Monthly Archives: July 2009

For the bullet summary, please go here.

It’s time to recap this story in plain english. It’s  important to just lay it out there. To put the opinion based on the obvious to paper.

It’s easy to get so wrapped up in the daily drama, and legal maneuverings occuring in court, to lose focus on the obvious; get clouded on what sits right in front of us.

In Hamilton, and all of Canada, when we first heard of Jim Balsillie getting another crack at an NHL hockey team, it came as a bit of a surprise. ‘ Who now? The Phoenix Coyotes? Why?’

The ‘why’ is really the interesting part. The ‘why’ is also the justification. And, the ‘why’ has led to a lot of people scrambling to cover their tracks, to want to retain evidence, and to strategize how to ‘explain’ their actions.

But, like all financial transactions, documents were produced, leases drawn up, emails sent, phone calles were made and ignored, and a meddly of other things that lead us to where we are in this story.

I say story, but make no mistake, there is a dark reality to this real life case that leaves a sick feeling in the pit of one’s stomach.

We are talking about a man named Jerry Moyes. Now Mr. Moyes started out in the trucking industry, worked hard, and built it from the ground up to be a very large firm. He knew what it took to run a succesful business. Sometimes though, despite best effort, the economy can go sour, and a business can lose cash flow, profits, and end up in hard times. This is what happened to Jerry Moyes in the trucking industry, as did happen to many others.

But, at the same time, Jerry Moyes was looking to save his hockey franchise from financial decay, and he took his own wealth, and the wealth of his familty and injected it into the Coyotes. The last of which was in the form of a loan to the Coyotes. This has become a sticking point in the current bankruptcy procedings.

The NHL would want us to believe that the money Jerry Moyes put in the team was an owner putting in equity. A share position, and not a creditor position. This, in strategy, would give the NHL an ‘out’, and be able to find a bidder (or bidders) that would, in essence, be able to take this team over with ‘no money down’. You see, Jerry Moyes $104 million creditor position cramps the NHL’s plans.

But it is interesting that the offer from Jerry Reinsdorf is a ‘no cash’ offer. It just enlightens us more to the lack of confidence in the team’s viability. It also suggest where collusion is fairly obvious.

It’s important to recap the expectations of the Reinsdorf offer. According to John Kaites, the lawyer for the Reinsdorf coalition, the City was negotiating and talking to the group for six months leading into the offer. There was courting all right. But for much longer than would appear normal. No, this situation was in the works for a while, and explains the presumptous terms of the bid. It might have been a ‘done deal’ before it was ever made public.

There are secured creditors, the largest being SOF Investments owned by Michael Dell. This is worth $80 million. Most significant of this loan is the strangehold terms that were drawn up. Mr. Moyes would get a measly $9 per ticket sale to go towards the Coyotes, and Dell, would take all other revenues as ‘collateral’ against the loan. The bottom line. Moyes did not have a chance based on the easy math to pay the bills. Why would the terms be that bad? Good question. Let’s carry on.

The City of Glendale was asked on several ocassions by Mr. Moyes to rework the Jobing.com lease terms. They refused. Mr. Moyes was yet again wondering why no consideration, as his team was suffering more and more.

Finally, the NHL had to step in with assistance to ‘help’ Moyes with a loan. But, in order to get the loan, he had to sign various proxies surrendering all rights to control of the team in the process.

Now, over the articles written, we have shown that Jerry Reinsdorf coming into the scene was anything but a coincidence. In fact, all the facts leading up to the Coyotes going bankrupt was a cold, calculated plan by the friends to Glendale.

Jerry Reinsdorf’s son Michael has a very good relationship with the City of Glendale. He also is responsible for stadium and arena development and financing negotiations for the City. He was responsible for overseeing the building of Jobing.com arena, and we still do not have any proof of involvement in lease negotiation assistance, that he professes to be an expert in. If Jerry Moyes needed help, where was the City of Glendale and Michael Reinsdorf to lend professional assistance? Another red flag.

To make the summary short, based on the knowledge obtained, it would appear there is a strategy of business alliances in Glendale that are responsible as corporate partners to increase the development of land, with the hope of influx of residents, taxes and jobs. There has not been terrific proof that this growth has occured. The only for sure, is the corporate partners like Michael Dell and Michael Reinsdorf, that are proffiting from their strong ties to the City.

Glendale, it would seem has ‘hopped into bed’ with these private corporations so much, that they colluded to get rid of Jerry Moyes, because he did not offer continued growth. The means to the end was the financial strangelhold with the SOF loan, and the ignoring of his need to have the arena lease reworked.

With the addition of the second bid by Daryl Jones, it would, with more careful look, appear to be another good boy maneuver, bringing in ‘friends of friends’, with common business interest. Hardly an autonomous bid.

