Twins Stadium

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I love a dog.

He does nothing for political reasons.

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~Will Rogers

Let’s go fishing TBO!

YUP!!!! What you said Brian……..

I’ll pay the 3 cents if I have too….. ……but I draw the line on mandatory PFD’s for Fido….. it just ain’t right.

I agree with everyone in this thread…..

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You are 100% correct on that one, and that is why there will be no referendum. If there was, 90% of the people that even vote would be old grumpies and blue-hairs that are opposed and have nothing else better to do

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I’ll be interested in seeing how they get around the law that requires voter approval for a tax increase…..

-J.

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I’m not trying to question you here Jon, but your statements have got me to wondering…………

If this plan was a statewide tax I could understand a vote on it, but since it effects only 1 county, why do you think it has to be put to a vote for the whole state? Also, you aren’t a resident of Hennipen county, so why are you so upset about this. Its not going to effect you nearly as much as those people who do live in Hennipen county.

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Also, you aren’t a resident of Hennipen county, so why are you so upset about this.

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More concerned than upset. Ramsey county (St Paul) voted this thing down over here on this side of the river! I don’t want any precedents set. But most of all I’m just anti tax – period! PAy enough already. We both know these shiesters would like to get all 3 stadiums under one statewide tax plan. They should hear opposition otherwise this stuff just passes un challenged.

Like I said, if the voters pass it – fine! Then we voters will pay for it.

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I am not asking you to pay for what I like to be entertainment with, and you should not ask others to pay for your entertainment.

Dave Gulczinski

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What if I don’t have any kids who use the schools, should I have to pay taxes to fund education? What if I don’t own a car, should I have to pay taxes for roads? I have never had a fire in my home so I should not have to pay for Teh Fire Department? Is this not the same argument? Pay for what you use .

That is not how our government functions. Taxes fund a wide base of projects, some you agree with, some you don’t, but you pay for them for the “Greater Good”. I don’t think there is anyone out there who would not pay for police, fire departments, etc. but when it comes to stadiums, there are huge differences in thoughts.

Should we pay for drug rehab, homeless shelters, welfare, bailing out major corporations, etc. etc. Each one of these is another major debate, with strong ideas on both sides, but in the end, we will pay for them all, and I don’t think anyone can argue with that.

Come on Guys, keep working so we can pay those taxes

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You won’t notice it. And if you don’t notice it, does it really matter?

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Well I work in downtown Mpls, and beleive me; every time I buy lunch, it’s noticeable how much more sales tax there is than if I buy the same meal near my home (Maplewood/NStPaul/Oakadale).
This is all due to additional general sales taxes and additional restaurant/hotel specific sales taxes that were enacted to build the metrodome, target center, convention center. Any one of these by themself probably wouldn’t be noticeable. But when we never say NO, the cumulative affect becomes quite noticeable.
That inability or unwillingness to say NO to any indiviual proposal/project, creating an overbearing cumulative effect, is basically a problem with spending at most government levels.

Tom you are correct in one thing. It’s all about being against a billionaire. Not because he is one, but because of his blatant attempt to stick us on the Twins “loan” deal of a few years ago. Or is it because of the blackmail attempt he tried a few years ago, the the alledged banker in the tri-cities in North Carolina. (they are still laughing about that down there)No wait, it’s the “write me a check and contract the Twins” thing that I won’t forget.
Do you truely believe that he will cough up $130 million dollars for a roofless stadium? Not as long as I live. The only way you will get $130 million out of smilin’ Carl is AFTER we agree to add a roof which will cost a minimum of $150 million. Now add that to the $522 million and you have $672 million of which Carl puts up $130 million.

Now add $350 million for the Gophers stadium and I would guess Ziggy will be looking for around $550 – $600 million and what ya got? $1.5 BILLION

I’m not here to debate economic value, employment or anything else. I just want you guy’s to remember this figure.
$1.5 BILLION

Call it by whatever name you want, dress it up real pretty, make it sound and look nice, it’s still going to cost $1.5 billion dollars for three stadiums.

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I believe a public tax/fee is plain wrong for any entertainment use. And yes, in my view sports is just another entertainment.

For those of you who love sports entertainment, you can pay whatever you think it is worth to see a sports game on TV or in person. But just don’t make those of us who could care less about your particular entertainment selection pay extra so you can be entertained. I am not asking you to pay for what I like to be entertainment with, and you should not ask others to pay for your entertainment.

Dave Gulczinski

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I have to pay for all the art crap. My taxes go to the DNR who manage the lakes you fish on for entertainment.

A little off topic, but one of my brother’s and I are on opposite ends of the political spectrum. We have for the most part learned not to bring politics up while fishing. He sometimes throws a jab out and I’ll ignore it. But it’s my other 2 brother’s who think it is funny that gets me. They like throwing a meat between 2 hungry dogs. I have a feeling this topic is coming up on the opener. We may be on the same side of the fence for this one though.

I guess I just can’t be convinced that comparing taxes for roads, schools, fire dept, welfare, shelters, drug rehab, ect. against taxes for entertainment is in the same category. To me, sports, arts, & music fall under “entertainment” and I don’t believe the public should be taxed for those kinds of entertainment items.

In my simple view of life, the fishing section of the DNR should be funded by fishermen’s fees (like our licenses). Likewise we should not ask baseball fans to pay for our fishing recreation and the baseball fans should not ask us (or anyone else) to pay for their recreation.

Dave Gulczinski

Dave,

I undestand what you are saying, but fees from our fishing licenses just isn’t enough to cover the cost of fisheries managment in this state. If we trimmed managment to fit that budget, we would have very little fishing compared to what we enjoy today. To maintain the fishing we have today in that scenario the cost of licenses would have to multiply many times over. As it is walleye stocking in the state has been drastically reduced over the years so as to fit into a reduced budget. Thats another reason the dedicated funding bill is so important.

