Nick Coleman, on "The People's Stadium"

[SomeGuyInEagan]

From the column:

"After Thursday’s passage of the Vikings stadium giveaway, the Governor of Minnesota used the kind of language usually reserved for wounded or dead soldiers to heap praise on Zygi and Mark Wilf, the billionaire, New Jersey-based owners of an NFL franchise that was worth an estimated $800 million last week but probably far more than $1 billion now:

“Last night, when we came up $50 million short, the Wilfs stepped in, in just a heroic way,” Dayton said at just the latest of a series of fraudulent “press conferences” on the stadium issue dominated by self-congratulating politicians and extremely short on actual questions from a cowed press corps. “Without their willingness to take this last step, we wouldn’t have crossed the goal line.” He went on to say he was “incredibly grateful to Zygi and Mark Wilf.”

Heroic? Crossing the goal line? Incredibly grateful to an incredibly wealthy monopoly business family that had just agreed to accept more than half a billion in public assistance? What in hell is wrong with Mark Dayton?"

Entire read at:
http://www.nickcolemanmn.com/?p=3254

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. 90% of the time I really like Mark Dayton

but this whole stadium deal is bullshit.

[dflprincess]

3. This is really the only thing Dayton has done as governor that bites. n/t

[glinda]

9. I don't mind the stadium but want him to do better on the environment.

[Eyerish]

2. I was adamantly against Target field and I'm just as against this one..

Shame, shame on Dayton.

[hifiguy]

8. Economically a baseball stadium makes sense.

81 games that draw 30,000+ each downtown pumps a load of money into downtown businesses. That's 2.5 million people downtown every summer. It also created a l ot of jobs in the depressed construction industry

A football stadium can host many events, though it won't have the same impact as a baseball stadium.

[trotsky]

4. My opinion on the stadium will put me at odds with pretty much everyone in here.

But I supported it, and am glad to see it passed. Because it will pump money into the local economy, putting people to work. And long term, it's a source of civic pride as well as a draw to get people downtown and hold plenty of events other than football games.

Remember Minnesota's original firebrand liberal, Hubert H. Humphrey, when he warned against us becoming a "cold Omaha" without a strong professional sports presence.

[Angry Dragon]

5. Why not let other parts of the metro area reap some benefits from a stadium??

I thought the Arden Hills site would have been better. It would have brought in more new businesses. Improved roadways in the area that are going to need upgrades in a few years anyway. More new jobs. Helped the tax base in that area.

[trotsky]

6. Ultimately you gotta pick a site.

The Arden Hills area needed a lot more work, though I would have preferred that location too. Downtown is already set up with the infrastructure (including light rail!) to shuttle 65,000 people in and out on game days.

[Brickbat]

7. I'm with you.

[glinda]

10. I agree. I am for the Stadium. The Dome is a hazard.