Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Bread and Circuses . . .

Or in Utica's case, beer and hockey.  Such thoughts went through my mind when I read about the County Executive's plans for the "U District."

The County Executive wants to turn Downtown Utica into a combination Theme Park and Hospital District -- a strange combination. Neither is compatible with the nacient private development currently transforming the Baggs Sq. W. and Varick St. neighborhoods nearby; and this proposal seems to provide government-sponsored competition for the latter. The proposal also creates lots of parking lots and more public spaces (and maybe even buildings) for the taxpayers to maintain. The CE offers no study to demonstrate that this project will be self sustaining. We the taxpayers have had millions of our dollars risked on crazy ideas from our politicians.

If these are such good ideas then the private sector would be taking on the risk. . . .

But the private sector won't take on risks when government taxes the heck out of it, seizes its property, and/or goes into competition with it.

Beer and hockey . . . or  "bread and circuses."  According to Wikipedia:
"Bread and circuses" (or bread and games; from Latin: panem et circenses) is metonymic for a superficial means of appeasement. In the case of politics, the phrase is used to describe the generation of public approval, not through exemplary or excellent public service or public policy, but through diversion; distraction; or the mere satisfaction of the immediate, shallow requirements of a populace,[1] as an offered "palliative". . .
Isn't this the perfect description of what is going on here? Local elected officials seek public approval not through exemplary or excellent public service or public policy, but through diversion, distraction, or the mere satisfaction of the immediate, shallow requirements of a populace.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

What's going on is the County Executive's relationship with the Oneidas, who are tax exempt and paying peanuts for the casino they already have. A downtown casino will provide the Oneidas with power of immense proportion. It is truly remarkable and depressing we've traveled from the Nano miracle to beer, dice and slot machines.

Anonymous said...

Who the hell is Picente to tell Uticans how the city should be developed? Is he now the Mayor? Why doesn't he partner with his pals the Oneida's & build a casino up at his newfangled airport that is costing county taxpayer's millions of dollars a year to maintain due to his stupidity?

Anonymous said...

Will we wind up with a Utica downtown consisting of a tax exempt hospital and a tax exempt gaming empire?

Anonymous said...

I'd have to say that this is worse than meeting the "immediate, shallow requirements of a populace" since there are large portions of the population that do NOT want this mess to go forward. At the very least they want a vote on something that would be this big, disruptive and with such major consequences.

What is it that motivates the people holding office to push this given their incredibly bad track record? This is something much more harmful to the region than "beard and circuses" it really is a mix of corruption, incompetence and arrogance.

There is little doubt that this region will continue to pay the price for putting these people in office.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous, always follow the money. The downtown gaming plan has nothing to do with anything but the relationship between the Oneida's and the County Executive.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone knows happened to New Hartford online? It's no longer available