Strip Tips

Laying it bare: I am writing in response to Howard Carson’s letter to the editor in the September 15 issue of the Pitch. There are two issues that I would like to address concerning this letter as well as David Martin’s article “The Big Coverup” (August 25).

First, I am an adult entertainer who’s been employed in the “sexually oriented business” industry for over ten years. I have two sports cars, I own my own home in a very nice area, and I am a graduate student at UMKC. I purchased the material items in cash and I have no student loans thanks to my employment in the adult entertainment industry.

I will grant Mr. Carson that some women (and men) are morally demeaned by participation or merely spectating within the industry. Those people should not involve themselves. It is a simple personal choice to attend a club or seek employment in this field, not a requirement and certainly not for everyone. I work with women whose children would be on public assistance if it were not for their employment in a sexually oriented business. The populace of the state of Missouri would be supporting these women rather than them being able to support themselves in a legal and (at least in Kansas City) strictly regulated occupation.

Second, the adult-entertainment industry in Missouri employs over 10,000 people (male and female). This does not include vendors for the sexually oriented businesses whose income would be greatly affected by a law such as the one that Blunt and Bartle proposed. The industry generates over $12 million in tax revenue annually. I would like to ask Mr. Carson, as well as the lawmakers, how this would be a positive decision for the already poor economy in the state of Missouri.

But then again, what the hell do I know — I’m “just a stripper.”

Megan

Bazooka’s Showgirls

Stadium Drive
Grade D: Just when you thought the Pitch‘s shameless promotion of a downtown baseball stadium was over, the KC Strip had to run one more nasty editorial (September 8).

We already have one expensive boondoggle with the Sprint Arena; why add another? Who wants to fight the downtown traffic congestion and the mercenary parking control just to watch a ballgame? And why should the taxpayers pay for another stadium?

I recently met a gentleman from Detroit at a Royals game. He commented on how much nicer Kauffman Stadium is than Detroit’s new stadium. Yael Abouhalkah is right that we should make the $80 million in improvements. If the Chiefs and Royals want more than that, they either need to pay enough rent to cover it or take a hike. Other cities have weaned themselves from giving corporate welfare to sports teams.

KC Strip insinuates that Abouhalkah has a bias for keeping the stadium where it is because he lives on the east side. As an east-side resident, I know I’m biased. The east side is the part of the city that our leaders conveniently forget about when it comes time for public improvements or investment. Truman Sports Complex not only is our crown jewel; it is the only one we have in the jewelry box. Let us keep it. Of course, the Pitch, located at 17th and Main, couldn’t possibly harbor a bias for a downtown ballpark, could it?

I’ve noticed that a lot of the KC Strip columns are merely criticisms of editorials in other newspapers rather than pieces that require a modicum of original thought.

Hurling stones at one’s betters does not good journalism make. It’s time for the Pitch to toss the rotten meat and hire real editors to write its editorials.

Curtis Urness Sr.

Kansas City, Missouri

Touchdown: Here’s a thought: Why doesn’t Jackson County just give each stadium to the respective organization free of charge? In exchange, it would offer property tax abatements as long as the Chiefs and the Royals continued to play at the stadiums. The Chiefs and the Royals can alter the facilities to their hearts’ content to fit their business plans. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.

Dale King

Olathe

Check the stats: The porkmeisters at The Kansas City Star, the Jackson County Sports Authority and the Jackson County Legislature, and Mayor Kay Barnes are again pushing hard for taxpayers to hand over their wallets to the team owners. Their argument is that none of the money goes to the team owners — only to maintain county property. What strange logic!

Again, let’s review the numbers. Today, the team owners are demanding $450 million. (This number changes every day.) Dividing $450 million by the 166,167 families in Jackson County results in a cost of $2,708 per family. That means that my family and your family will pay $2,708 each. It is to be financed over a 20-year period, resulting in an additional $3,000 in interest charges, for a total of $5,708 per family over the life of the tax!

This is in addition to the existing debt of over $20 million currently being paid on previous stadium projects.

Bob Gough

Lee’s Summit

Reel World

Wide-angle shot: I just finished reading Justin Kendall’s excellent piece on Kevin Willmott and his various projects (“Ball Busters,” September 8). I thought it was another outstanding article!

Willmott is truly a visionary, and we’re extremely fortunate to have someone like him in our area. Kendall’s article did a great job of summing up his humor and his humanity. I’m looking forward to reading his next article.

Ranjit Arab

Lawrence