/129711." Sports Business Daily. Street & Smith's Sports Group, 27 Apr. 2009. Web. 14 Aug. 2009.
"Lucas Oil Stadium." Lucas Oil Stadium. Ballparks.com, 15 Sept. 2008. Web. 14 Aug. 2009.
Fish, George. "Indianapolis' Extortion Dome." Solidarity. 31 July 2008. Web. 14 Aug. 2009.
McFeely, Dan. "Lucas Oil Stadium has shown success in bookings." IndyStar.com. 13 July 2009. Web. 14 Aug. 2009.
Ruthhart, Bill. "CIB answer likely won't include Colts, Pacers." Indy.com. Star Media, 29 Apr. 2009. Web. 14 Aug. 2009.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Game Plan
Daniel Shelton
dpshelton@blogspot.com
Eng. 201.501
Essay 2 Game Plan
400 words
I chose to pursue the second option where I investigate a point of interest. I chose this option because it will help me to become more aware of the world around me through exploration on what is now in the past but was once a major issue. The topic that I have chosen to write about is the creation of a food and beverage tax to fund the construction and maintenance of the new Lucas Oil Stadium in the city of Indianapolis. This paper is intended for the open-minded and sensible; for someone who believes that freedom comes from education and vigilance. This paper is for people who believe that they deserve to know how their hard earned money is being spent and if it is really being spent on what they were told it would be spent on. The best sources for this paper are obviously state and local websites that give a detailed budget layout and lists of income and expenditures through past fiscal years, the state senate and house along with local legislature records where they debated on the bill, websites that will outline the effects that the food and beverage tax has had on restaurants, soda companies, and grocery stores throughout the state. Process analysis will be the mode that will be most utilized in this paper, but cause and effect will be helpful when I talk about how businesses have been effect by the tax rise on most foods and soda. What I have so far are some of the debates from different legislatures from different counties, mostly surrounding Marion County, in Indiana that debated the need of a food and beverage tax. I have an article from the Evansville area that quotes mayor Weinzapfel condemning the passage of the food and beverage tax in Vanderburgh County. I plan to research more into how much money the state and local area governments bring in from the food and beverage tax, how much, if not all, goes to Lucas Oil Stadium, if the funds brought in from the new tax are not enough where does the state get the rest of the money, and how business in the areas that passed the food and beverage tax have fared, whether they have seen a decrease in business or no real change in the amount of business.
dpshelton@blogspot.com
Eng. 201.501
Essay 2 Game Plan
400 words
I chose to pursue the second option where I investigate a point of interest. I chose this option because it will help me to become more aware of the world around me through exploration on what is now in the past but was once a major issue. The topic that I have chosen to write about is the creation of a food and beverage tax to fund the construction and maintenance of the new Lucas Oil Stadium in the city of Indianapolis. This paper is intended for the open-minded and sensible; for someone who believes that freedom comes from education and vigilance. This paper is for people who believe that they deserve to know how their hard earned money is being spent and if it is really being spent on what they were told it would be spent on. The best sources for this paper are obviously state and local websites that give a detailed budget layout and lists of income and expenditures through past fiscal years, the state senate and house along with local legislature records where they debated on the bill, websites that will outline the effects that the food and beverage tax has had on restaurants, soda companies, and grocery stores throughout the state. Process analysis will be the mode that will be most utilized in this paper, but cause and effect will be helpful when I talk about how businesses have been effect by the tax rise on most foods and soda. What I have so far are some of the debates from different legislatures from different counties, mostly surrounding Marion County, in Indiana that debated the need of a food and beverage tax. I have an article from the Evansville area that quotes mayor Weinzapfel condemning the passage of the food and beverage tax in Vanderburgh County. I plan to research more into how much money the state and local area governments bring in from the food and beverage tax, how much, if not all, goes to Lucas Oil Stadium, if the funds brought in from the new tax are not enough where does the state get the rest of the money, and how business in the areas that passed the food and beverage tax have fared, whether they have seen a decrease in business or no real change in the amount of business.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Class Blog
1. (Description)
