Mark Snyder wrote: That's because there are a lot of people who DO actually want these discussions to take place because they DO want to ensure that we keep the Twins and Vikings in Minnesota. Part of this is due to the connection we have with these teams and part of it is recognizing that keeping these teams costs a heck of a lot less than trying to attract new ones. One only needs to look at the saga of the North Stars and the Wild to recognize this.
Now while there may be some folks who cannot fathom the civic value that professional sports teams bring to our core cities and state, they are still a small minority of our population, albeit a very vocal one. Mark Anderson replies: Mark you absolutely wrong if you say that only a small minority don't want to spend public money on stadiums. The only referendum we've had on the subject was in Minneapolis. The MAJORITY voted against spending more than $10 million on a stadium. As I recall, the referendum passed with a two to one margin. Personally, I would have voted against spending $1 on a stadium, if I'd had the option. Based on everything I've heard, I suspect a similar referendum would go the same way in St. Paul, the suburbs, and outstate. And I think the pro-stadium folks have blocked such a referendum because they know what the result would be. Certainly the Mpls politicians have no excuse for supporting public financing -- they KNOW what their constituents think. Mark V Anderson Bancroft REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
