Tampa tried to host the Olympics in 2012.  They failed.  The man who chaired their commission to secure the bid said that Birmingham has “as much chance as an ice cube in Tampa.”  I think he’s being a bit polite.

The very notion of hosting the Olympics in Birmingham - an idea floated by none other than mayor Larry Langford - is so absurd that even responding to it gives it more justification than it deserves.  Dan at Daily Dixie took a stab at addressing some of the reasons the Olympics wouldn’t be hosted in The Ham, but the actual list is much longer than ten reasons.

Just think about it.  Jefferson County could become the largest municipal bankruptcy in the country.  Ever.  Larry Langford is under investigation by the SEC.  The “ice cube in Tampa’ article lists more reasons.  Birmingham would need to more than double its number of hotel rooms.  The city “must guarantee the financial success of the games.”  See the previous bankruptcy and SEC investigation points.  The article states that there must be cooperation between city, county, and state governments.  Do I even need to address that one?

It also costs a lot to host the games.

More than $15 billion was spent on the Athens games in 2004, driving Greece into debt. And China has spent a record $42 billion on this year’s games, The Wall Street Journal reported last week.

$42 billion!  Isn’t that just about what the Huntsville-Madison County Metro Jail will cost by the time they finish it?

Hey, I say go for it.  I don’t live in Birmingham, so my tax dollars won’t be wasted.  I think it will be amusing to watch them try.  Think about the proverbial dog chasing the car.  What do you do when you catch it?  Worst case scenario is that they actually win and screw up the Olympics for the entire world.

Stephanie Bell of Montgomery is running for a fifth term (first elected 1994) on the State Board of Education, District 3. She defeated Skip Smithwick (AEA-funded) in the Primary.

She graduated from Auburn with a degree in English / Journalism, taught English in Taiwan, reported for the Montgomery Advertiser, and then worked for Education reform prior to her election to the Board of Education.

The State Board of Education members: Governor Bob Riley (R - President),  Joe Morton (Superintendent), Randy McKinney (R - District 1), Betty Peters (R - District 2), Stephanie Bell (R - District 3), Ethel Hall (D - District 4, VP), Ella Bell ( - District 5), David Byers (R - District 6, VP), Sandra Ray (D - District 7), and Mary Jane Caylor (D - District 8).

Note that the Board seems to vote along Party lines on most issues.

WHNT just called Beth Kellum the winner in the Court of Criminal Appeals runoff (50,968 vs McLemore’s 42,098, with 94% reporting, 55% to 45%). She faces Democrat Jefferson County Circuit Judge Clyde Jones in the General Election.

Wayne Parker looks to have won the AL-05 House of Representatives candidacy (16,028 vs Guthrie’s 4,330, with 97% reporting, 79% to 21%). He faces Democrat State Senator Parker Griffith in November. Almost 14,000 of the more than 20,000 votes cast were from Madison County.

Twinkle Cavanaugh looks to have won the PSC President candidacy (60,493 vs Chancey’s 40,101, with 94% reporting, 60% to 40%). She faces Democrat former Lieutenant Governor Lucy Baxley in November.

Cory Brown looks to have won the Madison County Tax Collector candidacy (6,370 vs Stafford’s 5,269, with 98% reporting, 55% to 45%). He faces Democrat incumbent Lynda Hall in November.  If he wins, he will work to abolish the office (actually combine with the Tax Assessor’s office to form a ‘Revenue Commissioner’ office).

The Madison County unoffical results are here.

The polls were slow today. I put out signs for Cory Brown last night at my polling place, then schmoozed a little at lunch and after work.  It was interesting to see which of the neighbors were GOP supporters (the only ballots today at my polling place were GOP); saw most of my Neighborhood Watch, plus a few guys named ‘Coach’.

Alabama liberals - yes there are a few - got their panties in a wad this week when someone started a rumor that Troy King, Alabama’s Attorney General, “is resigning.”  The rationale given by these individuals was that King had been caught engaging in a homosexual encounter.

