Stadium whores identified in MPR guber poll

MPR polled the 18 gubernatorial candidates on whether they support taxpayer funds paying for a new Vikings playpen. Those clearly in the "Bail out a Billionaire Club" include:

Tom Bakk. No surprise there--Bakk would support turning northern Minnesota into a parking lot if he thought there were a half-dozen union jobs and votes in it for him.

Matt Entenza. As usual, Entenza responded with a bunch of double-talk that leaves him plenty of room to lie about his position when called on it, no matter what it is.

Tom Rukavina. This numbskull not only supports tax dollars for a new stadium but proposes giving the publicly financed Metrodome to billionaire Wilf outright.

Tom "Dimmer" Emmer. He claims he doesn't support tax dollars for a private business but at the same time joins Ridiculous Rukavina in proposing to hand over the Metrodome keys to Wilf and his ilk.

Susan Gaertner. She says she doesn't support tax dollars for billionaires "right now" but we can talk about it. Sure thing, Susan. That gets you a big "YES" vote.

Steve Kelly. Ditto. Kelly says "not now" but maybe later.

R.T. Rybak. We already knew he supports tax dollars for billionaire bailouts.

Paul Thissen. He supports using tax-increment financing from development that would occur around the new stadium to pay for it. Right, Paul, like all that development that occurred around the Metrodome.

All other Republican candidates claim to oppose taxpayer funding of a new stadium, but some appear to be leaving the door open a crack. Of the remaining Democrats, only John Marty was unequivocal about his opposition to public funding. Margaret Anderson-Kelliher says she'd only support public infrastructure financing to serve a new stadium, but we know where that talk leads. Mark Dayton said if a stadium is built with public money it will be for the public and not for Wilf and the Vikings, and invited Wilf to go to L.A.

Bottom line: Some how, some way, no matter who our next governor is, you can almost be sure that Billionaire Wilf and his Millionaire Players are going to pick our pockets with the help of both parties. And you thought prostitution was illegal in Minnesota!

More at MPR here:

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/polinaut/archive/2009/12/public_money_fo.shtml

I love what Dayton said and agree with him, but I'm afraid by inviting Wilf to go to L.A. he might have just lost any chance he has of being elected. I know Vikings fans who are normally sane and who didn't like paying for a Twins stadium practically become apoplectic at the thought of the Vikings leaving.

Dayton has as much of a chance of getting elected as I do. He did so little in 6 years as a Senator that Time named him one of the 5 least effective Senators. Yeah, thats who I want running the state. Electing Dayton will be similar the Jesse's term, nothing will get done.

But when it comes to any other progams, it's either raise taxes or cut budgets. Professional sports are like crack to these people--on both sides of the aisle.

We should charge Wilf a 600 million dollar user fee.