the arena scam

A few years back, Dallas taxpayers fell prey to the arena scam. You know the one, where a city "agrees" to build a multi-million dollar structure for a billionaire sports-team owner to use*. Here in Dallas we sweetened the developer pot by exempting the land around the arena (an area booming with luxury high-rise apartments now) from paying millions in taxes which would go to the school district**. Then we gave the money from the naming rights to the billionaire team owner. When the deal was being made, we hadnt even finished paying for the existing arena. The primary reason for building a new one? Not enough luxury boxes.

Now they're going to tear down the old (still unpaid for) arena. Primary reason for doing so? Because it's costing the city $6 million a year to keep it up. Primary reason it's costing so much to keep up? Because when the city built the new arena, they included a non-competition clause, pretty much assuring that the old arena would go unused. Now they're going to tear it down and sell the land. Hmmmm, do you suppose that the land will go to someone who'll pay a fair price for it? Oh wait! It's Ray Hunt, the guy who just happened to own the land that the new arena was built on. Imagine that!
But, Hey! You could maybe buy a piece of it before it goes. Isnt that exiting?

* Often free (or relatively free) of charge; this is justified by the "economic benefits" of having a few years worth of construction jobs and decades of janitorial and food services jobs (plus the "benefits" of having millionaire sports figures living in a nearby suburb).

** Which, of course, makes perfect sense by Republican pay-as-you-go standards, since no one living there will have children anyway.

Gated Communities and their Home Owners Associations

Okay, so I realize that this isnt a problem limited to Dallas, and that technically, Frisco isnt part of Dallas. But it's still obnoxious, and Frisco is filled with Dallas people and is part of the metroplex, so I'm going to allow it.

Jim Greenwood said he never dreamed his HOA would have a problem with his new Ford F-150 pickup. Then he received the first of three notices threatening him with fines.

"Mr. Greenwood, you're violating a subdivision rule that prohibits pickup trucks in your driveway," the notice reads.

Stonebriar HOA rules allow several luxury trucks on driveways, including the Cadillac Escalade, Chevy Avalanche, Honda Ridgeline and Lincoln Mark LT.

But most Ford, Dodge or Chevy pickups are restricted.

Seriously, what kind of person even buys a house in a neighborhood like this? Not someone that I'd want to hang out with (although it might be nice to visit such a person on a regular basis, just so that I could park my old beater out in front of his/her house, thus provoking the ire of his neighbors).

reason no. 1 (in order of posting, at least):Dallas Independent School District

I suppose that DISD doesnt really suck any more than any other huge metropolitan school district does, but then, that's not really much of a recommendation, now is it? In addition to all the regular problems, nepotism, cronyism, good-old-boyism (of every color) and just plain old-fashioned corruption, we have the antics of its superintendent, Michael Hinojosa, an apparent closet voucher-supporter, and his constant attempts to make Dallas schools an even worse system than they already are.
For instance, check out his new grading policies, where work, and when one feels like turning it in (and who's responsible if you dont), is deemed pretty much optional for all students. So, on top of No Child Left Behind, which makes teachers responsible for the horse's lack of desire to drink, DISD has decided to put a policy in place that blames the teacher for not bringing the horse the water, at whatever time the horse feels it to be convenient for it to drink.