See ya in Oklahoma Super Sonics

Great, wouldn't that just be fitting if the Sonics get lucky in the draft lottery, are able to draft Durant/Oden and then move away after next season? Befitting of a Seattle sports team (no love!!).

This is very true, I was thinking how it would be without the Sonics myself and as it stands I never go to a game unless it's free and god tickets. Personally I like having a basketball team hear because I enjoy basketball, but as you said Seattle is really a bandwagon fan base that only attends if we're winning, which rarely if ever happens. Considering that I grew up with the Sonics it will be sad to see them go, even though I pretty much only know Ray Allen and Luke, but it will also be sad that I wouldn't be able to take my kid to a pro-basketball game. As you can tell I'm still debating it in my mind, but as it stands now it doesn't look like we'll be loosing much.

The taxes that would be in place to fund the arena are far from huge (about 50cents on a $100 meal for restaurants) and the tourist industry as come forwarded saying that they in fact support the building of the arena based on the taxing structure. These funds would not to towards other efforts like many say they should, such as schools and road repairs, because once the tax strings are finished paying for the current two stadiums (which are being paid off earlier than expected) then they will end. Tourist taxes are almost always used for building infrastructure much like this arena. The funding for the stadium would just be a continuation of how things currently are. Although civic money would go towards building the arena, it has been shown through economic models and in other cities that the economic benefits (creation of hotels and restaurants as well as other events that will be held in the arena) start to help the city within the first five years. It is a shame that they city and county were not able to work out a deal when the issue was simply remodeling the key arena which could have brought much needed business into the dying Seattle Center. The city of Seattle has shown that they are in fact fantastic sports fans as the Mariners and Seahawks have had some of the highest attendances over the last decade. All it takes is a good ownership, one who is willing to invest the time and money into its product so that its product is worth our time and money. Majority owner Clay Bennett has been a part of previous championship contenders and there is no reason to think he can't build one here in Seattle.

I think it would have been a far greater shame for King County voters to once again pay for something that 1) they didn't vote for 2) had nothing to do with running into the ground and 3) would bring very little jobs (mostly low wage food service jobs) to the center. If the Sonics don't win and management doesn't find a way to make that happen, that is a problem that management must finance or cut their losses. We don't seem to bail out the arts centers at the same rate we are willing to bail out corporate sports management, who make untold sums of money over the arts. Remember, that's what the over-priced tickets and beer are supposed to do-make money for the corporation. If they can't even be trusted to put together a proposal for a private corporate lender, why should tax payers take this burden on, even at a micro level to the individual? I think local tax payers are fed up with the principal more than the actual cost.

We had to close public schools last year to save money, and I just don't think that the cost-benefit analysis of keeping the Sonics here at our expense is worth it. Good management is essential, and the Sonics won't be the first or last team to leave their native city (or go under completely) when bad management is in control.

Taxes are for three primary things: defense, education and necessary social programs, and transportation (ha!). Seattle has a million worthwhile tourist attractions. At this point, we need to prioritize. I said this elsewhere: at this point, the Sonics are like the employee who comes in late, never delivers quality work and then whines when their office is too small or they make too little money.