State legislators are analyzing the net cost to taxpayers for a variety of state attractions. It’s exactly the kind of cost analysis we must pursue if we intend to be good stewards of the public treasury. Analyzing the real costs of these sites doesn’t denigrate their beauty or value.  It simply attaches a cost to these sites, from which I hope legislators will decide appropriate funding levels, potential increases in user fees, and other funding mechanisms. The N.C. Zoo, for example, is looking at a public-private partnership model. In my case, I love museums, but that doesn’t mean I should expect — or that it is a appropriate — for taxpayers to subsidize my visits.