Steve said: "Before blaming the smoking ban I would look to the long term ecomonic decision made by the current administration and the fact that they have literally drained the most of the middle class wealth. How many meals a day do the wealthy eat? I think the term "fat cat" refers to their bank accounts and not their waist lines. Add to that the cost of fuel and the rumors of high heating costs this winter and I think you will find the true culprit behind the sluggish business.
The time has come to stop whining about taxes and start equalizing the percentage of disposable income. That is the purpose of a progressive tax. The wealthy pay more because they are able and also because it eases the burden on those of us whose entire income is used up in meeting the basic necessities of life like food, clothing and shelter. These are the folks who are hardest hit by Tim Pawlenty's vision of "fees". Let's get some money back in the pockets of the middle class and poor and have some REAL economic stimulation." Steve Nelson Willard Hay I have you disagree with you somewhat. Yes, high fuel costs could be a factor, but I tend to think the smoking ban does have an effect. I have no idea if it affected the downtown restaurant reffered to, but it seems that there are many bar and restaurant owners that are seeing their business drop off because of the bad. As for the policies of the current Administration, I'd like to know which one you are refferring to. The President? The Governor? The Mayor? Let's asssume for a moment you are talking about President Bush. I do find his fiscal policy reckless and dangerous, but it's a bit of stretch to say that his administration caused Molly Quinn's to close down. Back in the 90s, when Clinton was still President, I was in a job that barely made above $6/hour with no benefits. I was really scraping by. Today, I make over $15/hour with benefits and I co-own a house. It's still tough financially since I have school loans and mortgage and a car payment to contend with, but life is better in someways as opposed to a decade ago. What I'm trying to get at is that there isn't always a direct correlation between your life and who is in power. It would be silly for me to blame President Clinton for making so little back then and equally silly to say President Bush had a role in me doing better. A lot of this has to do with increased skills and more education than it has to do with who is in power. Restaurants close down with frequency in good and bad times. It's a risky business venture. And there are many reasons that could cause an eatery or bar to close, such as a sluggish economy or smoking bans or other factors. Dennis Sanders North Minneapolis Dennis Sanders Minneapolis, MN check out my blog at http://moderaterepublican.blogspot.com and it's companion webzine: www.moderaterepublican.net 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
