How did Mayor Tony Williams decide that D.C. government should get in the business of entertaining its citizens as opposed to educating them, and providing other essential public programs and services that benefit D.C. residents? Mr. Williams' plan for $383 million in public money to bankroll a stadium to lure a profit-motivated, monopoly entertainment corporation like Major League Baseball is corporate welfare run amok. This year, as baseball's infamous game of pitting cities against each other for the best taxpayer-squeezing deal wears on, Mr. Williams continues to encourage baseball's pathological greed. His offers of public subsidy have swelled from $200 million, to $275 million, to $300 million, to $339 million and now up to $383 million. The mayor's stadium proposal has become even more disturbing as changes to the details of his financing plan are kept secret. No more informing the public of the concessions he is making to baseball, no discussions with neighborhood residents and no public hearings. Against pleas to end the secrecy, Mr. Williams apparently has decided that since his stadium scheme has failed to hold up to the scrutiny of D.C. residents in the past, it is the residents rather than the proposal that should be eliminated from the process. [more
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