Working stiffs 1, billionaire 0:
Yesterday voters in Nassau County, New York, rejected a proposal to borrow $400 million for renovation of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, home of the New York Islanders. Charles E. Wang, who owns the NHL team, had offered to pay the cash-strapped county, which is expected to have a $143 million budget deficit this year, $2 million to cover the cost of the special election, but only if the bond measure passed. By a margin of 57 percent to 43 percent, voters rejected the bribe, rebelling at the notion of paying 4 percent more in property taxes to finance Wang's vision of a newly refurbished venue for his team. Wang, a billionaire who co-founded Computer Associates International, pronounced himself "heartbroken."
"Heartbroken." Awww. Voters in Nassau County seem a lot smarter than elected officials in some other places, like -- well, you know where.
