Pennsylvania’s Republican governor, Tom Corbett, went into back surgery last week. The Pennsylvanians who voted him into office may be hoping he’s getting a backbone installed. But no such luck: Doctors call his treatment “routine.”
Too bad, for Corbett needs something to help him stick to his campaign promise of “saying no” to spending.
Since taking office Corbett has radically increased the salaries of his executive staff as well as stuck the state with another big sports stadium project.
Just what a cash-strapped state needs!
There’s a huge philosophical problem with forcing some folks (say, opera buffs) to pay for the entertainments of other folks (say, my fellow sports fans). It’s just not right. (It’s wrong the other way ’round, too.)
It’s also silly economics. And increasingly unpopular. People are “stadium fatigued,” according to Chris Friend in The Philly Post. Worse yet, the particular minor league stadium Corbett just pushed will accrue benefits chiefly to the New York Yankees, not the Philadelphia Phillies (or even the Pittsburgh Pirates). It’s a bizarre project, when you think about the cui bono of it.
Finally, when you think of who pays, the stadium’s $20 million price tag marks only a fraction of the cost, since the bond for that figure will balloon over time, with interest due.
Paid for by Pennsylvania taxpayers.
I love sports. I look forward to the day when the industry is as self-sufficient as it ought to be, and people like Corbett have the spines to stay out.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
4 replies on “Backbreaking Spending”
Great piece today (as always). The sports teams are self sufficient but how do you think most of the owners got rich? By using their own money? No way. Better to use someone elses money if at all possible.
As you say the politicinas need to grow spines and just say no. Go ahead and move your team, so what. If all the politicians would just say no, then no city would be more lucrative than another. And the public would be better off for it.
Guess someone had to take over where Murtha left off with wasting taxpayer money.
Drik — We’ll always have Murtha’s personal airport, though.
Murtha’s Air Pork.
3 scheduled flights a day, most of which are nearly empty, although the FAA list it as having 100 – 200 flights a day.
One flight instructor who takes off with a student and flies over to Murtha’s monstrosity…and makes 15 touch-and-gos with said student, is counted as 15 flights by the FAA. FAA is trying to jsutify it’s existance also.
One of the advantages of Obama is that he has totally taken our minds off what an absolute corrupt person Mr. Murtha was.