by Travis Mateer
When it comes to local narrative control about city finances, Gomer is the man. I’ve watched this “reporter” evolve from a lowly spokesman for Montana Democrats, to a Missoulian reporter, and now owner of the best propaganda platform in Zoom Town, the Missoula Current.
Last week another attempt was made to scrutinize the Missoula Redevelopment Agency and its reckless use of Tax Increment Financing. The measure had the support of the two conservatives, Sandra and Bob, and the two socialists, Kristen and Daniel. When people from opposite political ideologies find common ground, it’s VERY DANGEROUS to our local cabal. This is where Gomer comes in by writing a “news article” like this one, which begins with a hilariously shitty metaphor about wells (emphasis mine):
One of the city’s strongest tools to create jobs and drive economic development could fall into the well of City Council politics under a proposal introduced on Wednesday.
As written, the measure would require the City Council to approve any project considered by the Missoula Redevelopment Agency that’s valued at more than $50,000, be it a sidewalk project or a housing development.
Oh no! Don’t fall into a well, Tax Increment Financing, because I know that MANY would be VERY upset were that to happen! If you need an image to highlight what’s at stake, here’s Chatty’s rendering of this metaphorical well scene.
Yes, I think this image captures the terror that would take hold if Missoula’s favorite economic engine for development bribes was altered in any way. That’s why it’s so important to have someone like Gomer spinning this danger for his handlers. For more on how Gomer accomplishes this task, read how opponents of accountability use Gomer to convey the FEAR that oversight would cause the dispersal of bribes to GRIND TO A HALT! (emphasis mine):
The measure’s four sponsors including Sandra Vasecka, Bob Campbell, Daniel Carlino and Kristen Jordan, say that doing so would bring accountability to MRA’s appointed board. But opponents say it would bring the city’s strongest economic driver to a grinding halt and leave it mired in another layer of political bureaucracy.
“If we (City Council) are inserting ourselves into the equation, it’s going to change the trajectory of this program,” said council member Gwen Jones, who opposed the measure. “It’s going to add a level of unpredictability that will impact businesses.”
Before we get to the math, I’d like to take a trip down memory lane with this article I wrote back in December of 2021. In the article I speculate about the vindictiveness of our local cabal, especially as it relates to Heather Harp, a former City Council member who got the boot from the finance committee for being ACTUALLY inclusive to critics of TIF.
I remember how gleeful our cabal was to get rid of Heather, which their trusted propagandist reported on at the time.
Ok, I think I’m ready now to do the math that Gomer knows NOT to calculate. Here’s the quote from his narrative control piece that provides the two numbers we’ll be multiplying together (emphasis mine):
While MRA’s investment of tax increment is set by state law and guided by the goals set by City Council, backers of the measure want more say on where MRA directs its investments. To do that, they want the City Council to approve any expenditure worth more than $50,000.
“As elected city officials, we should have a say in how those dollars are being spent,” said council member Sandra Vasecka. “I am a fan of some uses of tax increment. I just think it would be beneficial to us and the taxpayers if we had this extra level of security.”
Requiring City Council approval of any expenditure over $50,000 could place hundreds of projects before council each year. One council member on Wednesday placed the figure at more than 600.
Who was the “one council member” who gave Gomer the 600 number? I don’t know. Since I’ve been barred from attending Council by kangaroos, I rely on this shitty propagandist for information, so whoever said 600 remains a mystery. What will NOT remain a mystery is the number one gets when multiplying 50,000 by 600. Here’s the result of using the calculator on my phone, something Gomer wasn’t able to do.
Now that you know 600 expenditures of $50,000 dollars amounts to $30 million, or the majority of MRA’s operating budget, wouldn’t you like to know who speculated about 600 projects meeting or exceeding this fifty grand figure? So would I, but my ability to see the cabal make our fiscal sausage up close has been greatly impacted by the kangaroos, so until my first amendment rights get restored, I’m very limited in my ability to contextualize how retarded our cabal has become.
I had hoped the Montana Hunan Rights Bureau might be able to help me with my Constitutional problem, but the news on that front was a big NOPE!
Oh well. The Constitution was a nice idea, but rights don’t survive wars, and we’ve been in a serious one with the psychopath class since they conned so many stupid Americans into thinking two planes destroyed three buildings 23 years ago.
If you appreciate what I’ve done over the years to bust our local cabal’s desperate clinging to their mechanisms of narrative control, please consider donating to Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF). I only set a modest THREE ZEROS after the five in my financial ask, so help me reach that limit with whatever you can afford.
Thanks for reading!
