All posts in the topic Public Money for MOA Parking Lot??? (Short link)
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- There are 2 posts — by 2 authors — in this topic.
- Latest post made by Steven Clift at May 01 03:53 UTC
Hey neighbors - Many of you have probably heard about the provision in this legislative session's Omnibus Tax Bill that would allocate PUBLIC funding for a new Maul of America (MOA, and yes, I always spell it with a 'u') parking structure (i.e. existing PRIVATE enterprise). If not, here're some links to get you up to speed: TODAY'S FRONT-PAGE STRIB STORY http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/18389184.html KARE11 story (from 4/23/08) http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=508553 (See Article 9, Sec 17 & 18 - I know, the legalese is hard to digest) https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/revisor/pages/search_status/status_detail.php?b=Senate&f=SF2869&ssn=0&y=2008 I strongly oppose this part of the tax bill for several reasons: 1) First & foremost, I believe that our government exists to help those who have trouble helping themselves and to maintain our public safety & infrastructure. This endeavor doesn't fall into either category. 2) It replaces a successful private enterprise's financial risk with public financial funding. The mall has been profitable for years and should be quite capable of financing its own parking structure. (For the record, I do not oppose small-scale public assistance for fledging businesses. Large-scale assistance to already profitable enterprises does not meet this criteria. As an aside, this applies to our sports franchises, as well.) This money should go to improving PUBLIC infrastructure and helping LOCAL businesses get started. 3) The Maul is in direct competition with our SENA neighborhood businesses. Why on Earth would we want to give MOA a greater advantage in this battle??? 4) This legislation sets a dangerous precedent for the upcoming Vikings stadium issue (they are watching this one closely). As Hennepin County residents, we're already on the hook for a stadium that we bought for one of the wealthiest men in the WORLD (top 500). Do we want to continue unnecessarily financing PRIVATE projects like shopping center parking lots and sports stadiums at the expense of the PUBLIC infrastructure & safety??? WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT OUR SOCIETY'S VALUES??? 5) I don't buy the "we're creating jobs" line that's being used to cloud this issue. Regardless of where this money is invested, jobs will be created, so this point is moot. I could probably go on with this list, but I need to get going on contacting my state reps to let them know how I feel about this issue. If you feel strongly either way about it, YOU SHOULD CONTACT THEM, TOO! Here's how to find your reps' contact info: http://geo.commissions.leg.state.mn.us/districts/start.html Most of us probably have these reps: Jim Davnie <email obscured> Patricia Torres Ray <email obscured> And feel free to tell other reps your feelings on this deal, too! I've learned through my experience with slowing the progress of the Mid-town Burner that my opinion DOES matter and that the MORE volume & frequency I (and others) put behind expressing it, the MORE effective it is. I've also learned that I need to closely monitor what my government is doing with its power - the price to be paid for a GOOD democracy! Carry on, everyone! :) Ann Novitske
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Steven Clift
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