...no, not that Bush, the other one ... back in April, regarding the Florida Marlins (er... Miami Marlins) attempts to get taxpayers to foot part of the bill for a $350 million retractable roof stadium in downtown Miami:
Wed. April 6, 2005, Miami Herald Marlins' ballpark plan gets resistance -- againAs the Florida Marlins take to the field for opening day, the effort to build a new ballpark with public money gets more difficult.
County numbers crunchers insist the stadium will generate between $7 million and $8 million in sales tax annually, but Fabricant blasted claims that professional teams boost public coffers.
He suggested that the money consumers spend at new stadiums is money that would have been spent elsewhere. He noted that some 40 economic studies conducted by independent researchers ''unambiguously and clearly'' agree: ``There is no net positive economic benefit from publicly supported professional sports teams and
stadiums.''
Were stadiums good for the economy, Fabricant suggested, ``the Bronx and Detroit would be stellar examples of economic development. They're not. 'From an economic development perspective,'' he added, ``it's very rare to find positive economic development in these projects.''
...
The county has said it may need to take as many as 50 homes near the site to build the ballpark under its power of eminent domain -- a government's authority to force a sale of property when it will use it for a public purpose.
The move, Bush said, gives him ``pause.'' ''We have to be careful about how we go about using [eminent domain] or expanding its use,'' Bush said. ``Mark me down as pondering and reflecting on the subject.''
At least someone has been pondering and reflecting. Interesting to see how both Bushes respond to the Kelo ruling... so far, nothing.
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