As I was working OT overnight last night, I had the opportunity to read today's Strib.
Once again, we have another stadium scheme. This one takes a little different
approach and I'll let you each read the story for yourselves (Sorry, being up all
night leaves me a little too tired to do much recapping).
Here again we have select members of the Council and a Mayor who are absolutely
obstinate and unwilling to hear their constituents who have said repeatedly NO to
public outlays to a stadium. I must say that I find it immensely sad and frustrating
that a DFL Council and DFL Mayor are continually pushing to take resources out of
public hands (say working and middle class peoples hands) and put it into the hands of
the immensely wealthy. The questions I have asked before and will ask again of the
business community are these: You say that government should stay out of the private
market. Why now the big turnaround? Are you going to admit that you don't mind
government intervention as long as you are the beneficiary? Furthermore, common sense
tells me that if accomplished businesspeople are unwilling to step up to the plate
(excuse the pun) to pay for this in its entireity, then why should the clods in
government expect to do any better? Obviously, if businesspeople won't in!
!
vest in this project, it's a questionable one- at best.
I also found it interesting that New Ballpark, Inc. who is pushing the latest stadium
schemes and has argued for a smaller stadium that blends more into a neighborhood (in
theory something like Wrigley Stadium) earlier this year was talking about a $150
million stadium (if memory serves me correct). Now, in today's article, that number
is ballooning to $260-300 million. Should we have any doubt in our minds that with
these little changes we will also see changes in how this will go from "mostly
privately financed" to something much different?
The newest approach to financing a stadium is exactly that, a new approach. However,
this new approach still smacks of being nothing more than a shell game to get the
public to pay for something businesspeople should be paying for.
Off the topic but included in the article in the paper was the announcement that Lisa
McDonald is running for Mayor and has also been a staunch critic of public stadium
schemes. Get me a lawnsign, Lisa!
Gary Bowman, Jr.
Ward 1-Audubon Park
Gary Bowman, Jr.
Ward 1-Aububon Park
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