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.