When I heard Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature Tuesday proposed paying for the state's portion of a Viking's stadium through the bonding bill, I thought "well, here's a last minute knife to the heart of negotiations for the stadium." However, after talking to Representative Bruce Vogel about it, it seems to make sense. It's funny because the Governor has been all for a huge bonding bill and a Vikings stadium, while the GOP has been lukewarm on a stadium and a bonding bill of more than 200 or 300 million dollars. But now the situations are completely reversed...the GOP wants a Vikings stadium and to pay for it as part of a huge, nearly 800 million dollar bonding bill, and Governor Dayton is calling it a "hare brained idea." I guess it's only a good idea if he thinks of it first. Personally, I just want a Vikings stadium bill that's not tied to anything else...not business tax relief, not bonding, nothing...let's have an up-or-down vote in The House and Senate on a Vikings stadium bill on it's own. If it's part of a bonding bill, it would require a super-majority to pass.
I learned this week that my wife Sharon and I won't be getting Ben Burns back this year to host for the 2012 Willmar Stingers season. Ben was our guest most of the year last year...a good, respectful, quiet kid, and a Yankees fan (no one is perfect). But Ben transferred to Georgia State from Daytona State, and the George State coach wants him to pitch in a Georgia summer league. So, I found out this week we will instead be hosting another right handed pitcher named Kelsey Outram, who goes to Southern Utah University. Kelsey is originally from Hawaii. We look forward to meeting him.
For the past few weeks I've been car shopping. I want to sell my old, reliable Honda Wagon which Sharon and I bought in 1997, the year year before we got married, anticipating a need for a wagon, with two young kids. Well, the kids are grown and out of the house, so I'd like someone else to get the use of a solid car like the Honda, and I want to buy a 1998-through-2002 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP. Any takers?
