Will Oklahoma be OK with more taxes?

It sounds like the people of Oklahoma may be tired of giving tax breaks to millionaires too:

Sonics owner Clay Bennett wants to move the team to Oklahoma City soon and is pleading with the Oklahoma City mayor and taxpayers to pass a penny sales tax to pay for renovation of the Ford Center.

According to Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett, the Ford Center needs a $150 million renovation to put in more restaurants and seats.

“Well, we will not get a team if we don’t pass this election. I think that’s pretty clear,” Cornett said.
The new tax would take one penny from every dollar Oklahoma residents spend.

A recent survey of Oklahoma City voters reveals that voters are split down the middle on the new tax option.
The survey conducted by SurveyUSA found that 47 percent of voters are leaning toward funding the Ford Center, and 48 percent are leaning against it and 5 percent are undecided.

“I think a lot of people look at the Hornets experience and they say, ‘Well, if the Ford Center was good enough for the Hornets, why is it suddenly not good enough?’” Cornett said.

Wando Jo Peltier, with MapsForMillionares.org, is against the penny sales tax and recommends the Sonics owners pay for the renovations.

“I am not willing to pay an additional $6 every time I buy $600 worth of groceries to pad the pockets of the rich who are financially able to pay every dime of the upgrades on the Ford Center,” Peltier said.

from KIRO.com

I highly recommend everyone check out the "Maps for Millionaires" site--I wonder if they've met the folks at "Save our Sonics"?

Stern

With this medal, I thee wed. You may now kiss my ass.

What can you say about this man?

'His Royal Smugness,' Steve Kelley at the Times calls him, and it's not an inappropriate moniker. David Stern, the man who seemingly revels in every ounce of good publicity for his league, has once again stomped his foot and tried to belittle the efforts of those who are working to keep the Sonics in Seattle.

"There's not going to be a new arena," Stern says. "There's not going to be a public contribution, and that's everyone's right. I mean that sincerely."

Stern went on to comment that he had read "in the newspaper" that Speaker of the House Frank Chopp had offered his support to the University of Washington's plans for a new athletic facility, but that Chopp had denied such support to the Sonics, further illustrating Seattle's ambivalence about losing their NBA team.

Which would make for a great soundbite, if it contained any kernel of truth, which, like most things out of Stern's mouth, it does not.

Reading Stern's comments, it is easy to become riled up and toss out invectives like a drunken fan, but, honestly, he's not worth the effort.

Remember, Stern is the man who publicly admonished Tim Hardaway for his disrespectful comments about homosexuality last year, because, don't you know, the NBA is all about cultural inclusiveness. David Stern, it seemed, would not stand for homophobes, not in his NBA, dammit.

Well, as we all know, that level of understanding doesn't have to extend to the owners. And that should tell you everything need to know about the Commish, a man who never met an idea he couldn't spin, a city he couldn't blackmail, or an emotion he couldn't twist.

You can keep talking, David, but we're done listening.

Supersonicsoul on the Radio today

My son and I will be talking about the Supersonics with our pal John Moe today on "Weekend America", locally on KUOW 94.9 FM, from noon to 2pm. If you miss the show, you can catch us on the archives here.