if the bailout included a stadium for buffalo

[trapezeus]

with all the economic mess, i wonder why we couldn't get our representatives to push a couple hundred million in for a new stadium.

Obviously a new buffalo stadium wouldn't be in the range of big city new stadium costs. if $500MM-700MM were included for the bills to get a no debt handout to solidify the team staying here, would it have changed your mind about the bailout?

[Pinkerton Security]

unfortunately for bills fans, the Buffalo Bills are the least of the worries in our country right now.

And I know they're throwing money around and spending it on things they dont need to, but to be honest if they DID spend that much money on a new stadium when we are already asking for billions from the federal government, i'd be upset.

[THATHURMANATOR]

I would gladly pay 1000 dollars out of my own pocket for the bills to stay in Buffalo.

[Dr. Lecter]

How does a new stadium help the Bills?

And I would hate the bailout even more.

[THATHURMANATOR]

More revenues Lecter.

[Dr. Lecter]

More revenues Lecter.

From where?

We can't even max out the revenues in the Ralph. How would we do so in a new stadium?

The coporate sources do not exist at this time.

[THATHURMANATOR]

From where?

We can't even max out the revenues in the Ralph. How would we do so in a new stadium?

The coporate sources do not exist at this time.
They are there. My company it self has over a 1000 vendors and many purchase suites at the Ralph. Every day emails are going around asking if there any available suites for Vendors that didn't initially purchase one.

[trapezeus]

new stadium with no debt to ralph essentially says to the new owner, "here is a new stadium, it's part of our revitalization plan for the area. you're purchase price does not involve having to take more debt to build a stadium to stay here.

it makes it harder for the new owner to run from the area.

the suite sales will slow down, no doubt over the next 2 years. however, when things come back, you can charge a higher price. you can justify charging higher prices for less seats in a new stadium for the everyday guy.

as long as we have $bn to throw around, we could add another $500MM to the pot for "unrecognizes suite sales."

i find it hilarious that at $700Bn, the package spent too much of our money. and then a $850BN plan came about. then to make things worse, they are now talking about another $150BN bailout for individuals. $1TR to just make things worse. unbelievable.

[OpIv37]

Pork that benefits me is still pork.

That's the whole reason why we can't get rid of it in the first place. Everyone hates the Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska except a few hundred people who got paid to build it and the 18 people that actually use it. Same thing goes for an earmark for a new stadium in Buffalo- the ~2% of the population that lives in WNY and/or cares about the Bills would love it, 98% of the country would hate it.

If we're ever going to balance the budget and get this government back on track, ALL pork has to end- we can't support earmarks that we like while rallying against the concept in general.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Just this once can't buffalo get a little Pork though Op... :(

[OpIv37]

Just this once can't buffalo get a little Pork though Op... :(

well, you can blame your congressmen and senators for that. You want your pork, they have to learn how to compete with Ted Stevens, Robert Bird, etc.

[trapezeus]

i ask the question jokingly more than anything else.

i think new stadiums are ridiculous. They are hard to finance (prior to this crisis), they rarely turn the profit that people claim they will for the area, and the average price of the ticket goes up 3-4x. the games remain the same.

For buffalo it is a shame that the ralph was put in Orchard park. the city would have benefited more from having it in the city or Niagara falls. But what can you do.

Pork is Pork. and now we're finding out we really don't have the cash as a nation.

I think NFL values are going to take a huge hit for each franchise in the next 3 years. and with dried up credit, it'll be even harder for a new owner to emerge. especially as a single investor with the clout to move the team.

[Griff]

all pork barrels suck, why should people living in Alabama pay for the new Bills stadium?

[DMBcrew36]

Building an NFL stadium is completely irrelevant to the bailout, so much so, that this thread doesn't even make sense. The stock market is crashing and Congress finally realizes that a bailout for the stock market is the only way to avoid what is about to be the 2nd Great Depression and they should give a **** about sports or building stadiums?? We're talking about peoples livelihoods here, not a stupid game.

I'm not trying to come off as an ass, because I know you're joking, but it just doesn't even come close to making sense.

[Griff]

Building an NFL stadium is completely irrelevant to the bailout. I don't see how a new Bills stadium has anything to do with a federally funded bailout for the stock market or the fact that we're on the verge of the 2nd Great Depression.

I know you're joking, but it just doesn't even come close to making sense.

actually its completely relevant, the first bailout bill was just for 700 billion, the second included 150 billion for Congress's pet projects. That's 150 billion dollars that has nothing to do with AIG, stadium money could easily be apart of that, but I don't think stealing from the people of Montana for a new Bills stadium.

[trapezeus]

Building an NFL stadium is completely irrelevant to the bailout, so much so, that this thread doesn't even make sense. The stock market is crashing and Congress finally realizes that a federally funded bailout for the stock market is needed to avoid what is about to be the 2nd Great Depression and they should give a **** about sports or a building stadiums?? We're talking about peoples livelihoods here, not a stupid game.

I'm not trying to come off as an ass, because I know you're joking, but it just doesn't even come close to making sense.

you're not coming off as an ass. the intent of the bailout is to keep the financial markets in check. unfortunately the plan as designed isn't going to work very well.

that aside, like the poster above me said, the original bill was to save the economy (in theory). but there were conservatives who didn't like the idea and the only way they could justify it to their constituants was to get projects that helped them. our ny congresspeople could have cried tears as well.

in fact, since the bill is focused on a "top down" approach, the average person should ask for some handouts. because the top down isn't going to work and they have to do something, so you might as well profit from it. all the ultra wealthy investors made huge gains during the average person's misery, it should be allowed to happen in reverse.

[yordad]

There is a bridge to no where in Alaska? :idunno:

[DMBcrew36]

you're not coming off as an ass. the intent of the bailout is to keep the financial markets in check. unfortunately the plan as designed isn't going to work very well.

that aside, like the poster above me said, the original bill was to save the economy (in theory). but there were conservatives who didn't like the idea and the only way they could justify it to their constituants was to get projects that helped them. our ny congresspeople could have cried tears as well.

in fact, since the bill is focused on a "top down" approach, the average person should ask for some handouts. because the top down isn't going to work and they have to do something, so you might as well profit from it. all the ultra wealthy investors made huge gains during the average person's misery, it should be allowed to happen in reverse.

I can agree with this, but I just didn't/don't see a stadium for a tiny percentage of Americans as being on the top of their list considering the severity of most of their discussions and decisions.

And while constituents refused to sign unless they got perks for tax payers, they should realize that the government has a chance of making a profit on this bailout.

[DynaPaul]

No way! As much as I love the Bills I strongly believe that all stadiums should be privately funded. The government should not fund anything that is not for public use or benefit. (And no, their reasoning that stadiums are beneficial to the public are flimsy at best.)

[Bravo82]

i dont get it...whats wrong with the ralph? other nfl stadiums (oakland, minnesota, san francisco, etc) are in much worse shape. and the ralph is actually a pretty nice joint if you can accept that it doesnt have a "sterilized feel", and i prefer it that way. the sight lines are second to none. the only real negative is location, but its not even that bad. its not like the bills play in silver creek or anything....

and the fact is corporate sponsorship will come when we start to get serious national recognition, which = winning. not hard. if the bills return to a playoff powerhouse, major corporations will be flocking to buy up the suites. sure we woudnt turn the gross revenue that the cowboys or the giants will bring in, but we will have much less expenses than them as well. the bills are still a very low risk & profitable team in the long run. and that stability is what should keep the bills in buffalo long term.