One of the biggest benefits of the new Minnesota Vikings stadium is that it will create a significant number of jobs for the construction industry in the state of Minnesota. As Skol Girl reported to us nearly a year ago, few states have seen their construction industry hit as hard by the current economic situation as Minnesota has. The new stadium will provide as many as 7,500 construction jobs to the state of Minnesota.
But just as important as the number of jobs is the people that will, primarily, be targeted to receive them, according to a story put out by Minnesota Public Radio.
Elected officials, business owners and civic leaders hope a new NFL stadium will be a one-way ticket for Minnesotans hit hardest by the recession, like the 22 percent of black workers who were counted as unemployed by the state as recently as last year. That was nearly three-times Minnesota's overall unemployment rate.
There may be nowhere that unemployment was as keenly felt as in north Minneapolis, where the city reported jobs disappeared during the recession at more than twice the rate as the rest of the city.
In response, the stadium legislation specifically incorporated the city's own 32 percent minority and women hiring goals for real estate development projects. The legislation also gives hiring priority for Minneapolis ZIP codes with the highest unemployment and poverty rates.
So, people that need jobs are going to have the top opportunities to get jobs making the new Minnesota Vikings' stadium a reality.
Now, the "Wilfare" crowd. . .which is still whining strong, by the way. . .doesn't give a damn about this sort of thing. Their primary focus was driving the Vikings out of the state of Minnesota, and it was something they failed at spectacularly when it was all said and done. One of their primary whines was that the jobs created by a new Minnesota Vikings stadium would be "temporary construction jobs."
Seriously, if you're a member of the Whinefare crowd and this is, indeed, one of your primary concerns, do me a favor. Find a construction worker in the state of Minnesota that's currently out of work and ask them, "Would you like to be 'temporarily' employed for three years as part of one of the biggest construction projects in the history of the state. . .or would you rather just sit and collect unemployment, which is eventually (in theory) going to run out?" Color me cynical if you wish, but I think most of them would take the "employment" option.
Because of the new Minnesota Vikings' stadium, people that need jobs are going to get jobs. Who could possibly have a problem with that?