Your Opinion: Concerns about need for conference center

Dear Editor:

I appreciated Dennis Morrissey's letter in Sunday's paper. It was spot-on regarding location of convention center at the Capital Mall and at least excluding the old prison site, regardless of the majority of voters declining the need altogether.

"If you build it, they will not come" is a more appropriate title in Jefferson City's situation. Jefferson City can not count on a continuous stream of convention traffic regardless of location. The draw is just not here. My several trips to Overland Park, Kan., and through Lebanon, have yet to yield an ongoing convention at these sites. Research their calendars of events scheduled, and my bet the bookings are well below anticipated fill.

But, I digress, local governments continue to ignore the needs and focus on non-essentials, all the while wondering from where new money is going to come. In Jefferson City all one needs to do is focus on demographic changes in this city the past 10-15 years and attempts at social engineering to understand why funding is dwindling. The percentage of payers is decreasing while the same of takers is increasing.

It is time for me to "ping" Columbia. That city just finished an architectural contract to provide for a new terminal. This cost, approximately $30K. Since money is fungible," Jefferson City and Cole County taxes were used for this contract - even if indirectly. It makes no sense to spend taxpayers' money on a fantasy project there when without subsidy, the current airline would not be there, and by subsidy, they ran off another.

When will government learn to stay, as much as possible, out of the private sector?