In the Board of Governors of the NHL, the interesting choice of words that Jerry Reinsdorf is fully endorsed, while the rookies show promise, but are still not fully approved is interesting too. Going back to plan A, where plan B may have just been an attempt to show the court that the NHL did not collude with Reinsdorf. I don’t know if anyone will buy that, including the U.S. bankruptcy trustee who smelled the rat a while ago.

And the big proof is the Reinsdorf offer. How obvious can it be?  It requires a friend, Michael Dell, to renegotiate his SOF loan. Golly gee. And it requires the NHL to rework or dismiss it’s loan. You don’t say?  And, are you ready for it? It requires the City of Glendale to work a plan of concessions that Moyes was asking for, but was ignored. And, I hope you are sitting down. The City of Glendale negotiated with Jerry Reinsdorf when they wouldn’t with Jerry Moyes. Wow, good to have a son in tight with a municipality, eh?

I hope Moyes has a good legal team to go after the boys civilly when this round is over.

If it could be anymore obvious by the demands that the strangelhold the ‘friends’ had on Jerry Moyes, I don’t know how you could do it. The proof is in the offer. Don’t put Jerry Reinsdorf in the same position as Moyes. Are you kidding me?

With Michael Dell repositioning himself as a major player in land development with Related Companies, it would seem he has learned to hedge his opportunities. With computer industry profits diving, and the opportunity for easy, big money in land sales tax strategies with government, it would appear he has a lot to gain and lose. So much so, he would want to ensure he structures Glendale with as many friends as he can. Will he make the loan terms much better that $9 per ticket? Please, do you have to ask?

It can only be hoped that the judge sees this charade for the joke it is. A collusion poster child legal departments at ivy league universities could use for years to come. Wouldn’t it be ironic if these same friends went to these universities for advice? Downright hilarious!

No, Judge Baum has a chance, along with the U.S. trustee in bankruptcy, to put these ‘friends’ on the ropes, then to the canvas, and put them in a stranglehold of their own.

Why did Hamilton learn of yet another team in financial ruin ready to make a deal?  It was the courage of Jerry Moyes to call the NHL, and the friends of Glendale’s spade. Calling a spade a spade!

Is it any wonder Commissioner Bettman was scrambling to avoid the public knowledge that would occur when this charade went public? Is it any wonder he put together proxies in a feeble attempt to control a man that could not be controlled?

There are no coincidences here. Just a long stream of maneuvers, greed, lies, and deception. They never would have expected Jerry Moyes to blow the whistle. I for one, am proud of him. I support him, and I don’t even know him. But, I can relate to the injustice he experienced. And I will do my part, along with others like Jim Balsillie to help him regain his wealth.

Jerry Moyes deserves our support. The NHL, and the friends of Glendale deserve the exposure they get too.

May justice prevail!

For the bullet summary, please go here.

It’s time to recap this story in plain english. It’s  important to just lay it out there. To put the opinion based on the obvious to paper.

It’s easy to get so wrapped up in the daily drama, and legal maneuverings occuring in court, to lose focus on the obvious; get clouded on what sits right in front of us.

In Hamilton, and all of Canada, when we first heard of Jim Balsillie getting another crack at an NHL hockey team, it came as a bit of a surprise. ‘ Who now? The Phoenix Coyotes? Why?’

The ‘why’ is really the interesting part. The ‘why’ is also the justification. And, the ‘why’ has led to a lot of people scrambling to cover their tracks, to want to retain evidence, and to strategize how to ‘explain’ their actions.

But, like all financial transactions, documents were produced, leases drawn up, emails sent, phone calles were made and ignored, and a meddly of other things that lead us to where we are in this story.

I say story, but make no mistake, there is a dark reality to this real life case that leaves a sick feeling in the pit of one’s stomach.

We are talking about a man named Jerry Moyes. Now Mr. Moyes started out in the trucking industry, worked hard, and built it from the ground up to be a very large firm. He knew what it took to run a succesful business. Sometimes though, despite best effort, the economy can go sour, and a business can lose cash flow, profits, and end up in hard times. This is what happened to Jerry Moyes in the trucking industry, as did happen to many others.

But, at the same time, Jerry Moyes was looking to save his hockey franchise from financial decay, and he took his own wealth, and the wealth of his familty and injected it into the Coyotes. The last of which was in the form of a loan to the Coyotes. This has become a sticking point in the current bankruptcy procedings.

The NHL would want us to believe that the money Jerry Moyes put in the team was an owner putting in equity. A share position, and not a creditor position. This, in strategy, would give the NHL an ‘out’, and be able to find a bidder (or bidders) that would, in essence, be able to take this team over with ‘no money down’. You see, Jerry Moyes $104 million creditor position cramps the NHL’s plans.

