In non-troubling times if I saw something like that which you see above, on the front page of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, I would not have hesitated long before pointing out a thing or two.
But, with America convulsed by civil unrest, rightfully so, in the midst of the worst pandemic since the Spanish Flu over a century ago, whilst being ineptly mislead by the worst president in American history, the latest Fort Worth nonsense seems sort of trivial to be talking about.
However, I'm bored, and feel like spending a few minutes clacking keyboard keys.
Does anyone keep track of how much money Fort Worth has spent on various incentives trying to lure some business to town? Such has been an ongoing phenomenon ever since I arrived in Texas and began observing the Fort Worth Way up close.
So many pitifully pathetic instances. The Cabela's sporting goods con job comes to mind. Fort Worth's inept city government bent over backwards to accommodate Cabela's, falling for the standard Cabela con that a sporting goods store would become the #1 tourist attraction in the state.
I remember when first I read that bizarre claim and thinking to myself doesn't that sort of insult all of the actual tourist attractions in Texas which actually do attract tourists?
Cabela's tried their standard incentive request when wanting to open a store by Olympia in my old home state.
Cabela's was told if it was not economically feasible to open a store without taxpayer help, then don't open a store. Cabela's opened that store, and then another one, in Washington, north of Seattle. Cabela's did not add their it's gonna be the top tourist attraction to their Washington pitch. That would be a bit ludicrous to do in the shadow of Mount Rainier, with the Olympics a short distance northwest, and Seattle a few miles to the northeast.
But, Fort Worth, well, the city government, fell for the Cabela con. And, within a few months of opening, the Fort Worth Cabela's was no longer the only Cabela's in Texas. And now, the Fort Worth Cabela's is not even the only Cabela's in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro zone.
And what is with the headline saying "Fort Worth says"?
Who in Fort Worth says this? Towns don't talk. Someone representing a town might say something.
So, who is the fool behind this latest attempt to lure a business to town via incentives?
Fort Worth can be a tech hub?
Has whoever thinks this actually been to any of America's tech hubs?
Instead of trying to bribe a business to come to town, why not instead make an effort to make the town more attractive for a business to locate to? As in why not some sort of effort to turn Fort Worth into a modern American city?
You know, where most streets have sidewalks, where city parks have modern restrooms, running water, and zero outhouses, where the town has multiple public pools, and an efficient modern public transit system.
And nothing as embarrassing as Molly the Trolley.
Fort Worth's Molly the Trolley needs to be taken off the streets and relegated to a museum.
Another thing to think about regarding attracting anything to a town, be it a business, or tourists. Awhile back some sort of survey found that Fort Worth ranked something like #48 in public awareness, whilst being America's 13th biggest city.
I have no idea what Fort Worth could do to raise awareness of the town in the American imagination.
I do know it ain't things like happy hour inner tube floats in a polluted river.
Or botched public works projects the public has never voted for, such as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision, which has been limping along for most of this century, currently with three simple little bridges stuck in slow motion construction over dry land, hoping one day to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island.
You really think it is attractive to a business looking to re-locate to see something like the mess which has become America's Biggest and Dumbest Boondoggle? Do you think such instills confidence in a town's ability to get stuff done?
You really think $70 million is gonna successfully lure some obscure business to Fort Worth, turning the town into a tech hub?
Delusional madness, that's what it seems to be to me...
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