Baseball Before Books?

An editorial argues that the D.C. government has confused "economic development" with true "public benefit" in its expensive quest to build a new baseball stadium.

1 minute read

January 21, 2006, 1:00 PM PST

By David Gest

"It's time to change the lexicon for D.C. government-speak and replace the term 'economic development' with 'public benefit' when assessing the publicly funded projects under consideration by the city's elected leaders."

"Despite the recognized failure to maintain healthful conditions in the schools, the folks in charge of facilities for D.C. Public Schools are looking a lot like Einsteins these days when compared to the gang trying to sell the public on the benefits of building a new baseball stadium."

"A $28 million annual investment by the business community in the public schools, rather than a stadium, would generate real public benefits. The business community as a whole would reap benefits from a well-educated workforce, while a new stadium will benefit relatively few D.C. businesses."

Read the full story: Billion-dollar boondoggle

Monday, January 9, 2006 in The Common Denominator

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