The Coalition proposes virtual flash mob to protest Providence stadium proposal
RHODE ISLAND - The Coalition, a weekly political radio show airing on AM790-WPRV, Sundays at 10 a.m., has dedicated a page on their website to urging Rhode Island residents to take to their phones and email accounts to voice their displeasure with the new stadium proposal by James Skeffington and his fellow co-owners of the Pawtucket Red Sox.
Skeffington and his partners have proposed the construction of a new AAA baseball stadium on over ten acres of the prime downtown Providence real estate, known locally as the 'I-195 land.' The proposal calls for a 30-year, $120 million outlay of public funds and tax incentives from the city of Providence. The ball club's owners have insisted that staying at the much-loved McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket is a 'non-starter' for the ownership group, and have said publicly that locating the stadium on any other parcel in Providence is also a 'non-starter.'
Coalition co-host, blogger, and web editor, Dave Fisher said of the proposal, "In the wake of the 38 Studios fiasco, it is understandable that the public is extremely skeptical of these tax abatement deals that require taxpayer subsidies to materialize. If the owners of the PawSox think this is such a great deal, they should have no trouble finding private investors to complete the project."
The proposal has incited much criticism, with several Facebook groups and pages popping up over the last week expressing public emotion ranging from dissatisfaction to primal outrage. State Senator James Sheehan issued a press release last week decrying the proposed deal stating, "... this proposal does not appear to be in the best interest of the public. Moreover, seeing how big the ‘ask’ is, it makes one question if the owners are truly serious about keeping the PawSox in Rhode Island."
"Since the show's inception, The Coalition has advocated for protest and civil disobedience in the wake of government collusion, overreach, and abuse," says Fisher, "It's not only our right, but our responsibility to raise our voices against these affronts to the American way."
"It is not the role of government to subsidize or eliminate investment risk for private enterprise. Government should not pick winners or losers in what passes for the free market," said Coalition host Pat Ford, "Mr. Skeffington has made his life's work connecting the dots between cronies in government and the marketplace. It is clearly his mission to socialize risk and privatize success; Because of his efforts, Rhode Island is a poorer place, on an economic, as well as a philosophical level."
The Coalition has posted a script and phone numbers for every member of the powerful House Finance Committee, Governor Gina Raimondo's office, and the office of Providence mayor Jorge Elorza on their website at www.coalitionradio.us/fight-the-stadium.html. They are asking Rhode Islander's to flood the phones and switchboards of each of these.
"If another community is willing to embrace 'Skeffo- nomics' - the theory and practice of laying out vast subsidies to host a AAA ball team with declining attendance, " quipped Ford, "we wish the PawSox the best of luck in their new home."
For more information, email coalitionradioshow@gmail.com, or call Dave Fisher at (401) 338-1137
Skeffington and his partners have proposed the construction of a new AAA baseball stadium on over ten acres of the prime downtown Providence real estate, known locally as the 'I-195 land.' The proposal calls for a 30-year, $120 million outlay of public funds and tax incentives from the city of Providence. The ball club's owners have insisted that staying at the much-loved McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket is a 'non-starter' for the ownership group, and have said publicly that locating the stadium on any other parcel in Providence is also a 'non-starter.'
Coalition co-host, blogger, and web editor, Dave Fisher said of the proposal, "In the wake of the 38 Studios fiasco, it is understandable that the public is extremely skeptical of these tax abatement deals that require taxpayer subsidies to materialize. If the owners of the PawSox think this is such a great deal, they should have no trouble finding private investors to complete the project."
The proposal has incited much criticism, with several Facebook groups and pages popping up over the last week expressing public emotion ranging from dissatisfaction to primal outrage. State Senator James Sheehan issued a press release last week decrying the proposed deal stating, "... this proposal does not appear to be in the best interest of the public. Moreover, seeing how big the ‘ask’ is, it makes one question if the owners are truly serious about keeping the PawSox in Rhode Island."
"Since the show's inception, The Coalition has advocated for protest and civil disobedience in the wake of government collusion, overreach, and abuse," says Fisher, "It's not only our right, but our responsibility to raise our voices against these affronts to the American way."
"It is not the role of government to subsidize or eliminate investment risk for private enterprise. Government should not pick winners or losers in what passes for the free market," said Coalition host Pat Ford, "Mr. Skeffington has made his life's work connecting the dots between cronies in government and the marketplace. It is clearly his mission to socialize risk and privatize success; Because of his efforts, Rhode Island is a poorer place, on an economic, as well as a philosophical level."
The Coalition has posted a script and phone numbers for every member of the powerful House Finance Committee, Governor Gina Raimondo's office, and the office of Providence mayor Jorge Elorza on their website at www.coalitionradio.us/fight-the-stadium.html. They are asking Rhode Islander's to flood the phones and switchboards of each of these.
"If another community is willing to embrace 'Skeffo- nomics' - the theory and practice of laying out vast subsidies to host a AAA ball team with declining attendance, " quipped Ford, "we wish the PawSox the best of luck in their new home."
For more information, email coalitionradioshow@gmail.com, or call Dave Fisher at (401) 338-1137
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