By Scott Tibbs, April 21, 2010
I read with interest Bill Ruthhart's April 14 article about the Indiana Pacers threatening to move if the government does not give them corporate welfare. What a show of disrespect to the fans and the taxpayers. If you have no loyalty to the city and the fans, why should we cheer for you? Why should we buy merchandise and attend games?
The Pacers simply do not get it. This article comes a day before Tea Party rallies all over the nation were held by people fed up with government handouts and excessive taxation to pay for those handouts. Have the Pacers simply not paid attention for the last year? Or are they too busy losing games and hoping for a lottery pick?
The Pacers have not had a winning season since 2004-2005. The Pacers just finished their fourth consecutive losing season and have failed to make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. In the business world, you must show success before you get a bonus. With government welfare programs, that is not the case.
A lot of people complain about the salaries professional athletes make, but I am not one of those people. I want the owners and the players to make as much money as they can. I am thrilled that these men can make that much money. A lot of people complain that professional athletes make money for "playing a game" but most of us do not realize the amount of work these men put into honing and maintaining their skills and conditioning.
I only begrudge billionaire owners and millionaire players the money they make if they confiscate that money from taxpayers. I want to see them earn as much as they can, but they are not entitled to steal anything. Attempting to blackmail the city for a handout from the government is legalized theft.
The welfare queens running the Indiana Pacers can cry as much as they want about not getting a handout confiscated at the point of a gun from the taxpayers. If they petulantly take the team elsewhere, then my response is "Good riddance! Don't let the door hit you in the rear end on the way out."