I’m not going to speculate as to whether King is or isn’t going to resign (word is that he is not).  I don’t personally care about his sexual orientation (my sources deny that he is gay).  I’m not even a fan of his (I endorsed and voted for his Democrat opponent in the 2006 election).  However, I think that the manner in which this story has circulated has been egregiously reckless.

As Danny - easily the most “connected” Alabama blogger - put it, the story is “thinly sourced.”  I think that is being generous.  Right now all that we have are the farthest left of the political spectrum, people who were itching for a reason to go after King, citing unnamed, supposedly reliable sources that have thus far proven decidedly unreliable.  This includes such noted luminaries as Glynn Wilson (he’s got credentials!) - the man who brought us Dana Jill Simpson.  Wilson is known to have a fleeting relationship with the truth and a political axe to grind.  Actual news outlets have not written a single word about the alleged scandal, despite numerous assurances from the leftists that such a story was immediately forthcoming.  Funny how organizations that have to adhere to ethical standards don’t publish rumors, isn’t it?

The allegations about King may prove to be completely true - but they also may prove to be wholly unsubstantiated.  Given the extreme gravity that such allegations have in our society bloggers should exercise more caution.  I would suggest that, if unsubstantiated, the claims cross the line of “actual malice” in terms of defaming the AG.

One thing that strikes me as a bit amusing is the way that the Democrats pushing this rumor seem to take considerable glee in calling Republicans gay.  The Democrat Party is supposed to be a tolerant, gay friendly party, after all.  Instead they frequently use shouts of “he’s gay!” as weapons against political adversaries as though being gay was despicable, which seems a bit at odds with their proclaimed values.  Just last month the kids at Left in Alabama continued spreading rumors that Florida Governor Charlie Crist is gay.  Of course Crist is now engaged - to a woman.  Democrats are quick to tell you that there is nothing wrong with being gay and that it should be accepted as perfectly normal.  If that is the case then why use it as a weapon and call it “embarassing” (sic)?  Maybe Larry Darby wasn’t an aberration in that party.

Update:  The honorable and decent Glynn Wilson of the illustrious and world renowned Locust Fork Blog has magnanimously backed down from the rhetoric ever so slightly.  He even deleted some sexually charged comments from his blog, which is an improvement as he typically only deletes comments he disagrees with.

[A] couple of Republican bloggers are now trying to convince me that the story on King is only partially true, and that he will be denying it in some fashion soon. It will be interesting to see what venue that takes.

As far as I’m concerned, I don’t care if he’s gay or not.

This entire episode should go down as a lesson for those who use personal attacks on people’s sexuality for political purposes. It’s disgusting, but that’s how Karl Rove won many of the political races he ran, including George W. Bush’s defeat of Ann Richards for governor of Texas.

That’s called hedging, folks.  Wilson realizes he may be wrong, although he’ll never admit it.  He appears to be lecturing himself in an indirect manner since he was one of the individuals using a personal attack on someone’s sexuality for political purposes (he loathes Republicans).  We’ll see if he learned his lesson, but I won’t hold my breath.

And for anyone who would blame the blogosphere for this, the rumor mill was around a long time before the Web or even the printing press. Yellow journalism ruled in the 1800s, word of mouth and fake pictures worked well enough for George Wallace, Rove took it to another level altogether, and now we have e-mail and blogs.

Since the churches are not even very Christian in the way they are passing around rumors about Obama being a Muslim on their tax exempt e-mail lists with faith-based federal tax money, a practice Obama wants to expand even though he’s been on the wrong end of it, we should not have any sanctimonious hand-wringing about the lefty blogs or the nutroots.

Every bit of this story was driven by lawyers in Montgomery, one of the dirtiest towns for politics in America. And King does not deserve much in the way of sympathy. His past comments about gays and his fervor to kill people in prison and his unethical acceptance of gifts should be enough to disqualify him for public office anyway.

