GOP to introduce “We Built This!” slogan in taxpayer-built arena

[California Girl]

Oh, the "irony"

"Conservatives" don't do irony.

Oh, we definitely do.... but it appears from this thread that the left struggle with it.

 

[Erand7899]

wow...you see all of that? You must be the Amazing Carnac. I see a taxpayer funded building that wouldn't exist without public dollars....That a business profited off of and gave some good people decent jobs for a while.

Do you honestly think that government has its own money?

That money comes from us.

It comes from businesses. It comes from communities. It is often seed money from an investor that builds that kind of building.

What it is NOT is something government built.

Honestly I don't know what you are talking about. Obama never said government built business. He said government, meaning "all of us", built those roads and sewers and bridges and all the other infrastructure that helped build business. It's common sense. Take off your partisan blinders and THINK about it.

You should follow your own advice and take off the blinders. Yes, we the taxpayers, do build infrastructure, because we find it in our self interest to drive on good roads, cross rivers on good bridges, have solid jails and adequate court houses, etc. And, yes that infrastructure does enable more efficient businesses. What you fail to consider is that none of that infrastructure has built, or contributed to the building of any business not involved in the building of infrastructure.

Businesses are started and built by people willing to risk their wealth in a venture that they believe will generate a reasonable return on their investment. No labor is involved until the capital is put up, and the venture started. Most small businesses are started by individuals with an idea that they are willing to mortgage their house, take out their savings, and borrow from friends and neighbors to finance. Most fail, and all those who put up the money lose. Most successful small businessmen have failed in business at least once, and some several times, before they find success.

 

[SniperFire]

The Post Office is an example of what government employee unions can do to a business. UPS and FEDEX employees make as much as postal service employees and they aren't losing billions of dollars a year. And, they are not allowed by law to process first class mail, even though they do transport a helluva lot of mail and packages on contract for the USPS.

You left something out. What other business is forced to prepay 5.5 billion dollars EVERY year to pre-pay well in advance for retirement benefits? How much do you think lobbyists for UPS and FED EX paid for that little gem of legislation? And you KNOW that those two companies would not deliver mail anywhere they deemed "unprofitable". You want to know what I don't understand, when did you morons on the right decide that EVERYTHING must have a profit motive behind it? Some things work better in a non-profit scenario, and they are ALWAYS cheaper and more efficient.

Like... the Post Office?


LOLOLOLOLOL

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

I wonder if the Tea Party idiots holding those "WE BUILT THIS" signs, in a building that as the OP said was paid for by the government (taxpayers) realize one other thing: All those government employees they love to hate? Yeah, those folks paid fucking taxes just they everyone else out of their checks. The Tampa cops paid taxes towards all that shit. So did Tampa teachers. And Tampa public sanitation workers.

Sometimes right wingers forget that. That even govt employees pay taxes. Hell, they probably pay a higher rate than most rich people.

Their contributions don't count. Only business's contributions count.

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

I posted the full quote several posts back and I can read what it says. However, logic and common sense tell most people he didn't articulate what he was saying well at all so it's being jumped on as something it isn't. Are we saying the same things because I'm getting confused? A gaffe to me means he incorrectly stated what he really meant to say. I'm defending him and also pointing out that others (people and government) help people build businesses. Certainly each business owner owes a lot of credit to himself/herself but it is a joint effort in many respects.

He really meant to say that businesses did not build the infrastructure as individuals, but rather, it was something we did collectively as a group. And that is what he said. For anyone who didn't get it, he summarizes with "The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together" I don't really see how he could be any clearer.


You think any of these right wing wacks were watching the president when he made that comment, and said "OMG! I can't believe it!" They got their marching orders from the right wing media and Romney, who shaved the comments down to a single sentence with a dangling antecedent, and told people the way they should feel about it. By the time righties actually saw the context it didn't matter - their feelings were already set.

