Hey, thanks for posting the article from the News 8 website. Your perspective, however, doesn't balance well with other government-sponsored recreational facilities that are intended to inspire our city's youth to get outdoors and be active.

Following your logic, I suppose you would protest the use of tax money spent on any of the following-- public schools, public swimming pools (Barton Springs is heavily subsidised by tax money), public soccer fields in Zilker Park, public libraries, and any of Austin's 17 public rec centers.

Fortunately, your idealism is not widely shared by Austin's tax-payers.

Please stand back from your political demagogery for a moment and consider that you are arguing for restricting access to skateboarding terrain to those rich enough to build their own or pay to skate at a private skatepark. Kids from poor families are then prohibited from participating in skateboarding to the extent that richer, country-club white kids can afford. You'd prefer skateboarding to be more like golf.

I prefer that skateboarding be available to all kids.

Seth

Seth, you are correct. Given that I consider taxation as robbery, I don't support the tax-support of anything, regardless of what service that money provides. Unfortunately, vast majorities of the planet's population think such robbery is a great thing, especially when they or people they like are the beneficiaries.

Yeah, I want skateboarding to be more like golf (tricky fucking analogy there, man...getting me to compare a "rebellion" sport to a "conformity" sport!). This is because people who want to do something that requires the services or property of someone else shouldn't force the owners to provide that service or property. Your argument's logic therefore calls for the taxpayer support of EVERYTHING. Because, obviously, "poor families" can't afford anything to the extent that rich families can. See the danger? It's called collectivism and the consequences are clearly detailed in the death and suffering experienced by the societies operating on those premises.

No points won in bringing up racism or class hatred with me, Seth. Leave that rhetoric at the door. Why give a damn if a rich Caucasian family can afford to build a wicked skate park? Great for them. That doesn't prevent poor kids from pooling their money, getting help from neighbors, securing a small loan, and building their own damn park, does it? Actually, the government presents the biggest threat to such an undertaking because it wants to enforce the vast array of federal, state, and local safety regulations, labor rules, building codes, zoning laws, and all the other shit the various governments use to push us around...resulting in much higher build and operating costs for the poor kids. They get screwed here...and they get screwed in the name of protecting their own interests!

Your preference for skate boarding’s universal availability clashes with the reality that you do not have the right to coerce others to sacrifice for you. If you want my contribution, *ask me.* Appealing to democracy does not constitite a polite request because if I decline your offer, it is still imposed upon me if the majority/plurality want the citizenry to cough up the cash.

Your organization is soliciting donations to build a skate park. That is great and I hope you succeed. I just don't want tax money used to support it.