Lee's Summit is about to embark on an economic development scheme that has no demonstrated benefit and is likely aimed at solving a problem that no longer exists.

Ray County is enacting a series of Enhanced Enterprise Zones within the county. There is no evidence that these zones will help the county’s economic growth.

Callaway County is considering implementing an Enhanced Enterprise Zone; this would be a poor decision for the county.

Given the revenue shortfall, the state must re-examine its spending priorities, and spending money on the Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority is not a high priority.

Subsidies to Ballpark Village and other big-city sports complexes are a gift to some of our wealthiest citizens — sports team owners — that provide little or no broader economic benefit.

Do EEZs, or Enhanced Enterprise Zones, work? The short answer to that question is “No.”

Comments on the potential for TIF in Columbia, Missouri.

Columbia city officials have taken a major step toward heavier use of taxpayer subsidies, which already have been proven to fail in Saint Louis and Kansas City.

While the intent of Tax Increment Financing is to promote development and spur the economy in blighted areas, in reality, it favors the politically-connected and diverts funding from certain taxing entities.

Tax Increment Financing has failed as an engine of economic growth. The Saint Louis County TIF commission and the city of Ellisville should reject the proposed TIF for the southwest quadrant of Clarkson and Manchester Roads.

Given the revenue shortfall, the state must re-examine its spending priorities, and spending money on the Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority is not a high priority.

The China hub had a big credibility problem. No one — even the supporters — seemed to believe the extravagant promises made on its behalf.

There is no justification for handouts for the proposed air cargo hub at Lambert. Tax credits and other subsidies do not support the public good in any clear or identifiable way.

Taxpayers, beware! The call will go out this week for “bold” and “innovative” job creation schemes at both the state and national level.

Don’t be fooled by promises of amazing returns made by supporters of the Aerotropolis legislation. The underlying economics is not there. So why have a number of self-described conservatives rushed to support a misuse of taxpayers’ money? The author calls it a “complete abandonment of principle.”

Supporters are calling for fast action - knowing that the economic case behind the Aerotropolis legislation does not survive close scrutiny.

The economic merits of the Aerotropolis tax credits are highly questionable, but if the legislature insists on enacting them, it should not allow that money to be controlled by political figures.

More than a decade ago, Lambert-St. Louis International Airport rolled the dice on an ill-advised gamble on future growth that wasn’t there. Let’s hope it’s not about to repeat the same mistake.

Politicians often tout the wide variety of schemes intended to promote job creation and economic development. To think in this way, however, is to engage in single-entry bookkeeping — counting jobs gained but ignoring jobs lost because of higher taxes or increased public indebtedness. Government job creation efforts do more harm than good.

If the director of the airport did indeed help introduce the “Aerotropolis” bill, there are serious questions she needs to answer. It is disheartening that the executive director of an airport would be concerned with making sure that only a few politically powerful individuals and businesses would be eligible for hundreds of millions in state tax money.