But it is interesting that the offer from Jerry Reinsdorf is a ‘no cash’ offer. It just enlightens us more to the lack of confidence in the team’s viability. It also suggest where collusion is fairly obvious.

It’s important to recap the expectations of the Reinsdorf offer. According to John Kaites, the lawyer for the Reinsdorf coalition, the City was negotiating and talking to the group for six months leading into the offer. There was courting all right. But for much longer than would appear normal. No, this situation was in the works for a while, and explains the presumptous terms of the bid. It might have been a ‘done deal’ before it was ever made public.

There are secured creditors, the largest being SOF Investments owned by Michael Dell. This is worth $80 million. Most significant of this loan is the strangehold terms that were drawn up. Mr. Moyes would get a measly $9 per ticket sale to go towards the Coyotes, and Dell, would take all other revenues as ‘collateral’ against the loan. The bottom line. Moyes did not have a chance based on the easy math to pay the bills. Why would the terms be that bad? Good question. Let’s carry on.

The City of Glendale was asked on several ocassions by Mr. Moyes to rework the Jobing.com lease terms. They refused. Mr. Moyes was yet again wondering why no consideration, as his team was suffering more and more.

Finally, the NHL had to step in with assistance to ‘help’ Moyes with a loan. But, in order to get the loan, he had to sign various proxies surrendering all rights to control of the team in the process.

Now, over the articles written, we have shown that Jerry Reinsdorf coming into the scene was anything but a coincidence. In fact, all the facts leading up to the Coyotes going bankrupt was a cold, calculated plan by the friends to Glendale.

Jerry Reinsdorf’s son Michael has a very good relationship with the City of Glendale. He also is responsible for stadium and arena development and financing negotiations for the City. He was responsible for overseeing the building of Jobing.com arena, and we still do not have any proof of involvement in lease negotiation assistance, that he professes to be an expert in. If Jerry Moyes needed help, where was the City of Glendale and Michael Reinsdorf to lend professional assistance? Another red flag.

To make the summary short, based on the knowledge obtained, it would appear there is a strategy of business alliances in Glendale that are responsible as corporate partners to increase the development of land, with the hope of influx of residents, taxes and jobs. There has not been terrific proof that this growth has occured. The only for sure, is the corporate partners like Michael Dell and Michael Reinsdorf, that are proffiting from their strong ties to the City.

Glendale, it would seem has ‘hopped into bed’ with these private corporations so much, that they colluded to get rid of Jerry Moyes, because he did not offer continued growth. The means to the end was the financial strangelhold with the SOF loan, and the ignoring of his need to have the arena lease reworked.

With the addition of the second bid by Daryl Jones, it would, with more careful look, appear to be another good boy maneuver, bringing in ‘friends of friends’, with common business interest. Hardly an autonomous bid.

In the Board of Governors of the NHL, the interesting choice of words that Jerry Reinsdorf is fully endorsed, while the rookies show promise, but are still not fully approved is interesting too. Going back to plan A, where plan B may have just been an attempt to show the court that the NHL did not collude with Reinsdorf. I don’t know if anyone will buy that, including the U.S. bankruptcy trustee who smelled the rat a while ago.

And the big proof is the Reinsdorf offer. How obvious can it be?  It requires a friend, Michael Dell, to renegotiate his SOF loan. Golly gee. And it requires the NHL to rework or dismiss it’s loan. You don’t say?  And, are you ready for it? It requires the City of Glendale to work a plan of concessions that Moyes was asking for, but was ignored. And, I hope you are sitting down. The City of Glendale negotiated with Jerry Reinsdorf when they wouldn’t with Jerry Moyes. Wow, good to have a son in tight with a municipality, eh?

I hope Moyes has a good legal team to go after the boys civilly when this round is over.

If it could be anymore obvious by the demands that the strangelhold the ‘friends’ had on Jerry Moyes, I don’t know how you could do it. The proof is in the offer. Don’t put Jerry Reinsdorf in the same position as Moyes. Are you kidding me?

With Michael Dell repositioning himself as a major player in land development with Related Companies, it would seem he has learned to hedge his opportunities. With computer industry profits diving, and the opportunity for easy, big money in land sales tax strategies with government, it would appear he has a lot to gain and lose. So much so, he would want to ensure he structures Glendale with as many friends as he can. Will he make the loan terms much better that $9 per ticket? Please, do you have to ask?

It can only be hoped that the judge sees this charade for the joke it is. A collusion poster child legal departments at ivy league universities could use for years to come. Wouldn’t it be ironic if these same friends went to these universities for advice? Downright hilarious!

