Serious question for you, Matt. Have you ever actually sat down and talked with Merritt Paulson?

Serious answer: No, but I've stood up and done it. And I shook hands with the guy last week. I'm hoping we can go halves on this expensive lunch somewhere and really get to know each other.

Matt Davis has penis envy. Terminal penis envy.

Do we really need to explain to Paulson what the difference is between building a public library and building a stadium to house his private business?

Oh no! Portland doesn't like SPORTS as much as other cities, and isn't as willing to help privatize profits and socialize risk for wealthy team owners. Will no one think of the SPORTS?

Maybe if said wealthy team owners didn't come across as condescending fucking twats every time they open their mouths we'd be a little more open to suggestion.

I can't believe he actually equated having a MLS team with supporting a library, zoo, and college. My only wish is that he sells his teams to someone who isn't a complete asshole so I can consider going to a game again.

Oh no! Portland doesn't like SPORTS as much as other cities, and isn't as willing to help privatize profits and socialize risk for wealthy team owners. Will no one think of the SPORTS?

Maybe if said wealthy team owners didn't come across as condescending fucking twats every time they open their mouths we'd be a little more open to suggestion.

I can't believe he actually equated having a MLS team with supporting a library, zoo, and college. My only wish is that he sells his teams to someone who isn't a complete asshole so I can consider going to a game again.

Oh no! Portland doesn't like SPORTS as much as other cities, and isn't as willing to help privatize profits and socialize risk for wealthy team owners. Will no one think of the SPORTS?

Maybe if said wealthy team owners didn't come across as condescending fucking twats every time they open their mouths we'd be a little more open to suggestion.

I can't believe he actually equated having a MLS team with supporting a library, zoo, and college. My only wish is that he sells his teams to someone who isn't a complete asshole so I can consider going to a game again.

Oh no! Portland doesn't like SPORTS as much as other cities, and isn't as willing to help privatize profits and socialize risk for wealthy team owners. Will no one think of the SPORTS?

Maybe if said wealthy team owners didn't come across as condescending fucking twats every time they open their mouths we'd be a little more open to suggestion.

I can't believe he actually equated having a MLS team with supporting a library, zoo, and college. My only wish is that he sells his teams to someone who isn't a complete asshole so I can consider going to a game again.

Oh no! Portland doesn't like SPORTS as much as other cities, and isn't as willing to help privatize profits and socialize risk for wealthy team owners. Will no one think of the SPORTS?

Maybe if said wealthy team owners didn't come across as condescending fucking twats every time they open their mouths we'd be a little more open to suggestion.

I can't believe he actually equated having a MLS team with supporting a library, zoo, and college. My only wish is that he sells his teams to someone who isn't a complete asshole so I can consider going to a game again.

Oh no! Portland doesn't like SPORTS as much as other cities, and isn't as willing to help privatize profits and socialize risk for wealthy team owners. Will no one think of the SPORTS?

Maybe if said wealthy team owners didn't come across as condescending twats every time they open their mouths we'd be a little more open to suggestion.

I can't believe he actually equated having a MLS team with supporting a library, zoo, and college. My only wish is that he sells his teams to someone who isn't a complete asshole so I can consider going to a game again.

Oh no! Portland doesn't like SPORTS as much as other cities, and isn't as willing to help privatize profits and socialize risk for wealthy team owners. Will no one think of the SPORTS?

Maybe if said wealthy team owners didn't come across as condescending fucking twats every time they open their mouths we'd be a little more open to suggestion.

I can't believe he actually equated having a MLS team with supporting a library, zoo, and college. My only wish is that he sells his teams to someone who isn't a complete asshole so I can consider going to a game again.

whoopsie doodle duplicate comments gone wild.

It's rather ironic that Paulson would make a comment equating the importance of sports stadiums to public libraries. He could be right, considering that our fearless leaders are still debating whether to build a stadium to house an unprofitable sport like MLS.

Meanwhile, the Oregon Historical Society Library doesn't have enough funding to keep its doors open, and the PSU library is facing huge budget cuts that may cost several staff members their jobs.

Apparently, we really don't value things like libraries as much as we do soccer stadiums. Way to go, fearless leaders of Portland.

"What is it with really rich people being afraid to splash it about?"

They didn't get rich by spending their *own* money...

