April 18, 2006
Pennies from heaven
The three cents on every $20 meme is back in the Minnesota Twins stadium debate, with Pioneer Press columnist Bob Sansavere the latest to drink the Kool-Aid. Sansavere doesn't bother to add up all those pennies, though, which over time would come to $320 (in present dollars) per Hennepin County resident - actually more like $339 with the recently increased public price tag.
In Florida, meanwhile, South Florida Sun-Sentinel columnist Dave Hyde argues that the state should be willing to spend $30 million to "keep the Marlins in South Florida forever," because the state spends money on even dumber things. Of course, it's actually $100 million that the Marlins are demanding now. And that's on top of $198 million in money they've already been promised by the city and state. Or as Bob Sansavere would no doubt prefer to think of it, 30 billion pennies.
This is always the last refuge of stadium subsidy types. When you pin them to the wall with the facts about why these things really aren't economic drivers, they will tell you something to the effect of, "the government wastes all kinds of money on other things, so it is time they wasted some on my pet project also." Thankfully, this type of, "but all the other kids are getting one" argument usually doesn't win the day.
Posted by Dennis Prouse on April 19, 2006 09:42 AM