Texas Taxpayers Finance Formula One Auto Races as Schools Dismiss Teachers

[Keith Bee]

Texas, which may balance its budget by firing thousands of teachers, plans to commit $25 million in state funds to Formula One auto racing each year for a decade.

Four years after motorsports’ most popular series left the U.S., Texas investors including Clear Channel Communications Inc. co-founder B.J. “Red” McCombs are building a 3.4-mile (5.5-kilometer) track to bring the event to Austin. Comptroller Susan Combs has agreed to pay $25 million for races through 2022, a subsidy questioned by critics and lawmakers as the state cuts costs to close an estimated $15 billion two-year deficit.

“I don’t understand why 25 people in Austin could not put up $1 million each if they thought this was a good opportunity instead of the state making a $25 million commitment,” said Senator Dan Patrick, a Houston Republican. “The developers should find the money through private sources.”

As many as 100,000 teachers in Texas may be fired because of spending cuts to cope with the state’s budget crisis, according to Moak Casey & Associates, an Austin-based education consultant. For $25 million a year, the state could pay more than 500 teachers an average salary of $48,000.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-11/texas-taxpayers-finance-formula-one-auto-races-as-schools-dismiss-teachers.html

A Republican in Texas making sense. :scared:

[atreides1]

1. Racing is more important then education.

Wow...

[patrice]

4. My late (Libertarian) spouse would agree with that statement, but then he was born an NMSQT finalist

with an almost insane passion for fast cars and automobile engineering, especially F1.

[Vinnie From Indy]

2. This is the definition of "in your face" elitism

The nakedness of it all is stunning.

[patrice]

5. The "nakedness" IS an interesting trait. I think it is strategic.They are SEPERATING

,very consciously and concretely, separating the "sheep" from the "goats".

[Chris_Texas]

9. No, it is a great investment for Texas

I am reminded of the "National Bowling Stadium" in Reno, Nevada. Some activists there howled at the incredible cost. How could the city spend all those tens of millions of dollars on a bowling statium that the public would not even be allowed to use! How dare they waste our precious tax dollars! Think of the children, the teachers!!

Of course, the silly think brings into the city an average of SIXTY MILLION dollars are year in tourist dollars. Thousands of bowlers and bowling fans booking hotel rooms and eating meals. It was an incredibly good investment when it was finally complete.

This F1 track might well bring in half a billion a year to the state economy, and hundreds of jobs. For a mere twenty-five mil a year that's FANTASTIC.

This is EXACTLY the kind of thing we need to be doing all across America. We need to stop blowing our money of banksters and bloated public employee paychecks and start investing in the future. Someone needs to pay for teachers to make their top-5% salaries and epic bennies, and it isn't gonna happen just taxing the guys working at McDonalds and Walmart. We need business too, and this is how we get it.

[patrice]

12. Chicken-or-the-egg question for MOST people. And there's STILL no guarantee from the ones for

whom it is not a chicken-or-the-egg question.

[Vinnie From Indy]

13. Epic FAIL!

You know what I reminded of? The fact that the F1 has FAILED at every US venue including the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Why you folks in Texas think your newly minted track will do better than the folks at the Indy Motor Speedway is beyond me. It won't! The track will be monumental failure and the only ones making money will be the very few that got their snouts in the public trough and "Bernie" Ecclestone.

"We need to stop blowing our money of banksters and bloated public employee paychecks and start investing in the future. Someone needs to pay for teachers to make their top-5% salaries and epic bennies"

Complete and utter BS!

Have fun with your future failure with F1!

[patrice]

15. Right on! Texas, even Austin, Tx, is NOT Europe. Never can, never will be.

Interesting that kind of poster would show up here, especially on this kind of issue in a state like Texas, just as The Dream Act is heating up again, isn't it?

[patrice]

17. F1 fans will accept no substitutes and that includes the whole European culture piece, which Tx

cannot replicate. F1 fans aren't going to go to Disney-world-for-race-cars and pretend it's the real thing.

[Chris_Texas]

22. They race F1 everywhere on earth except here

We used to of course. It is time to do so again.

[patrice]

25. Culture is intrinsic to F1, otherwise people will just watch on TV. Those who go

to the races go BECAUSE of where they are and Texas is Texas, just NOT as sophisticated as the rest of the world. And even if you did get something going on with Austin, it'd still be just this isolated thing in the middle of a place where F1 fans are regarded as quite suspect, because of a weaker AND declining dollar, and for what will appear to be their "liberal" ways. They'd be foreigners/aliens. Not so in Europe.

