A lot of people were pretty steamed when taxpayer money went towards bailing out big banks, only to hear those same banks throwing lavish parties & holding expensive retreats at posh resorts. Well, imagine how angry you would be if you learned that the government was spending your dough subsidizing the Kansas City Royals or Washington Nationals.

Then it’s a good thing you don’t live in Taiwan, as the Asian country is about to spend government moolah on beefing up their baseball teams.

REUTERS explains what the Taiwanese government is getting up to:

A government plan would add at least T$15 million ($443,000) to a budget for four minor-league teams that could sustain a talent pool for international competitions.

…

The rescue plan will also offer subsidies of T$10 million apiece to qualified, newly formed non-league teams, such as those run by Taiwanese companies.

Taiwan baseball association secretary general Richard Lin said the new money would go toward better training for baseball players in school, and also to bring in more foreign coaches to teach the Taiwanese the latest in mad ballin’ skillz.

And in an era of economic uncertainty, what prodded the government to spend the public’s money on something such as baseball? Would you believe the WBC?

The island’s team were thrashed 9-0 by South Korea in the World Baseball Classic earlier this month before slumping to a second successive loss to China, who had overcome their political rivals a few months earlier at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

…

Fans, including Taiwan legislators, vented outrage after the losses this month, pressuring the government to act.

“The (rescue plan) means for the public that the government is paying attention to this sport,” said lawmaker Yang Lee-huan. “If we’re too laid back, mainland China will overtake us.”

Gee, I guess someone really does care, after all.