No, Judge Baum has a chance, along with the U.S. trustee in bankruptcy, to put these ‘friends’ on the ropes, then to the canvas, and put them in a stranglehold of their own.

Why did Hamilton learn of yet another team in financial ruin ready to make a deal?  It was the courage of Jerry Moyes to call the NHL, and the friends of Glendale’s spade. Calling a spade a spade!

Is it any wonder Commissioner Bettman was scrambling to avoid the public knowledge that would occur when this charade went public? Is it any wonder he put together proxies in a feeble attempt to control a man that could not be controlled?

There are no coincidences here. Just a long stream of maneuvers, greed, lies, and deception. They never would have expected Jerry Moyes to blow the whistle. I for one, am proud of him. I support him, and I don’t even know him. But, I can relate to the injustice he experienced. And I will do my part, along with others like Jim Balsillie to help him regain his wealth.

Jerry Moyes deserves our support. The NHL, and the friends of Glendale deserve the exposure they get too.

May justice prevail!

Obama salutes the People

For the bullet summary, please go here.

We all know the expression, ‘how badly do you want it’!

How much are you willing to do or offer in an attempt to ‘get it‘?

When man has ambition, he may do anything in the name of ambition; to gain power, and be put in man’s ‘seat of authority’. He may even promise a few future favors in return.

Politics is full of ambition for  power, and the whole system is geared to political campaigning to influence the voters, which gives the candidate a good chance at winning the election.

We all know about the last Presidential race, where Barack Obama was in competition with Senator of Arizona John McCain. Senator McCain, of course represents the Republican Party, and President elect Obama the Democrats.

How this ties into the government land subsidy issues being fought in  the U.S. Supreme Court, the Phoenix Coyotes bankruptcy case, and the Republican Goldwater Institute may prove intriguing.

Lines may begin to blur, where political ideals and values  may not match political ambition. Where Republican values may be ‘numbed’ by past relationships, or potential promises or favors made. ‘Eyes’ deflected away when they should be firmly focused.

So, what on earth am I talking about?

Well, a recent article asked Arizonans to contact their Senator to help put an end to the sales tax based government spending as evidenced in the CityNorth case, and in the Coyotes case in Glendale.

The Republican values of the Goldwater Institute are fighting fiercely the governments of Phoenix and Glendale on these tax concessions.

Now, as we have looked at time and again, the ‘friends of Glendale’ seem to have positioned themselves well with the City and it’s officials. But if they truly wanted to position themselves well in Glendale, Arizona, perhaps they should position themselves well with the State of Arizona. Could this also be why the Mayor of Phoenix is fighting so fiercely to keep the corporate partners like Related Companies happy?

Could it also explain why Jerry Reinsdorf was a political fundraiser in John McCain’s 2008 Presidential Campaign?

Jerry Reinsdorf (fundraiser for John McCain in 2008 Presidential Campaign)

I would certainly hope that the Senator of Arizona would join the Republican cause in fighting hand in hand with the Goldwater Institute to take back control for the taxpayers.

Senator John McCain (Arizona)

Arizonans, you can help Senator McCain by contacting him. Show your support of reduced government spending, and support the ideals and goals of the Republican Party to have your voice count.

Help him put the past behind him, and focus on the rights of the American people.

And, even if you live in a state outside Arizona, chances are good your government is considering land development sales tax subsidies too. Time to have your voice heard!

Obama salutes the People

For the bullet summary, please go here.

We all know the expression, ‘how badly do you want it’!

How much are you willing to do or offer in an attempt to ‘get it‘?

When man has ambition, he may do anything in the name of ambition; to gain power, and be put in man’s ‘seat of authority’. He may even promise a few future favors in return.

Politics is full of ambition for  power, and the whole system is geared to political campaigning to influence the voters, which gives the candidate a good chance at winning the election.

We all know about the last Presidential race, where Barack Obama was in competition with Senator of Arizona John McCain. Senator McCain, of course represents the Republican Party, and President elect Obama the Democrats.

How this ties into the government land subsidy issues being fought in  the U.S. Supreme Court, the Phoenix Coyotes bankruptcy case, and the Republican Goldwater Institute may prove intriguing.

Lines may begin to blur, where political ideals and values  may not match political ambition. Where Republican values may be ‘numbed’ by past relationships, or potential promises or favors made. ‘Eyes’ deflected away when they should be firmly focused.

So, what on earth am I talking about?

Well, a recent article asked Arizonans to contact their Senator to help put an end to the sales tax based government spending as evidenced in the CityNorth case, and in the Coyotes case in Glendale.

The Republican values of the Goldwater Institute are fighting fiercely the governments of Phoenix and Glendale on these tax concessions.