[Spider Jerusalem]

29. People who go to the races go for the racing as often as not.

The ones who go because of where they are, the people who can afford a weekend in Monaco for instance, are not the majority of people who go to F1 races. The British Grand Prix is in the middle of nowhere in Northamptonshire, on the site of a former RAF airfield. There are a few small villages nearby, but the nearest town of any size is 15 miles away. And 320k people went to the last one over the three-day race weekend, with 120k there the day of the race.

Spa in Belgium is similarly situated; so're Hockenheim and the Nurburgring. "Sophistication" and glamour is big in Monaco, not too many other places on the F1 calendar. Bahrain, maybe, and Abu Dhabi, but by and large the races are well-attended by serious racing fans.

[patrice]

41. You're right. Sophistication wasn't a good word choice. I was trying to refer to a larger

context that includes qualities that are not found in Texas. Whether that context is a retired RAF field or a small country town it's not Texas.

I get your point that hardcore fans go for the race and nothing else, true, but there are questions about the size and timing of that benefit and then also none of that addresses my point that precisely what kind of economic benefit, especially to education, is experienced and when it is experienced should be intrinsic to this question from the lower SES tax-payers' perspective.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

38. Everywhere on Earth? You mean the Argentinian, Swedish, Mexican, French, Portuguese, Dutch,

South African, Austrian and Moroccan Grands Prix have been reinstated? When did that happen?

[Chris_Texas]

20. Indy failed because the course was LAME

[Vinnie From Indy]

23. Seldom right but never in doubt right?

Was it not you that posted just below:
"I believe F1 wants to move away from regular street road courses."

The fact is that the race was extremely popular, but the F1 is run by Eccelstone and he demands so much of the pie it was unprofitable for the IMS. It had nothing to do with the course. The Texans WILL fail with F1. It is a sure as the Sun rising in the East.

[frylock]

53. the course sucked..

no elevation changes with the exception of turn 13. you know, the one that was destroying tyres?

[Spider Jerusalem]

33. Indy failed because of the 2005 US Grand Prix actually

since you may not be aware: Seven F1 teams in 2005 were using Michelin tyres. Which experienced problems and failures in practice sessions. Michelin engineers advised the teams that the tyres were unsafe to use for an entire race; the then-current F1 rules forbade tyre changes. Long story short, the seven teams using Michelin rubber retired after the parade lap, leaving the three teams running on Bridgestones to compete in a pretty shocking display of poor sportsmanship (even for Michael Schumacher, who was happy enough to win and take the championship points).

[truebrit71]

44. Nope. It failed because Bernie wanted too much money for his crappy racing series...

...I have my doubts that the race will ever actually take place, Bernie is famous for getting people to commit large sums of money, set ridiculous drop-dead dates, and when plans don't go just right he walks off with the money and all the organizers have is the vague taste of ass on their tongues...

The race is supposed to be in August. Think about that. Texas. In August. Outside.

Two words for this plan: Sheer Madness

[Spider Jerusalem]

48. Can't be much worse than Bahrain.

Which is usually 90F+ air temp and 120+ track temp.

[truebrit71]

52. Don't forget to add the humidity...THAT will be the killer...

..cast your mind back to the US GP that was held in Dallas one year...it was a disaster...

[Blue_Tires]

49. I remember watching that...

The constant stream of "We-know-the-race-is-a-sham-but-we're-contractually-obligated" jokes and one-liners from the SPEED announcing crew were priceless...

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

43. Spider Jerusalem above is correct. You are wrong.

If you were right, the Hungarian and Spanish races would have been sacked ages ago.

[truebrit71]

54. The Spanish track wasn't that lame until they "improved" it recently...

...it was a joke at Jarama no doubt, but Barcelona is that bad...

The Hungaroring on the other hand is a total joke...

[patrice]

14. Not to mention the fact that even if it isn't a chicken-or-the-egg question, WHERE a given individua

l ends up in this kind of economic schema depends hugely upon HOW MUCH and how APPROPRIATE and how AVAILABLE education is and WHEN. None of which is accounted for in conventional trickle-down economics.

[hatrack]

26. Let's try a little thought experiment, shall we?

Texas, which may balance its budget by firing thousands of teachers, plans to commit $25 million in state funds to support a New Mall of America near Austin each year for a decade.

Four years after retail's biggest name canceled plans to build in Texas, Texas investors including Clear Channel Communications Inc. co-founder B.J. “Red” McCombs are building a 5.3 million square-foot shopping mall & entertainment complex to bring more shoppers to Austin. Comptroller Susan Combs has agreed to pay $25 million for the mall through 2022, a subsidy questioned by critics and lawmakers as the state cuts costs to close an estimated $15 billion two-year deficit.

