Skip to Content

Brian Simon

Minneapolis, MN
Commenter for
5 years 26 weeks

Recent Comments

Posted on 02/28/11 at 02:42 pm in response to A Vikings stadium? Here's a plan to declare exactly what the public is willing to do

What a bunch of hooey.

If they want the right to advertise to our eyeballs, they ought to pay for the privilege of building a stadium in which to conduct the games. It is ridiculous to argue that we should pay for a stadium with tax dollars, the sole purpose of which is to sell us junk we don't need. Have you noticed that a 60 minute NFL game takes over three hours to broadcast? The remaining time is filled largely with advertising, whether directly in the form of discrete ads,...

Posted on 02/24/11 at 01:12 pm in response to The Republican Party and the F-word

I agree with Godwin's law, that as soon as someone brings up hitler, nazis or fascism to castigate their opponents, they have lost the argument. However, as Eric notes, there needs to be a corrolary that applies to allegations of socialism, communism and marxism.

Posted on 02/24/11 at 01:07 pm in response to Surly beer battle is back on

BD Maginnis writes
"The anti-democracy crowds in Wisconsin are doing a great job of showing the world what happens when radical leftists try to "keep" their benefits and wages."

anti-democracy? Free speech? Freedom of assembly? Right to petition the government?

Also please note the so-called 'radical leftists' have agreed to the benefits restructuring proposed by Gov Walker. What they object to is the curtailing of their right to bargain collectively. Personally,...

Posted on 02/23/11 at 12:35 pm in response to Cities are humanity's greatest achievement; why stand in their way?

A few random thoughts on cities in the news this week... The Economist released their list of the world's most livable cities; Pittsburgh is somehow the highest ranked US city, Detroit somehow make the top 10, as did Minneapolis - in 10th place. How they ranked Detroit that high is unclear. Meanwhile, Ezra Klein at the Washington Post linked to another story on Detroit, that details one hypothesis about how the auto industry drove Detroit both into boom and bust; the former through...

Posted on 02/23/11 at 03:00 pm in response to Does a 'Bellagio or Wynn experience' await on Block E?

"MN looses a big chunk of revenue by encouraging retirees to move to no tax states like FL to cash out their retirement plans."

If only we could control the climate too, they wouldn't have any reasons to leave MN.

Posted on 02/23/11 at 11:17 am in response to Does a 'Bellagio or Wynn experience' await on Block E?

"Developer Bob Lux has chatted up the [Minneapolis casion] concept with the likes of Ted Mondale, who isn’t calling it absurd."

Why is a casino developer talking with the chair of the metropolitan sports facility commission? Are they going to take over Block E as a Texas Hold-em stadium?

Posted on 02/22/11 at 02:05 pm in response to No jobs measure, but 'The Cheeseburger Bill' lives again

"What I don't get about the regents thing is why members of the anti-intellectual, anti-science, anti-education party want to be on the board of a university."

Troubled Waters:

http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/2010/09/15/who-pulled-plub-university-...

"...

Posted on 02/22/11 at 01:41 pm in response to Huckabee sounds less and less like a candidate

I see, as of this AM, that Sen Thune is out as well. The field narrows! Who benefits? I'm of the mind that the former gov of AK is likewise out; which leaves Romney & Pawlenty as the most clearly in the race; with perhaps an opening for Gov Daniels as the dark horse candidate most likely to come 'out of nowhere'.

Posted on 02/16/11 at 02:01 pm in response to Obama's re-election prospects in historical perspective, with an intriguing historical tendency

Eric Black writes
"I’ve managed to write an entire piece on Obama’s chances in 2012 without once mentioning that it all depends on whether the unemployment is below 8 percent by Election Day."

While the 2-and-out pattern is interesting in and of itself, it might also be interesting to lay that pattern over the business cycle.

Posted on 02/15/11 at 05:56 pm in response to Ramsey County first to jump in for Vikings stadium plan

"The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Jesse Garza posted the story the AP and hundreds of other outlets picked up Monday about the Packers fan, I’m sorry, Wisconsin citizen, found passed out with a blood alcohol level seven times the legal limit."

I see in the JS article that the man was found passed out in Wisconsin. His state of residency (citizenship?) wasn't mentioned.