Jacology: Rams Secret Dome Proposal


(KPLR) - The Rams and the Convention and Visitor's Commission are talking about spending lots of your money; probably hundreds of millions of dollars of your money, on improving the Edward Jones Dome.  For right now, they insist on keeping the details secret.  Here's what the CVC told a judge, justifying the secrecy.

Quote, “public knowledge of ongoing negotiations might adversely affect the legal considerations. Various interest groups and citizens will have conflicting opinions, and they will undoubtedly try to put pressure on the CVC and elected officials.” close quote.

So, they're saying that knowledge is a dangerous thing and democracy is altogether too messy? True dat. They're saying that if the public knows the details it would cause problems?  Very probably.  And they're saying that if taxpayers know details they'll be contacting elected officials and the CVC, which is, after all, a governmental, that is to say public agency?  You betcha.

But all that goes along with proposing to spend taxpayer money.  Were this a private deal, with private money, no problem.  Stan Kroenke is the Rams owner and 358th richest man on the face of the earth, according to Forbes Magazine.  He's worth roughly three billion, two hundred million dollars.  That's the entire budget of the state of Wyoming.  That's the entire economy of the Central African Republic.  So Stan Kroenke's wealth could either get him admitted to the union as a state or the United Nations as a country.

Were he spending his own cash to upgrade the dome or build a new stadium, none of us would have a right to see anything.  But most of the upgrades will probably involve tax dollars. If this means any sort of tax increase, the public gets to vote on it.  Which means we'll see the details eventually.  So why not now?

I'm Charles Jaco and that's Jacology.
