The Plain Dealer gave us a billboard of headlines on the Medical Mart on its front page today but little – if anything – new that would indicate whether a medical mart would mean anything to the Cleveland area economy. Other than a drain, that is.

Headlines – all with question marks – don’t add to the debate at all. They are simply a gimmick that attracts attention.

Why is it that the newspaper cannot inspire a real public debate about the necessity of spending $1 billion dollars for this project?

It seems so obvious that that is the question requiring answers.

Yet, day after day after day, the obvious is avoided.

Where are Publisher Terry Egger and Editor Susan Goldberg? Do they feel as though they have any responsibility to the public? The PD continued push on this issue simply acts to put pressure on the County Commissioners to do the deed. It doesn’t really ask for the right answer. It doesn’t really pose any question that demands a meaningful answer.

Goldberg gave a perfect answer to the asinine comments of Commissioner Tim Hagan yesterday by noting, “Rather than attacking the Plain Dealer, it seems Mr. Hagan could better serve the community by making public the reasons the commissioners decided to spend a half-billion dollars in public money to build the convention center and medical mart on the mall.”

Better yet, maybe Mr. Hagan and Ms Goldberg could combine to explain how spending nearly $1 billion (she forgot the cost of borrowing) to build what may not produce anything in value near what the usual promises suggest.

Why don’t we hear the other side from responsible voices who say that the conference business is not good, not improving and nowhere near the cinch to produce the economic activity we seem to be being sold?

And if the medical mart is so important and worthwhile, why aren’t the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals getting into the business? Why is this a public duty at taxpayer expense?

And most important, we are being told that any overruns will be handled by MMPI. Where is the contract that says that? If you believe that we have some bridges to sell you.

We see no contract that says Cuyahoga County is totally off the hook when it comes to any debt or losses in this deal.

And guess what? We won’t see any.