To be fair, he's not asking for a handout. He's asking the state to use its ability to issue bonds with low interest rates. Should the state do so, the Cubs would be on the hook for any and all payments to bondholders. Not a single tax dollar would flow to the Cubs.
As a businessman, it's his job to pursue the best means of financing an expansion. I don't know all the details of Ricketts' plan, but I do know that private capital is still pretty difficult to get ahold of for companies looking to expand, so I can theorize about the position that Ricketts is working from.
Your knee-jerk political reaction is disappointing, especially because it ignores the massive economic boost that the Cubs provide to the North Side, from the bars, restaurants, and clubs on Clark Street to the high value that many people place on living near the ballpark and the consequent housing boom in the area.
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la forme d'une ville change plus vite, hélas! que le coeur d'un mortel...
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