Posts Tagged Rock Hall
Cleveland Taxes… Fair and Unfair, Dumb and Dumber
Posted by Roldo Bartimole in Economic Development, Politicians on November 17, 2009
November 17, 2009… I guess I’m just stupid. I don’t get it. Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson wants to tax garbage to raise $13 million a year. Then he wants to tax non-profits to raise $5 million a year.
But residents already pay taxes to have their garbage picked up. Non-profits don’t any pay taxes. Seems to be a contradiction right there. Don’t you go after those that don’t pay taxes rather than those that do?
But there’s more.
Most Cleveland residents are not doing that well. Many of them you would call low income. Non-profits may be having some money problems but there’s plenty of money there.
Example: The Cleveland Clinic, likely the biggest of non-profits, had $3.4 BILLION in revenues in 2007, latest IRS report available.
Example: University Hospitals had net assets of nearly a billion, $994 million, in 2001, latest I could find.
Example: Cleveland Museum of Art has net assets of $873 million.
Example: Cleveland Foundation – assets of $1.49 billion.
Example: Gund Foundation – Assets of more than a half of billion dollars.
So from these behemoths you’d get $5 million a year but from working and unemployed stiffs you’d get $13 million? And you know the $9.25 garbage monthly fee will soon be $12, then $15 and then more.
So from the big money institutions you want $5 million but from people, who already pay plenty in income and property taxes, you want $13 million a year.
Doesn’t sound right. Not to me. Not to anyone with any sense.
What sounds even more ridiculous is this. The city would tax the Cleveland Museum of Art and the County gives the Cleveland Museum of Art $1.5 million in 2008 from the Arts & Culture fund from the cigarette tax.
Do we tax Playhouse Square, a non-profit that also gets subsidies from the County and got more than $1.5 million in 2008 from the County’s Culture & Arts fund, via a tax on cigarettes from the County?
Do you tax the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a non-profit? The Rock Hall got $880,000 from the Arts & Culture 2008 fund.
Do you give with one hand and take back with the other?
And then there’s this. Do you tax the tax exempt property users? They don’t pay taxes.
Would there be the tax on Progressive Field, on Q Arena, Browns Stadium? If not, why not? Shouldn’t they chip in?
It seems as though the plans for clipping people for chump change that hurts little guys but doesn’t much damage the big ones hasn’t been thought out and doesn’t make sense.
Go back to the drawing board, Mr. Mayor.
When Propaganda is Propaganda by Propagandists
Posted by Roldo Bartimole in Economic Development, Media, Politicians on May 8, 2009
April 30, 2009… The Plain Dealer made another big story out of nothing with the spin that Cleveland is city on the verge of becoming… what… Hollywood?
All in the continuing effort to give Tower City a chance at the Medical Mart & Convention Center.
Will this shamelessness ever stop?
The interesting part of the story on the PD website isn’t the story. It’s the comments from readers. They see right through the humbug.
Also, the story quotes Ivan Schwarz as executive director of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission. He’s of course all in favor of preserving the entire Cleveland Convention Center for movie-making. Leave it alone.
Alone is about what it is. The one “film company” – promoted by Schwarz – at the center doesn’t pay a penny in rent. Must have been very heavy arm-twisting to get them to take a free lease.
Readers seem to understand propaganda when the Plain Dealer can’t smell it. Or won’t smell.
Here’s a link. Have a few laughs. We need them:
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/04/some_worry_medical_mart_deal_c.htmlhttp://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/04/some_worry_medical_mart_deal_c.html
The following is a link to the Greater Cleveland Media Development Corp., which is the correct new name for the former film commission:
http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2007/341/884/2007-341884733-049dbb7d-9.pdf
It will give you some interesting information. For example, the “development corporation” gets about three-fourths of its more than $500,000 income from the government. Doesn’t everybody?
According to this filing of 2007, Schwarz as second in command then earned $100,594 with an $18,667 in benefits and Chris Carmody got $92,700 plus a $5,495 in benefits. So you see where your tax dollars go.
And you can understand – Carmody being a creature of the White administration, which was a subsidiary of Forest City Enterprises – why the story spin goes against the use of the Mall site for the unnecessary Medical Mart and new Convention Center. Hint: Shouldn’t it be at Tower City?
You’ll also find some familiar wheeler-dealers on the board, including Terry Stewart of the Rock Hall, chief establishment boosters Dennis Roche and Dennis Eckart and the Dolans, Larry and his wife, Eva. Larry has been out propagandizing against the County Commissioners choice of the Mall site, too.
It’s propaganda upon propaganda originated by propagandists and passed on to us by The Plain Daily Propaganda.