I’ve been asked across several platforms, be in talk radio, television, social media, or in person how I feel about the movement toward the construction of a new, multi-purpose arena in Downtown Milwaukee.

To no surprise, I’m in favor of it. And, I believe it will get done.

Last April, I went hard, saying we should just pay whatever a tax may be.


(Turns out, Gov. Scott Walker has done some finagling with the numbers and figured out a way to propose to the state legislature today a way to funnel public funds to the project without shearing a few cents off the paychecks of state citizens.)

I didn’t want to dilute my message in my initial column with caveats, so I’ll say this here: I don’t think the public should pay for any arena, for any sports team. It’s one of the greatest scams in America.

BUT.

Yes, there’s a huge "but." It just doesn’t work that way.

And frankly, I don’t think Milwaukee (or Wisconsin) should be the city that tries to set an example.

We’re not big enough, or important enough. You set that example with the Bucks, not only is one of only 30 National Basketball Association teams packing up and leaving, no NBA team would ever return.

And no, the National Hockey League wouldn’t come running. Because guess what? That guy would want a new stadium, too.

So then you’re left with Miller Park and the Brewers.

And if Milwaukee sets the precedent that no new public money will be used for sports stadiums, it means we’ve got a couple decades left of Major League Baseball – because at some point, the facility on Miller Park Way will either have to be significantly upgraded and/or replaced.

So then, Milwaukee, one of the nation’s 50 biggest cities, would be left with … what?

Yes, the new Bucks ownership group probably does have $500 million to pay for a new arena. And of course they don’t want to spend it.

Arena financing is a weird thing, and I think there have to be better ways to do it. But nothing about this is magical.

It’s not as simple as "why don’t they just pay for it?"

It’s not as simple as "no one likes (insert sport) so let them leave."

It’s not as simple as "why don’t we use that money for (insert good cause)?"

I don’t know if Gov. Walker’s plan is the best one, from a public perspective. I guess time will tell.

What I do know, is that if you can pay for more than 50 percent of this thing with the private money committed from the ownership group, former owner Herb Kohl, and whatever Marquette University will kick in, that’s better than any alternative.

And, to be 100 percent fair – we haven’t had the press conference where Wes Edens and Marc Lasry, along with every single minority owner, from the "big ones" like Jamie Dinan down to the "small" ones seated behind them – and they break down the financing step-by-step, dollar-for-dollar.

We do know the major players, however, and some key points and figures.

So, I want to hear from you.

Here are some differing viewpoints, from different voices. Let me know what you think, either with the TalkBack function below, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

• Common Ground calls Bucks co-owner Wes Edens out and wants similar public money for public play areas
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• Deadspin.com editorial calls Gov. Walker’s plan a "Brand New Lie"

  
  
• Field of Schemes takes the plan apart even further.
  
  
• The Milwaukee Preservation Alliance is concerned with how a new arena could affect historical buildings Downtown
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.@SpeakerVos to @JayWeber3: Not against state help for new MKE arena, but Scott Walker plan "too rich for my blood." #Bucks #mubb — Tom Kertscher (@KertscherSports) January 30, 2015