This is rich even for Wilson.  His comment is typical of the hate blinded left who can’t even think without an image of Karl Rove dancing in front of them.  His defense?  (Paraphrasing) “Don’t blame me!  I’m part of the rich history of rumor mongers.  And Karl Rove did it, damn it!”  Wilson once intoned to me and others that he only deals with facts.  It seems that once again that little claim has been shot to hell (again) as he is using his space for National Enquirer caliber material.

Wilson isn’t man enough to just admit he crossed the line and stop.  No sir.  He has to go down flailing wildly.  First he swings at Karl Rove who, as best I can tell, has absolutely nothing to do with this story.  Then he attacks churches.  Then he goes after lawyers (that’s ok, Glynn, I’m not a big fan of them either).  In other words it is everyone’s fault but his own.  Typical liberal drivel.  Take no responsibility for your own actions.  Plus, Wilson personally thinks King isn’t fit to serve (even though a majority of Alabamians differed on that point), so that further justifies saying anything he wants without any proof.  It would be funny if he wasn’t damaging a real person’s reputation.

You also have to like his “fervor to kill people in prison” quip.  It certainly isn’t the most accurate statement.  Troy King does stridently support the death penalty, as do I, but not just for “people in prison.”  No.  Only for the most heinous of criminals who earn their punishment by ruthlessly killing others.  (King also supports the death penalty for child rapists, but the Supreme Court saw fit that that wouldn’t happen.)  Wilson would have you think that King wants to indiscriminately kill off prisoners.  You see, Wilson is using a technique that only a few “journalists” as learned as himself can attempt.  He thinks that gratuitously mischaracterizing a person’s beliefs when they conflict with your own is acceptable when your goal is to bias readers against the person in question.  What a consummate professional!

Oh well, another news day has passed and all of the liberal’s prognostications about impending articles from certain publications are still untrue.  But don’t think all of them are as restrained as the good Mr. Wilson.  Now some are gloating that they were able to get King removed from John McCain’s website.  Stay classy, guys.

I also found this comment on the celebrity gossip site PerezHilton.com:

Yep, another hypocritical Republican… send him to IRAQ to fight his precious war & bring back our BRAVE SOLDIERS!
Impeach Bush
Impeach Bush
Impeach Bush today.
Thank you.

Very typical.  And very sad.  I hate to see such an advanced case of BDS.  Can you imagine a converstaion with that guy?  You might mention Brett Favre’s possible comeback for a team other than the Packers and this fool would blame Rove or Bush.

Reactionary Update:

Neal Boortz just reported (July 16) on the Troy King rumor: IMO he wanted to believe the rumor because he doesn’t like King, noting that King enforces the “sex toy” law (which was proposed and passed by Democrats BTW). But, after a little last minute research, Boortz decided to back off, concluding that until a credible news organization reports a story or until King holds a press conference, he will stay away from the story.

IMO had Boortz bit on the rumor, he would have been dropped by WVNN by day’s end. For my part, I already had the WVNN phone number dialed in ready to hit ’send’.

If I said I was sorry for not posting lately I’d be lying…

Just got back from the Fort Morgan area of Gulf Shores. Now, I consider myself to be a connoisseur of beaches and coasts - I’ve driven almost the entire Atlantic coast between Maine to Key West and the Gulf Coast from Key West to Cancun - and been to almost every beach on the way.  In my subject matter expert judgment, Alabama has the finest beaches.

Let’s start with signs and bumper stickers - Peggy Givhan has the most signs up, also saw a huge McCain sign by the Ruby’s in Greenville (plus some McCain yard signs in Gulf Shores), Twinkle and McLemore signs, then lots of local signs in Baldwin County. I saw one ‘Kerry Edwards’ sticker on a car from Arkansas; saw a ‘Mitch’ sticker on a SUV with a KY State Senate plate; saw several ‘W’ stickers.

