I-35W bridge collapse has thrown Vikings stadium issue for a big loss

**singersp** · 08-20-2007, 05:38 AM

[size=13pt]I-35W bridge collapse has thrown Vikings stadium issue for a big loss[/size]

If you're a Vikings football aficionado, you must feel like it is fourth-and-50.

By Lou Gelfand, Star Tribune

Last update: August 19, 2007 Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 11:14 PM

The thorny ethical issue confronting you and many thousands of your fellow fans is how the state can finance even part of a new stadium when, as this newspaper's editorial page pointed out after the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge, "There can be no doubt that today, the adequacy and safety of the rest of the state's roads and bridges is Minnesota's No. 1 public policy concern."...

**vikingivan** · 08-20-2007, 05:59 AM

The bridge collapse was a tragedy.
All available resources should be used to prevent it from ever happening again.
It is going to make it that much more difficult to get funding for a stadium.
There is no doubt about that.
All of us who have been to the Dome know that we really do need a new stadium.
Losing the Vikings would be terrible.
We have to find a way to fund a new stadium or I believe they will move to the West Coast.

How do we pay for it?
Increasing taxes is not a popular solution.
Just a thought, with all of the casinos we have in the state now.
Why, can't we have a couple of state ran casinos?
They would be able to pay for new stadiums and other things.
That would seem to be a better solution than increasing taxes or the Vikings leaving.

**singersp** · 08-20-2007, 06:08 AM

....California, here we come.

**vikingivan** · 08-20-2007, 06:13 AM

"singersp" wrote:

....California, here we come.

The LA Vikings.
Doesn't have a ring to it.

**Marrdro** · 08-20-2007, 07:13 AM

"vikingivan" wrote:

"singersp" wrote:

....California, here we come.

The LA Vikings.
Doesn't have a ring to it.

That would kill me.

When the North Stars left, I completely lost interest in hockey.
I tried to follow a few local teams close to the VA area but it just wasn't the same.

Now that we have the Wild I am getting a bit more interested, however, it still isn't the same.
Hard to latch on to a team that I haven't been following my whole frickin life.

Anyway, as I stated, this would kill me.
Only way it could/would work out in my favor is if we got them down here.
Heck we were a close second/third to land the team now known as the Nationals.

**singersp** · 08-20-2007, 07:29 AM

"Marrdro" wrote:

"vikingivan" wrote:

"singersp" wrote:

....California, here we come.

The LA Vikings.
Doesn't have a ring to it.

That would kill me.

When the North Stars left, I completely lost interest in hockey.
I tried to follow a few local teams close to the VA area but it just wasn't the same.

Same here. I haven't watched hockey since.

**Purple Floyd** · 08-20-2007, 07:33 AM

It's not rocket science, the legislature just need to raise taxes for all of the things we need to do and get them done.Nobody minds paying higher taxes, even if they complain about it for the first couple days.

**nephilimstorm** · 08-20-2007, 07:48 AM

"Marrdro" wrote:

"vikingivan" wrote:

"singersp" wrote:

....California, here we come.

The LA Vikings.
Doesn't have a ring to it.

That would kill me.

When the North Stars left, I completely lost interest in hockey.
I tried to follow a few local teams close to the VA area but it just wasn't the same.

Now that we have the Wild I am getting a bit more interested, however, it still isn't the same.
Hard to latch on to a team that I haven't been following my whole frickin life.

Anyway, as I stated, this would kill me.
Only way it could/would work out in my favor is if we got them down here.
Heck we were a close second/third to land the team now known as the Nationals.

I hear that Marrdro,
I lost complete interest in hockey when the Whalers left Hartford

**purpleFavreEaters** · 08-20-2007, 08:20 AM

"UffDaVikes" wrote:

It's not rocket science, the legislature just need to raise taxes for all of the things we need to do and get them done.Nobody minds paying higher taxes, even if they complain about it for the first couple days.

SERIOUSLY DUDE???? You honestly are not making this statement. Do you pay taxes? Do you have a family. You have to also realize not everyone is a sports fan and should not be required to pay taxes to fund a new stasium. Everyone however who pays taxes at one point or another use our highways and bridges.
Fact of the matter is this state has to look at our priorities and unfortunatly building a stadium at this point in time should not be one of them. That money needs to go to our roadways and repair work. Its to bad it took such a horrible even t to make people realize that.
I really hope we do not lose the team over this, but I feel our lives are a little more important than a new stadium.

**Zeus** · 08-20-2007, 08:34 AM

"singersp" wrote:

....California, here we come.

What do you know - Chicken Little's out again.

There is NOTHING in that article that is new.
Every "fact" is old and has been re-hashed.

But you just can't resist, can you?

Why don't you use your tremendous powers of newspaper article searching and find us the update on the LA stadium where the Vikings will play.
Because since you've got them packed and on the way out-of-town already, that stadium must be approved and in-flight, right?

=Z=