[Mpls] Dairy Queen

[Bob GUSTAFSON]

After a delightful walk through a shared history of Lake Harriet memories, Tim asked the $64,000 question about who should manage the Concession Stand.   "Why doesn't the Park Board run it.  Efficiently.  Stop laughing!"   Well Tim, when I stopped laughing I thought, that is a good question. Then I started thinking.....   If they can't run a concession stand profitably at Lake Harriet, why are we letting them run the golf courses?   If they can't run a concession stand, why do we trust them to run a Police Department for Parks?   If they can't run a concession stand, why don't we subcontract Park maintenance?   If they can't run a concession stand, why don't we hire Disney to run our kid programs at the Parks?     Now before the Park Board sends someone over to "trim my tree" so to speak, let me add that I am not personally displeased with the way the concession stand is run. And although life has never been quite as good since the taffy recipe was buried with its creator, I still like the popcorn. In fact if DQ takes over, and if popcorn goes, I swear I will never ever purchase another dipped chocolate cone at Dairy Queen!   Well perhaps I might still have an occasional cone. But I swear I will not have them dipped!   One has to strike back where one can.   Returning to the Park Board I have to admit that actually I feel reasonably safe in the parks, the golf courses still seem like a bargain, and I would prefer visiting Orlando if I need a Disney fix. Ever since I took the kids there I still can close my eyes and hear "It's a small, small world" as it ripped through my ear drums and scratched on the inside of my brain like fingernails on a chalkboard. I thought that one ride would never end. Besides that the Park Board has gainfully employed my eldest child for several years in the summer and I would hate to upset the apple cart.   The real eye opening part of this discussion is this. Why do we easily accept that private industry can better run a concession stand, but that only government can solve the important issues of the day such as that hackneyed term "affordable housing."   Seriously.   I've been wondering about "affordable housing for some time" but where do you go with such a feel good phrase with such an illusive meaning? Ask ten people what they think about affordable housing and a guaranteed majority will say they are in favor of it. How can one be opposed?   I just have a hard time figuring it out. I have had very earnest people tell me that affordability is determined by the fact that some committee somewhere has determined that people should only spend a certain percentage of their income on housing, or else the housing is not affordable.   Interesting. I have lived in my house since 1982. According to that definition, and due to an income that has done its share of moving up and down, at times I have been living in affordable housing and at other times by definition my house was not affordable. Now the house is the same house, but my income has changed. Was the house unaffordable, or was it that I just didn't make enough money some years?   I have heard others say they agree that there are problems with how we define affordable housing but that you have to agree we have a shortage of houses for large families. I hate to ask the question but why is it the fault of the housing that a family has more kids then they can afford? I know that I risk getting into all kinds of immigrant issues but I've also heard proponents of affordable housing argue that our immigrant families coming into Minneapolis are traditionally larger size families and need larger houses. Economics has always been a confusing topic to me. I read every section of the paper except the business section, before I get up and replace the paper in the bird cage with that same section, so maybe someone can explain this to me. If we build lets say a thousand three bedroom homes and provide them to large immigrant families at subsidized, "affordable" prices, will that be enough? Do we have to make affordable housing available for people already here? Do we have to make it affordable for everyone who comes here and wants it?     And help me with this question. If we put all the large immigrant families in subsidized affordable housing, will they ever be able to benefit from owning their own real estate or will they be roped into a life of subsidies?   Hey, I wonder if Motel 6 could take over our affordable housing problem.   No laughing.   Bob Gustafson MMM