I was looking through my old posts and I came across this one that I wrote awhile back. It's a bit dated, but still...
In a post on the attempt to legalize ticket scalping in Missouri and the support that legislation has from sports teams in Missouri, Skip Sauer writes:
But I do have a gripe. Why does every piece of special interest legislation have to be rolled out under the label of "economic development"? What garbage! By the time the fat cats and politicians get done with it, "economic development" will be shed of any real meaning.
I realize that Skip's comment was rhetorical, but I'll give a short answer anyway. By publicly pronouncing their support for various special interest legislation as legislation to promote "economic development," they can costlessly appear to be doing things for the populace at large even though the legislation really is out there to support some special interest. In other words, it's an easier sell.