Accessibility menu
State Representative Susan Allen
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-7152
For more information contact: Jenny Nash 651-296-4122
NEWS COLUMN
New Vikings stadium not a higher priority than providing needed services
A bill funding a nearly $1 billion Vikings stadium has passed the Minnesota House of Representatives. I voted against the Vikings stadium because with deep cuts to health care for people with disabilities, public schools, jobs and affordable housing programs, and property tax relief, a new stadium for a professional football team is not a priority for our district. Each dollar spent on a new stadium – regardless of how that dollar is raised – is a dollar that could have been used for a different, higher purpose. I believe the Vikings stadium deal exemplifies corporate welfare at its worst and siphons funds from appropriate public investments.
The financing source of the state’s share of the cost is also objectionable. Funds would be raised through an expansion of charitable gambling by authorizing electronic pull-tabs and bingo. The state will sell bonds to pay for its share of the stadium, and then use increased gambling profits to pay them off. There are serious concerns with using gambling proceeds as a funding stream. It is a risky and unreliable revenue source, and the revenue projections are highly optimistic. In 2011, a total of $990 million was spent on charitable gambling in the state – under the proposal, the total gambling activity is projected to rise to $2.3 billion a year – more than double 2011 levels. In addition, I am concerned about the negative impact of expanded gambling on our district.
Earlier, I voted in support of a $496 million statewide bonding package to create thousands of construction and long-term private sector jobs. Bonding for roads and bridges, flood prevention and mitigation, buildings on college campuses, supportive housing, waste water treatment plants, and public facilities with regional or statewide significance is a better approach to job creation. The bonding bill included $1.75 million for the Phillips Community Pool renovation project and over $13 million for the Minneapolis Community and Technical College Workforce program renovation. These projects will directly benefit our area.
While I could not vote for the Vikings stadium proposal, I was pleased support the bonding bill. It will stretch taxpayer dollars farther by taking advantage of record low interest rates and discounted building costs and will provide work for unemployed construction workers, contractors, engineers, architects and others.
The bonding bill will help our community and I was glad to support it.
News Items
- STATE REP. SUSAN ALLEN APPOINTED VICE-CHAIR OF HOUSE CIVIL LAW COMMITTEE - (Posted: Dec 17 2012 12:00AM)
- New Vikings stadium not a higher priority than providing needed services - (Posted: 2012-05-09 00:00:00)
- EXTREME CHILD CUSTODY BILL PASSED BY HOUSE - (Posted: 2012-04-20 00:00:00)
- Archived News Items
- Subscribe to RSS News Feeds
- Read more about RSS.