Letter to the editor: Wrong picture

By David C. Marcus, Tulsa - 11/7/2009


What is wrong with this picture? Tulsa can afford to build the BOK Center, but it can't afford to keep our police officers on the streets. Tulsa can afford to rebuild the Civic Center, but it can't pay our city employees, therefore they must take days off without pay. Tulsa can afford to build a new baseball stadium, that wasn't needed, but Tulsa can't afford to pay our teachers. Oklahoma can afford to pay a college football coach $2.6 million a year, but our young people cannot afford to pay the tuition to go to college. What is wrong with this picture?

Editor's note: The BOK Center was funded with taxes approved by Tulsa County voters for a specific list of projects, including the downtown arena. The money could not legally have been used for police officer salaries. The same is true of the improvements to the Convention Center, which are nearing completion at the Civic Center complex. The baseball stadium is being paid for with private funding and money from a downtown assessment district. Again the money used for the stadium couldn't legally be used to fund teacher salaries. The athletic departments at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University are self-funded. No tuition money is used for coach salaries.

Letters to the editor are encouraged. Each letter must be signed and include an address and a telephone number where the writer can be reached during business hours. Addresses and phone numbers will not be published. Letters should be a maximum of 250 words to be considered for publication and may be edited for length, style and grammar. Letters should be addressed to Letters to the Editor, Tulsa World, Box 1770, Tulsa, Okla., 74102, or send e-mail to letters@tulsaworld.com.


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Tulsa World Reader Comments
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Angry Citizen!, Bluejacket (11/7/2009 8:07:23 AM)
Do the right thing council, raise property and sales taxes.

Jester1969, Broken Arrow (11/7/2009 6:03:53 PM)
"insider...you know that when the media identified the term red states...blue states, it came from the term red necks. The red states are the redneck states." Hobbs, what far left blog did you find that tid bit of information? Did you do know that in the 1980 Reagan/Carter election, the colors were reversed?

2curious, Tulsa, OK 74104 (11/7/2009 7:20:56 AM)
David Marcus - Your explanation is thorough and correct. However, it misses the point of the letter...that we (citizens) CHOOSE to be taxed for support of entertainment rather than needed services. And...indeed, there is something wrong with this picture of society.

Hijinx, (11/7/2009 7:52:09 AM)
I was under the impression that those venues were built to also help generate revenue for the city. And from all indications I read they have. But I have no idea what the coaches have to do with it.

psychedelikrelik, Tulsa (11/7/2009 5:21:57 PM)
A.C. is right. Seems like all of Tulsa is standing around with palms up and their mouths open, "What ever are we going to do? The city does not have enough money to give us what we deserve!" Taxes. It ain't Armageddon and it won't bankrupt any of us. Gotta pay the piper, folks.

Hobbs, Loveland, Co (11/7/2009 9:30:02 AM)
insider...you know that when the media identified the term red states...blue states, it came from the term red necks. The red states are the redneck states.

IrishQuaker, Tulsa (11/7/2009 9:45:35 PM)
Thank goodness the TW editor responded to this nonsense.

insider, Tulsa (11/7/2009 8:54:29 AM)
I bet if they took it the voters to pass a police tax in order to fund extra police for the safety of the city, it would not pass...Not for safety, but for entertainment. Most necks hate taxes. Yet, they will be the first to whine about stuff such as police budget woes and insufficient response times. Go figure. Heck, they all got guns anyhow. Maybe the necks can form some vigilante corps and traipse around the city catching the bad guys. And do it for free. I'd vote for that. Go gun toting necks.

Thunder196, Tulsa (11/7/2009 7:49:29 AM)
Where are the priorities of the people. As stated above the people are the ones who voted for these non essential things.

Thunder196, Tulsa (11/7/2009 7:58:30 AM)
The police want support of the people, we have to see the police supporting their co-workers. That is not happening. They are showing their true colors, it ain't true blue.

Thunder196, Tulsa (11/7/2009 7:59:00 AM)
Palmer showed how expenses could be cut when he thought 3.5 million dollars was at stake. He can't find enough waste to eliminate, to bring back the three officers laid off. Take 10 citizens and let us see what all the perks are that officers get and I bet we could find the waste.

Gasp, tulsa (11/7/2009 3:40:31 PM)
I was opposed to BOK as a probable White Elephant. I cannot believe its success and at those prices and with all the casino and other venues competing for similar dollars. Where are people getting all this money? How can all this fun and games keep going? Please, someone explain where we are getting all this disposable income. I know a lot is coming from outside Tulsa but how much is in our trade area and can we expect this kind of spending to continue?

RoyR, (11/7/2009 6:58:07 AM)
Maybe ther police dept, needs to set up their own assessment district.Then the money could be used only for thr police dept. No BOK,no Civic center, no baseball stadium. Whats good for one should be good for all.

RC1936, St. Robert (11/7/2009 6:44:29 AM)
Mr. Marcus, how many times do you people need that explained? I've seen so many letters written along this subject and so many replies with those answers, but more letters have followed. And I would wager that within a short span of time there will be another asking the same already-answered questions.



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