I stole the following Op-ed From the News & Record in its entirety: Of course, I couldn't let such stupidity stand without comment so I added a few.
"During the debate about a performing arts center downtown, it’s important to keep in mind one critical fact: It’s all about creating jobs and economic development. We are struggling to climb out of the worst recession in our lifetimes, and Greensboro still lags behind our peer cities in unemployment, which is around 10 percent. While we may disagree on specific strategies to create, grow and retain jobs, we can all agree that we need to be doing everything possible."
Everything possible, that pathetic waste of money Louise Brady and the rest of Greensboro's elites are foaming at the mouth about is a drop in the bucket as to what is possible for Greensboro? The problem is: Greensboro's elites have no vision, no leadership.
"After studying the facts around building a performing arts center downtown, the task force has learned:
* Building a new arts center downtown will have significant economic impact, create jobs and generate new private investment."
Chum would be a better word. Carry on Louise.
* "There is tremendous market demand for an arts center, and there is interest from the private sector to financially support one. Also, our local arts infrastructure can be enhanced and stabilized by creating the center."
Purely supposition. First that private sector money: Even the Greensboro City Council professes not to know if the money is real. The only guy who claims to know is Walker Sanders and even his own wife refuses to vouch for him. As for local arts. There is great fear among much of our local arts infrastructure that the money pit created by GPAC will take money away from our arts infrastructure and when you consider that the Greensboro Coliseum Management chosen to operate GPAC has lost money every year for the last 50 years it's easy to understand their concerns.
* "Our existing facility, War Memorial Auditorium, has lived its useful life and must be replaced. It cannot be renovated. If our community wants to have a performing arts facility, and our research demonstrates that it does, then we must move forward to remain competitive with our peer cities."
Are these people on drugs or were they just born stupid? Why compete with our peer cities when we have the chance to blow them out of the water! Quit slapping and kick some economic ass you bunch of panty wastes!. The aquarium will probably need the War Memorial Auditorium property for shuttle parking anyway.
"An arts center in downtown Greensboro needs to be a key piece of the city’s strategy on economic development. And the data from the task force’s studies is unmistakable:"
Yeah right! Might I add that the economic impact study appears to have been done by the same morons who botched the entire downtown parking study. Time for finger-painting class kiddies.
* "Construction creates a one-time $28.6 million economic impact, including 1,277 construction jobs.
* Economic impact would range from $7.3 million to $10.1 million by the third year, and would support 268 jobs."
That would be 268 mostly minimum wage jobs. Take a look at the kinds of jobs a Downtown Greensboro Aquarium would bring. And more of them.
* "Two-thirds of the activities at the new center will be new or expanded, versus current offerings at War Memorial Auditorium, and these dollars are new to the community.
We know from the experience of other communities, such as Durham and Greenville, S.C., that these types of facilities not only revitalized their downtowns but also attracted new businesses to their communities, thereby creating new jobs. Major projects in downtown Greensboro over the last decade show that for every dollar the city government invested, the private sector invested $13. And our research indicates that approximately 300,000 patrons will attend performances at the new facility, not to mention the performers and crews who will spend their dollars in Greensboro and the Triad."
Let me see, that's 300,000 who come for a few hours vs a very conservative estimate of over 1 Million visitors a year some of which will vacation here. Do the math, Louise.
"The existing arts system in Greensboro is a huge economic engine, generating $118 million in economic impact annually in Guilford County. However, its infrastructure is delicate and significantly undercapitalized. The arts center must be a key component in the stabilization of our arts community as a whole."
Now let me get that straight, you want to take money away from "a huge economic engine, generating $118 million in economic impact annually" whose "infrastructure is delicate and significantly undercapitalized" and give it to the management of the Greensboro Coliseum who has lost money every year for the last 50 years? And that's supposed to help the local arts? Honey, what have you been smoking?
"Our community has been engaged as never before in the discussions around this project. It is critical to maintain this momentum if we are to be successful. Leaders in other communities have told us that it takes courage, passion and vision to undertake a project such as this. Greensboro has watched as Charlotte, Raleigh, and now Durham have dreamed big and realized tremendous success. Now, it’s Greensboro’s turn to have its transformative moment."
We're enraged because you and your kind have been trying to ram this idea down our throats with lie after lie to support more lies and suppositions that simply won't hold water. Just like with everything else you and your kind have sold us over the years. And dreaming big is not following in others' footsteps, dreaming big is taking the lead-- something the Task Force and Mayor Robbie Perkins have not shown an ability to do. You see, you can't lead with lies and subterfuge, you can only lead with ideas and by fufilling people's needs, with research by showing people there's something in it for them, give them a reason to grow the airport and sell more water from that money loosing Randalman Dam Scam.
And you lead by not forcing issues down people's throats no matter how many mayors of other cities tell you otherwise. You see, while all those mayors are happy to tell you about the successes of their downtowns, none of them are talking about the neighborhood slums each and every one of them have helped to create. And they never will just like Robbie Perkins never will when he abandons Greensboro's communities just like he abandoned not one but 2 families of his own children for his own personal gain.
"I believe that our community wants, needs and deserves this project to happen. Please join with us to make our much-needed downtown arts center a reality."
Seriously, Louise? The Greensboro Aquarium on Facebook after less that 1 month and Zero Dollars spent: 258 Likes, roughly 1% of Greensboro's population.
The Greensboro Performing Arts Center on Facebook after 1 year and a $Million Dollars spent and PR expert Ross Harris hired to run the project: 257 likes. You and your kind really need to get out into the community a little more often. Besides, when the PAC opens inside the Downtown Aquarium GPAC will go out of business before the bonds are paid off leaving Greensboro stuck with the bill.
"Louise Brady is co-chairwoman of the Greensboro Performing Arts Center Task Force."
Louise, get a job. A real job.