Why didn't you ask these questions when your wife was working on a $200 million dollar publically funded stadium in Eugene? Phil Knight could have paid for the whole thing and not a single tax dollar spent on it.

http://mattdavisopenshismouth.com/2008/11/…

Giving colleges as an example is a stupendously dumb move, but I'm totally with him on the zoo thing. There's nothing educational about a zoo that you couldn't get from a book or DVD. It's just subsidizing entertainment. Whether that's a good or a bad thing is up to you (I actually think it's a good thing within reason), but you can't argue that it's any different from subsidizing sports or arts or festivals or whatever.

blackedout, what are you really contributing at this point?

Serious thought,

Matt maybe Merritt would have been willing to sit down with you and talk if you hadn't acted, and continue to, like a complete tool during this whole process intent on running an anti-MLS/stadium/Paulson campaign If you had engaged in balanced reporting perhaps he wouldn't be afraid that you are just gonna run an attack piece.

As for the substance here.

Is what he is saying really not true? Is anyone who has followed Portland politics seriously going to raise their hand and tell me this city is not notoriously resistant to change in any form, anti-business and obsessed with process at the expense of outcome?

As for his comparison - whats wrong with comparing it to the tens of millions of tax payer dollars we use every year at the Zoo? I never go there. I don't have kids. I think zoos are whacked as a general concept and the Zoo strikes me as a massive publicly subsidized daycare.

But, I don't mind my tax dollars going to it because it enhances the overall livability of the community but wtf is the difference between a Zoo and a Sports Stadium in terms of entertainment dollars?

@Blabby

You haven't been contributing anything except for whatever you read on Jack Bogdanski's blog.

Speaking of which I paid my weekly visit to his blog this morning to see where you would get your next talking point Blabby. Guess what I saw? A link to the same article Matt is quoting saying roughly the same things Matt's piece does only Jack's little post came first.

Good work Matt. Now you're writing whatever Jack Bog writes. Where else do you steal ideas from?

Hah, Blackedout wants to run on the field and punch Matt Davis in the face because he scored a goal against his team. But he'd get thrown in jail if he did that, so instead he tries to attack his wife hoping he will stop reporting the news. Typical brain-dead Timbers Army idiot. You guys are so predictable!

Finnegan, the zoo is an educational experience. I like going to the Timbers, but that is to forget about the hardships of life, not grow as a person. Get a grip!

@Portland Lover

Ahh...call me braindead will ya? Good one. See what I did was point out that Matt ignored a $200 million dollar publically/privately funded stadium when his wife worked on the side that was building it. U of O has a perfectly good/historic basketball stadium now in Mac Court.

When a $85 million dollar publically/private funded stadium comes up here and his wife isn't working on it he attacks everyone involved. Including the owner whom he has never actually interviewed.

That's what they call a double standard or hypocrisy. Take your pick. I did nothing to attack his wife. I just pointed out she worked on a publically funded stadium project.

The Zoo may be an educational experience for some I guess...lots of other people consider it inhumane treatment of animals.

"Matt maybe Merritt would have been willing to sit down with you..."

Matt, as Finnegan is the actual tool of Merritt Paulson, I guess if you had sat down with Merritt he would have used his own money to fund his business.

Now taxpayers will have to pay the projected to cost, including stadiums and replacement park, just under $120 million (plus $139 million interest on the 9% balloon payment loan, due in 20 years.)

blackedout, I believe this has been pointed out to you during one of the thousands of times you brought up the stadium in Eugene ... but I'll bring it up again.

We are talking about the stadiums being proposed by Merritt Paulson in Portland. Matt Davis writes for the Portland Mercury. Us readers are interested in hearing about city politics. Matt Davis reports on it for us. Got it? Good.

2-0 good guys. Blackedout, go drink more beer to make yourself feel better.

Awarding yourself points huh? That's sort of like high fiving yourself.

Matt is copying a Jack Bogdanski post and modifying it. That's not reporting. When the stadium in Eugene was being built Matt wasn't on the city hall beat. He was on the "news" beat. That's a broad category.

Oh and I'll be at the Avett Brothers tonight if you'd like to discuss this more. I'll be the one drinking the beer and feeling better about myself.

I think he should move his cheatin ass wife and kid to Lents

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Glad to add to the debate, and coincidentally, the next MIX column is... Adam Arnold!