Unbelievable.
Wachovia just announced that will move its corporate headquarters to the $160 million Wachovia Arts Tower now blasting its way to completion Uptown. And — and — it will lease 10-floors of the new building to — Duke Energy!
Notice what happened. Wachovia and Duke announced they would donate money to Charlotte’s arts needs. Tax deductible money, $15 million from Wachovia, $5 million from Duke. Some quick action in Raleigh to hike the car rental tax and some work by the Charlotte city council to move property tax revenues from the new office building and route that back toward the project, help plug the resulting hole in the General Fund with money that that used to go to CATS and raise city property taxes to cover it all, and — ta da! — Wachovia and Duke will soon have new corporate showplaces with all the new fancy arts stuff built in.
Is this a great country or what? Or city or county, or whatever.
This is a Putin-era Moscow-style shakedown of the general public by a fabulously wealthy oligarchy. And no one even notices much less cares. To recap that was donations in 2005, tax funny business in 2006, new HQ announced in 2007.
Like I’ve said before, Charlotte is the most fascist city in America.
