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Jeff Klein

Minneapolis, MN
Commenter for
4 years 28 weeks

Recent Comments

Posted on 05/14/13 at 11:33 am in response to Practical considerations aside, Vikings stadium design is impressive

I don't have much a problem with the design but shouldn't we be talking about urban design issues - how will this design interact with the streets nearby? Will we finally develop the area? Could one of the giant blank walls have bars or restaurants accessible from the outside?

Posted on 05/13/13 at 09:09 am in response to Bottineau LRT: Tiny step closer — but nowhere near a done deal

"More important, in my mind, its path, through relatively low-density neighborhoods, may make it less useful to residents."

Totally right. I know demolishing houses makes people uncomfortable. It does so for good reason - freeways destroyed neighborhoods - but if you're going to build a $1 billion light rail line, why not do it right? Light rail, unlke freeways, is *good* for neighborhoods, and there's no neighborhood that could better use some good news than north Minneapolis....

Posted on 05/13/13 at 03:53 pm in response to Bottineau LRT: Tiny step closer — but nowhere near a done deal

That would be a really convoluated way to get downtown. I was told the north side leadership did a poor job advocating for and explaining the benefits of the Bottineau line to local residents.

As for the Central Corridor, it'll stop... and stop, and stop, and crawl, and stop again. Great. Students should be willing to walk a few blocks. What is it, an hour, downtown to downtown?

The problem in both cases is there was a lack of overarching vision on the best overall solution...

Posted on 04/30/13 at 10:01 am in response to Hostile reception greets Dayton at first metro-area ‘Meet with Mark’ session

Well, it's a relief to see they didn't let the facts get in the way of their illogical and misguided rage.

Seriously, the day these folks realize that the government, which takes a small fraction of their income and in return provides civilization, isn't the enemy. Rather, it's their bosses who make fifty times more than they do. Or that all of the states they idolize are worse by every measure than ours. The idea that there are residents of Minnesota who want to model our policies...

Posted on 04/16/13 at 06:05 pm in response to Minneapolis ramping up efforts for a re-imagined Nicollet Mall

Agreed. This seems like a lot of focus on something that's already pretty good. You could do a lot more by putting the money into almost anything else.

Posted on 04/16/13 at 12:48 pm in response to The Second Amendment is a mess

Yeah, I guess if you just choose the phrase you like most and take it out of its context it does make your point.

Posted on 04/15/13 at 09:30 am in response to After six years, she finally got Section 8 housing — and then lost it

It might go a long way just to help people search for apartments more effectively. It's pretty shocking that you can pay $945 for an apartment in Minneapolis with broken windows. Why? Because that's exactly what we pay for an entirely respectable two-bedroom place in the Powderhorn neighborhood. A few minutes on Criagslist or Padmapper will turn up dozens of reasonable two-bedroom apartments in the $1000 range. With the voucher the total comes to $1885 which is enough to rent a fairly...

Posted on 04/15/13 at 03:17 pm in response to After six years, she finally got Section 8 housing — and then lost it

I've been in the process of apartment-hunting recently so I know very well what the rents are. First of all, even if "95% of their two bedrooms were $900+", what's the problem? She is paying $945 for a place with a broken window. I don't think I could find such a bad deal if I tried to. And $1875 for three bedrooms? It's difficult to spend that much! An entire small house is about $1500 almost anywhere in town. I'm sorry but while I agree that rent assistance programs are needed,...

Posted on 04/02/13 at 05:00 pm in response to Dayton tax on rich would send Minnesota back near top of U.S. rankings

It's awfully hard not to laugh when the states that the anti-taxers trot out to try to scare us are paragons of high standards of living and a well-educated and healthy and happy citizenry. Perhaps we're just "getting ahead" of the "we don't invest" states like Alabama and West Virginia.

Posted on 03/28/13 at 07:16 pm in response to For Gov. Dayton, tax reform, stadium controversies make March 'cruelest month'

This myth has been repeatedly studied and shown to be false. Not to mention it doesn't even pass basic common sense. How many people would uproot their entire lives - and presumably their businesses, since, as we're frequently reminded, the wealthy are business-owners - over a few percent tax increase? Only the most ardent capitalist would presume to think human decision making processes are so incredibly simple.