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Stan Aten
Citizen D
Citizen BB
Officer CS
CBS11 Reports on DISD
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06/10/04 ... or is it another
Jonestown Massacre?
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What a weird week we've had in Dallas!
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There was that press conference by Our Mayor's Gorgeous Guru who was (may still
be) the top hired gun for Grandpa Jerry Jones to get public funding to build his
stadium. The Jones Gang says they and the County Commissioners are
too far apart and the deal is dead. The Commissioners were a bit
shocked since they never got to see any real numbers to know where they
were. Near or far! |
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WK Gordon:
Jones Gang has been so arrogant they appear to be refusing to
negotiate. The whining lackeys
who are our local representatives are
now forced to display their true colors by bowing
& scraping.
DMN is actually urging us to contact
our congressmen to support federal funds for
stupid designer bridges. Someone may be worried.
Reminds me to write mine to oppose
it. You should, too. |
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James Northrup:
Has "No Jones Tax" won
without firing a shot? |
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Either Grandpa Jones has been playing a little
rope-a-dope with us, or he's going to take his balls and go play somewhere
outside Dallas and possibly outside Dallas County. Having that Arkansas
wacko use our name is bad enough since he lives in the Park Cities and runs his
business in Irving, but the thought of subsidizing him is unbearable. |
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M. R. Frey:
Always enjoy seeing what you have to say. Started
reading during the Kirk era. Now, I always
check out what is going on in EvilMayorLand. |
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D Martin:
You are right about Miss Laura. |
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Cowboys back to drawing board, looking at several
contenders
03:44 PM CDT on Wednesday, June 9, 2004
By KATIE FAIRBANK / The Dallas Morning News |
... The top contenders for a new stadium
would appear to include Grapevine, Las Colinas, Arlington and far north
Tarrant County. Fair Park also could still be on the
table, but only if the city of Dallas can come up with some creative
financing that doesn't involve the county.
"At this point, we're looking
forward to exploring all of our options around the North Texas region,"
Cowboys spokesman Brett Daniels said. "...
When the Cowboys first began their search for a new stadium
site several years ago, the team scouted 25 areas in North Texas but quickly
narrowed the list to a few spots.
The Cowboys elevated Fair Park to the
top choice in early May at the urging of Dallas
officials, eager to find a way to redo the Cotton Bowl
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The Cowboys pitched a $650 million stadium proposal to
Dallas County officials and set a deadline of June 30 for completing
negotiations. But county commissioners balked at hurrying through the
process.
... council member Gary Griffith, a member
of the Finance and Audit Committee and a long-time advocate of the Fair Park
stadium site. "We want to get this done. We want this at Fair Park."
Among the
financing ideas being discussed are the creation of a stadium authority that
could legally add hotel and car rental taxes or paying off the debt
at American Airlines Center and using that debt capacity to finance a new
stadium.
... Mayor Laura Miller said some ideas will be
easier to accomplish than others. Creation of a sports authority, for
instance, would require legislative approval. But she
said the city is willing to explore such options with the Cowboys.
... Officials in Grapevine and Arlington
said Tuesday they have yet to be contacted by the Cowboys about a change in
plans.
... In Arlington, where a site in north Arlington
once was under consideration, Mayor Robert Cluck ...
said the team might have a tough time finding a new host if the
costs aren't more evenly split.
... Officials in Irving, the current home of the
Cowboys, said they were happy to hear the city is back in the running to
keep the team. ... |
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Grandpa Jones has nowhere to go except out of state.
There is no city in North Texas that will risk destroying their convention
business like Dallas has done with our arena sales taxes.
If Our Mayor and this council pull some stunt to divert millions to Grandpa
Jones when we are looking at a $14 million budget shortfall, it is time to sell
your home and get out of this town like several businesses have done in the past
two years. |
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Citizen D:
It seems the poorly thought out approach of the Jones
Gang and Pretty Boy Rob
has finally proven itself as the SHAM it always was.
Looks like a lot of people did not do their homework.
I am not so naive as to think that
they will not try to "Back Door" this deal later on.
Hopefully, we will not have to deal with this until after
the holidays.
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The most ominous thing out there is Our Mayor's idea
for "a
stadium authority that could legally add hotel and car rental taxes".
