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comment by cliffelam
cliffelam  ·  4167 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Spending taxpayer dollars on sports stadiums will not help Detroit | Michigan Radio

I'll try.

But, rationally, there is no money to spend. It's like a homeless person deciding medical school is his way out of poverty. Maybe so, but there's no way he's starting in September.

-XC





b_b  ·  4166 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Except that it's not the city paying. It may not benefit the city in the end; time will tell. But either way, no money is coming from the city's tax collections. The money is coming from a mix of private capital and state issued bonds, which are basically safe. Detroit's finances and Michigan's finances are quite different.

cliffelam  ·  4166 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Bonds are a tax on citizens of the state. And watch out for that "private capital" - it's often paid for by guarantees, or easements on future revenue, etc.

If there's no capital, you can't do capital projects. Even smart ones (if this is smart).

-C