Twins Stadium

The house tax committee is meeting for a public forum for the twins stadium. But the supporters have to take time of work drive to downtown St. Paul, pay for parking & find the building on the capital. But if you oppose it the meeting is on thursday night at a school in Bloomington, you won’t have to pay to park our take time off work. I do support the stadium .03 on every $20 spend in Hennepin county. Even if you don’t support it where is the fairness in this meeting.

Typical a-hole politicians. I also read this, the guy that is heading these commitees is a big stadium opponent.

There is also a rumor circulating that Red Macolmbs is looking to move them to TX.

So the best thing to do would be for all the supporters to show up at the Bloomington meeting and fill the place so that there will be few if any opponents able to get in.

i hope your kidding. pohlad owns the twins

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There is also a rumor circulating that Red Macolmbs is looking to move them to TX.

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This mourning on am1500 Patrick Reusse said that Red is looking to by a team to move to San Antino & that Carl is now 90 & that his 3 kids don’t want the team when he gone. So Red’s ugly name came up as a buyer with Minnesota money. You no the 400 mill he made when he sold the Vikings. Please show if you can or call your Rep.

Schiesters, Scammers, Thieves!

I don not support public financing for the Twins or Vikes. It will be interesting to see how they pull this off without voter approval. I just don’t see it happening.

And for the “It’s only .03 cents on every $20 dollars” comment. That is a prime example of the schiesters at work. It’s a .015% tax. Yes, the math says that is only .03 cents on every $20. But it’s also a .01 cent tax on each individual dollar you spend. So, if you went and made 20 individual one dollar purchases, you would be taxed .20 cents on those purchases. (1.00 x.015 = 1.01 after they round up). The devil is in the details.

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Carl is now 90 & that his 3 kids don’t want the team when he gone.

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So let’s buy Carl a stadium and tripple the value of the team. Then, when he is dead his kids can sell the team for millions more than it is worth today. Hurry, hurry, hurry he might die tomorrow….

-J.

One thing I don’t get, The average income is what $40,000.00 and what is the average income of a pro baseball or football player $1,000,000.00. Why do we have to pay to watch them play AND for the stadum?

I took my son (home on leave from the Army) to the season opener. I like to go to the ball games but I still can not get past the question of why they need a new place to play ball. As I understand it I would not get any increase in taxes but the idea that the public has to pay for a privately owned entity so they can make more money baffels me. They (owners/politicians) will not stop coming up with different plans to push this through until they get what they want.

JJ

The whole thought of spending tax dollars is crazy! Hanson pointed out about how much goes to the Arts…but that’s another post.

Tear down all the stadiums and make the shelters for the homeless!

Go Twins! Take the Vikings and the Golfers with ya!

Yah!!!! what he said……

I say build them. It’s the cost of entertainment these days! Don’t give me that old “back in my day” BS! We pay to watch, we buy the products of the companies that advertise and these companies NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA have been successful at putting out a product that people like to see.
Do we sit around and [censored] about how much the VP’s make at General Mills, Cargill, and US Bank? They’ve worked hard, been successful, and charge what Americans are willing to pay for the product. Good for them.
If you think tax dollars should go elsewhere, tell your reps cause the groundswell appears to be gaining strength to finally get a few of these stadiums done. Allelujah!

Jeez 20 cents. And that’s only if you are buying in Hennepin county, it’s not the whole state. I guess a dollar a year isn’t going to break my heart and that way the Twins will be around for years to come. If we would lose them because a bunch of old grumpies were pissing and moaning about a few pennies, that’s be a sad, sad day in the state of Minnesota.

I know what everyone is saying and that it is the principal, but to me, the Twins are an important part of Minnesota and I think we should do whatever we can to keep them around.

Listen Up! We’re talking about only 15 cents on every taxable $100 spent. Rising prices at the pump outrage me. Not this. Do you hear me? Besides it is not tax on the state but just for the people wanting to go to the game. Like, I take my grandkids each year and then go up for a game later! Get serious you naysayers!

