They’re calling The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts – "Kansas City’s Crown Jewel" which is only fitting if we’re talking about a blood diamond.
Keynesian economics be damned, there are a great many reasons why this project is doomed to be just another failure from this town’s monied-class for which the rest of The City will have to pay.
Everybody loves something shiny but the financial reality is that this bit of costume jewelry is more like an albatross around the neck of more organic local development. Rather than play cheerleader, let’s look at the Kauffmann PAC skeptically since no other media outlet seems to be up to the task.
First of all, the economic boost from building the thing has been insignificant. Most construction jobs go to suburbanites and I look around the place and hardly ever see a person of color participating in the construction. I’m sure they could claim otherwise but they haven’t really bothered to because in general KC resents FEDERAL LAW that requires equal participation.
In terms of gentrification, the promise of the PAC has already brought real estate speculators to neighboring communities and driven poor people form their homes. Luckily, since the bottom fell out of the American housing market and things are still looking gloomy, a lot of these people deservedly lost their shirt.
And most importantly, Kansas City just doesn’t need ANOTHER big performance hall especially for fine arts.
What’s happening now is that all of the local elite are abandoning the Lyric and that grand old building just might turn into rubble soon.
Even worse, this silly looking structure is going to sit empty as well after the novelty wears off. Why? Because this is a backward country music town. Tell me that we’re building a huge barn in the middle of the City where people of color aren’t allowed or don’t even want to venture. The tell me that only the latest Taylor Swift garbage and other Country music tripe is on the musical menu and I’ll agree, THAT is a recipe for success.
On the other hand, this big mass of Cowtown snobbery seems doomed, and the stupid building with a parking lot subsidized by Kansas City taxpayers seems like just more bad planning and misplaced priorities from this town’s leadership.
Hey… they paid for it
Hey.. They had to have it. And they raised the cash. So cool. Now granted… The performing arts set gets positive press faster than you can say Christopher Elbow drinks Boulevard Beer. So yes… a little scrutiny on them is a good thing.
We will see if it brings more acts to town that people want to see. In a non-recession climate… There could be some cool stuff.. Peter Gabriel, Sting, Al Jarreau type of stuff… I am 44… I do not think I am going to suddenly get interested in ballet. And the opera bug hasn’t bit me..
Like Tony has any idea who is on a ‘construction’ site.
If your mom ever throws you out of the basement, and your forced to work for a living, you will find people of color infesting construction sites all over the metro.
They are called Mexicans.
They hump their ass pretty hard and if your not careful you’ll trip over ’em ten times a day.
Tony, perception is everything, so quit bloviating and hire some folks from that sacrosanct ‘Protected Class’, and get your mom’s garge cleaned out. Its honest work, and you can pony up some of the profits from whatever your mom does for a living to pay them, and then get back to ruminating over Rap and the Latin First Declension (Might work…?).
Or, just revert to type and whine/cry about whitey.
Tony Knows…
Tony knows even less about this subject that Hearne does about anthropogenic climate impacts. Riding by a construction site on your bicycle to gauge racial makeup of the construction personnel on-site is about as scientific as gauging your health from observing the color of your crap.
Tony Knows…
Tony knows even less about this subject that Hearne does about anthropogenic climate impacts. Riding by a construction site on your bicycle to gauge racial makeup of the construction personnel on-site is about as scientific as gauging your health from observing the color of your crap.
Tony…
Sorry Tony, but I’m just not sure we’re supposed to believe that you’re spending that much time hanging around the construction site, observing who is working over there to conclude that it’s skirting construction opportunities for minorities. That’s awfully suspect reporting from a blog that’s always picking at the Star for doing the same.
And equating the preponderance of music tastes in this town to what could be billed at the Kauffman Center is a pretty flimsy conclusion.
Doomed?
Wow, those are some really hard hitting facts on why this place is going to fail. Although you say there are “great many reasons why this project is doomed to be just another failure,” you actually only state one reason in your latest tirade on why it’s going to fail, because we’re “backward country music town.” How long did it take you conduct your research on that one? Thank you for saying what no other media outlet would, you are truly a beacon knowledge and insight.
construction workers
Against my better judgment I’m going to respond to this. I know responding to TB’s idiocy just fuels the fire but here goes. I have worked on the engineering end of construction for several years. All of my days are spent on job sites, not in a office or in my moms Citation driving by construction sites like Tony. It is almost a law that all construction workers have to live 2 hours away from the job site. If you think these guys live in the suburbs, think again. Unless you mean the suburbs of Clinton,MO. And Tony your race baiting is ridiculous, which is why I hesitate to respond to your drivel. There is a big difference between people of color (we all know you mean black) not being allowed to go there and wanting to go there. In theory I’m allowed to go to the Green Duck but I don’t want to go there. I say “in theory” because you and I know if I, as a white person go to the Green Duck there is going to be trouble to say the least. Finally, stop writing under a pseudonym and come out as who you really are Nick Wright.
What is Hearne Thinking
Hearne, it doesn’t help your image to have this guy on your site, but I gues he does create traffic, here I am! Having an ignorant racist like TB spouting meaningless bilge like this makes me think you’re in it just for the money. Tony, the illegal immigrants you and your mother are promoting can’t join the unions, so where are they going to work? The leftist union leadership hates minorities, so they have to do gardening work for the evil rich management consultants who make their 6 figure salaries from non-profit grants.