Letter to Matt Dean

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diefirma

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If you think alcohol should be served in the luxury suites at TCF please write or call your representative. There is still time to save this and it would be a great help to the sports programs. Here is a letter I just sent to my representative.

I was very disappointed to see that the house voted against alcohol in the luxury suites at TCF stadium.
This was nothing more than the cheapest form of political grandstanding. This is why people like me have nothing but contempt for politicians.

What is next? A ban on first class seats on airlines? A demand that everyone drive the same car? For that matter why have tiered seating at all at TCF? Tear out the luxury seats and all the seats that have backs on them and make everyone sit on bleachers.

The fact of the matter is that money can buy a better lifestyle in the USA. That might be a better house, a better car, first class seats on airplanes, or even, GOD FORBID, better seats and privileges at TCF.

By denying alcohol sales in the suites at TCF you are depriving the sports programs of 1 to 2 million dollars per year. Whom does that help? No one. Only serving alcohol in the suites hurts whom? No one. It is a STUPID decision but you are willing to deny alcohol sales just so you can say you are for the “little guy”.

Just for the record, I don't drink and I sit in the cheap seats like everyone else. I am a Gopher fan and hate to see the University hurt so elitist politicians can puff out their chest and strut around and pretend to be something they are not.

I have voted Republican all my life but will not vote for Mr. Dean. In fact, I will actively work against Mr. Dean.
 

My struggle with these extreme stances is there is no room for conversation. You have put him right on the defensive, and most people will bunker down and refute that their decision was stupid and stop listening to why you think otherwise.

Is it possible to put forth your position on the subject without also attacking the person at the same time? Most people who I want to get information out of don't respond well to bulling. Maybe I'm in the minority.

Our goal is to convince them to change the law. Maybe a better position email template explaining figures and group interests might be better used.
 

My experience is those that pander to the ignorant or resentful tend to not respond well to common sense.

The only way to get a point across to a politician like this is to make it with your vote. Cheap shots won't work and neither will a well thought out argument. If reasoning ruled the day, they wouldn't have voted the way they did.

...and yes, those that favor the law fall under 2 categories as I mentioned above: Ignorant or Resentful.

Ignorant: Those that don't know or understand that the University would never sell alcohol to students on campus at a football game. They think that the law will give them a chance to buy a beer in the cheap seats, which couldn't be farther from the truth because it's almost impossible to differientate between students and non-students in the general admission areas.

Resentful: Those that do understand that the 'U' would never sell alcohol to students on campus at a football game but have the attitude of "screw them...if I can't have beer, neither can they."
 

diefirma, do you have a list of how the House voted on this bill handy that you can post for all?
 

The problem is that the DFL in Minnesota has always pandered to the uninformed and tried to rouse them by characterizing the educated and wealthy as villains who are "out to get them". And since Sarah Pallin/ Joe the Plumber, and Pawlenty's "Sam's Club Republicans" movement the other side has took to playing the same game.

This sort of attack plays well to the passive-aggressive side of so many people in Minnesota.
 


Once the economy recovers it will not be necessary for politicians to be pandering for votes so much and the law will be returned to what it was originally. Until then, you better just drink in the limo-ride over to your private suite
 

BRAVO! My thoughts exactly on your letter.
 

diefirma said:
If you think alcohol should be served in the luxury suites at TCF please write or call your representative. There is still time to save this and it would be a great help to the sports programs. Here is a letter I just sent to my representative.

I was very disappointed to see that the house voted against alcohol in the luxury suites at TCF stadium.
This was nothing more than the cheapest form of political grandstanding. This is why people like me have nothing but contempt for politicians.

What is next? A ban on first class seats on airlines? A demand that everyone drive the same car? For that matter why have tiered seating at all at TCF? Tear out the luxury seats and all the seats that have backs on them and make everyone sit on bleachers.

The fact of the matter is that money can buy a better lifestyle in the USA. That might be a better house, a better car, first class seats on airplanes, or even, GOD FORBID, better seats and privileges at TCF.

By denying alcohol sales in the suites at TCF you are depriving the sports programs of 1 to 2 million dollars per year. Whom does that help? No one. Only serving alcohol in the suites hurts whom? No one. It is a STUPID decision but you are willing to deny alcohol sales just so you can say you are for the “little guy”.

Just for the record, I don't drink and I sit in the cheap seats like everyone else. I am a Gopher fan and hate to see the University hurt so elitist politicians can puff out their chest and strut around and pretend to be something they are not.

I have voted Republican all my life but will not vote for Mr. Dean. In fact, I will actively work against Mr. Dean.
Click to expand...

Let me spell it out for the umteenth time in GopherHole. GOPHERS STADIUM WAS BUILT WITH PUBLIC FUNDS. IT IS OWNED BY ALL OF THE TAXPAYERS IN MINNESOTA. It has nothing in common with private airlines, private clubs, privately-owned automobiles, or privately-owned anything else.

The Board of Regents and U Administration do not have the right to discriminate in this manner. We are absolutely NOT going to allow that to happen in Minnesta. If you don't like it - very few people give a rip. Thank God we have a Governor and state legislators that are not willing to sacrifice their principles to appease the crackpots on on-line message boards.
 

UpnorthGo4 said:
Let me spell it out for the umteenth time in GopherHole. GOPHERS STADIUM WAS BUILT WITH PUBLIC FUNDS. IT IS OWNED BY ALL OF THE TAXPAYERS IN MINNESOTA.

The Board of Regents and U Administration do not have the right to discriminate in this manner. We are absolutely NOT going to allow that to happen in Minnesta. If you don't like it - very few people give a rip. Thank God we have a Governor and state legislators that are not willing to sacrifice their principles to appease the crackpots on on-line message boards.
Click to expand...

It may have been built with public funds, but it is NOT owned by the taxpayers of the state of Minnesota. It is owned by the University of Minnesota which is overseen by the Board of Regents. They are not elected representatives nor are they appointed by the State Legislature. They are in charge of the University and all that encompases. They should be allowed to run TCF bank and every other part of the U as they see fit without meddling from the legislature.

If the Legislature was so concerned about the masses having beer, they could have made the state funding for the stadium contingent on it being allowed. Maybe the U was desperate enough for the funds, they'd have agreed to thumb their nose at the NCAA and do it. Maybe not. I don't know. But they didn't demand it be put in the stadium legislation itself. Instead they came along 4 years later and stuck thier nose in where it doesn't belong.
 



UpnorthGo4 said:
Let me spell it out for the umteenth time in GopherHole. GOPHERS STADIUM WAS BUILT WITH PUBLIC FUNDS. IT IS OWNED BY ALL OF THE TAXPAYERS IN MINNESOTA. It has nothing in common with private airlines, private clubs, privately-owned automobiles, or privately-owned anything else.

The Board of Regents and U Administration do not have the right to discriminate in this manner. We are absolutely NOT going to allow that to happen in Minnesta. If you don't like it - very few people give a rip. Thank God we have a Governor and state legislators that are not willing to sacrifice their principles to appease the crackpots on on-line message boards.
Click to expand...

high-ground-of-an-argument.png


Been a while since I've been able to find a nice use of that one. Thanks for the opportunity.
 

UpnorthGo4 said:
Thank God we have a Governor and state legislators that are not willing to sacrifice their principles to appease the crackpots on on-line message boards.
Click to expand...

I guess my $1000 donation to stadium construction and continued $1000 annual premium seat donations does not qualify me to speak on the matter as much as some legislator from eel pout land that has never been to a college football game and could care less whether the Golden Gophers are competitive or not.

Move along 'Governor'. Let's get some one who really cares about this state, not their own ambitions.
 

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