You'll see many of them say it doesn't matter what Obama says, it only matters what they feel about him. The right of today is the most emotionally driven element of American politics since the civil war

I was watching it,

Sure, after Hannity or Cavuto or some other similar fucktard already told you what to feel about it. You watch FOX news. They don't play clips of anyone saying anything without first suggesting how you should feel about it. I doubt you'd be that retarded all on your own.

and all the damage control in the world you partisan hacks attempt will not change what Obama said, and what Obama meant... On videotape. You have to be a short bus regular to think it had anything to do with infrastructure... But we all know... If you disagree with Obama, you're a racist. It's laughably Preposterous.

My bad, I thought roads were infrastructure. What was I thinking.

 

[tyroneweaver]

"We Built This" (the GOP's "Call Me Maybe"), is the catchphrase of the season, and it'll be a major theme of the Republican National Convention at the end of this month. The irony? They'll be holding that convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum, formerly the Tampa Bay Ice Palace, which was publicly financed.

GOP Will Tout 'We Built This' In Arena Built With Public Funds - Politics - The Atlantic Wire

Oh, the "irony".

Republicans will probably win because the rest of America is more interested in Kim Kardashian.

So where did they get the money from to build it Einstein.

 

[Lakhota]

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

The ARENA is the home of the Tampa Bay Lighting and is owned by Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment LLC.

No it isn't. Its operated by Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment LLC, not owned by it.
The public owns it. Moron.

 

[Mac1958]

.

So they're still pushing the notion that public funds built the Arena?

Third time: Revenue bonds.

Let's see if that sticks.

.

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

.

So they're still pushing the notion that public funds built the arena?

Third time: revenue bonds.

let's see if that sticks.

.

backed by tax dollars

 

[Mac1958]

.

So they're still pushing the notion that public funds built the arena?

Third time: revenue bonds.

let's see if that sticks.

.

backed by tax dollars

How are revenue bonds backed by tax dollars?

.

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

.

So they're still pushing the notion that public funds built the arena?

Third time: revenue bonds.

let's see if that sticks.

.

backed by tax dollars

How are revenue bonds backed by tax dollars?

.

The St. Petersburg Times reported on January 8, 1996 (via Nexis): "Financing for the arena was completed in August with the closing in New York on seven bond issues. Sales taxes, tourist development taxes, and ticket surcharges will be used to repay the bonds. Permanent financing includes $84 million in bonds backed by the city of Tampa and Hillsborough County, and another $60 million worth backed by the Lightning."

Fox-Approved Convention Theme Contradicted By Publicly Financed Site | Blog | Media Matters for America

 

[Mac1958]

backed by tax dollars

How are revenue bonds backed by tax dollars?

.

The St. Petersburg Times reported on January 8, 1996 (via Nexis): "Financing for the arena was completed in August with the closing in New York on seven bond issues. Sales taxes, tourist development taxes, and ticket surcharges will be used to repay the bonds. Permanent financing includes $84 million in bonds backed by the city of Tampa and Hillsborough County, and another $60 million worth backed by the Lightning."

Fox-Approved Convention Theme Contradicted By Publicly Financed Site | Blog | Media Matters for America

This is precisely what I pointed out in an earlier post. A small portion of the dollars came from tourist and non-ad valorem taxes. These taxes are not "backing" anything. They go into the mix.

In a revenue bond issue, a vast majority of the funding comes from the sale of the bonds to investors. To pretend that the arena is either funded by tax dollars or "backed" by tax dollars (tax dollars do not guarantee the issue, for example) is intellectually dishonest at best.

Which is normal in partisan politics, I'm afraid.

.

 

[Too Tall]

The Post Office is an example of what government employee unions can do to a business. UPS and FEDEX employees make as much as postal service employees and they aren't losing billions of dollars a year. And, they are not allowed by law to process first class mail, even though they do transport a helluva lot of mail and packages on contract for the USPS.

You left something out. What other business is forced to prepay 5.5 billion dollars EVERY year to pre-pay well in advance for retirement benefits? How much do you think lobbyists for UPS and FED EX paid for that little gem of legislation? And you KNOW that those two companies would not deliver mail anywhere they deemed "unprofitable". You want to know what I don't understand, when did you morons on the right decide that EVERYTHING must have a profit motive behind it? Some things work better in a non-profit scenario, and they are ALWAYS cheaper and more efficient.

