Commercialism Expands
Clever, or Crass Payoffs?
| Following is Commercial Alert's statement about a proposal to sell the naming rights to a part of the City of San Diego. Commercial Alert's website is at http://www.commercialalert.org. |
Sell The Naming Rights to Your Suits, Councilman
Following San Diego City Councilman Brian Maienschein's proposal to sell naming rights to the city's 26-block downtown ballpark district, Commercial Alert suggested that the councilman sell naming rights to his business suits to save taxpayers the money from his salary.
Under Councilman Maienchiein's proposal, the city would sell the name of the neighborhood surrounding the Padres new corporate welfare-funded stadium to a corporation. This would be separate from the naming rights to the stadium itself. [And the Padres may sue if the additional naming rights decrease the market value of the naming rights for the stadium, which they hold as part of a huge welfare handout from the taxpayers.]
Currently the neighborhood fits within what is called the East Village. Under Maienchiein's proposal, it might become the "Preparation H District," or the "Budweiser Corner" or perhaps "Monsanto Village."
"If we can generate a significant amount of money, it is going to be in San Diego's best interest because we are going to save a ton of money for the taxpayers," Maienschein claimed, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
"Maybe the councilman could sell naming rights to his business suits instead," said Gary Ruskin, executive director of Commercial Alert. "That could save the taxpayers the cost of his $54,021 annual salary."
"If he wants to inflict this indignity upon citizens of his city, shouldn't he inflict it upon himself first?" Ruskin asked. "He could look like a walking NASCAR racetrack, and thus be a testimony to his own beliefs."
"We challenge the councilman to lead by example, and to turn his own wardrobe and person into an icon of aggressive commercialism," Ruskin said.
San Diego is already well-known for its commercialism. In 1999, the City of San Diego struck an exclusive protectionist marketing deal with the Pepsi Bottling Group of San Diego. Under the anti free-trade deal, only Pepsi soft drinks will be sold on city property in exchange for a payoff up to $23.6 million over 12 years.
---------------------------------
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP:
Contact Councilman Brian Maienscheim and tell him (politely) what you
think about the commercialism of his proposal to sell the naming rights
to the ballpark district of San Diego. His email address is
bmaienschein@cd5.sannet.gov
phone is (619) 236-6655 and fax is (619)
238-0915.
What's your opinion? Tell your views to The Progress Report:
| Page One | Page Two | Archive |
| Discussion Room | Letters | What's Geoism? |
