The old saying goes, “If you want fair, play baseball.” But there’s nothing fair about the proposal to tax the county fair, movies, concerts and motocross events to fund a competing business.
Clark County commissioners could thicken the plot by approving a letter of intent with the baseball team before they get the city of Vancouver — where most of the tax would be raised — to agree to dedicate the money to the ball park. That puts the rock in Vancouver’s pocket: Either you’re “for” baseball or you’re not. Who wants to be opposed to baseball?
The bigger question is, who thinks this is the best use for $650,000 a year for 20 years when Vancouver is closing fire stations and telling neighborhoods they can’t maintain the parks we already have? Do county commissioners really think it’s “fair” to tax existing businesses to fund a competitor fighting for the same entertainment dollar on the same summer evenings? Would The Columbian support a tax on newspapers to support the Vancouver Voice?
Bring on baseball, but let people who make money from it pay for it.
That’s fair.
Chris Crowley
Vancouver
