The Appalachian Theatre of the High Country, Inc. wants public money, starting with about $50,000 a year from the Watauga County Commissioners, to renovate their theatre in downtown Boone. If you haven’t noticed, requests like this abound, indicating the private sector has no money anymore. We therefore must raise taxes to give government the money the public is choosing to spend on things like groceries, which government would buy for the people if only we could hike the tax rates a little more. But I digress.
Reasons public money should be used include:
- The broken windows argument, which declares that anything is good for the economy if you silence opportunity costs, is part and parcel of economic development conversations. It is largely responsible for all the extra money you and your neighbors are finding during the Great Recovery, like that nickel under the cushion of the old sofa. Those with want get pushers to do their bidding. They aren’t going to hire a libertarian economist to tear down their case in front of the commissioners.
- The theatre has a three-year marketing plan, which means they’re up with management du-jour. (Say, “Ahhh,” in a contemplative tone, as if understanding something arcane.)
- It is assumed a new parking deck could come out of the deal. Parking lots, like broken windows, also generate revenue with economic multipliers. This parking structure, though impervious, would be environmentally sensitive in that an analysis of the slope of the land would be conducted before walking away from the paradigm that cities need to be more walkable.
- There is still not enough money in Boone or Watauga to support the project. Therefore, the project could become a little larger to justify regional partnerships. By definition, partnerships are agreements wherein parties with even less interest than those who initially don’t want to pay for a project are drawn into lending financial support.
