Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Thank You, Barbara Robinson

This post has nothing to do with Paris. But it is about soccer and I like soccer so I hope you'll read it and like soccer as much as I do.

With my local club D.C. United trying to get a stadium built in Prince George's County, the team President Kevin Payne has asked United supporters to send emails to the members of the Maryland House Appropriations Committee and the Maryland Senate Budget & Taxation Committee to ask for their support on the project.

I wrote a nice little note to them, paraphrased from an earlier post on why I love soccer, and was thrilled to get a response from Barbara A. Robinson minutes later saying, "I agree with you." Barbara Robinson, you are new favorite Maryland State Delegate (that does assume I had a favorite delegate before you...so...well...you're it now). One has to love Democracy in action!

Plus she's from Baltimore and I love The Wire.

So. Support D.C. United, too! Follow this link and send an email if you get the chance.

3 comments:

Stan said...

One thing to pass on in case you're considering the benefits against the risks of the proposal:

Maryland has an 11% tax on all stadium activities, and this is going to pay back the bulk of the bonds. DC United's rent will pay the majority of the remainder, and only then are we talking about rentals for other games and project-generated sales and property taxes.

The Maryland Stadium Authority says this project will pay off the bonds *without* hitting the general fund (that is, you and me)--and in years of experience at this, they've never been wrong before.

Stan said...

By the way, I was in Noisiel when I was in 8th grade. My host family worked for the RER. This was 1990, when the World Cup was in neighboring Italy (and the US qualified for the first time in 40 years). This is when I first got hooked on soccer, and found out much to my delight and shock that we would be hosting the next on in 1994.

Good times. :-)

ADH said...

Stan, thanks for reading and putting up a few numbers in support of the project. With Poplar Point leaving such a bitter taste in my mouth, I truly hope Maryland can handle this proposal respectfully for all parties involved: DC United, PG County, and the citizens of Maryland.