According to today’s ProJo, the Economic Development Corporation heard the word “jobs” and voted 8-to1 to guarantee a $75-million loan to Curt Schilling’s gaming company ’38 Studios’, a company that has yet to actually bring anything to market. (Only one person had reservations?)* Like many New England fans I can vividly remember Schilling beating the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS with a sock full of blood. It sure felt great. However, I also remember that later that same year he was campaigning for the reelection of George W. Bush which pretty much cancelled out anything good he had ever done, on or off the mound. Okay, so Rhode Island is handing $75-million over to a guy who looked at the 2004 Bush administration and thought — Great Job!
Also with misgivings is Ed Fitzpatrick writing for the ProJo. He makes a great point about Schilling’s political hypocrisy regarding his previous stand on the need for small government. Further,
Red Sox senior adviser Jeremy A. Kapstein, a Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, said, “Small businesses in this state are having a very difficult time getting financing. If you took that $75 million and spread it throughout our state, it could help thousands of small businesses and the jobs therein.”
Amen to that.
*So who was the dissenting vote? Karl Wadensten of VIBCO, a manufacturer of industrial vibrators. . . must. . . not. . . make. . . joke. . . . . . too. . . obvious . . . . . can’t hold out. . . much longer. . . . . aaargghh. . .