“I don’t understand why 25 people in Austin could not put up $1 million each if they thought this was a good opportunity instead of the state making a $25 million commitment,” said Senator Dan Patrick, a Houston Republican. “The developers should find the money through private sources.”

As many as 100,000 teachers in Texas may be fired because of spending cuts to cope with the state’s budget crisis, according to Moak Casey & Associates, an Austin-based education consultant. For $25 million a year, the state could pay more than 500 teachers an average salary of $48,000.

"Ah! But Formula One is different!".

No, not really.

It's discretionary spending, and if this country is filled with empty retails space (and it is), what makes you think that Formula One is going to make a go of it when NASCAR is in serious trouble already? It's a form of entertainment that's just about as discretionary as it gets.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=jb-economy061908
http://mecktimes.com/news/2011/04/22/nascar-hall-turns-1-next-month-but-faces-deficit-and-disappointing-attendance/
http://www.allleftturns.com/attendance-decline-continues-stump-nascar

[Vinnie From Indy]

28. As an added kicker - the F1 race will fail in Texas

If the folks that run the Indianapolis Motor Speedway could not make it work, the odds of the owners of this newly minted track making it work are very slim indeed.

[Romulox]

30. The problem with this line of argument: the people making money are not the same people who are

being asked to pay for these expenses.

"Of course, the silly think brings into the city an average of SIXTY MILLION dollars are year in tourist dollars."

Then why weren't the private companies who rake in these profits willing to put up the money to finance their own businesses? :shrug:

[JoeyT]

57. Education is an investment in the future too.

So what's going to happen to the racetrack when none of the kids know enough to work as maintenance because the state declared they were broke and stopped funding education so they could build racetracks? Wonder what that's going to do to their economy.

[Blue_Tires]

3. I'm an F1 fan and it made NO sense to build a new track from scratch

with all the potential road and street courses available...

[Chris_Texas]

7. Not quite how it works my friend

I believe F1 wants to move away from regular street road courses. They are extremely dangerous and do not accomodate fans. Both matter.

[Blue_Tires]

46. Ecclestone would run a grand prix in your driveway if the price was right

street courses or no, the only thing that matters is $$$$

[Spider Jerusalem]

24. They could've run at Watkins Glen, or Road Atlanta, or any one of a dozen other places...

I suppose that Texas was prepared to come up with the money Bernie Ecclestone was demanding though.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

34. Laguna Seca. Elkhart Lake. The US has dozen of ridiculously kickass tracks.

Instead, we get another Tilkedrome in the middle of nowhere. Bleh.

[A HERETIC I AM]

58. Unfortunately, while both beautiful and wonderful tracks, neither Road America or Laguna Seca are...

suitable for F1.

I've been to both many, many times as a participant when I worked in Indy Car in the 1990's and the safety concerns for Indy Cars at both those tracks were and I'm sure continue to be dramatic.

Road America is indeed a gorgeous road course and at 4 miles long, it is the longest natural terrain road course in North America. But it has it's drawbacks. In the Early 90's AJ Foyt was almost killed when he overran in turn 1 (I was there) and there have been some serious crashes (including deaths) in "Kettle Bottoms" between turns 11 and 12 over the years, an incredibly high speed section where the track is narrow as is the grass between the edge of the track and the fence.

Likewise at Laguna, the climb from turn 5 to 6 is very high speed and the runoff area at 6 is too often shown to be not wide enough and can not be made wider, as the ground slopes away after the fence rather dramatically. The runoff at turn 8 which is basically the top of the Corkscrew also has limited runoff that would be difficult if not impossible to expand because of the terrain.

There are perhaps a small handful of North American road courses that might be able to be modified for F1, it is unfortunate that Road America and Laguna Seca aren't among them.

[Blue_Tires]

45. couple of reasons

1. Bernie wanted a "fresh" market and venue, which if done right will always earn him more than a refurbished Glen or Indy, especially since the locals are dumping in a ton of cash...

2. The venue had to be in a (relatively) high-profile place with the five-star hotel, hospitality and entertainment network in place...The jet-setting teams and fans who travel with the series would never settle for flyover country or a track more than 40-50 miles from 'civilization'...

FWIW I'm stunned that the Las Vegas road course idea didn't come to reality...Seemed like a perfect fit for all the glitz and glamour of the series...

[Chris_Texas]

6. 25 mil a year to bring in a hundred million a year or more in tourist bucks

Seems like a fantastic deal to me!

