More Frustration About St. Louis

Back in March, the Post-Dispatch published a letter from an annoyed outstate Missourian, complaining that St. Louis is wasting the state’s tax money. Today there’s another letter expressing resentment toward St. Louis:

If we weren’t stuck with St. Louis, we wouldn’t have its residents voting against everything we try to do. Also, we wouldn’t have to use our taxes to support its substandard school system and police force. It wouldn’t be able to use our tax dollars for its useless stadiums and other half-baked ideas that are going to make St. Louis such a great city.

Justin has written an excellent post about why subsidies don’t work. And this letter draws attention to another one of the dangers of government-directed revitalization projects. They can foster ill will between different parts of the state, leading outstate Missourians to think twice about going along with St. Louis’ plans in the future.