Smells Like Fish

Proving once again that the Floridians who most urgently need their feeding tubes removed are its legislators, the Schiavo State's House Tourism Committee just voted 8-0 to approve a $60 million subsidy to help build a new stadium for professional baseball's Florida Marlins. This goes on top of $166 million already pledged by Miami-Dade city and county, and untold scores of millions that will be rung up in cost overruns and property management problems, if every recent case of stadium welfare is anything to go by.

More on the Marlins taking Florida taxpayers hook, line and sinker here and here.

Comments

[Jack]

But Florida will cease to be a world-class state if it doesn't have a pro-baseball team! [Insert 2000 election joke here]

[Henry]

It's not the Schiavo State, you dolt--it's the Persistent Vegetative State. Where's the Reason factchecker???

They're animals anyway, let them lose their souls. (And tax dollars)

Trust me, I know.

[Gary Gunnels]

As I recall D.C. recently spiked a similar effort there (correct me if I am wrong). If that is the case, does this mean that D.C. lawmakers on average are more intelligent than Florida lawmakers? 🙂

[Collin Baber]

All of you obsessed with one American's hospice transition should have a good look at the suffering caused by the War in Iraq. There are over 1500 dead soldiers, 30,000 injured on the U.S. side, 100,000 dead and who knows how many injured on the Iraqi side.

[Twba]

I am so obsessed with the culture of death that I have trouble finding time to read Matt's musings on baseball. When I can't stretch a single into a double, put me out of my misery. Send me to the golf course. If you ever find an overpriced unobtanium driver in my bag, put me out of my misery. Take away my mastercard. The Schiavo story really has warped my thinking.

[phocion]

I think negotiations in DC are ongoing, but I'm guessing the city council will bite the bullet and pony up at least some city funding, if they haven't already. Don't worry, folks: up is still up, down is still down, and idiocy still reigns in our nation's capital.

[David]

GG, you're half wrong. A DC councilwoman tried to block the deal by demanding changes to the negotiated agreement. MLB threatened to move the team elsewhere, shutting down operations of the D.C. Nationals. The city council blinked, and everything progressed as it was supposed before.

There was some doubt as to whether the coucilwoman was just pulling a power play.

[Gary Gunnels]

David,

Damn. That sucks. 🙁