Last Saturday's groundbreaking ceremonies for the new Mariners' stadium were a macabre sight: party bunting and effusive politicians and corporate bigwigs, dancing on the fresh graves of the democratic process.

The state Supreme Court's go-ahead last Thursday for the stadium followed the lead of King County, the state legislature, previous court decisions, and county and city councils in using every possible legal contortion to justify an "emergency" expenditure of public money to enhance the profitability of a private business. Initiative 16 will make it to the ballot, but neither it nor a promised state-wide initiative drive seem likely to dislodge this parasitic project. The fix is in.

Stadium advocates treated the groundbreaking as celebration of a victorious game. Unfortunately, the spending of hundreds of millions of tax dollars on a private business, and the legislative and judicial chicanery needed to do it, is not quite the same as a bunch of guys throwing balls around. Far from sports bringing the community together (a favorite mantra of sports fans), the Mariners' exercise in blackmail has created political bitterness that will last years.

Meanwhile, Paul Allen is spending tens of millions of dollars to sign free agents and beef up his would-be football team--at the same time he's asking the public to fund his $400 million stadium, because his business wouldn't be profitable otherwise. The state legislature could do the whole region an enormous favor by saving us another bitter and idiotic battle, and not even let public financing of a football stadium get to the ballot.