Dave,

I hear what you are saying, but I am just trying to show that there are different views on everything we pay taxes for, and everyone has a different idea of were the true value is on any issue. It is not really fair to compare roads/police etc to the stadium, but I was hoping to show a point.

We will continue to be taxed, and taxed, and taxed, forever, and that our legislators will make these decisions for us, so all we can do is contact them with our thoughts and vote them out of office if we do not agree with them.

I don’t really know if I agree with a publicly funded stadium or not, but I do know that I do go to a few games each year, and find it to be a valuable entertainment. I think if we lost these teams, MN would be a worse place to live.

And heck, if the Vikings were to leave, who would beat up on the Packers every year

We will continue to be taxed and taxed and taxed forever.

UNTIL

We finally stand up and say “enough, we won’t put up with another tax being piled on”

233 years ago there was a group in the vicinity of Boston Harbor who finally stood up and delivered just such a message.

Ya know what we now refer to them as? (Here’s a hint)

The ironic connection between that group and the stadium debate is this; The NFL team nearest the vicinity of Boston Harbor is actually named after that 233 year old group of guys.

Mel Gibson………and the Patriot……..

Guys, if we don’t let this happen. Guys like this will never play here.

It is simple in my mind.

Baseball is the sport brings families together. Baseball is the best sport this state has.

And this guy

And here is our future.

From The Patriot
“Why should I agree to trade one tyrant three thousand miles away for three thousand tyrants one mile away?”

And from BraveHeart
“Freeeeduuuuuuummmmm”

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Guys, if we don’t let this happen. Guys like this will never play here.

It is simple in my mind.

Ut is looking a little better after last night’s meeting.

GO TWINS

Baseball is the sport brings families together. Baseball is the best sport this state has.

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I’m not at all in favor of a new Gopher stadium. Let the “wise” Regents pay for their own stadium. Retrofit and remodel the dome for the Vikings is best IMHO. I do like the idea of a new Twins stadium, but I have mixed feelings bout the tax increase, we pay way too much in the first place. But, if we do tax finance a new Twins stadium, I’d like to see it built in Duluth. Build it somewhere on the waterfront near the DECC, or up on the hill.

Thank you Minnesota Senate! They had the balls to toss this bill out. No Voter Referendum – No Deal!

Now, as I predicted earlier in this post, they will try for the triple! A new stadium for the Twins, Vikes and Gophers all under one bill and paid for by either everyone in the metro or statewide. Hang on to your wallets. These scheiters, scammers, and outright criminals are after your money. This aint over yet…….

-J.

Let see, no Twins, no Vikes, the Gophers playing in an older stadium and the North Stars already gone.

Being from Wisconsin I don’t like an increase in my taxes to support the Brewers’ but I do donate to the Packers Stadium on my tax return.

Anyway, I just can’t imagine Mpls/St. Paul without a few pro sports teams. If you ever pick up the newspaper and read that the Vikes and/or Twins are relocating I suspect you and most opposed would feel quite differently.

Hmmm…lets see…there it is!

Gone Fishen!

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If you ever pick up the newspaper and read that the Vikes and/or Twins are relocating I suspect you and most opposed would feel quite differently.

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Nope.

Actually, at this point I am furious. I have been on the horn all morning chewing a$$ with my reps at the capitol. No way will this pass referendum so drop it now. Quit wasting our time. We have fought and won this battle several times over the past 10 years. Get over with it and leave town.

The NFL and MLB have enough cash laying around to build their own parks. I want to keep my hard earned money.

-J.

I hate the Packers, and I will gladly pay a small amount for updates to Lambeau. the Packers add more to my quality of life, even being a VIkings fan, than alot of crap the governement spends money on.

What others moneies spend on arts, entertainment, big corporations, etc. are bickered over as endlessly as the stadiums. How many will enjoy a new stadium compared to the Guthrie?

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If you ever pick up the newspaper and read that the Vikes and/or Twins are relocating I suspect you and most opposed would feel quite differently.

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Nope.

Actually, at this point I am furious. I have been on the horn all morning chewing a$$ with my reps at the capitol. No way will this pass referendum so drop it now. Quit wasting our time. We have fought and won this battle several times over the past 10 years. Get over with it and leave town.

The NFL and MLB have enough cash laying around to build their own parks. I want to keep my hard earned money.

-J.

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How much will it cost you? I have no idea. 2 bucks? 20? 200?

[/quote I want to keep my hard earned money.

-J.

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You know that ain’t gonna happen!There’s alway’s tackle to buy! And put a couple more cent’s on there for the stadium . Are ya gonna miss it?

How much will it cost my household? Considering my income and my wife’s we are looking at about $500 a year for the rest of our life!

This issue has got to way past the point or ridiculous. Starts out as a “Couple pennies on every $20” for Hennepin county Twins Park to a ½% increase metro wide for a Twins Park, Vikes Stadium and Light Rail. All without voter approval.

THIS IS CRIMINAL!!!!!

I thought the Vikings stadium at least (haven’t followed the rest) the state was only paying road and infrastructure improvements to Blaine which were scheduled anyway for 2015 or something, and the rest was a sales tax in Anoka County only?

This article should be titled “Tax Committee Rejects Proposal Without Referendum” But the info is in there.

http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_121203352.html

“The Tax Committee expects to vote Tuesday on a new proposal to raise the sales tax throughout the seven-county metropolitan area. The half-cent tax on every taxable dollar sale would help pay for the Twins and Vikings facilities — both with retractable roofs — and for transit projects.

Sen. Steve Kelley, DFL-Hopkins, said the broader sales tax is preferable to one only placed on Hennepin County for the Twins and Anoka County for the Vikings.”