Consider The Fine Restaurants Of Eagan
By Mitch Berg
Saint Paul – unable to balance its budget without getting an eternal subsidy from the parts of the state that aren’t saddled with bills from decades of Tic management – is a perennial financial mess.
The Republican National Convention, coming to town in September, should be a financial windfall for an awful lot of regional – not just Saint Paul – merchants, restauranteurs and hoteliers. Saint Paul’s city government certainly doesn’t mind the extra traffic coming to town, although we know where the Gang of Five’s hearts really are.
But I digress. With the “Gang of Five” in office, the RNC would also seem to be a big ripe suck for a city administration that never saw a tax it didn’t like.
St. Paulicy, as usual, has the story:
The plan is apparently to increase the food and/or drink tax during the time of the RNC convention. While Mayor Coleman’s heart will be in Denver – he realizes there will be a lot of fat cats and big wallets right here in the Capitol City when the RNC rolls into town.
As the city looks at a tight budget, SPicy can imagine how this idea emerged.
“We really don’t like the RNC – but there are plenty of rich Republicans. Like us Democrats, they like to drink too. They like to eat, albeit better than we do. And since there is not a lot in the way of an expanded tax base in Saint Paul – the city really needs to find some more money.”Bingo
St. Paul raises the drink and food tax just for the week of the convention. When the evil Republicans leave – things go back to normal. What’s left behind is free money. It’s clean and easy. No one gets hurt – and the GOP won’t miss the extra ½ percent.
On the one hand, but for a few demonstrably Republican-friendly restauranteurs and bar owners in Saint Paul, I’d be tempted to try to find a way to direct delegates and their money elsewhere in the metro for their dining and lodging needs (and, ironically and hilariously, leave the city’s overtaxed hotels and food to the media and the protesters).
On the other, it’s a great warning about what awaits this nation should the Tics win in November. Everyone who’s not a ward of the state is a target of the state!
February 20th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
I don’t have the same misgivings as you do Mitch; so I’ll be directing everyone I can to points south for their dining and entertainment pleasure.
Effin’ Democrats, I swear.
February 20th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
I would without reservation…
…EXCEPT that there are a few good GOP-leaning proprietors in Saint Paul.
I’ll keep their names off-line for now, but I plan on doing my best to send people to them in teeming droves once the convention starts, taxes or no.
I mean, the Gang of Five ain’t their fault…
February 20th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
“…but there are plenty of rich Republicans. Like us Democrats, they like to drink too. They like to eat, albeit better than we do.”
Huh?!?!?!
Anyone remember that list of rich folks (not that there is anything wrong with that) who were mostly left-leaning (and jackasses) hoping and praying and begging for higher taxes? They said they could pay for them… although they didn’t want, as a class, to pay for them alone.
Tics don’t eat better or worse than right-leaners. Right-leaners can’t, by simply being on the right, eat better and more expensive food. The left isn’t more poor than the right.
Effing mayor… what a maroon.
February 20th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Badda, that is a myth the tics love….that Republicans are more financally successful then Democrats. Yes, we are better at handling money, but most of the Republicans I know are farmers, teachers, small businessmen, very middle class. Walk down Summit Ave next October and tell me wht you see more of; McCain signs or Obama. (Hint, the ultra-rich of Summit ave will support Obama…say 12:1 over McCain).
Yeah, Jr Pohlad. Perhaps not the brighest individual in the world. At the same time he is hitting up the county to help pay for his stadium (for the record, I support that), he buys an ad in the paper saying we need to raise taxes so the gov’t can spend more, and you are immoral if you don’t support higher taxes.
February 20th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
My husband and i drive 35 minutes to Eagan to partake of the Cici’s pizza there…excellent mac and cheese pizza, buffalo wing pizza, basically all-you-can-eat pizza buffet for $4.99. Yum! Hopefully the RNC makes a trip down south for it!
February 20th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
And remember the reason the state targets you is for you to surrender and become a ward of the state. They need your vote.
February 20th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Say Chuck, just for craps and giggles, where do you live?
February 20th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
…I’d be tempted to try to find a way to direct delegates and their money elsewhere in the metro for their dining and lodging needs…
Way to support your home city! Will you do cartwheels when Ford closes the plant this year? That’ll show those Tics.
Good luck with that by the way. There’s nothing that busy, out-of-towner delegates would rather do than drive cluelessly around an unfamiliar metro area.
February 20th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
This is just dumb. Word of this will get around and future conventions that don’t involve evil evil EVIL!!!!!! Republicans will look elsewhere. The chump change that Coleman will collect from this spite tax won’t even begin to offset what the city would lose if other conventions go elsewhere.
On other thing to remember — lots of the delegates will be staying in Minneapolis and elsewhere in the metro and will thus take lots of meals outside of St. Paul proper. This elephant herd won’t be nearly as captive an audience as Coleman thinks. Of course Rybak will probably try the same stunt.
February 20th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Mr. D said:
“spite tax”
Ooooo! That is good! This should be known as the “Spite Tax”. 🙂
February 21st, 2008 at 10:34 am
“Say Chuck, just for craps and giggles, where do you live? ”
Ummmn not saying as I don’t know what answer you are looking for. But, here’s where I lived in the past:
Medium sized college town
Smaller farming/suburban type place
Older industrial city (spent most of my time here)
Currently east metro, not within the city limits of St Paul, but very close and spend a fair amount of time (and money) there.
February 21st, 2008 at 11:11 am
Way to support your home city!
And kudos to the home city for gouging politically-unfashionable visitors!
There’s nothing that busy, out-of-towner delegates would rather do than drive cluelessly around an unfamiliar metro area.
You’ve mistaken Republicans for Tic herd creatures.
February 22nd, 2008 at 8:32 am
[…] On Wednesday, I related a rumor that the Coleman administration planned to institute a supplemental sales tax during the week of the GOP Convention. […]