“VOTE NO ON SIN TAX” CAMPAIGN CELEBRATES ST. PATRICK’S DAY IN CLEVELAND, OHIO

Submitted by Satinder P S Puri on Tue, 03/18/2014 - 22:57.

“VOTE NO ON SIN TAX” CAMPAIGN CELEBRATED ST. PATRICK’S DAY IN CLEVELAND, OHIO ON MARCH 17, 2014

 

On St. Patrick’s Day, the VOTE NO ON SIN TAX campaign visited downtown Cleveland and joined thousands of revelers in the celebration.

The 2-hour parade down Superior Avenue was Cleveland’s 147th parade.

Despite the bitter cold weather, the Irish spirit was all over.

An informal reviewing stand, with our signs, was set up on the south side of Superior Avenue.

VOTE NO ON SIN TAX: Issue 7

ELECTION IN CUYAHOGA COUNTY, OHIO IS ON MAY 6, 2014

NO TO CUYAHOGA COUNTY, OHIO’S EXTENSION OF THE ‘SIN TAX’ FOR ANOTHER 20-YEARS

This is the third request for a ‘sin tax’. Cuyahoga County voters did approve the previous two requests.

The first ‘sin tax’ (approved in May 1990) provided partial financing for the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex which includes Progressive Field (Indians) and Quicken Loans Arena (Cavaliers) in Cleveland.

The second ‘sin tax’ (an extension of the first was approved in November 1995) provided funds for the construction of the Browns Stadium now known as First Energy Stadium.

From August 1990 through October 2013, the sin tax generated over $350 million for use in construction and maintenance of the three sports facilities.

The current sin tax is due to expire in July 2015. The extension is expected to generate $260 million in 20 years.
 
VOTE NO ON SIN TAX: Issue 7 on May 6, 2014
St. Patrick’s Day in Cleveland, Ohio on March 17, 2014

 

VOTE NO ON SIN TAX: Issue 7 on May 6, 2014
St. Patrick’s Day in Cleveland, Ohio on March 17, 2014

 

VOTE NO ON SIN TAX: Issue 7 on May 6, 2014
St. Patrick’s Day in Cleveland, Ohio on March 17, 2014

 

VOTE NO ON SIN TAX: Issue 7 on May 6, 2014
St. Patrick’s Day in Cleveland, Ohio on March 17, 2014

 

VOTE NO ON SIN TAX: Issue 7 on May 6, 2014
St. Patrick’s Day in Cleveland, Ohio on March 17, 2014

 

VOTE NO ON SIN TAX: Issue 7 on May 6, 2014
St. Patrick’s Day in Cleveland, Ohio on March 17, 2014

 


VOTE NO ON SIN TAX: Issue 7 on May 6, 2014
St. Patrick’s Day in Cleveland, Ohio on March 17, 2014

 


VOTE NO ON SIN TAX: Issue 7 on May 6, 2014
St. Patrick’s Day in Cleveland, Ohio on March 17, 2014

 

 

VOTE NO ON SIN TAX: Issue 7 on May 6, 2014
St. Patrick’s Day in Cleveland, Ohio on March 17, 2014

 

 


VOTE NO ON SIN TAX: Issue 7 on May 6, 2014
St. Patrick’s Day in Cleveland, Ohio on March 17, 2014

 

 


VOTE NO ON SIN TAX: Issue 7 on May 6, 2014
St. Patrick’s Day in Cleveland, Ohio on March 17, 2014

 

 

VOTE NO ON SIN TAX: Issue 7 on May 6, 2014
St. Patrick’s Day in Cleveland, Ohio on March 17, 2014

 

 


VOTE NO ON SIN TAX: Issue 7 on May 6, 2014

 

 

 


VOTE NO ON SIN TAX: Issue 7 on May 6, 2014

 

 

VOTE NO ON SIN TAX: Issue 7 on May 6, 2014

 


REFERENCE LINKS:

*Coalition Against the Sin Tax Group – CAST on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=251090068396355

*Website for Coalition Against the Sin Tax – CAST:
www.noclevelandsintax.com

*IT’S A SIN, CLEVELAND (Anti-‘Sin Tax’ Group on Facebook):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/antisin/

*Satinder P. S. Puri’s blog on REALNEO:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&u...

 

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CUYAHOGA COUNTY SIN TAX

This letter is in response to the articles covering the Sin Tax vote
occurring Tuesday, May 6, 2014.

This issue is the absurdity of absurdities. Let me get this straight: the
purpose of the Sin Tax is to gouge those who purchase alcohol and cigarettes
not because anyone is trying to discourage consumption but rather so the
County can use that money to pay for sports stadiums that do not produce
anything but a fleeting moment witnessing the passing of a football, the
dribbling of a basketball and the throwing of a baseball so that such a minute
tidbit of diversion can be enjoyed by all. The stupidity of this proposition is
enough to make your head spin even though the spin doctors advocating
passage of this nonsense are already doing a pretty good job of hypnotizing
the voters to actually consider supporting it. At least the Robber Barons
of the previous centuries provided something tangible such as oil, steel,
railroads etcetera. These team owners do not even provide one tangible thing
that could ever be considered with the term “value added.” Almost everyone
discusses this “enterprise” as though it is the same thing as industry {which
it is not}. The price of admission is essentially a voluntary tax paid by those
who can afford it to pay those who don’t need it. If this isn’t a transfer of
wealth I don’t know what is.

The real outrage here is the fact that taxes on alcohol and cigarettes will
not be used to aid in the reduction of addiction {hence the reference to “sin”}
but rather to stuff the pockets of all three teams who could easily afford to
pay for the repairs themselves. The vote was rammed through the last time
{under somewhat suspicious circumstances} and hear we go again. But this
time...not so fast!!! We the voters of Cuyahoga County are going to fight the
proponents on this one and we don't care if the teams up and go somewhere
else {please see my views on entertainment below} because quite frankly there
are simply more important things than sports and the unearned money that
comes with it. Those in public office who are too stupid and lazy to find other
ways to grow a major American city need to resign and leave their self-seeking
political ambitions on the scrapheap of history. Don’t ever let it be said that
this was time when the tide ran out on Cuyahoga County but rather was the
time when the voters rose up to welcome the rising tide of change and rebuked
this pathetic paradigm our previous elected leaders embraced.
Let the battle be joined.

And now to the real underlying issue at hand:

One of the most disturbing facts about our capitalist nation is the
misappropriation of funds directed to the salaries of entertainers.
Everyone should agree that the value an athlete, movie star, talk-show host,
team-owner, etcetera brings to the average citizen is very small. Granted,
they do offer a minuscule of diversion from our daily trials and
tribulations as did the jesters in the king's court during the middle ages.
But to allow these entertainers to horde such great amounts of wealth at the
expense of more benevolent societal programs is unacceptable.
They do not provide a product or a service so why are they rewarded as such?

Our society is also subjected to the "profound wisdom" of these people
because it equates wealth with influence. Perhaps a solution to this
problem and a alternative to defeated school levies, crumbling
infrastructures, as well as all the programs established to help feed,
clothe and shelter those who cannot help themselves would be to tax this
undeserved wealth. Entertainers could keep 1% of the gross earnings reaped
from their endeavor and 99% could be deposited into the public coffers.

The old ideas of the redistribution of wealth have failed, and it is time to
adapt to modern-day preferences. People put their money into entertainment
above everything else; isn't it time to tap that wealth? Does anyone think
this will reduce the quality of entertainment? It seems to me that when
entertainers received less income, the quality was much higher.

Joe Bialek
Cleveland, OH

"Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was
once eccentric." Bertrand Russell