Minnesota Poll: Dayton still has edge on Emmer (Star Tribune)

[Hansel]

http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/103798584.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUac8HEaDiaMDCinchO7DUs

Dayton still leads by 9% points. Horner has made the biggest gains but his support for a tax payer Vikings stadium may dampen that some. I, for one, am sick of paying for rich Republican's playgrounds.

It's interesting that 9% points is always just "an edge" for Democrats, but nearly a guaranteed landslide for Republicans.

My daughter works with a lot of Republicans who are telling her that they will not vote for Emmer. He's too extreme and even worse than Pawlenty. I think Emmer is close to his limit and the struggle is between Horner and Dayton. I hope Minnesotans are smart enough this time to realize that when the Independent has no chance of winning it might be best just to vote against the right wing loon or stay home.

[glinda]

1. Emmer is MN's worst nightmare. BYW, The Vike's owners give mostly to Dems.

As an anomaly, I am a Progressive and an artist and a Football fan also.

[mediaman007]

2. Trade unions are for stadiums for obvious reasons.

A stadium built in Minnesota sends work to our brothers and sisters.

[Hansel]

3. The sales taxes on stadiums disproportionately hit the poor.

If you live or shop in Minneapolis you pay the sales taxes for the Twins stadium. While the people in the suburbs attend the games they are free from the extra burden of paying sales taxes that large communities of lower income people who live in Minneapolis are forced to pay.

That's great that they send work to our brothers and sisters, but I think the method of paying for them should be much more equitable. The people who profit off of them (owners and players) and the people who go there to play need to pay enough of the burden so that it does not fall disproportionately on the people who live in Minneapolis.

If it's such a profitable venture then I'm not sure why their need to be a sales tax to pay for it.

Edit to add: I think that there are better ways of producing jobs than with stadiums which produce mostly part time jobs that are sometimes taken by people who are already working.

[Brickbat]

4. "Part time jobs taken by people who are already working"?

What does that mean?

[Hansel]

6. It means that many people who are already fully employed

are taking the jobs working at the stadium. I used to be one of them. To me it does not make sense to have low income people pay taxes to employ people who are already employed with meaningful full-time jobs. Most of the stadium jobs do not have benefits.

Also, the people who build stadiums typically come from suburbs in which they are not paying the sales tax.

My point is that it is fine to finance the ballparks by people who will go to the games and profit from them, but to ask the poorest people to put one penny into something they will likely never get any benefit out of is a travesty. They need every penny they make.

Having worked with a community organization in the inner city of Minneapolis I can tell you that it is totally inappropriate to use sale tax on people to buy stadiums that they will never go to or see any revenue benefit from. Stadiums do not generate net plus revenue for the city. If they did, the poor would not be required to continue to pay sales taxes on them.

[Brickbat]

9. OK, I read it totally wrong.

I thought you were talking about construction jobs regarding the "part time jobs."

But I don't understand your further statement about people building stadiums coming from the suburbs and not paying sales tax. Are you saying more construction workers should come from Minneapolis?

[dflprincess]

5. The sales tax for Target Field applies to all of Hennepin County

http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/2010/04/08/target-field-taxes-help-pay-bloomingtons-grandstand

In 2006, the Hennepin County Board voted to levy a 0.15% sales tax within the county to fund most of the cost for Target Field.

[Hansel]

7. Okay. But most of the population by far is in Minneapolis.

http://minneapolis.about.com/od/shoppingstyleservices/qt/minneapolissalestax.htm

Here is the sales tax for Minneapolis versus the rest of Hennepin County:

The 7.775% sales tax in Minneapolis is made up from state, county, city and special taxes.

Minnesota state sales tax is 6.875%
Hennepin County sales tax is 0.15%
City of Minneapolis sales tax is 0.5%
Transit Improvement Tax is 0.25%

On top of sales tax, Minneapolis also collects entertainment tax, restaurant tax, lodging tax, and tax on liquor sales and the transportation improvement tax. All of which was put in place during the building of the Vikings stadium if I remember correctly.

So Minneapolis is already paying .35% more than Hennepin County. Also, restaurant tax hits the poor particularly hard since it includes all food sold in any restaurant. They don't have supermarkets in the poor areas of Minneapolis and many people rely on fast food to feed their families because they are within walking distance and because of convenience. And don't forget the transit tax which the people outside of Minneapolis benefit from immensely.

I work in Minneapolis and usually bring my food with me because I'm not a big fan of most restaurant food. However, the cost of buying food from restaurants, when I have done so,is an eye opener compared to what I pay in the suburbs.

Sales taxes are regressive taxes and should not be the solution for building stadiums. And since even people outside of Hennepin County go to games, exactly why should the people from Ramsey and Anoka County get a free ride if this is the route we are going to take?

[dflprincess]

8. I'm not arguing with you about the sales tax being regressive

and I don't like that any tax money was used for Target Field. I was just pointing out that the Twins tax applies to all of Hennepin County, not just Minneapolis.