I watched parts of a couple of Baldwin County Commission meetings and a Baldwin County Planning Commission meeting on TV (yes, I am that much of a party!).  The Planning Commission was pretty informative to me, those guys were grilling the proposed developers of a fishing destination called ‘Cypress Point’ at the Bon Secour River.  I was pleased to see that the developer was working with the site (biological surveys, planning around trees and habitat) to minimize the human impact on the site.  I was pleased to see the Planners focus on not dredging, permeable drives (conserve rain and limit run-off), and road safety.

Attended the Fort Morgan Candlelight Tour. IIRC the Baldwin Chamber of Commerce said ‘Ghost Stories’, but it was really a tour with historical skits performed by period re-enactors.  A good crowd of about 300 people attended.  The tour ended at sunset, on the western tip of the peninsula, with a firearms and artillery demonstration. The ‘Commanding General’ asked for serving military and veterans to come forward, and they fired a salute just as the sun set.

I had noticed on previous trips some foreigners were working as maids, but this time I saw lots of Eastern Europeans: the Ukrainian beach chair attendant, the Moldavian girls working at Souvenir City (they forgave me for thinking they were Romanian), and the Armenian guest services guy. They all preferred the Gulf to the Black Sea - much cleaner plus nicer people…

Note that Tacky Jack’s (one of my favorites) has opened a new restaurant by the Fort. Also, the Gulf Shores WalMart is the biggest Wally I’ve ever seen.

And finally, the beach. Fantastic! Sugar white sands; gentle surf; shells, sanddollars, and starfish. Saw dolphins from the balcony every morning, saw beach mice every night. Also saw pelicans, seagulls, alligators, lizards, turtles, fish, crabs, and raccoon.

David White of the Birmingham News penned an article about Alabama’s low tax burden that illustrated just how dumb the intelligencia at the News thinks its readers are.

Alabama’s state, county and city governments collected $2,782 in taxes per person that year, according to a review of the Census Bureau’s most recent report on state and local taxes and the bureau’s state population estimates for July 2006.

The 50-state median for state and local taxes collected per person was $3,700. It was more in 25 states and less in 25 states.

Come back next week when Mr. White enlightens us on the mystical mathematical calculation known as the mean.  (Actually, it is quite nice.)  I couldn’t quickly find the grade in which concepts like mean, median, and mode are taught in Alabama schools, but Nashville teaches them in the fifth grade.  Seriously, does the News really think its readers don’t understand fifth grade math?  (Don’t answer that question.)

But the mathematical wizardy doesn’t end there…

Alabama’s state and local governments collected $12.8 billion in taxes in fiscal 2006, which for most state governments ended June 30, 2006, and for Alabama ended Sept. 30, 2006. They collected $918 less in taxes per person than the median.  If they had collected the median amount, they would have had an additional $4.2 billion.

The first person to exercise the abstract concept known as division to calculate the approximate number of people in Alabama using available information gets a free kazoo.  It was kind of White to do the rigorous math involved to calculate the difference between $3,700 and $2,782.  That was a real head scratcher.  If you were one of the select few who correctly solved the aforementioned division problem then you could multiply that result by the $918 per person difference to arrive at the $4.2 billion figure.  I know, this is high level stuff.

Among neighboring states in fiscal 2006, Florida collected $3,693 in state and local taxes per person, 26th highest among the 50 states. Georgia collected $3,321, ranking 35th. Tennessee collected $2,838, ranking 48th. Mississippi collected $2,822, ranking 49th.

Alabama’s state and local governments that year would have collected an extra $4.2 billion in taxes if they had collected the same amount per person as Florida, and an extra $184 million if they had collected the same amount per person as Mississippi.

More math!  Is this White guy some kind of a sadist?

Then White brought us this startling revelation:

Brad Moody, a political scientist at Auburn University at Montgomery, said lower taxes often lead to lower levels of government services.

Thanks for the insightful analysis.  I don’t think I could have come to that conclusion without considerable outside assistance.

