The economy is plunging into a bottomless hole, millions are facing not just financial ruin but the permanent destruction of body and spirit inflicted by homelessness, starvation, untreated sickness and resultant death -- and all the jocks can think of is building themselves new stadiums at taxpayer expense. Has anybody calculated how many families of four that $75 million would support for a year? I have: the answer is 3,537.7 such families at the bare-bones poverty level of $21,200 -- in other words, 14,151 people. But instead of saving a population slightly larger than Tumwater's (13,780 as of 30 June '08), the jocks would rather throw 14,151 women, men and children under the bus of euthanasia-by-neglect and build yet another monument to the cult of mindless muscle instead. "Paynem et circenses" indeed -- with the jockmasters treating us as clowns even as they steal our bread and thereby reduce us to fools.

If these are such winners let the private sector foot the bill. NO payback for Gregoire. err ahhh Chris Gregoire...BTW, the name "Chris"..that's to show she's the one with balls in her family.

I really wish the press would stop saying that Key Arena would be for a new NBA team. If a new NBA team were to come, it would only be used 41 times per year, maybe an additional 10 more days for playoffs. That's 14% of the year! The rest of the year it could be used for other things that it currently gets passed on for the Tacoma Doma, Green River Amp and the place up in Everett. Remodeling Key Arena is for the COMMUNITY, not the NBA!

I think if Steve Ballmer thinks that Seattle must have an NBA team that he should use some of his billions to bring one to Seattle. Why should the ultra rich ask Joe the Plumber to pay for a team that does nothing for the community? How about taxing those businesses that profit from an NBA team, say within a mile of the arena, to pay for the arena? But its time to pay back those that supported Gregoire and give them a few bucks for their projects. Whats $75 million more when you are in the hole by $5.5 billion?