Well it is only a few cents a dollar, this is what we hear all the time about taxes. What is the percent of tax do we pay a year 40% if we are lucky. I would like to keep some of that few cents per dollar. Another question, WHEN the Vikings build the new stadum and tax Anoka county and 20 Years later Build another one somewhere else who owns the lot in which the stadum was built? Anoka county or the Vikings? sould the anoka county resednts get a peice of owner ship? I’m just throwing this out there because I don’t know but if the resedents are part owner of the land maybe a few cents wouldn’t be such a burden. Another note I am, have been and always will be a big football fan and would love to see them at a new stadum. However if I have to shell out $200 to take my son to a game I don’t think I should have to pay a few more cents for a stadum. Just my taxed 2 cents worth.

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And for the “It’s only .03 cents on every $20 dollars” comment. That is a prime example of the schiesters at work. It’s a .015% tax. Yes, the math says that is only .03 cents on every $20. But it’s also a .01 cent tax on each individual dollar you spend. So, if you went and made 20 individual one dollar purchases, you would be taxed .20 cents on those purchases. (1.00 x.015 = 1.01 after they round up). The devil is in the details.

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I am by no means a tax expert, but I found myself listening to some AM radio this weekend. They talked about this same issue and you would actually not be taxed until the fourth dollar due to rounding. I know that doesn’t mean much, but it is a little different. I would support this tax also.

Many portions of posts I could quote here…but I think this one from Pig Hunter says it all…(nothing personal PH, I respect your view along with everyone elses.)

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but to me, the Twins are an important part of Minnesota and I think we should do whatever we can to keep them around.

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How about this…a check off on the MN tax return…check it and donate whatever amount YOU want….and I can donate….notta.

That would work…but the few bucks they get would only be enough for a greens fee and a bucket of balls.

They…whoever “they” are have to force this tax on us (Hennipen Co…or whoever) because they know only a few will contribute.

(ps I have no statistics for this…I hope this doesn’t make me a liberal??? JOKE!!!!)

Let them all go! Get rid of the sports in the sports section and devote it all to fishing. Sports aren’t really important. Who even watches sports? To top it all off, your team wins and you get what, a riot?

Hindsight is 20/20. Foresight in Minnesota is blind.

Build them all now. Get it done. How about my tax dollars doing something form me for once?

Wouldn’t it be fun to go to a sports bar, only to be able to cheer for teams from other cities with sports?

Take the Wild, Timberlosers and the Queens and donate them to IOWA!! They need something to do down there anyways!

We will keep the Twins! And build them a new place where the grass is real and green, where the sun would shine on your neck, the best part could be, you won’t walk out of there with a sore neck and the worst rice beer after taste in your mouth.

I don’t think us old timers oppose the stadium as much as we oppose the idea.

Why would this not require a referendum? Because the people would speak and it would fail.

A few pennies for a stadium, cheap at twice the price.
Now who pays for the land? You do my friends, add it to the tax increase, still cheap? Who pays for the infrastructure? You do my friends, add it to the tax increase, still cheap? Who pays for the roof? (which is not part of this expence but will be required) You do my friends, add it to the tax increase, still cheap? Now, all raise your hands if you think there will be no PSL (personal seat liscense, a tax that goes directly to Polad) on the new stadiums. Who believes with the added income the Twins will field a better product?

Lest we forget, the people of Minnesota will be liable for costs over runs which are guranteed to happen.

Oh, I forgot to mention the PLUS side, the light rail will pull right up to the front door after you pay to have that put in.

My last point. Who started the ball rolling to get the Twins contracted? He can rot in H_ll before he gets one penny from me.

Yeah, KICK THEM ALL OUT OF MINNESOTA!!