“Part of the problem here is, the people who most need state services are the people who have less impact on state politics - people whose kids are eligible for the children’s health insurance program, who need Medicaid services, who are in prison, who are going to lousy public schools,” Moody said.

If only those dummies would vote!  (Of course, some of the felons can’t.)  Moody does touch on one of the principle weaknesses of a democracy (albeit one that is thankfully minimized by poor participation among some, including the groups he specified): people using the ballot box as a means of instructing the government to use the threat of force to take property from another group of people and redistributing it to them.

The Census Bureau’s state and local tax totals are not a perfect measure of the tax burden on individuals, since the totals also include taxes and fees paid by companies, such as corporate income taxes and severance taxes on oil and coal.

And just who do you think ultimately bears the burden of those corporate taxes?  (Hint: real people!)

Alabama had the 40th highest average income per person among the 50 states in fiscal 2006, according to Census Bureau estimates. So Alabamians on average have less money to pay in taxes than people in wealthier states, such as Connecticut and Maryland.

At this point I have to wonder whether White was just excited to be learning about such seemingly common sense concepts or was cursing profusely that his management makes him explain things like having a lower income means you have less money to pay in taxes.  It also means we have less money to buy gas, groceries, health care, and those little fake bullet hole stickers for bumpers.  If Alabama raised our taxes we would have even less for all of those things.

Measuring state and local tax collections per person as a percentage of average income can adjust for income differences when comparing people’s tax burdens.

You don’t say!  Tell me more.

Alabama ranked 46th of the 50 states in state and local tax collections as a percentage of per capita income - 13.1 percent - for fiscal 2006.

Damn it.  If it weren’t for all those losers dragging down our average income we could take the cellar position, which is really the winner’s position, in this calculation as well.

New Hampshire had the lowest percentage, at 11.9 percent. Colorado, South Dakota and Tennessee also had lower percentages than Alabama.

The 50-state median was 15.45 percent.

There’s that pesky median again.  Consult the beginning of the article for an explanation.

Just think, if all of us would just get off our wallets and give the state more tax money we could fund a half way decent education system so that the state’s biggest paper wouldn’t have to write articles explaining what the median is so that the readers don’t think they’re reading a story about road construction.

When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.

- Ben Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanac

From A History of Water Rights at Common Law, by Joshua Getzler, which is now on my Xmas List (only $50 at Amazon):

Water resources were central to England’s precocious economic development in the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries, and then again in the industrial, transport, and urban revolutions of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Each of these periods saw a great deal of legal conflict over water rights, often between domestic, agricultural, and manufacturing interests competing for access to flowing water. From 1750 the common-law courts developed a large but unstable body of legal doctrine, specifying strong property rights in flowing water attached to riparian possession, and also limited rights to surface and underground waters.

The new water doctrines were built from older concepts of common goods and the natural rights of ownership, deriving from Roman and Civilian law, together with the English sources of Bracton and Blackstone. Water law is one of the most Romanesque parts of English law, demonstrating the extent to which Common and Civilian law have commingled.

Alabama water rights are determined under Riparian Rights for surface waters.  The United Kingdom and most U.S. States East of the Mississippi River follow Riparian Rights (derived from English Common Law); most Western States use the Prior Appropriation doctrine.  Basically, water is owned by the Government (Federal and State), so proper stewardship of this public resource is a function of Government.

Riparian water rights occur as a result of landownership. A landowner who owns land that physically touches a river, stream, pond, or lake has an equal right to the use of water from that source. This water right, however, is only a usufructuary right and not a property right in the water. The water may be used as it passes through the property of the land owner, but it cannot be unreasonably detained or diverted, and it must be returned to the stream from which it was obtained. The use of riparian water rights is generally regulated by “reasonable use.”  

The prior appropriation doctrine (also known as the Colorado Doctrine from Wyoming v. Colorado), or “first in time - first in right”, developed in the western United States in response to the scarcity of water in the region.

Legislative committee takes first step toward water policy

The Permanent Joint Legislative Committee on Water Policy and Management met at Auburn University in its first meeting since being formed this spring. The committee is made up of seven members each from the House and Senate.

