Congrats On Funding Another Rich Bastard’s Toy, Oklahoma City

The worst part of Oklahoma City’s approval of the extension of a 1 cent sales tax to raise $121 million for the Ford Center and an NBA-quality practice facility is not the continued funding of rich fucks who own franchises or the fact that the phrase “in hopes of landing an NBA franchise” is a sick joke (or tragedy if you happen to be a fan of the Seattle SuperSonics), but that the voters approved it by a 62% to 38% vote.

Generally, cities have better things to be trying to raise $120 million for — infrastructure improvements, roads, public education — particularly in an economy where the housing market and foreclosure is a constant concern, and to see that about 30% of registered voters (which is probably about half of the total population eligible in the city) were the only ones to render a decision affecting all residents is utterly disheartening.

I love how Mayor Nick Cornett sells the whole thing as most public officials usually do — saying it was a necessary vote to help attract more events that would put OKC on the map regionally. I hope he remembers this when Clay Bennett tells his successor that the Ford Center isn’t quite up to par in 10 years.

UPDATE: Recent video of David Stern sealing the Sonics’ fate plucked from Deadspin. Fuck you very much, dipshit.

Mayor Declares Victory For Ford Center Upgrades [The Oklahoman]