Then when they are gone we can figure out how to employ all the people who’s lives were contingent on those teams being here! Screw all the ticket vendors, and concessionaires. To he!! with the program sales people, and the parking ramps make enough money as it is with out all those games they sell parking for. Johnsonville can afford to lose a few million $$/year in sales of hot dogs and brats, and losing all those millions of $$$ in sales of beer at all those games will sure clean the Mississippi up won’t it. There are plenty of jobs out there for all the delivery drivers who’s jobs might be lost since all those vendors lost all those sales. Oh yeah, lets not forget all the printing company lossess either. There’s a lot of printing that gets done for all those teams programs and that doesn’t even count the tickets. Theres an unlimited list of printer jobs out there for all those displaced workers. Now we need to think about all the tax revenues that the state will loose from the loss of revenue for each of those companies, and the loss of income tax from all those displaced workers and the cost of unemployment….oh thats right, the companies that would pay that are now in other states, so Minnesota can pay that too!! Now lets look at the loss of income tax the state will loose from having all those millionaire spoiled brat athletes gone from this fair state. Heck, all our illegal imigrant workers will pick up that tab! Maybe they will pay for all the lost state revenue from all the marketing jobs that will be lost, and the TV stations won’t need as many employees since they won’t need a sports segment in their evening news. Just think of all the savings we will enjoy, not to mention the HUGE upgrade in the quality of life for all us Minnesotans. Oh did I mention all the front office workers that would be unemployed if all these teams left the state. We can afford to loose their contributions to the economy as well as pay them unemployment too!

The upside to this whole mess……is that once we get them all out of the state, we can easily afford to fund all the arts and media with the money we get from the dedicated funding bill!!!

Pull your heads out of the sand. It will cost us 20 times as much to get a team back in 10 years than it will cost to give them a new stadium today. The state of Minnesota wants to move forward, not back in time. As for the U of M, if the U were to loose all its football revenues, you would be paying a he!! of a lot more just to keep the U open. Remember, they are owned by the state, which means you and I foot the bill.

Jez JLD, I was going to bed feeling pretty good until I read that…

I have to respond to Johnsonville brats…as I love them. They won’t loose anything as they will just truck them to Iowa where the next Twins, Vikings and golf stadiums will be built.

I truely do think that affordable housing will create enough loop holes, cost over runs and employment to make up for the new stadium…I’m sure I’ll be paying for that too.

Serously, I know a new stadium is coming…there’s too many sports fans out there.

The thing with tax increases I despise it this…. They never go away. Case in point. Did the tax increase levied to pay for the dome go away once the dome was paid off? Answer = No.

And Jack, like all good Minnesota Millionaires, nearly all of the players list other states as home residence therefore paying zero state income tax here.

The Twins want Hennepin County to fork over $350 million. Only putting up $150 million and giving nothing in return except the honor of their presence. The Twins won’t even put up a single free ticket for County residence who are footing the bill! The taxpayers clearly lose in this deal and as Brian said, if put up for referendum, the bill would fail miserably. It’s a bad deal all around.

-J.

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And Jack, like all good Minnesota Millionaires, nearly all of the players list other states as home residence therefore paying zero state income tax here.

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Actually, all professional players pay some state income tax. The prorated value of their salry for the number of games played in the state is taxed by the state of Mn. So each game A-Rod plays here, he is taxed on 1/162 X 25 Gaziiilion.

Hope I didn’t ruin your sleep Brian!

I’m just trying to get the point accross that these pro sports franchises have a huge economic impact on the state that goes way beyond simple “stadium” issues. Those teams, their players, and employees are but a small portion of the big picture. There are many more people and businesses that are dependent on those teams for their own exsistance.

I just don’t think people take into account just how many peoples lives would be effected by any one, or all, of those teams leaving Minnesota, and I don’t mean from a fans perspective either.

Well, I pretty much disagree with just about everything Nick Coleman has ever wrote. But today he hit the nail on the head with his column….

