Stupid Government Tricks

Good grief:

Maryland Stadium Authority chairman Frederick W. Puddester has begun discussions with legislators about creating a statewide panel to attract more sports and entertainment events to facilities around Maryland.

The authority works with a panel of businessmen to attract events to Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium. But Puddester wants an inventory of all the facilities in the state and an analysis of how they might be marketed. He said he wants to see all parts of the state benefit from attracting events.

Works cannot adequately describe how silly this is, especially considering yesterday the story was all about how the MTA should be focusing on transit-oriented development.

Of course, Puddester's idea is harebrained. Should not the Stadium Authority concern itself only with facilities they own? Are they talking about a panel to push events towards non-state facilities? Is this some sort of scheme to try to take control of certain venues for the Stadium Authority? What exactly does Puddester have up his sleeve?

As usual, this seems like a poorly constructed cockamamie scheme coming from a professional bureaucrat. I've already shown my support for abolishing the Stadium Authority and privatizing the venues, but at the very least the Stadium Authority needs to stay out of the event promotion business when they are already private companies that, you know, do that sort of thing.

Corner Kicked

Looks like Prince George's County leaders are more realistic about the D.C. United stadium situation than the administration:

Some state and local leaders in Prince George's County are expressing misgivings about a plan to move the professional soccer team D.C. United from the District's RFK Stadium to a location in the county.

A new stadium could exacerbate some of the challenges the county faces in spite of its potential economic benefits and entertainment value, said Del. Barbara A. Frush (D-Dist. 21) of Beltsville....

...Greenbelt Mayor Pro Tem Rodney Roberts, upon hearing Greenbelt was considered as a possible site, said he did not take the news seriously and offered little support for a soccer stadium near the Greenbelt Metro station.

''Personally, I don't think there's enough room there for a stadium," Roberts said. ''I think that's crazy. If you're talking about having revenue, there's a lot better things to put there besides a stadium."

State Sen. James C. Rosapepe said he does not hear many people demanding a soccer stadium in the county.

''It would depend on who pays for it, traffic congestion," said Rosapepe (D-Dist. 21) of College Park, an admitted soccer fan. ''... If a private company wants to build a soccer stadium in a place that won't create worse traffic, then there could be a chance for it."

As I noted earlier this week, common sense dictates that the construction of such a publicly-financed stadium in Prince George's County is fool-hearty, given the current economic climate. And when you consider all of the challenges that Prince George's County itself faces, one wonders why anybody would support publicly financing such a venue.

Time for a Red Card

Apparently the O'Malley folks still don't realize the state has money problems:

With negotiations to build a stadium for D.C. United stalled in the District, Maryland officials have agreed to consider constructing a home for the soccer team in Prince George's County.

The Maryland Stadium Authority has decided to spend $75,000 on a feasibility study to look at the economic impact and potential tax benefits. The step concerned Vincent C. Gray, chairman of the D.C. Council, who noted the team's success and potential for financial growth.

"I continue to believe that we should work with D.C. United to construct the stadium in Poplar Point," Gray (D) said.

The study comes two months after Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) wrote a letter to David Raith, the stadium authority's acting director, asking the state to help the county lure the team.

I'm not really sure exactly how this benefits the taxpayers of Maryland in any way. Particularly when you consider the fact that the through the profligate spending of O'Malley and legislative Democrats, we are still facing a projected deficit of hundreds of millions of dollars. Annapolis Democrats still cannot grasp the concept of basic economics and fiscal responsibility. To say that the state should be spending money on a study to consider spending more money to build a stadium in an area that already has five stadiums of 30,000 or more seats within a 20-mile radius is laughably absurd.

From a business perspective, D.C. United Holdings should be looking at building soccer-specific stadium to fit their needs, and I am sympathetic to the fact that they probably need such a venue to thrive financially. But if they want to build in Maryland, they should have to find the private capital to do it. The state should not be fleecing taxpayers to direct money towards an already mismanaged agency to build venues again beyond their intended scope. If they want government to build it, talk to D.C. or talk to Virginia.

I mean seriously: do Democrats really want to put stadiums before schools?