
Are you shocked by Jim Skeffington's proposal to make the PawSox the ProvSox? You should be. Skeffington is seeking $120 million from Rhode Island taxpayers over the next 30 years to "incentivize" moving the team less than 5 miles down the road. Many questions surround this deal, such as:
Why should the general population of the state pay for an amenity that is only enjoyed by a small minority of people, while lining the pockets of an even smaller minority of people?
Attendance at McCoy stadium has been on the decline for the last decade. Will moving the team to the PVD increase attendance, and if so, by how much?
Will a new stadium be the economic driver that proponents claim, or will it be, at best, a wash?
The I-195 land was envisioned to be a breeding ground for high-paying industries to counteract "brain drain" from our local higher ed. establishments. How does creating more low-wage, part-time, seasonal jobs fit into that vision?
Taxpayers are still footing the bill for the (necessary) Combined Sewer Overflow project. Rerouting the sluiceway to accommodate a (not necessary) stadium would add debt-on-debt, would it not?
And lastly, if the state continues down the road of Providence-centric economic development, will we change the name of the state to "Providence and Plantations?" It would be fitting because the rest of the state is already on the verge of becoming economic slaves to the capital city.
Tune in this week as Pat, Dave, and our guests spend the entire show engaged in wild speculation, prognostication, accusation, fabrication, postulation, defamation, and possibly defenestration concerning this execrable proposal.
Tune in to AM790 at 10 a.m. this Sunday, or listen live on the web.