On 4/7/04 4:27 PM, "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > EF: Maybe the anti-stadium groups are too chummy with the liberal > establishment to put anybody on the spot. > > PS: The stadium peddlers are going to get their billion dollar stadiums no > matter what. Thinking that the capitulation of anti-stadium groups will end > the bus strike underestimates the cunning of Pawlenty, Bell and Murphy. New > stadiums or no new stadiums their purpose is to undermine mass transit in the > Twin Cities. > > PS: The only chance the Union and bus-dependent folks have at this point is to > come up with an action that will make life too uncomfortable for Pawlenty, > Bell, Murphy and the majority of Minnesotans who remain indifferent to the > practical and human costs of this bus strike. By now we should realize that > striking, pep rallies and phone calls to the Governor's office and Met Council > are not making a difference. Nor will a blank check to the stadium > proponents.
I would agree with Peter that trying to hold up a stadium bill isn't likely to do much to settle the dispute between ATU and Met Council. I really don't think Pawlenty cares much one way or the other about keeping the Twins or the Vikings - he just wants to keep himself from looking like the bad guy in all of that if something doesn't get done. If the DFL wants to make Pawlenty sweat, I think the Senate should hang up his budget balancing bill and stall it until he gets to work on settling this thing. We know he doesn't want to touch the state budget reserves because he knows all his shifts and gimmicks will be coming due and he's likely going to have another big gap to close for 2006-2007. Throw in the fact that drawing down the reserves at all without "structural fixes" will make the bond houses all the more nervous and threaten our bond rating even more. As it is, he's probably skating on thin ice since more than half of his "fixes" for the current $160 million gap rely on some gimmick or other. If our interest rates go up, that will only grow the gap and further pressure Pawlenty to either break his "no new taxes" pledge or make such draconian cuts that even his Eagan neighbors won't be able to overlook them. For good measure, the Senate should also adopt for their omnibus transportation bill the language Rep. Clark proposed for imposing the old contract on ATU and Met Council to get back to work. At the very least, it would add another bargaining chip during conference committees if the other threat doesn't work fast enough. And it would also show ATU and metro area bus riders that the members of the DFL they worked so hard to elect still care about them. Too many of the DFL Senators have been far too silent on this issue, in my opinion. Or worse, openly hostile like Sen. Murphy. Mark Snyder Windom Park 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
