A PUBLICLY FUNDED FOOTBALL STADIUM????  This from a Governor who is apparently so principled on the budget that it is worth violating his Constitutional prerogative to cut funding for things.

Don’t worry though, they have a perfectly responsible means to pay for this new stadium: they are going to encourage more people to engage in state-sponsored gambling!

Here are the many ways in which one’s head ought to explode if they want to pretend this idea makes sense.

1. Having people gamble more doesn’t have social costs, does it?  Luckily, the social problems of poor health, low education and and poor social environment are not problems that my tax dollars already go to combat, so if the Vikings make those problems worse, I won’t be the one paying… oh.
2. We obviously have nothing else that the state needs to pay for in its budget, like, for example, police officers.  I certainly don’t live on a street with 4 inches of snow even as I get letter from the city threatening to fine me if I don’t shovel my sidewalk within 30 seconds of the most recent snowfall
3. Also, those potholes all around the TC are probably just my imagination… of course, everyone knows that a professional football team generate more revenue than an effective daily transportation system that more effectively delivers workers and goods acros the state more efficiently.
4. If there is to be increased revenues from the lottery, one of two things has to happen: Either MORE people GAMBLE MORE, or people STOP buying lottery tickets that support OTHER state projects and buy these tickets instead.  In which case, our budgetary priorities are being scheduled by which scratch-off game is most popular at the gas station.
5. Since the state is essentially involved in what could be a private industry for the purposes of raising revenues, why don’t they take over the drug trade, banking, and the restaurant industries as well? Then the Vikings could have a new stadium and be competitive when revenue sharing disappears.
6. Not to nit-pick, but are we really going to do this before the league has a horrible labor dispute?  What happens if the NFL becomes the NHL?
7. Here’s a novel thought: if the state wants to raise revenues for itself through the lottery, WHY NOT LOWER TAXES???

In short, the idea that conservatives think that they can be either a) For the STATE TO RUN A GAMBLING INDUSTRY b) For a gambling industry, that subsidizes the capital investment for ANOTHER private industry and still call themselves a principled conservative escapes human comprehension.

If the Tea-Partiers want to meet in Saint Paul for this one, I’ll meet you there.  However, since your movement is owned by people who have interests rather than principles, I’m guessing I won’t see you.