"American consumers are living closer to the financial edge than ever, and that's good business for debt-collection agencies.
Meanwhile, the army of debt collectors poised to come after late payers is growing. Collection agencies nationwide have tripled their income in the past 10 years and boosted staff levels by 50 percent in the past five years, according to industry figures." Today's Strib: http://www.startribune.com/stories/535/5230303.html Vicky comments: The rich guys don't have to pay their debts to the City; it's easier to raise taxes on the middle class and struggling businesses. Here are a few dead beats that Minneapolis should collect from.... Riverside Plaza owes 17 years of land rent, approximately $2.5 million The Green Institute owes $1.5 million, interest free loan Brighton Development reneged on a condo development loan downtown (can't remember the details, but the Strib exposed the default about a year ago, memory tells me it was $9 million) Brookfield Development defaulted on $17.5 million loan Radisson Hotel owes $20 million second mortgage MCDA financial reports showed "$178 million of loans to developers" Several Listmembers have complained about the lack of financial data available from the Park Board. I have been complaining for years about the lack of truthful financial data available from the City as a whole. Ever wonder why your government won't tell you where all of the money has gone? My contention is that there will be a political revolution in Minneapolis if the voters ever find out what has really happened to billions of dollars. Why don't the local journalists expose the fraud? Who knows! Maybe they are getting a taste of the money, or maybe they're just incompetent. Either way, the people of Minneapolis are harmed. "The way to crush the bourgeoisie [middle class] is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation." -- Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870 - 1924), First leader of the Soviet Union. Vicky Heller North Oaks and Cedar-Riverside REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
