Eva Young writes "A stadium in downtown Minneapolis does not improve my quality of life living in Minneapolis. I wonder whose quality of life he is talking about." I will do my best to remain civil but it is this sort of self-centered thinking that has gotten us into the political mud hole that we know find ourselves.
In the interest of full disclosure, I am a proponent of some public funding for public stadiums. I believe that professional sports are a major asset to this area. So is Orchestra Hall, the Guthrie, the Walker, a host of other arts venues, golf courses, tennis courts, great parks, the vitality of area businesses, and every museum you can think of! By themselves, professional sports do not make or break a community but they do create - for many - a sense of place and pride and a shared interest. We can and will continue to debate the wisdom of public funding for professional sports facilities and I trust that we will be respectful of each others opinions. But, the debate goes over the edge when the argument gets framed as this selfish notion that "I don't use it/doesn't make my life better - so why should I have to pay for it"! All of us pay taxes for some things that we may not support or may not use or may not affect our lives all that much! The notion that any one of us should be able to opt out of paying for something that we don't use or don't like is what has left us so many public services, public facilities, and public agencies struggling. There are a lot folks who do not use public transit, do not use public schools, do not use public libraries, do not use Sect. 8 housing assistance, do not use public health services like HCMC or community clinics, do not use general assistance, do not use crisis centers, do not use public golf courses, do not use community or park buildings (except maybe, to vote once in a while)and the list can go on, but you get the point! Some of those non-users argue that they should not have to pay for those "government programs" since they do not use or approve of them. There is a huge undertow of selfishness running through the citizenry right now; the idea being promoted by many in the conservative ranks that government should do nothing more than provide only the "base essentials" and that there is no common good or community interest beyond defense and public order. They argue that life is a footrace and if you stumble or if you are tripped then either you pick yourself up or fall into the gutter - or hope that a religious charity will provide for you. If one listens carefully to the Taxpayers League among others you will hear them boasting that "it is your money and government ought not to take it from you to pay for things you may not need or want". The "I don't use it or want it, why should I have to pay for it" argument offered by Eva White can - and has - been used as an argument against just about every function of government at every level. If applied evenly, we'll see no stadium to be sure, but we will soon see no busses, no libraries, no public schools, and no public purpose! Jim Bernstein Fulton -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Eva Young Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2004 11:49 AM To: Sen.Linda Higgins; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Mpls] stadia hearing/Misplaced Minneapolis Bonding Priorities The Governor doesn't even try to make a return on investment argument for the stadium - rather he talks about the "quality of life". A stadium in downtown Minneapolis does not improve my quality of life living in Minneapolis. I wonder whose quality of life he is talking about. I saw Rep Eric Lipman from Stillwater on Face to Face a few weeks ago. Lipman supports this stadium boondoggle because it "improves the quality of life" and "my constitutents want it" and "my constituents don't want to pay taxes to pay for it". But Lipman has no problem with increasing sales taxes on Hennepin County residents to pay for this stadium. A recent Star Tribune article suggests that Minnesota is behind the curve on negotiating with teams: 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
