Sen. Margarita Prentice, a Renton Democrat and chairwoman of the tax-writing Senate Ways and Means committee has buckled under to the pressure of Sonic's owner Clay Bennett to put up state money to build yet another sports palace with state tax money.

Suggesting "time's a'wasting" she has written legislation in Olympia giving the owner of the Sonics and the WNBA partner, the Storm, "at least" $300 million in tax money for a new home to replace Key Arena.

Prentice wants the Legislature to authorize King County to approve an new arena using hotel-motel taxes, the same taxes used to largely pay for Qwest Field.

In addition, she wants the Legislature to authorize using the restaurant and car rental taxes that helped build Safeco Field and is used to pay off the remaining debt on the demolished Kingdome. That taxing authority is slated to end in 2016, four years after when Safeco is paid off.

"It will be people from out of town who will be paying the majority of the taxes," Prentice told the Associated Press.

Not entirely, senator. We all pay some of the taxes when we eat in a restaurant, even a fast food joint. True, most of the taxes are paid by visitors staying in our hotels and motels and those renting cars, but we imagine that there are plenty of good ways to spend this tax money without lining the pockets of rich people from out of town.

Maybe even, horrors!, repeal the tax when it has paid off Safeco Field in five years.

Another wrinkle here is in Prentice's back yard. She represents Renton, where city officials have already said they might "invest" in an "event center" built in their town.

So, Sen. Prentice is looking to get state tax money for her own constituency. In many places, that is called "pork," senator.

The age-old argument that professional sports adds to the image of a metropolitan area and lures people to come visit and spend their money with local merchants is largely unproven. Even if it is true, should we not also use tax money to build bank headquarters or maybe aid airplane makers or software designers. Those enterprises also lure people to Seattle to visit and spend money.

Frankly, we are tired of seeing our tax dollars lavished on sports that only a few care about - albeit passionately.

The money we give to millionaires to allow them to get richer should be going to pay for educating our children and finding affordable housing for the people who can't afford to pay for a Sonics ticket. Isn't that what public tax money should be used for?

Tell Sen. Prentice to "just say no" to Clay Bennett and let him take the Sonics to Oklahoma if he wants.

-Jack Mayne