People have a perfect right to spend their money any way they want. It is my understanding that the individual is a South Dakota banker who graduated from the U. He has specified the money be matched by fundraising before he'll give it. I think it's very generous of graduates of the U to want to do something for their institution which has no involvement with any taxpayer money.
Karen Collier Linden Hills
Yes, people have a perfect right to spend their money any way they want. They can buy stadiums or high-priced hookers in Las Vegas, both legally and freely.
But then, since my point had nothing to do with people's rights to their money at all, why do you bring it up? I questioned what kind of thinking, ethics, morals, empathy and compassion went into a person's decision to ignore all the serious problems around him, to ignore all the many possibilities to do good, and instead of donate money to an effort that will at best provide some additional pleasure for a small number of football fans, and improve the U's football program financially.
As a side effect, even in the best case, such a project will enrich some already wealthy people, encourage further less-compassionate use of money and serve as an example that greed is good, and compassion is useless baggage.
If the U and its wealthy supporters can build a new stadium with "no involvement with any taxpayer money," more power to them. But I won't bet one thin dime that will happen. Not one day after this hit the news, legislators were already talking about HOW MUCH taxpayer money they should kick into the kitty for this $200 million project.
This is but one recent, notable example. Compassionate conservatism is an oxymoron as practiced by those who mouth those words most often.
I remain unimpressed. I don't view this South Dakota bankers as generous; I view him as morally challenged.
Chris Johnson Fulton
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