Subject: Re: [Homestead] A Question of Global Ethics? Morals?
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:09:09 -0700
On Mar 31, 2008, at 7:01 PM, Bunjov AT aol.com wrote:
The city used eminent domain to force a hundred
families from their homes in Chavez Ravine, to build the stadium,
and L.A.'s
economy. The irony? Today is Caesar Chavez day, here in California.
Texas power-mongers did the same ugly thing to build a place to play
ball. Here is part of the story:
The Governor's Sweetheart Deal
BY ROBERT BRYCE
Governor George W. Bush and the other owners of the Texas Rangers are
deadbeats. Rich deadbeats, but deadbeats nevertheless.
In early January, Bush and his baseball partners hit a home run,
selling the Texas Rangers to Thomas Hicks for $250 million. Bush
himself hit a grand slam. For his 1.8 percent share of the club --
which cost him $605,000 -- the Governor gets paid between $10 and $14
million. That is a return of up to twenty-three times his original
investment -- in less than nine years. But even though Bush and his
cohorts are making nearly three times what they paid for the club in
1989, they haven't paid $7.5 million they owe the city of Arlington.
The Rangers owners owe the money because of a court judgment against
the Arlington Sports Facilities Development Authority (ASFDA), which
was set up by the city to condemn land for, and administer, the
Ballpark at Arlington project. In May of 1996, a Tarrant County jury
found the ASFDA had not paid a fair price for thirteen acres of land
it condemned, and awarded the sellers (the Mathes family) more than
six times what the city had agreed to pay. A year after the jury's
decision, the city decided not to appeal and paid the plaintiffs $7.5
million. That's where the Rangers' obligation arises.
In 1990 the Rangers agreed to pay any costs that exceeded $135 million
on the Ballpark project. Under those terms, the city's position is
that the $7.5-million judgment should be paid by Bush and the Rangers.
Two days after Hicks purchased the Rangers, Arlington city attorney
Jay Doegey told this reporter, "We have a contract with them that says
they will pay anything over $135 million. The costs in the
condemnation case are over that amount." But Doegey has not demanded
payment; it appears that Arlington city officials don't want to
irritate the owners of the Rangers.