Now, as we have looked at time and again, the ‘friends of Glendale’ seem to have positioned themselves well with the City and it’s officials. But if they truly wanted to position themselves well in Glendale, Arizona, perhaps they should position themselves well with the State of Arizona. Could this also be why the Mayor of Phoenix is fighting so fiercely to keep the corporate partners like Related Companies happy?

Could it also explain why Jerry Reinsdorf was a political fundraiser in John McCain’s 2008 Presidential Campaign?

Jerry Reinsdorf (fundraiser for John McCain in 2008 Presidential Campaign)

I would certainly hope that the Senator of Arizona would join the Republican cause in fighting hand in hand with the Goldwater Institute to take back control for the taxpayers.

Senator John McCain (Arizona)

Arizonans, you can help Senator McCain by contacting him. Show your support of reduced government spending, and support the ideals and goals of the Republican Party to have your voice count.

Help him put the past behind him, and focus on the rights of the American people.

And, even if you live in a state outside Arizona, chances are good your government is considering land development sales tax subsidies too. Time to have your voice heard!

For the bullet summary, please go here.

Folks, we should have just asked the NHL a long time ago if they would have arrived at a unanimous decision to reject Jim Balsillie as an owner in the NHL. I bet Judge Baum is now upset that the court’s time and money has been spent on a cause that was never going to happen. They should probably just call a special meeting, where Judge Baum can stand up, look somber, and give Jim Balsillie the unfortunate news that he is disliked in the NHL owners’ lounge, and he might as well give up. Or, not!

I think we can all recall the moment when Judge Baum flexed his wisdom at the NHL and its’ lawyers. The question is, were they sleeping at that part?

And Justice For All!

Did the NHL miss the important, yet revealing words of Judge Baum, when he said clearly that if Jim Balsillie should be rejected as an owner at this point, it would ‘raise some legal eyebrows‘? In laymans terms, Judge Baum may as well have said, ‘Boys, I’ll let you play your game, but when it steps over the line and becomes so obvious as it insults my court and intelligence, then all bets are off!’ Well, the bets are officially off!

You see, Judge Baum has no doubt been down this road many times before. It’s called legal wrangling, and it is quite honestly pathetic.

But, there are important aspects of human psychology that come into play with this ‘move’.

The NHL has played all their cards now. This is a last ditch effort to secure Jerry Reinsdorf as the ‘white knight’ of Glendale. Actually Jerry Reinsdorf is just another friend of uncle Glendale.

The boys tried to bring in the rookies, and now have realized, oops, that wasn’t a good idea, let’s go back to Jerry. But, they tried to fool the court in believing plan B was fresh, autonomous, and evidence no collusion was taking place. Judge Baum must be thinking, ‘Is that all you got?’

It is time for the U.S. bankruptcy trustee with much wisdom too, to call a spade a spade, stand up, and pull out the whistle. What the NHL has to wonder is who strategically called in the U.S. Bankruptcy trustee in the first place. Hmmmm. That’s an interesting one, isn’t it? There could be a judge looking for an excuse, and is lining up his ducks too.

The NHL has been testing the court with it’s arrogant nature. Judge Baum has so far let the noose out, and given the NHL the benefit of the doubt. Judge Baum was playing the game too. No more. It’s now the nitty gritty. Now, it’s time to get tough.

It would seem the NHL has finally done it this time. They have officially raised the legal eyebrow of Judge Baum’s courtroom.

If I were the NHL, I’d be a little worried about how strong the court can really be.

For the bullet summary, please go here.

Folks, we should have just asked the NHL a long time ago if they would have arrived at a unanimous decision to reject Jim Balsillie as an owner in the NHL. I bet Judge Baum is now upset that the court’s time and money has been spent on a cause that was never going to happen. They should probably just call a special meeting, where Judge Baum can stand up, look somber, and give Jim Balsillie the unfortunate news that he is disliked in the NHL owners’ lounge, and he might as well give up. Or, not!

I think we can all recall the moment when Judge Baum flexed his wisdom at the NHL and its’ lawyers. The question is, were they sleeping at that part?

And Justice For All!

Did the NHL miss the important, yet revealing words of Judge Baum, when he said clearly that if Jim Balsillie should be rejected as an owner at this point, it would ‘raise some legal eyebrows‘? In laymans terms, Judge Baum may as well have said, ‘Boys, I’ll let you play your game, but when it steps over the line and becomes so obvious as it insults my court and intelligence, then all bets are off!’ Well, the bets are officially off!

You see, Judge Baum has no doubt been down this road many times before. It’s called legal wrangling, and it is quite honestly pathetic.

But, there are important aspects of human psychology that come into play with this ‘move’.

