vikings/nfl

Couldn't these same construction workers be used to repair/build roads, bridges, schools, and other infrastructure needs of the state?

I have no objection whatsoever to all these workers getting gainful employment. Since, however, the end benefits of this employment goes to a private developer (of public dollars), to the egos of a certain governor & mayor, I suggest an alternative. Why not change the model? Why not have the people who will make millions off this stadium pay for it?

I wish that our Governor would spend as much time focusing on the issues of education, health care, infra structure and public safety as he does on carrying water for the Wilf Family. Let us all remember his (lack of) priorities in the next election. As for the construction jobs. The exact same number of jobs will be there if a coaliton of the Wilfs, selected co-investors, the NFL, the downtown business community and the areas largest corporations took the bull by horns and built the stadium themselves. But why do that when the new model seems to be Socialism for the rich and Capitalism for everyone else.

So I guess that this means we will be pushing a new stadium of some sort every three years so that construction people can work. Get the GOPers to put some money toward the new light rail line and put the people to work doing that.

No taxpayer dollars for the NJ carpetbaggers (one of whom just spent $19 million on a condo-in NYC).

The only traction the stadium has gained thus far is due to the premise that it's "free" as its being financed by gambling rather than the taxpayers. Now that it looks like electronic pulltabs are becoming a problematic funding choice and there will have to be a "backup funding plan" consisting of increased taxes put in place in order for any bonds to sell, what little support there is for any stadium bill will quickly vanish. Gov. Dayton is correct in saying that the credibility of electronic pulltabs is built totally on projections. There is no history on which to draw since no state has ever tried this, only a few bingo parlors in Florida. They may prove to be popular and eventually replace paper pulltabs but that doesn't translate into more overall money being gambled, particularly since this form of gambling has been in steep decline for the last decade and a third of the sites have totally dropped them. A lot of that decrease has been due to smoking bans which has lowered bar traffic. You can't turn pulltab sales around overnight and that's what it would take to make this work since the increased revenue would be needed starting immediately.

Write about Tubby and the Gophers.

"Many of the 7,500 construction workers who helped build TCF Bank Stadium and Target Field have been unemployed since both projects were completed." ----------And after a Vikings Wilfare stadium is completed these same workers will be unemployed again. Need a job? North Dakota has many well paying, full time jobs from an oil boom that is projected to last over two hundred years.

So now Sid is hauling water for the unions! Is this the same Sid who said move the Gophers to the Dome & the recruits will be lined up for miles!!!!! Use these workers for street construction & schools. These jobs will last for maybe 3 years & will all"5000" last for 3 years? Sid if this is such a great deal for business's why don't they pay for it???????

Not a word about Minnesota's unemployed workers in your columns until it served your interests in promoting the proposed new stadium. Aye Sid? Other than that do you really care about these workers? Or are you just playing the jobs card to help bail out a sinking Vikings ship?