MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell blasts NFL stadium subsidies

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corporate welfare

corporate welfare

Subsidizing billionaires is a ‘Monumental Outrage”

It was truly a fluke for me to turn on MSNBC around 8:45 last night and catch the Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell as his commentary ripped cities providing corporate welfare for pro sports billionaires. As he called it taxpayers are footing the bill for “their playpens.”

During his commentary Mr. O’Donnell cited taxpayers paying 100% of the $312 million for the Packers stadium, $262 million of the $312 million Heinz Field in Pittsburgh and shifted his focus to the NY Jets and NY Giants, each of whom is playing on the same field in Secaucus, New Jersey.

They demolished the original stadium, built a replacement on the same plot of land and turned the former field into a parking lot while the taxpayers of New Jersey are left with an unpaid debt of around $110 million dollars on the original stadium.

Larry then shifted his remarks to LA, the City of Angels, where there is a proposal in which the city is to lease valuable land in downtown LA for $1 per year along with an obligation to fork over $350 million from the sale of Bonds for this proposed stadium while the city cannot afford to pay its public school teachers.

Those of us who have been trying to shut down bogus redevelopment agency activities for over two decades may have a new supporter in our fight. My first surprise was Congresswoman Maxine Waters a few years ago followed by governor Jerry Brown this year.

Watch and hear Mr. O’Donnell’s MSNBC remarks on corporate welfare here:

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