All corporations are required to fund their retirement programs dumbass. The Post Office has a monopoly on first class mail and is supposed to make a profit to in order to stay in business.

 

[Steelplate]

Without the investor, be it big business or small business, there will be no demand for labor.

without a market for goods and services, there would be no demand for investment. The vast majority of our country IS LABOR. They are the ones that buy the shit that business makes and services. NOT the wealthy....sure, they buy shit....but they are so few in number that they don't make a bit of difference in our economy as consumers. Disposable income for the working class is the only way to get the economy to get back to a "main street" economy instead of a "Wall Street" economy. Because the DJIA can be as high as a kite, but it doesn't amount to a hill of beans if the majority of our people can't afford to buy shit.

Here is where you fail. Well, you fail all the time, but I digress.

Our economy is not a zero sum fishbowl.

We are only 5% of the world population, and the market is literally 100% of world population.

2 billion or so people in the world make products they could never hope to afford. They prove that capital and investment does not have to overpay grunt labor to be successful.

See, since about the dawn of the industrial age, labor has been capital's lil' bitch.

wait. It's been slowly happening over the past 30 years. It's been temporarily delayed by employing tactics such as easy credit, outsourcing, and keeping interest rates artificially low, but make no mistake....the marginalization of our labor force over the decades is catching up to us. You can blame Obama, social programs and all the other bullshit you guys tend to do, but the simple fact is that when people can't afford to live in their own country, there's no room for them to buy niceties no matter how cheaply they are produced.

As far as your "lil bitch" comment? It just goes to show what you stand for and how shallow your ideas are. I find it amusing how the most productive period of time in our country was when big business made a little bit less and the workforce was treated with respect, both financially and relationally.

You want a society of haves and have nots. You want a Banana Republic for a country. Go look up the quality of life in those places. It's great if you are part of the ruling class.....if you are a "grunt" life sucks. Why is this your vision of America? Why do you think this is what America needs?

 

[Too Tall]

without a market for goods and services, there would be no demand for investment. The vast majority of our country IS LABOR. They are the ones that buy the shit that business makes and services. NOT the wealthy....sure, they buy shit....but they are so few in number that they don't make a bit of difference in our economy as consumers. Disposable income for the working class is the only way to get the economy to get back to a "main street" economy instead of a "Wall Street" economy. Because the DJIA can be as high as a kite, but it doesn't amount to a hill of beans if the majority of our people can't afford to buy shit.

Here is where you fail. Well, you fail all the time, but I digress.

Our economy is not a zero sum fishbowl.

We are only 5% of the world population, and the market is literally 100% of world population.

2 billion or so people in the world make products they could never hope to afford. They prove that capital and investment does not have to overpay grunt labor to be successful.

See, since about the dawn of the industrial age, labor has been capital's lil' bitch.

wait. It's been slowly happening over the past 30 years. It's been temporarily delayed by employing tactics such as easy credit, outsourcing, and keeping interest rates artificially low, but make no mistake....the marginalization of our labor force over the decades is catching up to us. You can blame Obama, social programs and all the other bullshit you guys tend to do, but the simple fact is that when people can't afford to live in their own country, there's no room for them to buy niceties no matter how cheaply they are produced.

As far as your "lil bitch" comment? It just goes to show what you stand for and how shallow your ideas are. I find it amusing how the most productive period of time in our country was when big business made a little bit less and the workforce was treated with respect, both financially and relationally.

You want a society of haves and have nots. You want a Banana Republic for a country. Go look up the quality of life in those places. It's great if you are part of the ruling class.....if you are a "grunt" life sucks. Why is this your vision of America? Why do you think this is what America needs?

I have traveled on business to 26 foreign countries and have seen Banana Republics in real time. Life for a 'grunt' in the US is a thousand times better than what I have seen first hand in some of these third world countries. Maybe you need to look up the quality of life in those places.

 

[SniperFire]

without a market for goods and services, there would be no demand for investment. The vast majority of our country IS LABOR. They are the ones that buy the shit that business makes and services. NOT the wealthy....sure, they buy shit....but they are so few in number that they don't make a bit of difference in our economy as consumers. Disposable income for the working class is the only way to get the economy to get back to a "main street" economy instead of a "Wall Street" economy. Because the DJIA can be as high as a kite, but it doesn't amount to a hill of beans if the majority of our people can't afford to buy shit.

