Dear New Sonics Ownership Group (part 5)

Dear New Sonics Ownership Group (part 5)

Clay ...

You win. It won't matter now. The Washington State Legislature has killed off any realistic hope of being able to fund an arena in the time frame that actually matters; between now and mid-April when the NBA votes on your relocation.

The lawsuit doesn't matter now. Maybe you will have to stay for a lame duck season or two. It won't matter now.

The NBA won't be back. David Stern is a stubborn bastard so that will never be allowed to happen. It won't matter now.

The guys who threw a huge offer at the state? It won't matter now.

Slade Gorton? It won't matter now.

The 2009 legislative session? Why bother. It won't matter now.

I am not a generally huge fan of sports subsidies. However, this is more than just about the Sonics; Seattle Center will be effectively killed off by this and the pending relocation of the Thunderbirds to Kent. The offered public private partnership plan was a good one and frankly better than the region deserved. It won't matter now.

If some of the most influential businessmen of this region and a major public push by a Democratic mayor and a Republican of some stature cannot move the legislature to do anything then it is actually over.

The politics of this region is so frozen that not doing anything is the only thing politicians are capable of doing. After all, it is not technically on the record that they voted against the latest proposal. It would take actual courage to go on the record and the Washington State Legislature is composed primarily of cowards. I would have more respect for the politicians if they would have actually voted on it. A NO vote takes the courage to actually go on the record, but not voting was chicken$#!+ politics, the only kind we have any more.

When the Sonics leave the politicians will wiggle and squirm and talk about how they didn't actually vote it down. No, they didn't. They just did the only thing they are capable of doing any more; putting it off until it doesn't matter or for so long that someone else has to deal with it. The basic career path now in the legislature is to do nothing and never go on the record so that one can move up the ladder with as little resistance or substance as possible.

Cowards.

The only thing the legislature is lacking is the courage of its convictions.

You won Clay. The rest is just a shell game now and a truly lame duck team.