Not everything needs to be about teachers. I know, they are the sacred cow of the limousine left, but it's okay for government to spend money on infrastructure and tourism as well.

[LanternWaste]

8. When you say "limousine left", you are referring to progressives who believe education is a criti

When you say "limousine left", you are referring to progressives who believe education is a critical investment for the country, or something else? If the latter, what demographic specifically does it refer to.

[Chris_Texas]

10. No.

And in any case I am getting a little tired of hearing about the plight of education. We are bulldozing money at the schools. We spend more on education than any other country on earth, about three times as much as, for example, Japan. It's ludiocrous.

I understand that teachers are great Democratic Party donors in a sort of incestuous circle, but I really find it hard to shed a tear for anyone who ranks in the top 5% of US incomes, and this certainly includes teachers. In a nation where 90% of families earn less than 35,000 per year household incomes, and half of those who can even find a job are working retail if they are lucky, teachers are doing freaking great. In the battle of the haves and the have-nots, pretty much all public employees are the haves.

They have the best job security, the highest pay, and benefits non-fortune 500 execs can only dream of.

So like I said, sorry, but no tears from me. I am a progressive. I fight for the poor, not the well-to-do.

[Vinnie From Indy]

16. LOL!

I am in awe of your ignorance. There should be an award or something for your post.

[Chris_Texas]

19. Thanks

Coming from you that means a lot.

[movie_girl99]

27. put your crack pipe down

I work for a school district in the payroll dept and i'm here to tell you, teachers are not and never will be in the top 5% of US incomes.

[MattBaggins]

39. Those teachers you hate so much teach the poor you pretend to care about

You clutching your heart right now?

top 5% is pure bull shit

[EstimatedProphet]

56. There's a reason he hates them so much

Apparently he failed his math classes, because he thinks that $40,000 per year is in the top 5% of US salaries.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

40. ''teachers are great Democratic Party donors in a sort of incestuous circle''

You wrote that. :eyes:

[EstimatedProphet]

55. WTF are you even talking about?!

TOP 5% OF US INCOMES?! Do you honestly think teachers make over $250,000 per year? Are you out of your fucking mind?

[patrice]

21. Thanks for this distinction! - a very salient rhetorical point right now!

[Fumesucker]

11. Whereas education of our kids has no payoff at all...

Right?

[Chris_Texas]

18. We invest more in this than any other nation on earth

And in return we get...?

I understand why. I am well aware that we have cultural issues that make the job difficult. I understand that much of the vast ocean of money we direct at our schools gets channeled away from kids and those who work with them directly.

Fight to correct THOSE issues and you have me as an ally. But I don't see teachers or anyone fighting for that, they just want us to torch more trillions in the hope that some trickle will reach them as well.

[ProfessorGAC]

36. Oh I Don't Know, The Largest Economy in the World?

If you don't recognize the correlation between the expansion of education and the growth of the economy over the years 1880 to 1970, then you're beyond help.
GAC

[MattBaggins]

42. prove that statement please

[Romulox]

32. So what? How much money will get back to the TAXPAYERS who actually are asked to pay?

Telling me that some private party stands to make millions isn't a good argument for public investment.

[patrice]

47. Not just how much, but also When? and for precisely What? Children need

appropriate education in enough quantity at the right time. If their needs are delayed in order to build something else, even ***IF*** EVENTUALLY - AND I DOOOOOOOOOOO MEAN E - V - E - N - T - U - A - L - L - Y, the economic model does end up providing enough shared resources to create appropriate education in the right amounts at the right time, you STILL have questions about FOR WHOM and what about all of those who missed those educational opportunities between the grand-opening of the race track and when the trickle finally got down to education??????????

Same OLD, same old . . . "Trust us!" shell game.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

35. ''I know, they are the sacred cow of the limousine left''

No, really, all one has to do is quote that sentence and point to the fact that you wrote it in earnest. :eyes:

[MattBaggins]

37. Concern for teachers is hardly "limosine left"

nice try to distract with a blanket attack though.

If it's such a great deal then get your friends together and pony up the money. Rather simple concept don't you think?

[patrice]

51. "limosine left" = more of a recent rhetorical assault designed to exploit

tensions between the "Professional Left" and other Liberals and lower economic classes.

[patrice]

50. And what if some kids don't want to work for tourists? but they don't have the educations to do

other things.

[patrice]

31. Texas, trade your children & grandchildren's futures for Disneyland-for-cars.THAT's what you need!

:sarcasm:

...............................

Pretty interesting that this is coming up just when The Dream Act is heating up too.