A. Barton Hinkle on Taxpayer-Subsidized Projects for the Elite
Richmond, Virginia, has already been burned on grandiose projects.
As Richmond, VA considers a broad new redevelopment plan that includes a baseball stadium, A. Barton Hinkle recalls a quote. "We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it," Mark Twain advised, "lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove lid again … but also she will never sit down on a cold one." Hinkle says that Richmond should be wise enough not to assume the stadium project will be another hot stove lid that will leave everyone feeling burned. But the city also should recognize that the project has some parallels.
