Re: Maine Black Bears 2010 - 2011
You don't know what a "hub" is???
Bangor taxpayers better be thankful that they are the hub for a large region. It's what has lowered your taxes!.......where do you think your taxes would be without drawing people to the city for shopping, gambling, the fair, basketball tournaments and concerts????
I love how you speak for all Bangor and Eastern Maine residents..........
The mortgage payment is being paid by Hollywood Slots......why can't you get that through your head???
Yes, I do know what a hub is. By saying "whatever that means," I was questioning him saying "the city of Bangor wants..." because the city of Bangor doesn't think anything or want anything at all. It's the politicians and the people of Bangor who want things and think things and pay for things.
Bangor will always be the hub of eastern Maine and is in absolutely no danger of losing that status if this arena is not built. What other nearby city do you see as a likely successor to Bangor's "hubship" if this project doesn't get built?
Lowered taxes?! Bangor real estate tax rates aren't significantly different than the taxes in surrounding towns so I'm not sure what point you're hoping to make by bringing this up. Mil rates are actually lower in some of the surrounding towns, and since Bangor real estate tends to be worth equal or more, taxes paid on a similar property often are actually higher. Apparently the additional infrastructure to support these Bangor businesses you mention costs more than the additional taxes paid by them, so the typical homeowner sees no benefit when he gets his tax bill.
I don't claim to speak for all Bangor residents, but I do know what I hear on the streets (of Bangor, not San Diego) and not too many local people are in favor of this.
There is NO guarantee that Hollywood Slots revenue stream will be able to pay for the cost of building this arena, let alone the costs of maintaining and operating it, so Bangor taxpayers will be the ones left holding the bag for all these costs. I can understand why you are very willing to accept the idea of HS paying for this from 3000 miles away, but you might feel differently if you knew that any blip in the HS revenue stream would mean a property tax hike that you simply can't afford.
, isn't it his right as a taxpayer to try to stop something he doesn't want, isn't that the American way?