I generally agree with this, except for the soccer stadium. The soccer stadium is the main reason Utah's unemployment rate is lower than the rest of the country (5.7% vs 9.5%). Without the soccer stadium, companies would be leaving for other states and other countries.

When the recession ends, Utah will be boom because of RSL. We will be able to double education spending and teacher salaries. Homelessness, crime, and poverty will decrease.

Thank you Dave Checketts and RSL!

Come on Yes but, you have to give us some kind of real numbers to back up such a wild and fantasy claim that RSL is the answer to our economic woes. That statement and claim is just ignorant.

You have to be kidding about the soccer stadium. It is the worst example of government misspending.

The millionaire welfare that Dave Checketts and his investors have been give will take decades to be recouped (while we pay the interest). Sandy even has money set aside to pay for infrastructure on the hotel and broadcast center talked about almost 4 years ago. Where are the practice fields and academy Dave? Why not around the stadium, rather than downtown? Sandy City plans to wipe away what's there (for the most part) a start over. The State of Utah and Sandy City have given this guy much more than they should have, in exchange for their own private box seats and promises of how it will magically make money and bring us all together. Sorry to say, I just don't believe it will happen in my lifetime. Mayor Tom Dolan has become the master developer of Sandy, more than it's leader. The citizens take a back seat to developers with an idea. He is after all the Mayor who touts "aggressive growth" likes its the ultimate goal of all residents. What a waste of millions of dollars at a time when other, higher priorities are begging for funding.

You are only mostly right.

No taxpayer funds will be used on the stadium. Part is paid with TRT and part is paid from re-directed stadium property taxes. So, unless you fall into either of 2 categories - someone spending the night in a Salt Lake County hotel, or the owner of the stadium - you will pay nothing toward the stadium.

I recently read an interesting book that discussed these issues about public subsidies for private ventures and their consequences. It is fascinating!

I recommend it to anyone who finds these issues interesting.

It is called "Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (And Stick You With the Bill)" and it is written by David Cay Johnston.

TRT revenues were meant to pay for promoting Utah, and have also been used to fund expansion of the Salt Palace (more trade shows). Scott Beck of the Convention and Vistors Bureau was right when he said the RSL deal ties up county funds for 30 years that otherwise would have gone to promoting and improving tourism and related facilities in the county. RSL may see success in the long, long, long term, but monies spent in travel promotion usually pay back in the short term. We really just funneled TRT taxes to what will become another mixed-use development in Sandy. The Legislature had to lap up to Greg Curtis and Tom Dolan with encouragement from our born millionaire governor. Another worthwile read is "Field of Schemes - How the great stadium swindle turns public money into private profit." Real is just our local version of one of the biggest con games of all time, Checketts is our stadium welfare king. I remember reading Checketts comment on how he was thanking Utah by bringing another sports team to our state. How pathetic he could actually say that with a straight face.

So if any taxpayer, large or small, gets preferential treatment for their project, then we, the other taxpayers, are not paying anything for the project? IOW, if Salt Lake County decided to rebate the property taxes on my house but decides NOT to rebate the property taxes on YOUR house, then no one else is impacted, right? After all it's my money, not yours.

We ought to rebate everyone's property taxes then.

Since corporate income taxes are paid by "other people" and not by me, we ought to rebate those as well.

Well, Yes But, satire is not always recognized. Well played.

I really can't wait to see how fast Evensen spins around when the LHM group comes begging for public funds when the ESA's lease runs out and the SLC RDA owns the building. You know they'll want to either rebuild or expand, right? And that all this rhetoric will be just that--rhetoric. The DesNews will be the biggest boosters for using public money to "save the home of the Jazz."

Here's hoping I'm wrong.