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--- Erik Hare <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: "If it's wrong for the big Boyz, it's wrong for the little ones, too." But is it wrong for either the big boys or the little guys as a general matter? Government assistance to private businesses has been an accepted part of life for an awfully long time now. Usually, the justification is jobs or tax revenue for the city but there are others as well. A number of examples have been mentioned in the course of this discussion and most of them were noncontroversial at the time the loan or other assistance was provided. some that I don't recall seeing mentioned would include the $400,000 to The Liffey, the amount expended on site preparation for the Centex development and the small loan to Dave Thune (since repaid). So, unless you're philosophically opposed to any assistance to any private business (and this is an argument that was lost long ago), arguing against the Ruminator loan requires some specifics of why this particular business shouldn't get assistance. I can think of a few reasons to oppose the loan. It might not get repaid. There's been some obvious missteps by management in the past, the independent book store seems to be going the way of the dodo bird. Personally, I'd like to see a viable business plan that gives some reason to hope that the store can survive and provide the service it once did if the help is extended. But it would be nice to see it survive. The Ruminator is a real asset to the community. If it's not in a death spiral, I'd reluctantly favor extending a helping hand just as we've done for far less worthy businesses. Charlie Swope Ramsey Hill _____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/ _____________________________________________ For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract
