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Editor’s Update 3-5-10: After the Senate and House pre-emptively withdrew a $1 Billion Dollar bonding bill that did not include some of the Governor’s priorities, including the expansion of the sex offender facility, legislators and the Governor are negotiating the details. Some of the Governor’s priorities are back on the table and there are rumors that the price tag is going up. Back in late February, Governor Pawlenty threatened to veto the entire bill. ( The Governor can either veto the entire bill or use a line-item veto.) Just before a press conference called by the Governor, DFL legislators withdrew the bill. “We are willing to come to the table and further discuss this bill,” wrote Rep. Alice Hausman, DFL-St. Paul, and Sen. Keith Langseth, DFL-Glyndon. “It is our understanding the Senate would be willing to reconsider HF2700 [the bonding bill] this Thursday if you are willing to provide a specific list of projects and amounts that you want removed in addition to a specific list of your spending priorities that need to be added to the bill. We need this list by Thursday, Feb. 25th.”
The Governor has noted that a bonding bill ought to be one of the least difficult items to agree on. Stay Tuned!

The Governor has joined the debate. Pawlenty, who has warned us over the years that Minnesota is just a “cold Omaha” without major sports teams, proposed using the state lottery to help fund a new stadium. For those of you who oppose public funding, it does not solve the problem as taxpayer funds would presumably still be part of a package. But lottery proceeds, while collected by the state, are at least “private” funds. The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission (MSFC) released this mock-up of what a new $870 million Vikings stadium could look like and cost. That’s a lot of money in good times let alone during an economic down-turn. Yet the clock is ticking on the Metrodome lease and the beloved Vikings still have that ace in the hole; the ability to leave. (See below, LA would love to build the Vikings a new home.) So if we are resigned to making a deal, the financing has to lighten the load on taxpayers (some of whom are not fans and do not care about the NFL, believe it or not). The lottery, which generated over $482 million in revenue last year, supports various natural resouces funds but also the state’s general fund . So to the extent we pull lottery funds out for a stadium without generating new lottery funds, this may be a non-starter because it can just turn into a shell game. But if there is a new game to play (the Strib called it “Skol Bucks” ) with incremental gains, this is an idea worth tossing around. The Strib reported that only about a third of Minnesotans support public funding. This KSTP-sponsored poll is constistent with one done about a year ago. The Vikings responded to the results by saying that the poll focused on the wrong question, and should instead ask if it is important to keep the Vikings in Minnesota. You can read the article at http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/86335647.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUJ

Here is an ealier post on the Vikings Stadium:The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission (MSFC) released a mock-up of what a new $870 million Vikings stadium could look like. The concept, designed by Dallas-based HKS architects, was unveiled at a MSFC meeting. Many key individuals involved with the project were at the meeting, but the event was characterized more by who wasn’t there; the Minnesota Vikings. Still miffed by the MSFC’s offer to delay the construction of a new stadium, the Vikings refused to participate in the event.

The Vikings’ move is the latest in a multi-year soap opera between the team, the State and the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission. But, the beloved Vikings have an ace in the hole…

Todd Rapp is a self-described life-long Democrat activist. He is also now a business owner (Himle Horner, a public affairs company). And he has called for the elimination of the corporate income tax here in Minnesota– no less on the front page of the StarTribune on Sunday, February 7th. He is thinking out of the [...]

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin gave the closing address to the thousand plus participants in the first annual National Tea Party Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. The speech capped off a vigorous three days of events ranging from prayer sessions to documentaries.

The convention, intentionally or unintentionally, seemed to focus around one question; where does the movement go from here? That question remains one of the most difficult to achieve consensus on. Many would like to see the movement remain decentralized and grassroots, others would like to see the Tea Party Movement organize and field candidates….