If libraries, the opera hall, symphony hall and sculpture garden can all be built with mostly private money, why not a new stadium for the Sonics, asks Danny Westneat. "Maybe it's because the business of basketball is simply broken. It can't survive without being a ward of the state."
Surely the Sonics' opening request for $300 million in state-authorized taxes last week was too much. Yet the economic benefit from a new stadium makes some public investment worthwhile. As the column above suggests, the real question is what's the appropriate portion? Maybe 30 percent of the total cost?