See. See Jane. See Jane Write. Jane See White.

I've been pointing out that many of the editorials in the state's largest newspapers read like high school essays.   Some of them However, use techniques that every elementary student knows are wrong.   Even kids who barely got though Dick and Jane books understand that you can't just make stuff up.  The MSN needs to learn this lesson as well.

Here's a great example from an editorial in favor of Rio Nuevo in Friday's Arizona Daily Star.  The Star is trying to argue that the tax structure that established Rio Nuevo is common and eleminating it would be an example of "Republican ideologues" in the Legislature unfairly targeting Tucson.

There are "hundreds" of similar deals draining cash from the state's general fund, according to Kevin McCarthy, president of the Arizona Tax Research Association in Phoenix.

That statement is absurd; there are exactly four similar deals:  Rio Nuevo, Tribal Community Colleges, the TSA and the Michael Preston Green Gila River Crossing at PIR.  

ATRA meets every Friday, so we asked Kevin about this absurd statement and he assured us that he talked to Star Editorial writer Jane See White and explained the projects.  It's hard to imagine that White could simply get it that wrong...especially since the one word that is wrong, is the one word that is in quotes. 

But "four" doesn't fit the narrative that the Star is selling.  If you want to claim that the evil Republicans in the legislature are picking on Tucson, it's much more effective to argue that there are "hundreds" of similar deals--and if you can make your point by misquoting someone as credible as Kevin McCarthy, so much the better.

So what's the real story?  Why the need to claim there are "hundreds" of similar projects?  White touches on the problem in the editorial.

We understand her frustration. The Star has reported on confusing, inadequate financial information provided by Rio Nuevo.

And there's certainly been too much waste and too little progress in the 10 years since Tucson voters approved Rio Nuevo.

Indeed.  The Star is the victim of its own investigation.

While the Star Editorial Board tries to shift the blame to Maricopa County Republicans for the potential demise of Rio Nuevo, the real story is much more interesting and ironic.  The reason that the patience for Rio Nuevo is gone is that the Star's Rob O'Dell presented a devastating series of front page articles about what a waste Rio Nuevo has been.  

Check out this opening.

In the nine years since voters approved the Rio Nuevo Downtown redevelopment district, the city has taken in — and spent — more than $77 million in taxpayer money.

That almost matches the $80 million voters were told to expect the city to put toward an array of museums, a re-creation of Tucson's birthplace and a Downtown hotel.

But with that much money spent — and just $28,000 in the bank as of June 1 — none of those jewels of the Rio Nuevo plan is even close to starting construction.

Ouch.  I'm mean seriously, how can the state lay off a couple thousand workers and at the same time continue to justify pumping millions dollars into Rio Nuevo?

The Editorial Board is left to try to argue that even though the project has wasted millions of dollars, progress has been virtually non existent and the accounting is at best opaque, shutting it down would be unfair because there are "hundreds" of similar projects.  So the real reason is that the Ultra Conservative Troglodyte Maricopa County Republicans are shutting it down is not because of Rob O'Dell's reporting; they are shutting it down because they don't like Tucson.

All the Star needs in order to make that argument is someone credible like Kevin McCarthy to point out that there are "hundreds" of similar projects.  Too bad she had to make up that number.

Post Script:

Actually, the number isn't even four;  Rio Nuevo is unique.  I have to take a moment and dispel a myth that Rio Nuevo supporters have been foisting for years.  Here's how Tedski described it in R Cubed.

Folks can take issue with the way the money has been spent, but this statement demonstrates an ignorance of how TIF financing actually works. This is revenue that the state would not be getting if the district didn’t exist.

Actually, that's the way that TIF financing is SUPPOSED to work.  The theory is simple, build a project that otherwise wouldn't exist and finance the project by using some of the sales tax that the project brings in.  That's why it's called Tax INCREMENT Financing. 

But the Rio Nuevo folks pulled a fast one from the very beginning.  Have you ever seen the Rio Nuevo map?   One glance and you will figure out the trick. 

The bubble at the left is what we traditionally view as the Rio Nuevo development area.  When project supporters set up the district, they gerrymandered the map so that it would pick up the Elcon and Park Place malls.  This trick allowed the city to siphon off sales tax money that was supposed to go to the state and obviously had nothing to do with "incremental" tax revenue. 

While there are a few projects that rely on TIF, there are no projects that have abused the program like Tucson.  Not only has the Rio Nuevo money been wasted, much of it was never intended to be part of the project in the first place.

Comments

[Stewie]

The absurd contradiction of the statement about "hundreds" of similar projects "DRAINING" the general fund. They even admit that it's draining the general fund yet they support it.