Here is where you fail. Well, you fail all the time, but I digress.

Our economy is not a zero sum fishbowl.

We are only 5% of the world population, and the market is literally 100% of world population.

2 billion or so people in the world make products they could never hope to afford. They prove that capital and investment does not have to overpay grunt labor to be successful.

See, since about the dawn of the industrial age, labor has been capital's lil' bitch.

wait. It's been slowly happening over the past 30 years. It's been temporarily delayed by employing tactics such as easy credit, outsourcing, and keeping interest rates artificially low, but make no mistake....the marginalization of our labor force over the decades is catching up to us. You can blame Obama, social programs and all the other bullshit you guys tend to do, but the simple fact is that when people can't afford to live in their own country, there's no room for them to buy niceties no matter how cheaply they are produced.

As far as your "lil bitch" comment? It just goes to show what you stand for and how shallow your ideas are. I find it amusing how the most productive period of time in our country was when big business made a little bit less and the workforce was treated with respect, both financially and relationally.

You want a society of haves and have nots. You want a Banana Republic for a country. Go look up the quality of life in those places. It's great if you are part of the ruling class.....if you are a "grunt" life sucks. Why is this your vision of America? Why do you think this is what America needs?

Ther is your normal pantload of weepy class warfare talking points wrapped in there, which really makes you hardly worth educating.

But i will address your stupid shit in red above.

We are only 5% of the world population, but we used to be something like 50% of the entire consumer market.

What we want, asshole, is not to become a Banana Republic. Between China and India alone, there are something upwards of 2-3 billion new CONSUMERS coming online. What we want is to service emerging markets which will eventually dwarf the US markets. With only 5% of the population, we could never HOPE to have enough workers to provide goods and services to even small niches in these emerging world markets.

That said, your grand-daddys machine shop job is gone forever. Nimble entrepreneurs will emerge - as soon as the Leftists remove their jackboot from our necks - to meet the needs. The death spiral of dependency and handouts will fail. We have no choice but to move forward.

 

[Darkwind]

It is always amusing to see a rational argument like mine shooting down the talking points of the left, and then watching as they ignore it and move on with their already debunked talking points.

Think about what it is you are defending progressives...

You are defending the subordination of the individual and the creativity of the individual in favor of a lie, so that you can promote your own slavery to the state.

And for this, you think that the right is stupid and that you are on the correct side of the argument.

I find this display of oppression telling.

 

[JDzBrain]

The ARENA is the home of the Tampa Bay Lighting and is owned by Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment LLC.

No it isn't. Its operated by Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment LLC, not owned by it.
The public owns it. Moron.

.

So they're still pushing the notion that public funds built the arena?

Third time: revenue bonds.

let's see if that sticks.

.

backed by tax dollars

Tampa Bay Sports And Entertainment LLC Closes on Purchase of Tampa Bay Lightning
Jeff Vinik Becomes Owner

The government paid 62% and the Tampa Bay Lightning paid 38% of the funding for the venue's construction and infrastructure. The government raised their part of the 120 million by issuing MUNICIPAL BONDS, sold to the public....NOT TAX DOLLARS fool and the Lightning actually had ASSETS they used to finance their part!

Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment, LLC OWNS the Tampa Bay Lighting and it's assets, which INCLUDE a 38% stake in the Ice Palace. Leasing of the arena belongs to the Tampa Bay Lightning ownership and they ARE the majority owner of the arena...PERIOD!

OohPooPooMee...you are quit possibly either the most intellectually dishonest or just plain ignorant person I've ever encountered on any internet forum. DESPITE what you've heard, there really ARE some thoughts that should not be expressed publicly. ESPECIALLY if they come echoing out of the bottom of a bottle of Jack Daniels!

I think your handlers at Media Matters are pissin' good money after bad. Seems to me, the ability for their TROLLS to actually converse intelligently would better serve their purposes. YOU ain't getting that done...MORON!

 

[thanatos144]

The op it seems doesn't really get the irony of his stupidity.