We’ve noted how the Ricketts Family is all about getting the government to help them out with the Cubs, be it financing their new spring training complex in Arizona or paying for renovations to their ballpark in Illinois. Par for the course as far as baseball owners go. Those guys are always at the public trough.
But I wasn’t aware until this morning -- thanks to a post over at Windy City Watch -- that Joe Ricketts, the patriarch of the Ricketts family, is the founder and primary funding source for a political outfit with the sole purpose of limiting wasteful government spending. Check out his video here, in which he talks about how he left the Democratic Party back in the 60s because LBJ spent too much money. Guess it doesn’t count when the money is being used to benefit billionaires and their businesses.
But that’s just a cynical reaction on my part. I’m sure the Rickettses can explain to me how those positions jibe together. And I’ll give them the opportunity: I’m going to call both Ricketts’ group -- Taxpayers Against Earmarks -- and the Chicago Cubs and ask them if they see any inconsistencies between their patriarch’s political activism and their seemingly insatiable hunger for public money. I’ll let you know what I hear.