Posted: 5/4/05
Final Draft - by Cliff Buchan
Let the whining, complaining begin
Just as sure as the World Series is played in October, it was only natural that the whining over the most recent proposal for a Minnesota Twins outdoor stadium would soon begin. And so it has.
After years of failed debate and attempts to make a deal that would work, last weekís news that a stadium proposal had been reached involving no state money came as generally good news. At least it was so received by those of us who follow baseball.
Fuel for the fire on talk radio shows came Monday following Sundayís publication of the Minnesota Poll. Pollsters found that a vast majority of those surveyed donít support any tax subsidy for the new ballpark and believe Hennepin County residents should get to vote on the .015 sales tax the county is proposing to cover bond debt.
The fact that the tax amount to 3 cents on a $20 purchase of taxable items in Hennepin County was of little comfort to those in the survey.
Itís common knowledge now to accept the fact that most residents donít approve of any kind of tax dollars to support a professional sports complex that is played by teams made up of millionaires and owned by a billionaire. The fact the Twins and the Pohlad family is putting in $125 million was also of little comfort to those in the survey.
Could those who oppose such taxing plans really be so philosophically committed or could there be just a tinge of jealousy against those who may earn more than most of us? Itís a thought many canít deny.
The arguments pro and con over the benefits or lack of benefits for a new ballpark are endless and not worth repeating here.
There are some points that need definition, however.
As a citizen, Iíve come to expect my elected leaders to make the tough decisions. That sometimes means taking action on a tax hike. If the actions of elected officials are that bad, they can get the boot at the next election.
Why should such a decision require a vote when it has been demonstrated that some public good will result? City of Forest Lake residents will get no vote on a decision by council to order major water system improvements ($3.7 million). Could there be a cost increase in the wind for the water we use?
The argument that government has no place in helping a private business holds no merit here.
Where were the objections when the state got involved in the financing to help build the Xcel Center in St. Paul for the Minnesota Wild?
Where were the objections when the state invested deeply in helping Northwest Airlines survive a number of years ago?
Where were the objections when state and local leaders handed Polaris a bouquet of benefits and tax incentives to build its research and development facility in Wyoming and expand in Wisconsin?
Where are the objections over state plans to invest $7 million a year in state funds to build a new football stadium for the University of Minnesota? Is TCFís $35 million contribution better than Pohladís $125 million?
Apparently so and there were no calls for a public referendum to decide any of the questions.
The cold hard facts say that today in Minnesota there is no hope that a new ballpark will be built by the team. That is not the way it works in todayís real world.
If this plan fails, the Pohlad family will have two clear choices: Sell the club with the strong prospects Major League baseball will allow it to move to another more receptive city, or keep the club and run it as a barebones operation in the Metrodome with guaranteed results that wonít include any kind of championship. The Pohlads wonít remain in the business of losing money year after year.
Minnesotans must soon decide what kind of state they want to live in and if it will include professional sports. We may well have a football stadium on campus for the Gophers but within the decade, Twins baseball and Vikings football could be gone.
A decision by the Legislature to require a referendum on the Hennepin County proposal could well be the final strike in this game.
If the public is smart, it will look at this stadium proposal in a different light. It is not a stadium for Pohlad; it is a stadium for the people ó a proposal to get baseball back in the environment where it belongs, outside, rain or shine.
And at 3 cents on every $20 spent in Hennepin County, no one will need to blink twice.
Forest Lake Times
P.O. Box 218
880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
Fax 651-464-4605