My favorite analogy for explaining exactly how 'tax expenditures' work is one I stole from the amazing Rep Ann Lenczewski (who may have stolen it from someone else).

Picture all the money that the government has to spend as a pool. People are gathered around the pool and taking water, benefiting from that money.

Now picture this pool being fed by a waterfall, which represents tax revenues coming into the pool of government money to spend. People who take advantage of itemizing...

Ahhh, yes, the simple philosophy of maximizing my grandmother's individual freedom by telling her she is free to pay rent or pay for food, but certainly not both if her social security gets cut by 43%.

Silly me, how I could think of that as incoherent. Maybe the term we're looking for here is inhumane.

Electronic Poll Books are different (and obviously worse, in Representative Kiffmeyer's eyes) because it would disenfranchise far fewer constituencies that trend Democratic.

Paul,

Your comments on stadium dead zones make a lot of sense and I agree heartily.

Light rail, on the other hand, can't be lumped in with a stadium. There has been a lot of development and rising property values along the Hiawatha line, and the same is happening along the Central Corridor. Light rails does a lot to revitalize a community and spur economic development.

One more point, Block E partially died it's own death, but it has truly gone quiet since the building...