The Star has done article after article exposing the Rio Nuevo scam as unaccountable in its use of money and ineffective in getting ANYTHING done. Once they realized that a Republican-controlled legislature latched onto this and used their own articles to cut Rio Nuevo, they completely changed their tune. No integrity at the Star. Investigative journalism ends if it involves derailing a gravy train that screws taxpayers.

The Star is also coming out hard in favor of restoring the 21st Century Fund and their mysterious 180 to suddenly favor Rio Nuevo that completely call into questions their motives on 21st Century Fund and Science Foundation Arizona.

I would like to refer to them as a bunch of loonies. That would seriously take away from the real issue. They know darned well what they are doing. Thank you Greg for shining some daylight ont of their MO. There will be more to See about these folks I'm sure.

[Jim Torgeson]

So, where's the money trail lead?

[Stewie]

Again, Greg, kudos on your post script. Now, here is another article from the Star that exposes the bad deal that the taxpayers got when the city "leaders", and I use that term very loosely, rushed a bond sale as a stunt to force the legislature to continue funding this scam. Star reporter O'Dell claims the lousy deal they got cost taxpayers $10M in additonal interest that wouldn't have been necessary had the city followed the advice of its bond advisors and waited a month or two for a better interrest rate.

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/fromcomments/280328.php

Which really, again, makes it all the more puzzling to try to understand why the Star editorial writers continue to defend this Madoff-style program.

[Stewie]

Jim, I don't know where the money trail leads. My guess is that Mayor and Council have leaned on the Star to work public opinion in favor of Rio Nuevo via the editorial page. Because nothing and I mean nothing about this story makes any sense whatsoever.

[Stewie]

White writes articles on interior design which certainly qualifies her to render opinions on bond financing, tax policy, and downtown redevelopment efforts.

[Jim Torgeson]

Someone is getting paid. Who?

[Stewie]

OK, how about the people who BOUGHT the bonds. They got above average interest rates. How about that for starters. Who bought these bonds?

Jim, this is the million dollar question.

Certainly for a newspaper to do story after story on what a mismanaged mess the project is yet their editorial writers are calling for continuing the program...either the editorial writers are idiots or there is much more to the story. Actually, in the case of the Star, by the way, it could be BOTH but I digress.

With the Star I could honestly see it as spite that they support the Rio Nuevo project editorially only because Republicans are using the Star's reporting as justification to terminate the project. I could easily see that angle as they are such partisan hack tools and have to be contrarians to any Republican maneuver.

[Jim Torgeson]

It does seem like Tucson marches to a different drummer.

[Steve]

Typo heads-up:

"Some of them However, use..." ; "Some of them, however, use ..."

MSN; MSM

eleminating; eliminating

[Stewie]

Jim

After thinking about this some more...there is probably some UA benefit to Rio Nuevo and that's why the Star editorial writers are rabidly fighting against terminating RN no matter how much adverse news they uncover about it.

[Jim Torgeson]

The plot thickens...

There's obviously an integrity issue here.

[Alfredo Martinez]

You can just look at a woman and tell she's a left-wing liberal. That picture really says it all.

[Jim Torgeson]

I just want to see who is making money off this.

[Lavender]

Posted by: Jim Torgeson | February 16, 2009 at 11:38 AM

You can just look at a woman and tell she's a left-wing liberal. That picture really says it all.

Actually, you can read someone's comment and know that he is an ignorant, prejudicial misogynist who judges books by covers....

[Jim Torgeson]

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

[Jim Torgeson]

BTW,
That's Alfredo posting the looks thing, not me. Read UNDERNEATH the post to see who posted it.

Although, he's oddly correct.

[Ed Foster]

Well, it certainly is a small world. Jane was one of my editors when I was at the Legislature. She was OK. She was a buddy of Pam Johnson's. She came over from the Phoenix Gazette when Johnson became the Republic's managing editor.

I looked at her face many times. (I don't remember seeing a picture of her. Perhaps that's the key.) I never noticed that she was a left-wing liberal. Maybe Alfredo reads faces better than me. Or maybe I was too busy explaining a convoluted budget item.

I'm not surprised that the editorial board is in left field. I never understood why important people worried about the editorial pages. Legislators used to get their shorts in a knot over them. I assured the solons that their constituents didn't read those pages. If you want to know what's happening, call the beat reporter. Feel free to tell all your secrets. And don't forget to mention any ugly rumors.

It sounds like O'Dell is doing a good job. I guarantee he doesn't care about the editorial board's views. Hello! Earth to the editorial board! The biggest problem for reporters was always upper editors, concerned with career risk. Now, there's no career, so let's expose the truth!