Not a great way to build customer loyalty locally. Beyond that, college football, and all the major sports don’t have a blackout rule and it doesn’t seem to hurt them. I can’t imagine not having a blackout rule would hurt the biggest kid on the block.

I apologize for calling you a Packer fan. I don’t apologize for calling you an idiot…..

Not born and raised in MN, but an honest taxpaying resident for 15 years and a lifelong Vikings fan. And I can see past my nose, and am capable of deductive logic. Let’s break it down a little for you….

Let’s assume that the average ticket price is $100, and the average fan spends an additional $50 on concessions/souvenirs. That’s $150 per seat. 60,000 seats per game for 8 games is $72 million. That leaves, what, $200-250 million in non-gameday revenue each year? So that would mean that 75% of taxes paid by the Vikings comes from national revenue sources. How much do you suppose that is? Now figure in the player’s and coach’s salaries and their income tax, about $8 million/year. Of course they don’t pay all that, but even if they only pay $4 million/year, that is $120 million over 30 years.

Now let’s further assume the final tally is $300 million in state contribution, inflated to $500 million by the time all interest on bonds is paid. That rounds up to about $17 million/year. If the amount of non-replaceable tax revenue equals of exceeds that figure, than the state is better off contributing it than letting them go. It’s that simple. Of course, I don’t have access to those records. Do you? No? Well, I’ll bet the state legislature does…. Maybe it would be easier for them to make a decision on this matter if they weren’t afraid of getting voted out for approving it.

Furthermore, let’s assume the $17 million/year figure. 5.3 million Mn residents. Even if the funding was done through a tax that was evenly distributed to each resident, that would be….$3 per year. A quarter per month. Less than a cent a day…. I can see why honest Minnesota taxpayers like you are so concerned….

You’re right, there is more than just one issue here. unfortunately, there are too many people who get hung up on the big number and fail to consider the broader picture. But feel free to keep your head buried in the sand and think that nothing bad will happen to the state budget if the Vikings leave. Then you can vote out the politicians that raised your taxes and cut spending to cover for that tax gap. All because the concept of $3/year was too much for you to stomach.

Awwww, are woo gonna fweeze?

Football’s an outdoor sport. Domes ARE for sissies.

Maybe Minnesota just needs an Arena Team.

Guys who dress up like the guy in the picture for football games are losers.

And he’s Canadian.

However, the fact that I would vote a politician out of office for their ridiculous political games on this bill does not make me ignorant of all the other issues out there (ie: jobs, taxes, poverty, roads, education, etc.). In fact, for a state that has a very high unemployment rate, this Vikings stadium bill is the largest jobs bill introduced this session….hmmmm….funny the politicians didn’t have time to come up with any other jobs bills. They were too busy looking for ways to look good to their constituents, promote their re-election, and not be forced to vote for a stadium, I mean jobs, bill.

Legalizing gambling is the least harmful of all the ideas to fund the stadium. It does NOT increase taxes, it merely taxes the stupid, meaning if you want to gamble, you will find a way to gamble and that money might as well go to the state and the stadium.

The Wilfs are the best ownership group the Vikings have ever had. They may be billionnaires, but when did that become a bad thing?

The myopia of Vikings fans while not surprising, is definitely ignorant. There are other issues to vote on, other than stadiums. We didn’t vote these people in because of how they would vote on a stadium, and if you vote them out because you didn’t get a stadium, I think you should just stay home on election day, because you are grossly misinformed about what purpose politicians serve. And it’s not to satisfy a bunch of drunk face painters who no zip about the other issues facing the state. Like schools, roads, poverty, TAXES. Not stadiums.
———————————-

I will work under the assumption that you are a Packers fan…..

1) Did you know that, if the state of Mn spent the same percentage of tax revenue on education as the state of Wi does, they would shave $2 billion (that’s 9 zeros) off of each year’s budget?
Mn 1
Wi 0

2) Mn has the 4th lowest percentage of poverty in the nation. The percentage of people in Wi below the poverty line is 25% higher than in Mn.
Mn 2
Wi 0

3) I have operated a semi extensively in both Mn and Wi. Talk to me about roads when your underfunded DoT gets the snowplows out before noon…..
Mn 3
Wi 0

4) How is the Mn legislature supposed to continue funding all its various programs without raising taxes when $20 million or so in taxes paid by the Vikings on national revenue sources and by the players leaves town on those Mayflower trucks.

This one isn’t a win for Mn, just pointing out that you’re an idiot.

That is years and years from now though…

“Out of the public eye”? How’s that? I watched Marty, Neinow , Howe, and the entire Senate debate on a statewide TV feed yesterday-and also on live web feed. Their amendments were offered on the floor, debated on the floor for several hours in full view, and in 2 cases, passed on the floor. The “out of the public eye” part happened after these amendments were passed (referendum in Mpls and user-fees) and then re-introduced for re-amendments. The “out of the public eye” part is interesting though, isn’t it, since we do not know what kind of concessions or campaign/financial help those who changed their votes gained during the period between supporting, and then not supporting. lawfully passed amendments. If you want to criticize scummy politics, start there, not with the people who stood in front of the body of the Senate, and the entire state, to offer their views in amendments and debate.

The “Vikings’ Blessing” is hardly the only consideration these people needed to be concerned about. They supposedly represent a broad variety of constituents. The concerns of people who do not want to be exposed to future tax liabilities because of inadequate funding have not been represented, nor have the perfectly legitimate concerns of Minneapolis residents who want their charter to be enforced. I for one hope there will be some group willing to put the time and effort into litigating this piece of crap on the referendum issue alone.

It’s the dirty, slimy underhanded politics I can’t stand. The opponents who hide in the shadows, out of the public eye, and try to sabotage and kill the bill in other ways, such as trying to introduce unnacceptable amendments and proposals, knowing they don’t have a prayer of passing or having the Vikings blessing that I cannot stomach.

= Enter Sean Nienow (R) and John Marty (DFL)

If they’re just gonna build another stinkin’ dome, I’d rather they had left.
________

What a coincidence. I’d rather you had left. Move to Green Bay if you want to sit on urine-soaked aluminum benches in -10 degree weather.

(p.s. GET IT, Southern CA has 4 times as many people as the entire state of Minnesota, I wonder which has the more lucrative TV contracts.)

BTW, what the hell does SKOL mean?
——————————————
It’s a Nordic war cry. I believe it means “victory.”

And as a side-note, as much as Vikes & Pack & Bear fans love to rib each other, I couldn’t imagine NOT playing GB or CHI or even Detroit twice a year for that matter. Its what makes rivalries great. Hopefully, the North stays in tact and is not broken-up due to politics. Most folks in MN want this to get done, including the Pack fans that live here.

And here’s the other thing–how incongruous does “Los Angeles Vikings” sound? Kind of like “Minnesota Dolphins.”

HTTR!

As a fan of The Packers I say get this MF’er done!!!
Its a great rivalry. It would be a shame to not have the Vikings in Minnesota.

BTW, what the hell does SKOL mean?

——————————————————

First off, thanks for the support. Nice to hear from true Packer fans who appreciate the history of the NFC North. “Skol” is a term from the Norse Vikings that was used as a battle cry but is now more used as a salutation or toast to friends.

BTW, what the hell does SKOL mean?