The NHL has played all their cards now. This is a last ditch effort to secure Jerry Reinsdorf as the ‘white knight’ of Glendale. Actually Jerry Reinsdorf is just another friend of uncle Glendale.

The boys tried to bring in the rookies, and now have realized, oops, that wasn’t a good idea, let’s go back to Jerry. But, they tried to fool the court in believing plan B was fresh, autonomous, and evidence no collusion was taking place. Judge Baum must be thinking, ‘Is that all you got?’

It is time for the U.S. bankruptcy trustee with much wisdom too, to call a spade a spade, stand up, and pull out the whistle. What the NHL has to wonder is who strategically called in the U.S. Bankruptcy trustee in the first place. Hmmmm. That’s an interesting one, isn’t it? There could be a judge looking for an excuse, and is lining up his ducks too.

The NHL has been testing the court with it’s arrogant nature. Judge Baum has so far let the noose out, and given the NHL the benefit of the doubt. Judge Baum was playing the game too. No more. It’s now the nitty gritty. Now, it’s time to get tough.

It would seem the NHL has finally done it this time. They have officially raised the legal eyebrow of Judge Baum’s courtroom.

If I were the NHL, I’d be a little worried about how strong the court can really be.

For the bullet summary  (of the Phoenix Coyotes case that led to this), please go here.

It’s time for the American people to stand up and be heard!

People of Arizona,

As a Canadian I have learned much about the tax injustices you suffer as a result of private, American corporations taking advantage of you as taxpayers. It started out as a campaign to support NHL hockey for Hamilton, Ontario, but has grown into a bigger cause. Even as a Canadian, I cannot stand to see what is happening to the American debt, not helped by fellow Americans. Here is your chance to make a difference too.

Senator John McCain (Arizona)

We have discussed the land development subsidies contributing to the mounting debt of the United States. Senator John McCain is a strong advocate of reducing spending in government, and therefore, you should use his contact form located here to send him a clear message whether or not you agree with a parking spot at CityNorth costing the taxpayers of Arizona (Phoenix) $480,000. (200 spots to the tune of $97 million Arizona tax dollars!)

We all know the rich find ways to get richer, but on the backsides of the American taxpayer? I don’t think so.

Here is your chance to say enough is enough. It’s time to start with the state of Arizona. Little steps toward a bigger need to reduce the nation of America’s debt, that according to Senator McCain, is growing by the second. To see the money clock, go here. (paid for by the friends of John McCain).

The Goldwater Institute, a republican watchdog group should have Senator McCain’s full support. There should be no reason why he wouldn’t want to put a stop to land development sales tax subsidies. Subsidies and ‘deals’ that put too much power in the hands of private corporations, stripping the rights of the people, and making infrastructure growth incredibly expensive.

The Goldwater Institute is fighting the developers, in Phoenix over CityNorth, and they are fighting for your rights as taxpayers to have full, transparent disclosure in the Phoenix Coyotes NHL bankruptcy battle. The article starts out by stating’ Phoenix is broke!  There is another great article on the CityNorth nightmare by the Wall Street Journal you can find here.

In case you didn’t know, in a recent poll, the residents of Glendale spoke clearly that if there were subsidies for private owners of the hockey team, the residents didn’t want the team! Approximately three quarters of those polled (72%) said they clearly didn’t want to pay for the team to remain in Glendale.

So, in response, the City of Glendale, involved in partnership arrangements with private corporations decided to leave the taxpayers out, hoping to push the deal through, and only advise the results when it is too late. The same city officials the taxpayers of Glendale elected to represent them.

You can see the argument why you need to know here.

And, thank you Senator McCain, in advance, for listening to the taxpayers of Arizona! I certainly hope you can have influence to stop the greed of some, to the detriment of many!

For the bullet summary, please go here.

As we are discovering, relationships are very important in business to get ahead. And, when you want to ensure success, your strategy must be to put some key people, with key contacts in place to ensure the ‘team’ is going to get results.

The situation in Glendale seems to have revolved around the opportunity for land development and tax subsidies to private corporations developing and lending money. The bond issues that are sales tax based are very lucrative to the investors, and in light of today’s uncertain economy, anything backed by the taxpayer is an incentive for the private lenders and developers to ‘keep on keeping on’.

Well, it is interesting to look further into MSD Capital, as it seems to play a pivotal role in the Phoenix Coyotes case, and keeps popping up time and time again, becoming impossible to ignore. It would seem as time goes by, that MSD Capital is a very influential player in this game, indeed.

How big an obstacle could MSD Capital’s relationship with Glendale be in the bid to move the Coyotes to Canada? Well, when we look at it, the waters get very muddy. Downright ‘Muckety’ !