Its members at the meeting chose State Sen. Kim Benefield, D-Woodland, chairman and Rep. Greg Canfield, R-Vestavia Hills vice chairman. The pair sponsored the legislation that created the committee… the group is to recommend a water management plan that expands the availability of water to meet Alabama’s current and future needs, develop conservation programs, and identify areas where more research is needed.

Workshop sessions are being led by officials from Auburn’s Water Resources Center, the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service, the Geological Survey of Alabama, the Alabama Office of Water Resources, and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.

Investing in state’s waterways, by State Senator Kim Benefield (D - Woodland) and State Representative Greg Canfield (R - Birmingham):

Ten percent of the nation’s rivers pass through Alabama… the U.S. Geological Survey continues to report that most of Alabama is seeing below-average stream flows. Ground-water levels in Huntsville are far below normal, and in Montgomery ground-water levels have reached a new record low…

Created by the passage of SJR28 — bipartisan legislation we were pleased to sponsor — the committee met at Auburn University to begin the process of studying Alabama’s water resources and assessing our future water needs…

Our recognition of the many critical roles water plays in Alabama spurred us to sponsor SJR28, and now we are committed — as chair and vice-chair of the Permanent Joint Legislative Committee on Water Policy and Management — to developing a consensus-based water-management plan that takes into account the needs of every Alabamian and serves our citizens well in the future.

Beth Kellum faces Lucie McLemore in the GOP Primary Run-off for Judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 1. Kellum got 34% of the vote in the Primary, McLemore got 24%, Peggy Givhan lost with 22%, and Teresa Petelos lost with 21%. The winner faces Democrat Clyde Jones in the General Election.

The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals is “composed of five judges, one of whom is elected by the members of the court to serve as presiding judge. The Court of Criminal Appeals hears all appeals of felony and misdemeanor cases, including violations of city ordinances and all post-conviction writs in criminal cases”.

Beth Kellum:

…served as an Assistant Attorney General; staff attorney for the Court of Criminal Appeals; private law practitioner for seven years, and as a  senior staff attorney for the Alabama Supreme Court.

Lucie McLemore:

…private law practice in Montgomery with her father… District Court of Montgomery County, winning primary and general elections in 2000.

 UPDATE:

Just had the pleasure of hearing both candidates present 5 minute speeches.  Both candidates gave great speeches; both noted their Conservative approach; either of them would make a fine Appeals Court judge.

Beth Kellum noted her work as Staff Attorney for the Court of Criminal Appeals and her work with the Republican Party.  She spoke of her legal opinion-writing experience and knowledge of the Court and Court Administration. 

Her handout headline: “Fair, Experienced, Conservative”.

Lucie McLemore said she was a Conservative like Ronald Reagan, Mo Brooks, and Faye Dyer.  She received applause when she noted that as a District Judge, she actually made criminals pay their fines and restitution (collected $1.5 million).  She also noted her work with the Republican Party. 

Her handout headline: “Experienced, Fair, Conservative”.

Twinkle Andress Cavanuagh and Matt Chancey are candidates in the GOP Primary Run-off for President of the Alabama Public Service Commission.  Cavanaugh received 47% of the GOP vote; Chancey received 29%; Jack Hornady lost with 24%.  The winner of the run-off faces Democrat Lucy Baxley in the General Election.

The PSC mission is “to ensure a regulatory balance between regulated companies and consumers in order to provide consumers with safe, adequate and reliable services at rates that are equitable and economical”. 

The PSC evolved from the Railroad Commission and regulates: “railroads… express companies, sleeping car companies, railroad depot or terminal stations, telephone and telegraph companies, plus transportation companies operating as common carriers over water, toll bridges, toll ferries, and toll roads… utilities providing electricity, gas, water, and steam, companies operating streets or inter-urban railways… approving the sale or lease of utility property or franchises… utility rates… motor transportation companies… Air carriers… natural gas transmission and distribution systems… radio common carriers… railroad tracks and equipment”.

