Comments on: Kings Or Not, Sacto Can't Be ‘World Class’

By: Terry Meany

Terry Meany — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 00:39:03 +0000

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate this article. It’s the only intelligent commentary I’ve read on this ridiculous preoccupation with the Sacramento Kings who are, like all other professional sports teams, an entertainment business. This hardly qualifies for tax support or other public money to continue its enterprise.

There are myriad areas in which Sacramento can improve and prosper, none of which, for reasons that escape me, quite have the appeal to team owners of watching others toss a basketball around. Far be it for fans to actually play the game themselves.

By: Lynold

Lynold — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 20:50:32 +0000

Who the hell wants to be world class? And be like L.A.
Screw that. I love our city. Screw everybody else.

By: Randall Brown

Randall Brown — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 19:34:45 +0000

Well, I find areas of agreement and disagreement with these comments. I have NO issue with Sacramento not being “world class”. L.A.’s world class, but I have NO wish to LIVE there, just as I have no wish to build a half-billion arena so we can watch some semi-educated multi-millionaires play a game with the name Sacramento displayed somewhere on their jersey. Having acknowledged, that I DO take exception with this guy comparing Sacramento with Montgomery, Alabama or Oklahoma City. Give me a BREAK! We have two gorgeous rivers flowing through this town, affording us recreation few cities can boast, including L.A. (see concrete canals). Our climate may not rival L.A.’s, but Des Moines! REALLY????? Hell, Des Moines doesn’t even see leaves sprout until April! We have trees blooming in early February. Then, he compares us to STOCKTON! He needs to live in Stockton….their motto in Stockton? “The only place in the world where you hide behind a cow during a drive-by shooting!”

By: Rachel

Rachel — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:40:21 +0000

I agree! I have lived in the metro area for years and now the city is extremely congested. Build an area downtown? I think the city Mayor needs to focus on our Plan “B” and get over his obsession with a new arena. Maybe fix the downtown traffic. Gothem City here we come.

By: Don

Don — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:37:37 +0000

David is discribing the Jefferson prior to becoming president. Remember Jefferson was not in the United States when the Constitution was formed. The Consittution replaced the Articles of Confederation, which created what Jefferson discribed. It should be noted that when Jefferson became president he increased the power of the presidency more than Washington and Adams had.

By: CalWatchdog

CalWatchdog — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 22:26:15 +0000

John Seiler:

What’s interesting is that Sacramento’s unemployment rate is a little higher than the overall state rate. That’s rare among state capitols. Usually they have much lower unemployment because they suck in so much taxpayer money. And the most prosperous metro area in America now is Washington, D.C., because it now grabs 25% of the national economy, much of which sticks there.

For Sacramento, the reason probably is the ongoing state budget cuts combined with, as Steve says, little else going on.

By: Steven Greenhut

Steven Greenhut — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 19:31:54 +0000

Exactly. Sacto could be a great place — a magnet of opportunity, but not by fixating on making it world class. Let’s just enhance the nice attributes it already has. Great point hcat!

By: hcat

hcat — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 19:25:49 +0000

Actually if you read newgeography.com, the preferred cities of opportunity for many nowadays are the non- “world class” ones. I’d live in Sacramento if I could. And the weather is better than anyplace right on the coast!

By: larry 62

larry 62 — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 16:40:45 +0000

Excellent analysis Mr. Greenhut

By: David from Oceanside

David from Oceanside — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:24:23 +0000

Couldn’t agree more but could the “world Class City” be a less harmful manifestation of a much bigger problem?

Thomas Jefferson’s vision for the US was several sovereign states with a small limited government which performed a very limited role. The role of president itself was an administrative and limited position. The federal government would mostly leave the world and its citizens alone. Where is the glory in this? Where is the national pride in this?

Hamilton’s vision was quite different. He wanted a strong and imperial government, quite like the one we fought a war of independence against. His very active and expansive government would bring national glory and of course enrich the insiders.

How much better off would the average man be had Jefferson’s vision won out? We can never know, but I suspect much better. National pride seems a smoke screen that allows for all kinds of abuse.

In nearby San Diego they said the proposed new high rise city hall was necessary for civic pride. What a joke. I would have more civic pride in a city that did everything possible to keep government limited, including renting space in a nondescript industrial park on the south side of the tracks and calling that city hall if it saved taxes.