Financing the Rich and Famous of Indy

It seems that public financing for sports stadiums has become my obsession of late. I’m in line with Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star on the tax and gambling scheme to build a new crib for the Indianapolis Colts and keep the Triplets from galloping towards the bright lights of Hollywood and LA.
Like Kravitz, I want the Colts to stay, I want a cool stadium (see the animation link of the proposed diagonal building), but I don’t have to like the sausage making money shuffle.
Kravitz captures the irony of government in action:

You think of all the pressing public services that go unfunded in this city and state, and yet, when it comes to a big, honking pleasure dome for our football team, our government is bursting with creativity.
Consider the irony: Our mayor, Bart Peterson, came into office riding a white horse named Family Values, promising to rid the streets of Sodom — sorry, Indianapolis — of porn shops, lingerie modeling boutiques and other monuments to degradation and debauchery.
Now, here he is, just a few years later, an expanded convention center and a new stadium in his sights, and he’s gone libertarian on us. Today, he wants pull-tab machines, or basically slot machines, which eventually will turn into full-fledged casinos. What’s next? Legalize prostitution and use the tax proceeds? How about decriminalizing marijuana and putting those tax dollars to good use, maybe for schools or infrastructure?

There must be an overarching reason why we feel the need to fund these pricey playgrounds over so many other needs. As a society we function as servants tending to the needs of the rich and famous. We live in a celebrity culture, ten minutes in front of the tube proves that point. Why are we so driven to make sure those who will make more money in a few months than we will make in a lifetime are given the red carpet treatment and our time, energy, and money? And for that matter why do we fight so hard for the election of politicians who benefit more than we ever do?
We really do have the power to turn off Celebrity Culture. It’s in our hands, but wouldn’t our lives be so empty if we did? How could a void like that ever be filled with anything else?