The Las Vegas Raiders - are you F*cking kidding me.

[patfanken]

Today is just another in a series of dark days for the NFL. Today the Nevada legislature OK'd a $750,000.000 gift to build ANOTHER albatross of a stadium so a wealthy winner of the genetic lottery can make even MORE money. So even though there are still a lot of details to come before it will be made final, Mark Davis today thanked the legislature he bribed, and the Governor he bribed for building him a new home for Raider Nation.

So at a time when school funding is being cut, medical costs are rising, the middle class is shrinking, and the LAST thing so call "public servants" should be doing is giving away 3 quarters of BILLION dollars to another billionaire. What an unnecessary waste, when that kind of money could do so much. Especially when we know so well that if you really WANT to, an owner can build a stadium with his own money and not only survive, but thrive.

Now the other owners are probably going to give him the 24 votes to move his team simply because they will get THEIR pound of flesh to watch their league become the WWE of football, and god knows no one will ever question the results of an NFL game, just because they have a team in the gambling capital of the world. The credibility of the NFL has never been higher.

Davis' remarks seem to indicate that the owner's vote is already a done deal. HOWEVER, I would like to think that the guy who built his own stadium WITHOUT taxpayer money would at least symbolically cast a no vote when the time comes. So to that end, if some knew how to put together a petition to ask him to vote against the move, I'd be the first to sign.

 

[Kontradiction]

Why would Kraft cast a "no" vote when such a move would no doubt line his own pockets?

 

[obgod3]

Wth the amount of tax dollars used for lots of things in Vegas this is a drop in the bucket. Im not saying it is right but it doesn't measure up to all the money that goes to or tax deals made for major construction projects on the strip.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Why would Kraft cast a "no" vote when such a move would no doubt line his own pockets?

Exactly. What's 1/31 of the relocation fee?

 

[ViperGTS]

Exactly. What's 1/31 of the relocation fee?

What is enough to throw your star QB under the bus, Alex?

 

[aluminum seats]

Cities spending billions of dollars to build stadiums when the NFL is drowning in money is pretty damn revolting.

Reminds me of Belichick's contempt when they said they couldn't afford to put in goal line cameras...

 

[Gwedd]

While I understand the loathing that goes along with this story, it isn't worth a bucket of warm spit compared to the way the taxpayers are raped in order to provide welfare for illegals, as well as let them file for the EIC on their tax returns, when they don't pay taxes to start with, and thus recoup a few thousand more from the taxpayers.

At the least, in a mind-numbingly ironic kind of way, you can see that at least by building and running the stadium you are providing jobs for illegals, though even then I suspect that much of their pay is still under the table.

 

[patsfan-1982]

we have to pay taxes that's life so what that said I don't care what people do with money that is not my money, as for the state paying that much to bring a NFL team there its a no brainer. millions of people go to vegas for Super Bowl week just to party can you imagine what that city will be like If they are hosting it ? they will make that billion back in that week alone, the only people really getting hurt here is the city and fans of Oakland

 

[turkeyneck]

HOWEVER, I would like to think that the guy who built his own stadium WITHOUT taxpayer money would at least symbolically cast a no vote when the time comes.

This is one of the key things that has set the other owners against Kraft. They hate - HATE - that he did this when they are all trying to gull taxpayers in their cities for the price of a new stadium every 5-10 years.

 

[luuked]

It's like Cuban said.. the league will eat itself up and screw up one big moneymaker due to greed..

 

[Lavictoire]

Didn't Kraft try to get public funding at first and threaten to move?

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Didn't Kraft try to get public funding at first and threaten to move?

Yes, he did.

He tried to get public funding to build a stadium on the Southie waterfront, failed (one of the few good things Finneran ever did), then signed an agreement to move to Hartford, then backed out of it, then struck an agreement for the state to spend $70mil on US-1 upgrades that Kraft would have to pay back over 20 or 30 years.

 

[Delicate Genius]

After seeing Mark Davis' haircut I refuse to believe this man is rich.

 

[ALP]

While I understand the loathing that goes along with this story, it isn't worth a bucket of warm spit compared to the way the taxpayers are raped in order to provide welfare for illegals, as well as let them file for the EIC on their tax returns, when they don't pay taxes to start with, and thus recoup a few thousand more from the taxpayers.

At the least, in a mind-numbingly ironic kind of way, you can see that at least by building and running the stadium you are providing jobs for illegals, though even then I suspect that much of their pay is still under the table.

if thats your gripe, you really don't want to look into how much taxes are being avoided by the corporations and the millionaires and the billionaires of this country!!!

 

[MainePatsFan26]

While I understand the loathing that goes along with this story, it isn't worth a bucket of warm spit compared to the way the taxpayers are raped in order to provide welfare for illegals, as well as let them file for the EIC on their tax returns, when they don't pay taxes to start with, and thus recoup a few thousand more from the taxpayers.