Muckety.com (located at http://www.muckety.com) has a very unique way to view relationships in business. Let’s call it the ‘family tree’ of business. Worth repeating, alliances are keys to success, and alliances can create quite the ‘tangled web’ when explored. Kind of like logrithmic growth.  The family tree can get rather intricate.

We can have some fun looking at all the possibilities though, and since we are on the subject of MSD Capital involvement with the Phoenix Coyotes case, let’s have a closer look.

Yesterday, we looked at Daryl Jones’ Research Edge LLC, and noted that there would appear to be some key relationships that brought Jones into the mix. Well, Jones may just be one of several key maneuvers that have occured over time to set up the situation in Arizona. Let me explain.

Let’s look again at the Management team at MSD Capital. According to Business Week, the company is involved in ‘grow equity’ financing, and was formed in 1998.

If we look at the business family tree of MSD Capital, we can see Eric Rosen (former boss of Daryl Jones at Onex), and brought into MSD Capital in 2005. And, we can see other relationships to MSD , Onex, and others. If you click the contacts with the (+) symbols, look out, you can create quite a mess on the diagram. Some companies you might recognize too. Interesting stuff!

The point to be made here is that when forming alliances, and bringing in partners, it is important to ensure we don’t let just anyone into the club. When there is a lot at stake financially and otherwise, any new player must fit a certain criteria.

So, when Daryl Jones and the boys surrounding Research Edge LLC just happened to show up with an offer for the Phoenix Coyotes, it would appear it might have been anything but a co-incidence. And, anything but an autonomous relationship with the friends already in Glendale. This could be the ‘Collusion‘ poster child.

For the average hockey fan, or truck driver, who would have known it would be this complicated. After all, isn’t this about a hockey team?

For the bullet summary, please go here.

As we are discovering, relationships are very important in business to get ahead. And, when you want to ensure success, your strategy must be to put some key people, with key contacts in place to ensure the ‘team’ is going to get results.

The situation in Glendale seems to have revolved around the opportunity for land development and tax subsidies to private corporations developing and lending money. The bond issues that are sales tax based are very lucrative to the investors, and in light of today’s uncertain economy, anything backed by the taxpayer is an incentive for the private lenders and developers to ‘keep on keeping on’.

Well, it is interesting to look further into MSD Capital, as it seems to play a pivotal role in the Phoenix Coyotes case, and keeps popping up time and time again, becoming impossible to ignore. It would seem as time goes by, that MSD Capital is a very influential player in this game, indeed.

How big an obstacle could MSD Capital’s relationship with Glendale be in the bid to move the Coyotes to Canada? Well, when we look at it, the waters get very muddy. Downright ‘Muckety’ !

Muckety.com (located at http://www.muckety.com) has a very unique way to view relationships in business. Let’s call it the ‘family tree’ of business. Worth repeating, alliances are keys to success, and alliances can create quite the ‘tangled web’ when explored. Kind of like logrithmic growth.  The family tree can get rather intricate.

We can have some fun looking at all the possibilities though, and since we are on the subject of MSD Capital involvement with the Phoenix Coyotes case, let’s have a closer look.

Yesterday, we looked at Daryl Jones’ Research Edge LLC, and noted that there would appear to be some key relationships that brought Jones into the mix. Well, Jones may just be one of several key maneuvers that have occured over time to set up the situation in Arizona. Let me explain.

Let’s look again at the Management team at MSD Capital. According to Business Week, the company is involved in ‘grow equity’ financing, and was formed in 1998.

If we look at the business family tree of MSD Capital, we can see Eric Rosen (former boss of Daryl Jones at Onex), and brought into MSD Capital in 2005. And, we can see other relationships to MSD , Onex, and others. If you click the contacts with the (+) symbols, look out, you can create quite a mess on the diagram. Some companies you might recognize too. Interesting stuff!

The point to be made here is that when forming alliances, and bringing in partners, it is important to ensure we don’t let just anyone into the club. When there is a lot at stake financially and otherwise, any new player must fit a certain criteria.

So, when Daryl Jones and the boys surrounding Research Edge LLC just happened to show up with an offer for the Phoenix Coyotes, it would appear it might have been anything but a co-incidence. And, anything but an autonomous relationship with the friends already in Glendale. This could be the ‘Collusion‘ poster child.

For the average hockey fan, or truck driver, who would have known it would be this complicated. After all, isn’t this about a hockey team?

 For the bullet summary, please go here.

It would appear Daryl Jones’  is not without connections. His ex- boss at Onex Investment Corporation became a partner  of  Michael Dell in MSD Capital . This links  relationship between Research Edge LLC executives to other ‘stay home’ bid, creating opportunity and potential unfair advantage. Would we have been led to believe the new group was autonomous?

