Memory Maps & The Fall of WUTC

How Our County Works
posted April 21, 2005
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_65819.asp

We just finished a mayor's race and now are in the middle of the yearly school budget soap opera. One side wants Register's job, the other want to deify him. It might be helpful to give a little instruction on Chattanooga/Hamilton County politics to put this problem in prospective.

Here is how our county works. There is a power structure here that controls most government entities. This power structure plays a very cynical game. They use money to gain influence though so-called philanthropic work. This is actually seed money to convince the local government to do projects that directly benefit these so-called philanthropists. Now, they do this with foundations and non-profits which gives this power structure an inordinate influence on the future of our county. This is a financial shell game that they cannot lose. They make the first profit by convincing our government officials to finance civic improvements that enhance the value of their private investments. They make a second profit, in more cases than not, by getting the contracts to build or develop the projects. This is still not enough for these power hungry people. Lastly, they buy the bonds that the city/county issues to pay for these projects and make money on the interest. After all of this, they laugh at the public all the way to the bank.

Furthermore, for you naïve individuals who say, "These people already have money, it is just to help our community." It is as old as civilization that after one acquires or inherits money, it becomes all about power and control. The ironic thing is that the middle and lower classes foot the bill through the sales and property tax and bear the brunt of this Lookout Mountain welfare. In other words, you are paying for the extra Mercedes in the driveway and this summer's European trip.

What does this have to do with school funding? Well, it is obvious that we have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on a tax-sucking downtown. The financial numbers show that it has been a resounding, dismal, financial failure. Not only that, it has been basically the sole public focus of all of our county/city for 20 years. If this is untrue I challenge anyone to come up with numbers disputing this fact. It has hurt funding for vital government services (including schools) along with fostering a neglect of our manufacturing base that has cost this area 9000 industrial jobs. This is twice the rate of loss nationally and of our regional municipal competition. The question becomes whether of not a "nice" downtown was worth loss of jobs, $350 million dollars in bond debt, and under funding of other government services for just a little "pride" and "self esteem."

Every politician and media outlet says that education is the No. 1 priority and yet we spend money hand over fist on the almighty downtown. For you people who want more school funding, why don't you complain about the hundreds of millions spent on downtown with absolutely no public payback. Not only is there no payback, we are paying $11 million per year on bond debt service which could help school funding to a great degree. If we can afford $53 million of private money and $56 million of public money for a little riverfront make-up, why can't we afford $400,000 for middle school sports? Where are these so-called philanthropists with their millions, when there is no direct financial benefit for their "gifts"? The PEF and Lyndhurst Foundation money is peanuts compared with the money associated with downtown. It would be a lot better if these "philanthropists" would keep their money because for every dollar they give it costs the public three of four more dollars to finance public debacles like the Riverfront, Chattanoogan, Finley stadium, the new downtown schools, etc.

Although the city is not directly responsible for funding education, they still have a responsibility to help due to the fact that they dumped their failing, falling down schools on the county in 1998. Where are these so-called savings we were supposed to realize when the schools were consolidated? By the way, what happened to the $100 or so million that the city was spending on schools? Did you get a tax rebate? Ha! It went directly to support downtown projects at the expense of every school kid in this county. Now, some of the people who have been directly responsible, including Harry Austin and the Chattanooga Times/Free Press, for these bad judgments have the gall to criticize those of us that are tired of paying indirectly for some rich guys toys through another property or sales tax increase. If education is so important to the future of this county, we need to use hotel/motel tax money generated by downtown to reimburse the public for the absolute waste our tax dollars. Oh, I forgot, the hotel/motel tax is now a developer slush fund that is earmarked for more downtown projects which are doomed to failure.

The very least that we can do is quit lying to ourselves and each other that our children are the No. 1 priority. The first step to recovery is admitting that there is a problem. There is little doubt that fair-minded people know that there is lot of money wasted by Register and the school board, but it is chump change compared with the money that has been and will be wasted on downtown. We need to put our money where our mouths are if we want to straighten out education and other government funding. In a way this debate has contributed to the education of our children already. It has taught them the meaning of the word hypocrisy.

"...fostering a neglect of our manufacturing base that has cost this area 9000 industrial jobs."

I would like the "fostering a neglect" part outlined, please.

The loss of manufacturing jobs is a NATIONAL trend. Why are we so special or so especially guilty?

ok that seals it I'm writing a letter to WUTC asking for my money back. I think everyone who loves good music should.