Citi Field and Manchester United: Your Tax Dollars At WorkThe
government's bailout of our collapsing financial industry
continues apace—you got your check, right?—but now that these
companies are playing with our money, suddenly everyone is an
expert. Some are suggesting that maybe the reason these firms
are in trouble is because they like to waste money and that if
we give them even more money they'll just waste that too. I
guess it all depends on your point of view. Do you consider
soccer jerseys a waste of money? Failed insurance company AIG
currently pays Manchester United $125 million dollars to have
their rather bland logo appear on the chests of its players. Of
course, AIG would not exist right now if it weren't for the $150
billion that the U.S. government gave them to stay afloat. The
New York Mets' new stadium isn't even open yet, but Citigroup is
on the hook for $400 million over the next 20 years to have
their named permanently affixed to it. That's a lot of
money—almost enough to pay the salaries