Daryl Jones visited the White House

 Collusion, in part,  includes:

misrepresenting the independence of the relationship between the colluding parties.

 Well, what if there is a great likelihood that independent private corporations may have key individuals that might work in an alliance, and know one another, to create an unfair advantage?

In yesterday’s article, I spoke of the ‘wrestling metaphor’ of the Reinsdorf team, holding the Balsillie team in a headlock, and waiting for the ‘partners’, the friends of Glendale to finish them off.

 One might argue, if the Jones contingent (Research LLC) was brought in as a backup plan by the Reinsdorf/NHL/Glendale partners? It would seem there could be key relationships to support this notion.

Yesterday, I outlined a possible attraction between the City of Glendale, and Daryl Jones’ group. It involved assistance with tax issues on unpaid property taxes. There were hints that might suggest a motive for Research Edge to be interested in Glendale as an investment opportunity related to these taxes.

Relationships past and present suggests another strong possibility the bid from Jones and his group could hold favour and provide opportunity that would extend the goals and objectives of the City of Glendale, and it’s friends; namely Michael Reinsdorf, Michael Dell, and the bid by Jerry Reinsdorf. It could also represent a way out for the NHL, to prove they have not colluded with Reinsdorf. But, this may be another attempt to control the relationships in place in Glendale, by bringing in more ‘friends’, in an attempt to fool the court.

When Daryl Jones spoke to the Calgary Herald on July 13th regarding a potential bid, he probably shouldn’t have told them as much as he did. But, then again, that’s pretty usual when you figure it won’t be an issue to come back to bite you later. Similar to Anthony LeBlanc’s strange yet revealing comment, claiming ‘Canadians are snapping up foreclosures by the hundreds’ in Arizona. Yes, opportunity for land profits and tax deals abound in Arizona, and in Glendale it would seem!

Daryl Jones explained his groups’ interest in Glendale was not about hockey, in this July 13th comment to the Calgary Herald:

Jones wouldn’t disclose the other parties involved in his group but made it clear they are looking at making an offer from a business perspective — not for the sake of owning a hockey team.

O.K., so it’s a business perspective, not about some nice Canadians wanting to help the Coyotes stay in Phoenix for the fans’ sake, but a business reason. So, would the reason be related to land and taxes perchance? Well, let’s continue.

Remember Michael Dell? He is the secured creditor we believe had financially choked Jerry Moyes of any chance of succesfully running the Phoenix Coyotes, after the loan from SOF Investments? And, the same Michael Dell who owns MSD Capital Corporation, involved in the CityNorth land development subsidy scandal in the Supreme Court? Well, it would seem Michael Dell has some connections to a mutual friend of Daryl Jones.

Would Dell have motive to bring in some backup to ensure land development and tax subsidies would continue, and help the City of Glendale?

According the the Calgary Herald article, talking about Jones:

For the better part of the last decade, he’s been in finance, spending four years working in New York for Onex Corp., a Toronto-based private equity firm.

So, Daryl  Jones would  no doubt have known a man named Eric Rosen, the vice President of Onex at the time, since he worked there for four years, and has been in the finance field for ten years,  before joining Research Edge LLC. Eric Rosen was the Managing Director and Vice President of Onex Investment Corporation, until joining MSD Capital in 2005.  Now, Eric Rosen is currently the partner with Michael Dell in MSD Capital.

So, here we have it. Daryl Jones, having worked with Onex Corp. Onex’s Eric Rosen, having worked  in capacity of Managing director of Onex Corp, coming to MSD Capital in 2005, and now  partner of MSD Capital.

Is it fair to assume that there is a significant relationship between MSD Capital (Michael Dell and Eric Rosen), and Daryl Jones (Research Edge LLC) to suggest this is a continuation of the land and tax strategies of both groups? You bet!  More connections when we would believe the new contingent was autonomous to the other bid.

The ‘stay home bidders’ would seem to be a close knit group, lending further suspicion to an already suspect situation.

From Daryl Jones, we have evidence of discussions with the City of Glendale too, related no doubt to the ‘business opportunities’ described earlier:

Jones’ group still has to submit documents in the next two weeks to the National Hockey League, communicate with the Glendale-area, deal with certain legalities, and negotiate with creditors.

It would seem there is just no stopping the shenanigans to stop the truth from being known to the taxpayers of Glendale, to the bankruptcy trustee of the U.S. Government, and to the courtroom of Judge Baum.

Collusion? It’s certainly looking that way. And with all that money in land development and tax subsidies, these partners are trying to ‘dig in’ for the long haul.

Poor Jerry Moyes. He didn’t stand a chance!