Oracle Online

This is becoming tedious. Tax breaks or subsidies for the fabulously wealthy are paid for by cutting services that benefit the poor or taxing citizens who have no say in the matter. Yes, here in America we have a regressive tax, and it’s time to reverse that. I think the government should take every penny of income over $100,000. No exceptions. Carl Pohlad, kiss your $2.8 billion goodbye.

Of course, this obviously won’t happen. As the passage of the stadium bill shows, we don’t have a democracy. Our legislators went to lengths to avoid actually allowing the residents of Hennepin County, who will be taxed on every purchase to pay for Pohlad’s $522 million ballpark, to vote on the stadium. If it’s such a boon for residents, why won’t the politicians let them vote on it? No one is gullible enough to believe those who say it’s only because it will delay the bill. No, it’s because residents don’t want to pay for a new stadium, and the corporate puppets in the legislature know a referendum would be rejected by a wide margin.

So let’s vote the lawmakers out of office and replace them with people who will care more about citizens than campaign contributors. When politicians ignore us in favor of billionaires or giant corporate donors, the best way to make them respond to citizens’ concerns is to kick them out. This doesn’t work when people vote for the lesser of two evils. If the Republican or Democrat candidate is drenched in lobbyist money, vote for someone else, be they conservative, liberal, or other.

If you want to know who to remove from office, go to www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/districtfinder.asp to find your legislators. Call them. Tell them how you’re pissed off about the stadium. You might want to start by calling Representative Brad Finstad, R-New Ulm, the stadium bill’s sponsor. He can be reached at 651-296-9303 or 507-354-4431. Representative Matt Entenza, D-St. Paul, also voted for the bill, and he can be reached at 651-296-8799 or 651-647-1425. Entenza is Hamline’s House Representative.

The stadium bill still has to pass the Senate, which it is expected to do. However, there is still time to call your state senators and remind them that their job is to represent the citizens of Minnesota, not a single billionaire. You can also call Governor Pawlenty’s office at 651-296-3391 and tell him to veto the bill.

I have nothing against the Twins. It’s their public subsidizies that I take issue with. The owners and players all make more money than the residents of Hennepin County. We need politicians who will grow a spine and tell the millionaires and billionaires that if they want a stadium, they have enough money to buy one themselves. The Pohlad family has contributed $200,000 to lawmakers over the past five years, which would make a nice down payment on a stadium.

If Pohlad doesn’t want a new ballpark enough to build it himself, he can either take his team elsewhere or shut up and stop whining. He’s worth $2.8 billion, yet he’s crying for public money like he’s below the poverty line. That our legislators actually take him seriously is an insult to not only everyone in financial need, but to everyone who believes in democracy. Let’s let them know we’re mad, and then let’s show them the door.