As soon as everyone understands that the media will never really challenge this boondoggle, the better. Not a single outlet in the Twin Cities market, print or broadcast, can ignore the revenue role professional sports plays on their bottom line � for papers, up to and exceeding on third. The sports sections are the first or second highest-read parts of a newspaper these days (thanks to the dumbing down of main news sections and the infiltration of fluff on front pages), and have always played a big part in their success. Why is one third of every local newscast consumed by sports reporting? Same: follow the money.
As such, journalistic principles are discarded in favor of the self-interested slant of media reportage on controversial issues involving sports as if Pohlad and McCombs are the guys next door wanting us all to come out and play ball together. Billions are at stake and the luxury press facilities at new stadiums add candy to the cach�. Enjoy your stadium, Hennepin County. I'm only sorry it may cut into my enjoyment of the great Minneapolis Restaurants when the sales tax is bumped too high to handle. On MPR's news station yesterday, morning host Dale Connelly read with feigned na�vet� a scathingly satiric essay he'd written for Saturday afternoon's magazine program. In it, he "praises" the powers that be for putting the stadium next door to the Hennepin County garbage burner and elevates the garbage burner to the same next-door celebrity status that other stadiums enjoy in their markets, looking forward to the garbage burner's contribution to the atmosphere of the great game of baseball in its shadow. Hilarious. And devastating. It may be available in print or up on MPR's website for streaming audio. It's a must read/hear. Andy Driscoll Saint Paul -- The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men: Plato "Everything secret degenerates, even the administration of justice; nothing is safe that does not show how it can bear discussion and publicity." - Lord Acton -- Visit our weblog: http://newswired.blogspot.com > From: Eva Young <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Sun, 01 May 2005 09:41:38 -0500 > To: [email protected], [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [Mpls] Annette Meeks supports tax increase: "It's not a tax - it's a > user fee" for Stadium Boondoggle > > Big nonsense from Annette Meeks on At Issue today. > > When they were talking about the Stadium Boondoggle, she said when asked > wasn't this a tax increase, she said "it's not a tax, it's a user > fee". That's the biggest bunch of nonsense I've ever heard. Hauser let > her get by with this without correction. > > I wonder if she'd say the same for a metro-wide sales tax increase of the > same amount to pay for transit. > > At the 8th ward convention, Frank Hornstein told me that a number of DFL > legislators probably supported this tax increase for a stadium - Margaret > Anderson Kelliher, Linda Higgins and Keith Ellison were three in > Minneapolis who were mentioned as probably supportive of this nonsense. > > Hornstein said that if Hennepin County were to raise sales taxes - a much > better use for that money would be for transit. I agree. > > > Eva Young 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