Something was strange as I stood at the end of the hallway in my dormitory. There wasn’t anything truly out of the ordinary but I got the sense that something big had just happened. I proceed down the hallway taking each step as if the floor would give out at any second. When I finally reached my door I paused for a second still feeling uneasy about something, although I was unsure about the cause. When I reached for my doorknob I felt a sudden chill run down my spine which chilled me to the bone and scared me into the room. As soon as I opened the door to the apartment, I knew that my roommate had played party host all weekend long.2. (Illustration)
There are many ways that the university bookstore takes advantage of students. Whenever I go in there I feel as though I am in an oppressed country where I have to beg for the smallest slice of bread. Whether it is something as small as a pencil, or something as large as a textbook they always act the same, as though they are giving you their arms and legs. The begging of the year you have to try and navigate either through the store itself or through the bookstore’s website, which is a needle in a haystack. After the first week you have to plead your case to them for the right book because, even though you clearly ordered it, they sent you the wrong textbook and they give an attitude that it is completely your fault and in no way are they responsible. As bad as the start is the ending is a hundred times worse, those million dollar textbooks that they sold you when you go to return them for your money back they insist that the textbook is only worth a small fraction of what it used to be, and after waiting for an hour in the line because they only have one person working the return counter for the whole student body, you are so frustrated that you will take any amount of money to get out of there.
3. Illistration
Whenever I go in there I feel as though I am in an oppressed country where I have to beg for the smallest slice of bread. Whether it is something as small as a pencil, or something as large as a textbook they always act the same, as though they are giving you their arms and legs. The begging of the year you have to try and navigate either through the store itself or through the bookstore’s website, which is a needle in a haystack. After the first week you have to plead your case to them for the right book because, even though you clearly ordered it, they sent you the wrong textbook and they give an attitude that it is completely your fault and in no way are they responsible. As bad as the start is the ending is a hundred times worse, those million dollar textbooks that they sold you when you go to return them for your money back they insist that the textbook is only worth a small fraction of what it used to be, and after waiting for an hour in the line because they only have one person working the return counter for the whole student body, you are so frustrated that you will take any amount of money to get out of there. When it was all said and done, I was just glad to call it a day.4.(Narration)
When I first met Fern, I knew immediately that she was a smoker. She was reeking of tobacco and her teeth were starting to stain yellow, and she had calices on her fingers from her cheap, quick stop Bic lighter. If that wasn’t all the evidence that I needed to condemn her to a slow painful lung cancer related death about halfway through the introduction she began to rummage through her purse, pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered me one. The nerve of this girl to think that I would even be remotely interested in following in her footsteps down that dark, lonely street, she had another thing coming. Her car wasn’t safe from her addiction, the inside smelled just like the exhaust pipe and it was riddled with used packs and empty butts scattered everywhere. 5. (Illustration)
My roommate has a very peculiar morning ritual. We call him cheese bread, because every morning at about five in the morning he will get out of bed to make three sandwiches with only cheese on them. In his have asleep state he doesn’t realize what he is doing, but he does it every morning at exactly the same time. I asked him one time why he does it and he was so unaware that he does it he thought that we were fooling around with him. So one night we videotaped him getting out of bed and preparing his three cheese bread sandwiches and showed it to him the next morning. He was amazed that he never knew that did such an odd ritual. He never did anything about it after that, so he just rises from his bed every morning at the same time to put together his favorite treats.6. (Narration)
Attending USI has changed my life in many ways. It has given me a new sense of confidence that can only be earned through the accomplishment of moving away from the nest and doing things for myself. Registering, attending, working, and paying my own bills with the help of my parents has been eye-opening for me in that I have a new understanding on life. I know now that you have to work hard to get the basic necessities and that you have to plan for the future because things happen out of the ordinary that could possibly have devastating effects. I thank USI for helping me to see my potential and for allowing me to be able to understand the world better.
