Brainstorming for last paper

I had some trouble thinking of an "atypical" idea for this paper, but I think I have come up with an idea that I can have a pretty strong response to. Recently, the New York Yankees played their last game at old Yankee Stadium. This is because in 2005 Mayor Bloomberg decided to allow the Yankees, as well as the Mets, to fund the building of a new stadium across the street. Three years earlier, Bloomberg canceled Rudy Giuliani's plans to use public funding for the stadiums, so he gets some credit there. However, the estimates of the costs for the stadium seem to be understated. But this shouldn't matter because the Yankees are paying for the construction right? Except for all of the other expenses that are coming out of the pockets of taxpayers. These include building the new parking decks, funding the $91 million metro station that needs to be built, demolishing the old stadium, and paying for the new parks to replace the ones that are being built over. There was no community meeting to decide on this new stadium being built on the land that neighborhood children play on everyday. Residents had no say in the plan to build a stadium across the street from the old one, just to have a newer stadium with more cup holders and fewer seats. In my opinion, if the community does not have any input on the new stadium construction, then they should not be expected to pay for anything affiliated with the construction. Supporters argue that this helps the community because money is going to be put in the economy, but do the benefits outweigh the costs if there are fewer seats and the stadium is only moving across the street? Numbers have shown that very few new jobs will be created as a result of the new stadium and the new parks are going to be scattered over empty land. Watching a show on ESPN earlier this year, I learned that some of the fields are going to be placed at the tops of parking decks! What kind of environment is that for children to play in? The bottom line for my argument is that in this case the city has screwed up completely, and without talking to the residents of the city. The taxpayers should not be held responsible for funding this project, nor should it have even been allowed. In the future it needs to be enforced that the city consult it's residents and that such awful plans for construction are not carried out. The fact that the Yankees have taken away fields and playgrounds and made the city residents pay for their new ones just seems crazy.