Nick Coleman, Star Tribune
Last update: April 18, 2006 – 11:03 PM
It’s amazing what a relentless propaganda campaign can accomplish. Especially one funded with millions from the deep pockets of those who benefit.
Today, with the exhausted opposition to welfare for billionaires collapsing, we are on the verge of gutting the law in order to put up a palace for the Minnesota Twins, opening the door to billions more for sports while everything we used to hold dear — public education, public safety, public health — goes down the toilet.
“Bonfire of the Vanities” has finally come to Minnesota, 19 years after Tom Wolfe’s portrait of New York City as a place where wealth and privilege, racism and greed ruled.
Trends take awhile to reach us. But we’re tragically hip now.
The Hennepin County Board predictably voted 4-3 Tuesday to shoulder a $522 million stadium for the Twins. Counting the interest on decades of payments, it will cost county taxpayers $1 billion.
Don’t bore me with propaganda about the tax amounting to only three cents on each $20. A billion dollars is not trivial.
It is an enormous commitment that speaks volumes about our priorities, will cost each man, woman and child hundreds of dollars, transfer substantial wealth from the poorest to the wealthiest, and produce — — study after study has documented this truth — no discernible public economic benefit. We are on a bender of historic proportions, partying while our house rots, the kids go hungry and our savings are squandered. Billions for stadiums after years of slashing spending on everything that matters.
To repeat just one example: Investing the taxpayer costs of a Twins stadium in pre-K education to prepare every at-risk child in Hennepin County for school would keep them out of jail later and reap multiple rewards in public safety and economic development. To waste that much money on a stadium that will only have a quarter of its costs paid by the private business that benefits from it does nothing for the public and does only this: It gives us a chance to wave World Series hankies once (based on past performance) every 15 years.
A county facing $40 million in human services cuts has no business subsidizing Pohlads.
“This is a taxpayer heist,” said Commissioner Linda Koblick, who was one of three board members who tried to hold onto the public’s wallet Tuesday.
But this is worse than a bad decision. It is terrible policy. The county is in cahoots with state leaders in attempting to circumvent a state law requiring an increase in local sales taxes to be approved by voters.

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I just don’t think people take into account just how many peoples lives would be effected by any one, or all, of those teams leaving Minnesota, and I don’t mean from a fans perspective either.

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Gotta agree on the economic impact of a new stadium. And for all those on this site who work in construction, what is going to happen to your pay if there are 20,000 extra carpenters, electricians, HVAC guys, etc. all put to work on the new stadium for 3-4 years. You are now more valuable and have better jobs because of this.

Now am I saying I like more taxes. Not in this lifetime. But there is a bigger economic impact then the simple tax increase on purchases.

And I for one, enjoy going to a Twins/Vikes/Twolves game once in a while, and think the state would be worse off if we did not have these sports teams. I mean get real, do we want to become Iowa, and not have anything to do in our state .

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I mean get real, do we want to become Iowa, and not have anything to do in our state

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Are you asking me???

Jon,

I’m not a bit surprised to see the Tribune quoted, especially Nick Coleman. Nick, and that newspaper are the most politicaly biased fish wrappers you could ever find.

“opening the door to billions more for sports while everything we used to hold dear — public education, public safety, public health — goes down the toilet.
“Bonfire of the Vanities” has finally come to Minnesota,…”

If that doesn’t sound like the old tried and true battle cry of the state DFL party, nothing does. I believe they used that same mantra to weasel funding of the arts into the Natural Resources dedicated funding bill also, which of course the Star Tribune has been lobbying against since day one.

Let us not forget that the Tribune has a VESTED interest in keeping the games in the Metrodome? Do you think that might play into what they are going to say to sway public opinion?

Just let the people who have to pay for it get to vote on it. If it passes, then I’m 100% behind it.

“But this is worse than a bad decision. It is terrible policy. The county is in cahoots with state leaders in attempting to circumvent a state law requiring an increase in local sales taxes to be approved by voters.”