Balance Sheet

Jeff Taylor from the August/September 2006 issue

(Page 2 of 2)

Fresh off their first NBA playoff series win in decades, the Cleveland Cavaliers ask taxpayers to help pay for a new $20 million practice facility.

Puerto Loco

The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shuts down all offices, including public schools, after the government goes bankrupt. No wonder: With 200,000 employees, the bureaucracy is the island’s largest employer, accounting for an astounding 80 percent of the operational budget.

Outlaw Competition

Washington state decrees Internet gambling a Class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Unlike tribal casinos or the state lottery, online gambling operations do not give the state a piece of the action.

Bawdy House

Bipartisan outrage greets word that the FBI raided the Capitol Hill office of Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.). Jefferson is the subject of a Justice Department bribery investigation. It is unclear how lawmakers want congressional corruption investigated. Perhaps not at all.

Too Secret

The Federal Communications Commission says it cannot investigate whether phone companies violated telecom privacy laws by providing information to the National Security Agency. The NSA told the FCC the topic is classified, so that’s that.

Baseball Strikeout

Major League Baseball picks a fight with CBC Distribution and Marketing, a St. Louis firm that runs fantasy sports leagues. Baseball says CBC must pay licensing fees to use players’ names and stats. The firm notes that baseball players are public figures and their statistics are in the public domain.