Cleveland Needs More than "A Shot in the Arm"

The proposed medical mart and convention center that would be supported by an increase in taxes has been literally rammed down our throats. Not only by the Convention and Visitors Board, but also by the good ol' Plain Dealer, who between their print and online versions of the paper, have published at least one new story (sometimes more) each day telling us how great it would be if we got the medical mart. Cleveland needs "a shot in the arm" they say, and medical mart/convention center plan would be the shot that gives new life to the local economy.

Somehow that just seems like too much of a "get rich quick" scheme destined not to pan out like they're promising us. For one, the fact that the commissioners wanted to slide this right under our noses, without taking it to a vote, should really cause alarm bells and red lights to start flashing in our minds. Other than lining their own pockets, what benefit will this be to the rest of us?

And then there's the issue of full disclosure. Sure, they're holding "public hearings" and inviting the public to come down and have a listen to their plans, but the days and times they offer them are not condusive for most area residents and workers to attend. The first was held on July 19th, a Thursday, at 11am. The next one is scheduled for Thusrday July 26th, also at 11am. How many working adults in Cuyahoga County can really afford to take time off of work to attend such an event? These are the people such a tax hike would affect, and they can't even be offered the opportunity to attend a public forum to discuss the issue at a reasonable time? Few people can attend, which is exactly what the people behind this plan want.

Many of the "facts" that the CVB has thrown out to convince us to bring a medical mart to Cleveland have also been called into question. Let's take a look:

• They claim there are over 500 medical conventions per year, and that Cleveland would be able to snag about 50, or 10%, of them if we built a new convention center and medical mart. But attempts at finding the over 500 conventions have revealed that there are far fewer conventions, or that to get the magic number, you'd really have to stretch your interpretation of "convention" and include things such as small meetings that would never need that kind of size space, state medical meetings that aren't going to come to Cleveland, and other way out there, far-fetched "Conventions."
• Chris Kennedy has claimed that they are shopping the medical mart around to other cities, yet Woody Sanders says that nothing of the sort is happening. Hey, they could actually be telling the truth (which is a stretch)....maybe they asked other cities, who thus laughed in their faces at the ridiculous, antiquated proposal.
• It'll create jobs, they say. Yeah, but what kind of jobs? Cleveland doesn't need anymore $7 an hour jobs, that is not going to help. What Cleveland does need is a real investment in the job market, creating more jobs with liveable wages.
• The tax increase will only be for 20 years, and if the cost of this thing gets paid off sooner, then they'll be allowed to vote to end the increase. In the meantime, you'll find more people moving to other nearby counties like Lorain and Medina to avoid the already higher than normal taxes Cuyahoga County residents face. And let's face it, when it comes to contruction and big projects, they almost always go over the estimated cost...

Cleveland needs more than a shot in the arm to get off the life support it is already surviving on. It needs real changes and real work, not superficial attempts at making us look better and more attractive to the rest of the nation.

The medical mart plan will attract mainly $7 and hour jobs in places like restaurants and hotels, which is hardly a way to end Cleveland's stigma as the poorest city in the nation.

Instead, why not try to better utilize existing resources and infrastructure, something that would benefit all of us as well as attract business? Why not create something like the eTech Hatchery, but on a little bit larger of a scale? Give new businesses an incentive to grow their business here, and the chance to create real, sustainable jobs.