Get real

"All I can say is that I've gotten mail on the arena, but I haven't gotten a single letter or phone call--and I'm listed all over the planet, I'm available--from anyone in my district saying, 'I rent a car on a regular basis, and this is not the right thing to do.'"

But does that mean there aren't Dallas residents out there renting cars on a regular basis? "I think it's the exception rather than the rule," Loza says. "Even in this city, most people of average means have a car, and that's how they get around. And that's why we have traffic and pollution and those kinds of problems. This is a car-oriented city."

But cars break down, people have hardships, I said. What about those 248 Dallas residents I found renting cars one week last month?--and that was taking into account only two of the 45 car-rental outlets in this city.

"That's a limited sample," Loza said, irritation creeping into his voice. "I still think it doesn't fall on the average person to pay for this. That's the bottom line on this."

Actually, no. The bottom line is that facts about the arena, no matter how compelling, are never going to get in the way of the mayor's mission. That's how it's been all along--even before John Loza became the most pompous ignoramus on the Dallas City Council.