Minnesota Vikings Stadium: Team Rejects Latest Ramsey County Plan

You’re devolving into meaningless whining. Why?

so our legislators are looking for an angle where they can get something out of it. Problem is, the local community can’t get anything directly financial out of an NFL stadium—too few games. So they put the team through the ringer.

The current conglomerate of 201 legislators, to nobody’s surprise, has both the team and any local partner in a catch-22: You need local partner money for the state to participate, but the state refuses to allow the locals to raise the money.

Seriously, where do government entities get their revenue? They get it from taxes; from you and me. So for the current crop of legislators to tell either Mpls or Ramsey County the state will not approve a regional tax is ludicrous. Without state authorization for specific local taxation there would be no Excel Center, Target Field, Convention Centers, and many other local facilities and services.

So I credit the current 201 for this gridlock. But this will change in 2013, after Minnesota voters hit the polls this Fall. It is an anomaly that the GOP has control of both legislative chambers here in sky- blue waters. The last time that occurred was… hmmm, let’s see… NEVER.

An old quote comes to mind as I contemplate how we got our current crop of legislators, “It’s the economy, stupid!”. A horrible economy, comatose housing debacle and record unemployment led to a massive voter uprising that ousted many career DFL legislators, especially Senators, from seats they held for decades.

But voters can only stay angry for so long, after which time they will return to their old voting habits. It’s in their political genetic code. Republicans inexplicably won many seats in historically safe DFL districts and that is unlikely to repeat.

We will likely see the Senate, and quite possibly the House, flip back to the DFL side of the aisle. Combine that with a DFL Governor and the game changes completely. It won’t be all peaches and cream, but increased cooperation atop the hill in St Paul by a political majority that doesn’t view taxes as the boogey-man will most certainly put an end to the stupid catch-22 that has so far scuttled all of the 2012 stadium proposals.

And somewhat scary considering that team was the Baltimore Colts.

Simply for the use of the Rolling Stones

Seriously, why should the Vikings have been let go from their lease? When the Metrodome was built, the Vikings WILLINGLY CONSENTED TO A 30 YR LEASE. 20 yrs into it, they want to walk, get the public to pay for a new stadium and not owe a dime on their lease. WHAT THE HECK? If you had rental property, would you pay for your a new building for your tenet, let him break your lease and be out a few hundred million dollars….NO YOU WOULDN’T. Honestly, you pro stadium people can’t seem to get past the emotive response. I will say, if the Vikings leave, that is their choice….it is a business decision. You all say that they have the right to try to get the best deal for themselves, after all, that’s what a business is supposed to do, right? I suppose then that the Government’s job is just supposed to hand over the money without thinking, without looking out for their own best interests, right? Because, after all, they are the Vikings. Where does this “rational” stop? Where do we draw the line? If XCEL Energy said that they need the state to pay for 5 new substations and 500 miles of new transmission lines, that it would bring jobs, would you people go for it? I’m guessing not, mainly because most of you probably don’t have a favorable opinion or an emotional tie to XCel.

Back to the topic of the story….THIS IS THE VIKINGS SAYING NO….NOT THE LEGISLATURE. The Vikings are being obstructionist in this one example. I for one am glad the Legislature is looking at various angles, various sites and trying to decide what is best for the state. Because, quite frankly, the Vikings do not have the States’ best interest at heart, despite their rhetoric.

And everyone worried about a move in the middle of the night….if your life will be broken apart by that move, perhaps you should take stock in other parts of your life. It’s a football team, it’s a business. Loyalty is a two way road. If they move, based on a business decision rather than staying in order to be loyal to their fan base, then you have no reason to be loyal to them. You have been loyal to them for 50 yrs. You should not have to show your loyalty by further bankrupting the state.