At the least, in a mind-numbingly ironic kind of way, you can see that at least by building and running the stadium you are providing jobs for illegals, though even then I suspect that much of their pay is still under the table.

Why did a post with a sentiment we can all agree with -- giving billionaires a free stadium is crazy -- get replaced by polarizing attacks that demonize phantom illegals as the reason for our woes.

This election season is disheartening enough without dragging PatsFans into a debate over whether financial exploitation should be comparable with rape. Rape is an intensely personal and intimate violation and the fact you suggest it is the same thing as losing a bit of money really shows how out of touch you are with rape culture.

Also, do you not agree -- in the very least -- that building a stadium can provide jobs for citizens and not exclusively your phantom travelling caravan of Mexicans flocking to Las Vegas?

Stay classy, my friend.

 

[oldrover]

Why did a post with a sentiment we can all agree with -- giving billionaires a free stadium is crazy -- get replaced by polarizing attacks that demonize phantom illegals as the reason for our woes.

This election season is disheartening enough without dragging PatsFans into a debate over whether financial exploitation should be comparable with rape. Rape is an intensely personal and intimate violation and the fact you suggest it is the same thing as losing a bit of money really shows how out of touch you are with rape culture.

Also, do you not agree -- in the very least -- that building a stadium can provide jobs for citizens and not exclusively your phantom travelling caravan of Mexicans flocking to Las Vegas?

Stay classy, my friend.

Nice job not continuing to polarize.

 

[RedSleevesPinkStripes]

Gotta feel for the good Oakland fans. Plenty are scum but plenty are great, passionate football diehards. Imagine if the St. Louis Patriots actually happened.. Ugh poor guys and gals.. I guess they're sort of used to it by now though..

 

[Pats2000]

While I understand the loathing that goes along with this story, it isn't worth a bucket of warm spit compared to the way the taxpayers are raped in order to provide welfare for illegals, as well as let them file for the EIC on their tax returns, when they don't pay taxes to start with, and thus recoup a few thousand more from the taxpayers.

At the least, in a mind-numbingly ironic kind of way, you can see that at least by building and running the stadium you are providing jobs for illegals, though even then I suspect that much of their pay is still under the table.

That might be the dumbest **** I've heard today. The bank bailouts and welfare for the super wealthy make any money paid out to Welfare for the poor look like pennies...

 

[Deus Irae]

While I understand the loathing that goes along with this story, it isn't worth a bucket of warm spit compared to the way the taxpayers are raped in order to provide welfare for illegals, as well as let them file for the EIC on their tax returns, when they don't pay taxes to start with, and thus recoup a few thousand more from the taxpayers.

At the least, in a mind-numbingly ironic kind of way, you can see that at least by building and running the stadium you are providing jobs for illegals, though even then I suspect that much of their pay is still under the table.

Why did a post with a sentiment we can all agree with -- giving billionaires a free stadium is crazy -- get replaced by polarizing attacks that demonize phantom illegals as the reason for our woes.

This election season is disheartening enough without dragging PatsFans into a debate over whether financial exploitation should be comparable with rape. Rape is an intensely personal and intimate violation and the fact you suggest it is the same thing as losing a bit of money really shows how out of touch you are with rape culture.

Also, do you not agree -- in the very least -- that building a stadium can provide jobs for citizens and not exclusively your phantom travelling caravan of Mexicans flocking to Las Vegas?

Stay classy, my friend.

That might be the dumbest **** I've heard today. The bank bailouts and welfare for the super wealthy make any money paid out to Welfare for the poor look like pennies...

Enough with this crap, already. There's a political forum, should you feel the need to vent in that direction.

 

[patfanken]

Didn't Kraft try to get public funding at first and threaten to move?

No, he threatened to move when Bill Weld set him up with a lot of promises he couldn't keep when he wanted to build a stadium in South Boston along with the convention center, etc. Kraft thought he'd been made a sucker of. He was definitely pissed and the Governor of CT seeing this thought he could get the stadium built in Hartford and steal the Pats from MA. So he offered not only to build the ENTIRE stadium on the taxpayer's dime, he guaranteed the sellout revenue, whether they sold out or not. So if Kraft were REALLY just in it for the money, he would have taken that outrageous deal. BTW- I'm not sure but IIRC, that nut bag governor was later indicted of something.

It was THEN when the chances were real that the Pats might go, the legislature finally passed the bill that would help pay the immediate cost of the logistical stuff that is usually given to every private big construction project. BTW- Kraft paid THAT money back over 10 years or so, with parking money. So in the end the state didn't have to pay a dime for that stadium, and still gets 5% of that $200+MM payroll every year they generate from the stadium every year.

So the myth is Kraft used the CT. to extort a deal from MA, but the reality is when all you are asking the legislature to do is what they do for EVERY big construction project, vs a totally free stadium plus guaranteed revenue, that's extortion in reverse. The State of MA does very well from the money generated at the stadium and all the businesses at Patriot Place.