Lincolnite

Not to sound all conspiracy-like, but I really think that governments are not that awful at predicting the costs, behind the scenes. But most people know these things are not stand-alone money makers, so they accentuate the positives and really minimize or understate the negatives to win the PR war.

I think it’s a complex issue. I would guess that the overall impact on the economy of Lincoln is much greater than the cost of the center, but if you view it in a stand-alone vacuum and don’t consider the money that exhibitors and visitors spend outside of the property (gas, food, lodging, retail goods, etc.) that the center itself may never look good on paper.

It also possible from an accounting standpoint that the thing can cash flow and operate in the black, but on paper after deprecitaion, amortization, etc. that it shows a loss.

I’m with you, Fletch. It’s no accident, it’s just what you need to do to get the thing built.

I’ve probably said this 100 times in these comments, but if these things were the guaranteed money makers that people say they are, private entities would be building them on their own. But they aren’t, so private investors get the public to take the biggest burden of the expense so that when the project comes in higher than the “projections,” it’s the public that pays and the private that profits.

I agree. I think that in overall dollar benefit, we are ahead, but you just can’t easily track the spending that happens off site.

Holy crap, that’s twice now recently that Neal and I have agreed. I warned you all that there would be floods and locusts! LOL