A careful reading of “7 Year Plan: Martin: It’s crunch time for Lancaster County Convention Center” in the Intelligencer Journal New Era raises many questions, the answers to which are not to be found in the article.
Tag: News and Commentary
The added importance of electing a Democrat as governor
As a result of the gerrymandering that took place after the 2000 census, even though in 2012 the Republican Congressional candidates got fewer votes than Democratic candidates, the GOP captured all but five of the state’s 18 Congressional seats.
A classmate’s fervent hope comes true
It is before 7:00 AM and our cruise ship is approaching the port of Klaipeda, Lithuania. My thoughts turn back to over sixty years to a conversation I had with the son of the janitor of a small local apartment complex. He was passionate about the injustices imposed on his family and the need to […]
‘Can’t do’ vs. ‘Can Do’: The great disconnect
Given the tight City and School District of Lancaster budgets and tax loads, there truly isn’t much local government money. But what the contributor overlooks is there are ample other sources of private, foundation, and often state and federal funds if efforts are made to refine an idea and a group gets together to promote it.
Two things Wells Fargo wants and the commissioners hopefully won’t do
What an irony. The very interest who feathered its nests with millions in development fees and construction contracts, a partner who used its newspapers to bludgeon those who opposed the project, and the bank that engaged in reckless lending, now seek to gorge themselves on still more of the public money.
For two reasons Wells Fargo, perhaps the worst culprit, should now give ground
The Intelligencer Journal New Era article “Still no deal on Lancaster County Convention Center” caught up to NewsLanc’s March 6th report “Crunch time for saving the Convention Center”, providing specifics that NewsLanc’s editor chose not to reveal lest it interfere with ongoing negotiations.
A 2007 futile plea to Wachovia Bank
In short, it appears that your bank is knowingly and purposefully supporting two unsound municipal projects that are destined to fail. You must recognize that the convention center and hotel are not financially viable and that, no matter how secure Wachovia’s Letter of Credit is, Wachovia’s support of this entire project will precipitate a huge financial burden and economic blight on the Lancaster City and Count taxpayers for decades to come. The fallout from the collapse of this project and subsequent financial burden will land squarely on Wachovia’s ability to do business in this region.
Crunch time for saving the Convention Center
Without the significant lowering of interest rates envisioned by the Martin Plan, the Convention Center will continue on the road to bankruptcy. Payment of debt service has priority over all other outlays. There won’t be enough money left over for proper promotion, maintenance and, even if there is a reduction in interest, major maintenance projects and renovations.
Is the City flushing $140 million down the drain?
“The fees are expected to generate $2.6 million in revenue this year. That money will be used to plant trees, add drainage islands to parking lots, porous pavement to alleyways and park basketball courts, and vegetative “green” roofs on buildings.
CRIZ: Not $210 million per past accounts. Dubious claims of hotel profitability
An article “Hotel Lancaster lines up for CRIZ money” appearing in today’s Lancaster Intelligencer Journal / New Era but not yet posted at LancasterOnLine.com clarifies past misleading reports but provides new incredulous information:
Do storm water remediation plans need to be at such great cost to City tax payers?
Field expressed concern that roof top gardens and like proposed remedies would not make sufficient difference and requested an opportunity to review the cities sewer plans. He thought there might be possibility of redirecting some of the storm water via a limited amount of new storm sewer.
A sensible approach to the shifting of economic worldwide power
In “The Upside Of Down, Why the Rise of the Rest Is Good for the West” (2013), Charles Kenny points out that, due to spreading education and technology, there is a convergence of wealth among the nations of the world and in future decades the total economies of China and India will far exceed those of the United States. To some that is bad news.
CBC:The Effects of a Minimum-Wage Increase on Employment and Family Income
The $10.10 option would have substantially larger effects on employment and income than the $9.00 option would—because more workers would see their wages rise; the change in their wages would be greater; and, CBO expects, employment would be more responsive to a minimum-wage increase that was larger and was subsequently adjusted for inflation.
Playing the ranking of Presidents game
A recent New York Times’ article “Rescuing a Vietnam Casualty: Johnson’s Legacy” cites a recent poll indicating how the approval ratings by the general public of the past nine Presidents.