Shhh!... Legislature's $371 Subsidy Undermines Central Cities
From:
Chip Peterson
Date:
May 01 15:33 UTC
Short link
I think John Harris misses the point by debating whether specific
businesses or specific commercial zones (downtown St. Paul or the
Eden Prairie Center) have or have lost business to Monsterdale.
Commercial developments divert dollars; they don't create them.
Consumers who go to Monsterdale would spend those dollars elsewhere
if Monsterdale did not exist; we don't have to be able to pinpoint
where in order to know it is happening.
John might say, "Well, that's tough, but that's how competition
works." But what is the argument for putting that competition on
such an unlevel playing field? Why should downtown St. Paul or
Minneapolis, or Grand Avenue or Signal Hills Shopping Center, have to
compete with a behemoth being massively subsidized by dollars from
taxpayers who live throughout the state, not just in Bloomington?
Chip Peterson
Mac Groveland
.