  Detroitman Member Username: Detroitman Post Number: 1084 Registered: 06-2004 |
Beaumont aid might spur Cobo expansion OK on projects may win over Patterson BY JOHN GALLAGHER and PATRICIA ANSTETT • FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITERS • April 29, 2008 http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs .dll/article?AID=/20080429/BUS INESS04/304290003 | ||
French777 Member Username: French777 Post Number: 428 Registered: 10-2006 |
I thinks it is a great idea! | ||
Rugbyman Member Username: Rugbyman Post Number: 323 Registered: 06-2005 |
I'm less excited than French. Though he may want you to believe this isn't a quid pro quo, Patterson's really asking for a pretty big pay off here. The state wants ALL of the area hospitals to share the burdens and benefits from this rather unique facility in a consortium (surprisingly progressive for the state, I think). Patterson wants it all to go to OU and Beaumont. Big picture: we'll sign off on your plan to boost the region, so long as you kick a $1.1B business boost plus $22M tax base increase our way. Want to tell me how people flying into Metro and hitting 94 to 75 straight to Rochester is going to help the regional economy? At least with the Cobo expansion people stay in hotels scattered throughout the region and OC'ers work for Wayne county based car companies. | ||
Rb336 Member Username: Rb336 Post Number: 5948 Registered: 02-2007 |
yes, let's hold hostage a valuable expansion to a public facility unless we can get a bunch of public money to finance a project for a very successful private company!••• great deal!•• | ||
Digitalvision Member Username: Digitalvision Post Number: 787 Registered: 11-2003 |
The idea is that the job attraction of a new facility - good paying jobs, and that benefits "the region." You gotta remember that the vast majority of Oakland County voters couldn't give a crap about Cobo Hall. Sorry, it's a non-starter. They'd rather see Rock Finanical Showplace expanded - or Cobo shuttered and a new facility built in Pontiac on the Silverdome site, as Cobo hall is too hard to get to, or Cobo is dangerous, or Cobo is dirty (I know, not all true, but that's the perception, and perception is reality in anything political). L Brooks has to bring something back to get Cobo through, even if he personally supports the idea. I know, I know, it's not the attitude that we want to see. But in my experience it's the reality of the situation. It's why I'm so non-plussed about the idea of true regional cooperation beyond a couple inner ring suburbs - there is zero appetite with that group for or understanding of how regional cooperation directly benefits them and their pocket book. "Regional Cooperation" in the eyes of most means every part of the region gets something people can physically see in their neck of the woods. That is the reality of this region. Now, you gotta work around that, because it is not changing in the next 10 years (five years after five years from now when the woodward line is completed for that light rail). And then you'd understand why some people have left the region - because that line of thought is madness, and aren't willing to wait at least a decade till that happens and enough of the power balance changes. | ||
Taj920 Member Username: Taj920 Post Number: 307 Registered: 01-2004 |
Stick a fork in that idea: http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll /article?AID=/20080430/BUSINES S06/80430043 | ||
Paulmcall Member Username: Paulmcall Post Number: 964 Registered: 05-2004 |
Basic economics tells you other hospitals will pay for this expansion. They won't sit by and let this happen. I'd check and see how much Brooks has gotten from Beaumont in campaign contributions. He's trying a stickup and everyone else will pay for it but him and his buddies. |