Something was strange as I stood at the end of the hallway in my dormitory. There wasn’t anything truly out of the ordinary but I got the sense that something big had just happened. I proceed down the hallway taking each step as if the floor would give out at any second. When I finally reached my door I paused for a second still feeling uneasy about something, although I was unsure about the cause. When I reached for my doorknob I felt a sudden chill run down my spine which chilled me to the bone and scared me into the room. As soon as I opened the door to the apartment, I knew that my roommate had played party host all weekend long.2. (Illustration)
There are many ways that the university bookstore takes advantage of students. Whenever I go in there I feel as though I am in an oppressed country where I have to beg for the smallest slice of bread. Whether it is something as small as a pencil, or something as large as a textbook they always act the same, as though they are giving you their arms and legs. The begging of the year you have to try and navigate either through the store itself or through the bookstore’s website, which is a needle in a haystack. After the first week you have to plead your case to them for the right book because, even though you clearly ordered it, they sent you the wrong textbook and they give an attitude that it is completely your fault and in no way are they responsible. As bad as the start is the ending is a hundred times worse, those million dollar textbooks that they sold you when you go to return them for your money back they insist that the textbook is only worth a small fraction of what it used to be, and after waiting for an hour in the line because they only have one person working the return counter for the whole student body, you are so frustrated that you will take any amount of money to get out of there.
3. Illistration
Whenever I go in there I feel as though I am in an oppressed country where I have to beg for the smallest slice of bread. Whether it is something as small as a pencil, or something as large as a textbook they always act the same, as though they are giving you their arms and legs. The begging of the year you have to try and navigate either through the store itself or through the bookstore’s website, which is a needle in a haystack. After the first week you have to plead your case to them for the right book because, even though you clearly ordered it, they sent you the wrong textbook and they give an attitude that it is completely your fault and in no way are they responsible. As bad as the start is the ending is a hundred times worse, those million dollar textbooks that they sold you when you go to return them for your money back they insist that the textbook is only worth a small fraction of what it used to be, and after waiting for an hour in the line because they only have one person working the return counter for the whole student body, you are so frustrated that you will take any amount of money to get out of there. When it was all said and done, I was just glad to call it a day.4.(Narration)
When I first met Fern, I knew immediately that she was a smoker. She was reeking of tobacco and her teeth were starting to stain yellow, and she had calices on her fingers from her cheap, quick stop Bic lighter. If that wasn’t all the evidence that I needed to condemn her to a slow painful lung cancer related death about halfway through the introduction she began to rummage through her purse, pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered me one. The nerve of this girl to think that I would even be remotely interested in following in her footsteps down that dark, lonely street, she had another thing coming. Her car wasn’t safe from her addiction, the inside smelled just like the exhaust pipe and it was riddled with used packs and empty butts scattered everywhere. 5. (Illustration)
My roommate has a very peculiar morning ritual. We call him cheese bread, because every morning at about five in the morning he will get out of bed to make three sandwiches with only cheese on them. In his have asleep state he doesn’t realize what he is doing, but he does it every morning at exactly the same time. I asked him one time why he does it and he was so unaware that he does it he thought that we were fooling around with him. So one night we videotaped him getting out of bed and preparing his three cheese bread sandwiches and showed it to him the next morning. He was amazed that he never knew that did such an odd ritual. He never did anything about it after that, so he just rises from his bed every morning at the same time to put together his favorite treats.6. (Narration)
Attending USI has changed my life in many ways. It has given me a new sense of confidence that can only be earned through the accomplishment of moving away from the nest and doing things for myself. Registering, attending, working, and paying my own bills with the help of my parents has been eye-opening for me in that I have a new understanding on life. I know now that you have to work hard to get the basic necessities and that you have to plan for the future because things happen out of the ordinary that could possibly have devastating effects. I thank USI for helping me to see my potential and for allowing me to be able to understand the world better.
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