By Roldo Bartimole
Get ready to have your pocket picked.
Brent Larkin last week started the campaign to tax Cuyahoga County residents several hundred million dollars for people who should be paying their own way.
He’s worried about them leaving us.
Here’s what he should be worried about (from American Community Survey):
– Median income in Cleveland 1999-2012: down 32.1 per cent.
– Poverty rate in Cleveland 1999-2012, 36.1 percent: up 8 percent.
– Median home value in Cleveland 1999-2012 $96,000 to $71,000: down 26 percent.
Very dismal statistics.
It’s all in what you care about, people.
Next step from Brent: You who have little must chip in to help the rich. Inequality isn’t vast enough, Larkin is telling us. Please donate daily.
People and families who are billionaires must be helped. In an industry awash in cash – professional sports. Nothing like cheerleading for a bit more inequality.
They want you to extend the sin tax for 20 years. That’s atop the original 15 years and the extension of 10 years. So for 25 years and now 20 more for 45 years total. Sales tax falling hardest on the poorest and workers.
Larkin raised the specter that the Indians will leave town. Not enough fans are paying up, even though the team, unlike the Browns, doesn’t really stink.
Of course, Larkin had big ears for Joe Roman of the Greater Cleveland Partnership (real name should be: Greater Cleveland String Pullers).
“‘We have to do better, as a region, than 9,000 fans at an important game,’ said Greater Cleveland Partnership CEO Joe Roman,” Larkin wrote.
Tell Joe to get the people who pay him an annual salary of $336,755 and added compensation of $37,919 and an extra pay of an additional $85,366 to loosen up on their pocketbooks for the Indians. We’re tired of paying their salaries and profits.
Why do we have to worry about it?
Larkin is to the Indians what WKYC’s Jim Donovan is to the Browns. Pied Pipers of Propaganda. Cheerleaders for billionaires. Protectors of sports owner pocketbooks. Nose thumbs to the ordinary Clevelander.
Larkin in 1990 promised in a column to keep tabs on Gateway. Make sure they delivered as promised. Gateway broke most of its promises. Larkin totally broke his. He ignored the excesses.
Don’t listen to me. Listen to the facts. Here are the facts from Forbes magazine about one of the nation’s richest industries – professional sports. Tell me why we should be subsidizing them, the NFL, the NBA and the MLB?
Phil Knight, with an estimated net worth of $16.3 billion, anchors a deep list of sports-related members of Forbes’ Richest 400 Americans. Among others:
26. P. Allen (Seahawks, Blazers) $15.8B (These are Bs for Billions) 30. Rupert Murdoch (Fox Sports) $13.4B 38. Phil Anschutz (AEG) $10.3B 60. Rich DeVos (Magic) $6.8B 70. Micky Arison (Heat) $5.9B 84. S. Kroenke (Nugs, Avs, Rams) $5.3B 94. Stephen Ross (Dolphins) $4.8B
Allen is the 26th-richest American and is worth $15.8 billion, according to Forbes. The list features more NFL owners than any other league.
There are 14 NFL owners among the top 400 richest Americans. Besides Allen, they include:
• Stan Kroenke (Rams, $5.3 billion)
• Stephen Ross (Dolphins, $4.8 billion)
• Malcolm Glazer (Buccaneers, $4.5 billion)
• Shahid Khan (Jaguars, $3.8 billion)
• Jerry Jones (Cowboys, $3 billion)
• Robert Kraft (Patriots, $2.9 billion)
• Stephen Bisciotti (Ravens, $2.1 billion)
• Bob McNair (Texans, $2 billion)
• Arthur Blank (Falcons, $1.7 billion)
• Jim Irsay (Colts, $1.6 billion)
• Jimmy Haslam (Browns, $1.45 billion)
• William Ford Sr. (Lions, $1.4 billion)
• Tom Benson (Saints, $1.3 billion)
The richest NBA owner is Orlando Magic owner Rich DeVos, who comes in at No. 60 on the list with a net worth of $6.8 billion.
There are 12 other NBA owners on the list, including Kroenke (Nuggets), Micky Arison (Heat, $5.9 billion), Dan Gilbert (Cavaliers, $3.9 billion), Charles Dolan (Knicks, $3.3 billion), Tom Gores (Pistons, $2.7 billion), Mark Cuban (Mavericks $2.5 billion), Josh Harris (Sixers, $2.5 billion), Robert Pera (Grizzlies, $1.95 billion), Herb Simon (Pacers, $1.95 billion), Donald Sterling (Clippers, $1.9 billion), Glen Taylor (Timberwolves, $1.7 billion) and Benson (Pelicans).
The richest person involved in the sports world is Nike chairman Phil Knight, who Forbes says is the 24th-richest American at $16.3 billion, $55.7 billion behind Bill Gates, who topped the list for the 20th year in a row.
TELL ME, WHY SHOULD THE ORDINARY PERSON BE PAYING THE FREIGHT FOR THESE GUYS?
Please explain it, Brent and Pee Dee.
Roldo Bartimole has been reporting since 1959. He came to Cleveland in 1965 to report for the Plain Dealer where he worked twice in the 1960s, left for the Wall Street Journal in 1967. He started publishing his newsletter Point of View in 1968 and ended it in 2000.In 1991 he was awarded the Second Annual Joe Callaway Award for Civic Courage in Washington, D.C. He received the Distinguished Service Award of the Society of Professional Journalists, Cleveland chapter, in 2002, and was named to the Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame, 2004. [Photo by Todd Bartimole.]
2 Responses to “ROLDO: Billionaire Pickpockets – Your Pocket, Please”
Patrick
These billionaire owners have made their money various ways and see that they can make more by extorting cities with the threat of taking the franchise out of town. What is needed is a national law that stops sports facilities from being built from tax money. Back in the 50’s the sports franchises needed a place to perform and the cities provided the stadiums. Now they are a multi-million dollar business. They can carry their own weight. The gate monies pay for almost all of a teams expenses. Monies from TV, memorabilia, concessions, etc. are all gravy.
Roldo Bartimole
Patrick: You have it perfectly correct.