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Luke Ferguson

Minneapolis, MN
Commenter for
4 years 7 weeks

Recent Comments

Posted on 03/08/12 at 10:07 am in response to Can electronic pull-tabs pull in enough stadium revenue?

Jim,

The deal that uses pulltabs rather than general fund appropriations to fund the stadium raises an issue that I haven't heard widely discussed, but did see mentioned in an MPR article.

The stadium deal would use appropriation bonds rather than traditional bonds. An appropriation bond requires periodic re-passage through the legislature to approve continued payment, unlike a traditional bond that legally binds the state into payment for the whole period of the bond no matter...

Posted on 03/02/12 at 09:27 am in response to How the stadium deal shakes out

Bill, I think the above poster talking about 40 bucks per ticket was implying that a 40 dollar per ticket *increase* over current prices would totally cover the cost of the stadium.

The frustrating thing is, I am sure tickets are going to get more expensive, maybe by 40 bucks per seat, maybe more, and that money is all going to go to the Wilfs to pay their paltry share of their stadium. Paltry especially considering the NFL is offering the Wilfs 200 million or so to offset part of...

Posted on 03/02/12 at 12:03 pm in response to Expect more frustration than fireworks from Sviggum at Regents meeting

“You could double my salary [as regent] and it would be still be zero."

Yes, but no one is suggesting that the U of MN is paying you to lobby or effect legislative policy in any way. The U pays lobbyists for that. And I think the President himself probably makes an appearance or two over in St. Paul at the testifier's table.

“It’s important to have a conservative voice on the board.”

No one is suggesting your views or "conservative voice" are unwelcome on the board of...

Posted on 02/24/12 at 12:11 pm in response to Dayton veto looms over deadly force legislation

Representative Cornish,

Would you please be so kind as to provide a list of verifiable instances in Minnesota in the last 10 years where someone shot an intruder in their home, were then convicted of a crime, and that this law would have led to them not being convicted?

A follow up, in how many of those circumstances (if you've managed to find any) were the victim of the shooting found to pose no threat to the home owner?

Thanks.

Sincerely,

Minnesotans...

Posted on 02/21/12 at 10:52 am in response to Secretary of State Mark Ritchie offers Voter ID alternative: electronic poll books

A voter ID proposal would create a significant increase in bureaucracy, as evidenced by the fact that implementing it will cost four times as much as an electronic poll book system.

Oh, and by the way, voter ID wouldn't do anything to stop the ONLY kind of election fraud that has been prosecuted in MN in the last 10 years: felons voting accidentally. Which is a problem that electronic poll books could fix. I have no problem having an entry in the database indicating that someone isn't...

Posted on 02/16/12 at 01:53 pm in response to Who's for (and against) voter photo ID, and why?

Thomas,

The voters found in Minnesota through the last years of extreme electoral scrutiny in the form of two state wide recounts were almost exclusively felons who voted before the full term of their parole was up, not realizing their franchise had not yet been reinstated.

Please note that photo ID would not prevent this, since these felons are fully eligible to carry photo IDs with their name and address on them.

Also please note that Governor Pawlenty vetoed extra...

Posted on 01/12/12 at 09:35 am in response to Legislators face fourth down on Vikings stadium

Liz,

Great article, and I agree with many of the points in it. I have never been opposed to the "quality of life" arguments that many stadium proponents use.

The problem with those arguments is that they are often used instead of, rather than alongside a hard-nosed analysis of exactly how much a stadium will cost the taxpayers vs how much we can expect to earn back in tax revenues. Most studies that have been done show that it is an overall losing proposition for taxpayers...

Posted on 01/10/12 at 09:44 am in response to Climate B.S. of the Year Awards: And the winners are...

I recently listened to an episode of This American Life where the director of a national organization of science teachers tried to use science, facts, and reason to convince a high school freshmen that global warming existed, and that it was caused by humans.

The high schooler was very polite, but totally immovable. She believed that global warming was still merely a theory, not yet supported by convincing evidence. The main source of her skepticism? Hours spent watching Glenn Beck....

Posted on 12/06/11 at 04:49 pm in response to Minneapolis chooses Dome as preferred site for new Vikings stadium

The Metrodome site is probably at the bottom of the Viking's list. They are going to cry a river about lost revenue while having to play at TCF Bank Stadium.

Posted on 12/06/11 at 10:49 am in response to Minnesota's health-insurance test site goes live

Hmmmmm, wonder why the Vikings hadn't been talking about personal seat licenses?

Is it because they aren't thinking of every possibly revue stream to get their stadium funded?

Or is it because they were going to wait until after State and Local governments signed on to giving them 600 million, then announce that they would be raising a chunk of their 400 million share from seat licenses?

The Vikes were just trying to keep seat licenses as an ace up their sleeve as a way...