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More proof that she is either alien-controlled or
dominated by her Gorgeous Guru (who is also fronting for Grandpa Jones) or worse
that Laura Miller deceived all of her supporters in 2002 and 2003. This
would be a non-elected board that could levy taxes without voter approval.
Who would have thought a former populist would be the one spear-heading such an
idea?
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... After all, as a
reporter, I'd seen plenty of candidates go from being passionate populists
on the campaign trail to indistinguishable pulp in office. "Just shoot me
when it happens,"... |
Oh, Laura ...
When former Mavericks Owner Don Carter
was bullying former Mayor Steve Bartlett to get a new arena for
them, there actually was an election in Lewisville, and the voters gave a
resounding thumbs down. Still, the arena proponents kept threatening us
with Lewisville and other cities to move the teams. Tommy Hicks and Ross,
Jr. could not get enough hotel/motel and car rental taxes out of Lewisville or
even Denton County to build their playpen.
Neither Fort Worth, Grapevine, Arlington or even Tarrant County could produce
the tax revenue Grandpa Jones needs to generate $425 million.
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Since Ross, Jr., Tommy Hicks and Con Jerk destroyed
the Dallas Convention Center business, it would be just as hard to milk the
Dallas County hotel/motel and car rental industries to subsidize a
billionaire's business. |
During Wednesday's council meeting, we learned there's a $14 million shortfall in the initial budget plans
for 2005, but the council voted unanimously to spend between $16 million and $21 million on 3
Downtown parks and/or campgrounds for street bums. That's before we even have the land purchased.
Oh, yes, to build one of the parks, an historic building comes down.
Veletta Lill who sometimes calls herself the Princess of Perservation and other
so-called preservationists in Dallas are OK with that for the sake of revitalizing
Downtown.
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Officials hope adding parks downtown will spark
redevelopment
June 9, 2004
By EMILY RAMSHAW / The Dallas Morning News |
... The City Council on Wednesday unanimously
approved a downtown parks master plan, setting the wheels in motion to bring
gardens, trees and promenades to the city's concrete core.
... three priority parks on Griffin Street,
Main Street and Pacific Avenue.
... Mr. Dyer said the parks, which will cost $16
million to $21 million before land acquisition,
are "tied to economic development."
... "We're asking the city's economic development
office to go out and bring us possible deals," he said.
... Council member Veletta Forsythe Lill said Main
Street Garden is the first priority because it has the potential to spur the
most economic development. She said the park might foster redevelopment of
the Mercantile Bank complex and the now-closed Dallas Grand Hotel.
... Mayor Laura Miller said. "All this has
to be a partnership with the private sector. I would say this is fluid."
Main Street Garden, which would cost
from $5.3 million to $7 million, would be at Main and Harwood streets
... Pacific Plaza, behind the Adam's Mark
Hotel, would cost between $6.2 million and $8 million. Griffin Street
Garden, near the Earle Cabell Federal Building, would cost $4.5 million to
$6 million.
... The steering committee, which comprises
area businesses and civic organizations, includes Robert W. Decherd,
chairman, president and chief executive officer of Belo Corp., which owns
The Dallas Morning News .
... A bond package approved in May 2003
includes $5 million toward acquisition of a downtown park, which the city
hopes to use to attract grants and private dollars.
... Despite initial concern
about a historic building on the site of the future Main Street Garden,
Dwayne Jones, executive director of Preservation Dallas, said his
organization supports the plan. ... he said,
Preservation Dallas agrees it may be best to remove the structure.
"If the parks are of greater value to
the community, we have to consider that," he said.
... the plan might not take into account future
Dallas Area Rapid Transit alignment.
... "we don't even own it yet," council member
Mitchell Rasansky said. "These sites are all good, but we may have $10
million buildings on them."
Ms. Miller said once one or two
downtown businesses are on board ....
And council member Gary Griffith said the parks will help
spark development in the city's core.
"Dallas is on the verge of
unprecedented change," he said, "and downtown is the center of all this."
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Hypocrites and Deceivers.
How long have we been hearing some new project will "help spark development"
Downtown? At least since the early 90's when I was on the Plan Commission.
It's not any better than it was then and the city has been pouring millions into
the Downtown PID.
