Outrageous is the only word to describe a provision in the stadium bill that was passed by the Minnesota Senate and now awaits approval by the House.

Monday, March 25, 2002

Outrageous is the only word to describe a provision in the stadium bill that was passed by the Minnesota Senate and now awaits approval by the House.

The provision would allow the stadium to collect a fee for news media to cover events. At this point that would include sporting events, from Vikings and Twins games to high school tournaments.

Where is the logic behind this? Actually there is none. Frankly, and some lawmakers have readily admitted it, the idea is based on revenge towards the the media for its "negative take" on the whole stadium issue. Legislators are somehow blaming the news media for the state’s haphazard handing of the issue. If the media actually had that much influence, the Senate would not have strapped the cost of the stadium to taxpayers’ back.

Do lawmakers believe such a user fee will make a difference in paying for a multi-million stadium? Sounds like the same financial planning that pushed Minnesota into a $2 billion deficit. It would literally be like raising $1 million by collecting pennies.

We’re just hopeful this futile idea will end up falling into a legal wastebasket.