The PSC regulates Energy (Electricity, Natural Gas, and Water) Companies like Alabama Power, Mobile Gas Service, and Hiwanee Water; Telecommunications Companies like Bellsouth; Gas Pipelines like Enbridge Pipelines; and thousands of Motor Carriers (Trucking, Towing, Buses, Limos, Cabs).

Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh:

Elected Chairman Alabama Republican Party, served as Senior Advisor to Governor Bob Riley, served as State Director of Citizens for a Sound Economy.

Matt Chancey:

The Chancey Five-Point Plan to Improve the Public Service Commission

1.  Nuclear Power Expansion

2.  Clean Coal and Other Fossil Fuels

3.  Hydro-electric Expansion

4.  Supporting Economic Development

5.  PSC Performance Review

 UPDATE:

Just had the pleasure of hearing five minute speeches by both candidates.

Twinkle Cavanaugh noted her experience with Citizens for a Sound Economy and as a Senior Advisor to Governor Riley, working with the Alabama Development Office, EMA, and Homeland Security.  She tied her experience to issues facing the PSC, for example noting that one of the key factors in the Thyssen-Kruppe decision to locate the steel plant in Mobile was lower utility rates. She also noted her work as the Chair of the Alabama Republican Party.

Matt Chancey said he wanted to “Mo Brooksify” the PSC.  He noted that the PSC should educate consumers about nuclear power, and he supports the TVA Bellefonte Nuclear Plant.  He said that the PSC should examine their policies as part of a Performance Review of the agency. He also noted his work with the Republican Party (Vice-Chair Dale County Executive Committee).

Outdoor mega-retailer Bass Pro Shops is planning on coming to Decatur.  Hooray, right?  Not so fast.

The store will be part of the “Sweetwater” project - and the city offered up a sweet deal indeed to entice the outdoor juggernaut.  The city will give them - that’s right, give them - a “free” $32 million dollar building sitting on a $2.5 million dollar piece of land.  That is in addition to millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements.

The deal has predictably irritated a Decatur outdoor retailer that has been in business for over five decades.  David Wiley of Wiley’s Outdoor Sports is fighting the sweetheart deal.  He has launched the aptly named website www.saynotobasspro.com and has been on WHNT (video here) and in the Decatur Daily.

Long time readers know that I am no fan of government furnished corporate welfare.  I abhor seeing the government giving one business a competitive advantage over another.  This particular case is especially egregious.  Wiley Outdoor Sports has been in business locally since 1953.  The stakeholders there have deep roots in the community.  For the city to extend such a generous offer to attract a large, out of state direct competitor to come to town and siphon off business from Wiley’s is unconscionable.

Decatur mayor Don Kyle gave this statement to WHNT:

The development will add significant value to our community tax base, grow our population, and bring many shoppers off the interstate and from surrounding communities to shop in all our stores.

It reminds me of the mindset present in the infamous Kelo vs. New London SCOTUS decision.  While that case centered on eminent domian abuse, the local officials in Connecticut shared Kyle’s philosophy.  All they care about is growing the tax base.  To hell with anyone who may be hurt along the way.  Kyle gave his statement in response to a story specifically about the impact on local competitors, namely Wiley’s.  He acted as if Wiley’s didn’t even exist or, worse yet, that having a Bass Pro Shops down the road will somehow help Wiley’s business.

If Bass Pro wants to come and pay their own freight I wouldn’t even bat an eye.  But to provide such an unfair advantage to one company at the expense of a local company is detestable.  Is it really worth growing your tax base if it means trampling all over members of the community who took risks to establish and operate businesses?

[Sidenote: I'm a big Bass Pro fan.  Back when I was a kid I convinced my parents to route our summer road trip so that we went to the original Bass Pro store in Springfield, Mo.  Some kids want to go see a pro baseball game.  I wanted to shop at the fishing gear Mecca.]