Special Session Woes
Everybody really seems to be pushing for a special session. I'm not convinced.
I'm as big a fan of Minnesota sports as they come, but I don't like the idea of handing taxpayer money over to Carl Pohlad (78th richest American) and Ziggy Wilf. Why may this still happen, even though a majority of Minnesotans apparently agree with me?
The first 2005 special session.
Legislators are still reeling from the 2005 special session which, unless something changes, may cost many their seats. A second, sports-oriented special session will shake things up and may make the electorate forget - or perhaps forgive - the first special session. Many legislators, consequently, probably feel like they need this. Stadium supporters, though perhaps a minority, are very passionate and extremely vocal, and many's votes will probably depend on support for their teams, making them an important group of voters to please right now. Legislators - caught between spending taxpayers' money responsibly (at least in the case of the DFL) and the public's hunger for a new stadium - are caught in a bind. Only time will tell what happens, but it's worth noting that however things end up, it's motivated in part by a healthy dollop of self-interest on the part of legislators, leadership, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
I'm as big a fan of Minnesota sports as they come, but I don't like the idea of handing taxpayer money over to Carl Pohlad (78th richest American) and Ziggy Wilf. Why may this still happen, even though a majority of Minnesotans apparently agree with me?
The first 2005 special session.
Legislators are still reeling from the 2005 special session which, unless something changes, may cost many their seats. A second, sports-oriented special session will shake things up and may make the electorate forget - or perhaps forgive - the first special session. Many legislators, consequently, probably feel like they need this. Stadium supporters, though perhaps a minority, are very passionate and extremely vocal, and many's votes will probably depend on support for their teams, making them an important group of voters to please right now. Legislators - caught between spending taxpayers' money responsibly (at least in the case of the DFL) and the public's hunger for a new stadium - are caught in a bind. Only time will tell what happens, but it's worth noting that however things end up, it's motivated in part by a healthy dollop of self-interest on the part of legislators, leadership, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
