How many times is the Kansas City Star going to float this absurd, outrageously expensive, completely unnecessary idea that we need to somehow vacate our perfectly good, very usable ballpark for the Kansas City Royals and build a new one in the middle of our downtown?
For the love of God.
Let me quickly get to all the reasons is beyond not a good idea but a patently, thoroughly bad one.
--It would be outrageously expensive. It would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to do. Hundreds of millions.
--We already, obviously, have a very good, very state of the art, already-functioning ballpark, thanks very much.
--The parking for the new stadium, God forbid, downtown would be ridiculously difficult in and of itself.
--It would further complicate parking downtown.
--We just got finished, not that many years ago, paying for a renovation of the present ballpark to the tune of 250 million dollars. I don't even know if that is yet paid off. Paid or no, we just did this.
--Kansas City taxes are already high.
Kansas City sales tax tops in the nation
Even the Star rightly recognizes how high our taxes already are--
On the following list, we are the city with the 9th highest taxes of any other in the nation.
Kansas City serves up nation’s 12th-highest taxes on diners
Heck, taxes are high if you even just visit here. We even penalize visitors.
--As bad as parking already is downtown, again, a new, downtown ballpark would sit empty most of the year.
--Downtown already works. What, exactly, at this high a price, are we fixing here or trying to fix?
--We would WALK AWAY from a totally, completely functioning, attractive, successful baseball stadium now.
You would think every Right Winger, Republican and Libertarian, all, at least, would be screaming bloody murder about this. More taxes, in whatever form we call them? To build another baseball stadium? When we have a good one lots of us love already? That's easy to access? That's easy to park at? That's easy to exit from and get home? Seriously?
And then, get this. Dave Helling down at the Star pointed out this week in our local paper that the old bi-state tax still exists, at least on paper. It's still available. Not only could we pay for a new baseball stadium WE DON'T NEED, downtown, where it would be difficult to get to, difficult to park at, then difficult to leave, WHEN WE ALREADY HAVE A FANTASTIC MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL STADIUM, but---get this--WE COULD GET JOHNSON COUNTIANS AND KANSANS TO HELP US PAY FOR IT!!
YES!!
By all means, LET'S BUILD A NEW, UNNECESSARY, VERY EXPENSIVE NEW BALLPARK DOWNTOWN THAT SOLVES NOT ONE PROBLEM WE HAVE NOW!!
SURE!!
LET'S!!
Or...
maybe not.
Please. For the love of God, common sense and all that is good.
It's difficult we have to even say this.
These people that want a new ballpark downtown---
Do you suppose they haven't driven down Wornall lately? Heck, Ward Parkway? 63rd Street.
Could we please, please be fiscally and yes, environmentally responsible and not further even explore this bonehead idea?
Please, Kansas City Star?
I mean, we know you need readers but get out and report on fascinating, accomplished, accomplishing area citizens.
Let this absurd idea die.
This is beautiful. It works. Leave it alone.
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