How much more money will we spend on Downtown while we neglect our
neighborhoods and underpay our public safety and civilian employees? What
about a couple of million to clean up and clean out Webb Chapel South of Walnut
Hill to Northwest Highway? We've got a war zone where drug pushers shoot
police officers with shotguns.
These Downtown fantasy parks (street bums' camp grounds) are exactly why I may
never support another capital bond election. We approved $5 million and
they are looking at up to $21 million for three new campgrounds for street bums.
It's the same situation with the street bums' day spa. Voters approved $3
million for the facility, and that won't even buy the land, much less build the
facility.
During the council meeting, Mitch Rasansky tried to reason with them that Community Block Grant
(CBG) monies should go to the general budget in light of the forecasted
$14 million shortfall.
Rasansky got agreement from Lois Finkelman, Velletta Lill, Sandy Greyson and Mayor
Miller, but the rest of the council wanted it spent on their pet projects.
Brain Dead Thornton-Reese told Rasansky not to tell her she didn't understand
the issue (he didn't need to tell us she is clueless). She said "I
understand it." What she meant was, I want to control the dollars
spent in my district and I want to raise property taxes on everyone in District
13 who actually fund this city. 14-1 Ward Politics in action.
The people opposing Rasansky's amendment said it's time for a property tax increase, and the voters have
already shown a willingness to pay more taxes. Not this voter!
We pay plenty of taxes now, but City Hall wastes our taxes. $16-21 million
on parks for street bums is not spending our money wisely!
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Designs applauded, booed
Plans for center called innovative by some,
impractical by others
June 10,
2004 By TOM SIME / The Dallas Morning
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The
unveiling of preliminary designs for the two major venues of the Dallas
Center for the Performing Arts has drawn enthusiasm from the organizations
that will perform there and some puzzlement from the public.
... the unveiling of the designs for a
black-tie crowd at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center on Tuesday
... Richard Hamburger, artistic director of the
Dallas Theater Center, praised Rem Koolhaas' striking vertical design for
the Charles and Dee Wyly Theatre
... Architect Brooks Howell of Houston, who
attended Tuesday's event, was more cautious.
... Debbie Higgins of Dallas was more harsh.
"Frankly, the opera house looks like it belongs at Disney World," she wrote
in an e-mail. "And the theater is one of the ugliest buildings I've ever
seen."
... Community activist Sharon Boyd said the
buildings aren't suited to the climate. "We need to
require any architect doing a major building in Dallas to spend
a summer here," she said by e-mail. "They would
then use less glass on the building and less cement on the ground."
Mr. Howell agreed that the operable
glass windows of the Winspear Opera House, "while appropriate in Northern
California, [are] not particularly practical in Dallas."
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| Isn't it telling that the top
stories in The Dallas Managed News
relate to football and the arts? Nary a word about the real world where
Joe Taxpayer lives or the sorry state of our streets or our under-manned and
under-funded Police Department. |
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James Northrup:
New opera house was designed by a Dutchman. It's an appropriate
design for a cool, cloudy climate like the Netherlands. The movable wall
partitions are a direct rip-off of the Glimmerglass Opera House on
Otsego Lake, New York - a cool, cloudy climate with a view.
Next to Woodall Rogers, it'll be one noisy
solar collector. |
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DallasArena.com has called this whole Jones dog and pony show a Brer Rabbit
ploy. They want Fair Park. They want our money. They want us
to beg them to take it.
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Like Jim Jones who felt threatened when his
troops shot that Congressman, Jerry Jones may have just made his followers
drink some nasty Kool-Aid before all of his options were played out.
This latest grandstand stunt has peeled off any veneer of sincerity in the
Jones Gang's intent to negotiate and be reasonable. |
We have flooding all over the
place. We have major streets crumbling (check out Royal at Denton).
Still, the big shots in this town are concerned with ugly glass boxes that look
like the 70's revisited and building a stadium with wings that might take it air
born in typical Dallas Thunderstorm. Our council approves wasting
$21 million and more on parks Downtown where only the street bums will feel
safe.
We can't afford to take care of our basic needs, but we can build parks for
street bums.
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Rich guys shouldn't get handouts from the government. The government should
focus on delivering basic services, especially to those who foot the bill.
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Marie Antoinette would be right
at home in Mayor Miller's Dallas, but Journalist Laura Miller might be taking
target practice just now.
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