13 thoughts on “Saint Paul Will Suck A Little More In October”

  1. I’ll miss it.
    I lived on St Clair in the 80s when the Broiler and Khyber Pass were my two goto neighborhood eateries.
    The broiler had a roast beef platter I particularly enjoyed ( roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy that didn’t taste like it came from a can, vegetable, and a roll)

  4. I lived in that neighborhood when we first came to Minnesota. Liked the Broiler a lot, but we haven’t been back much since we moved to suburbia. May have to make one last visit.

  5. When we were building my wife’s office, due to the code of accommodation, bathroom turned out be the most spacious and expensive room, detracting from size of ops and office. Priorities.

  7. If Fisch is right, it’s coming to Minneapolis and then the suburbs. And then we’re all going to wonder what to do with those buildings whose tenants have been sued out of business by this ADA lawyer.

    It also strikes me that a century ago, business owners or fellow patrons would simply have helped those in wheelchairs up the steps, and all would have had a good meal or whatever they came for. But apparently today, we’ve got to pretend that conditions that make a man dependent on others can be handled completely independently of other peoples’ help, and our downtowns are going to pay the price for it.

    Another neat fact; unemployment among the disabled went up when the ADA was passed, if I remember correctly. Employers simply made subtle changes so that hiring the disabled would not be a minor, but rather a major, difficulty.

  8. Wife worked there as a teen. Drove by it a million times when we lived in Highland, but we only went in there once; it was OK. She won’t miss it…she’s a shrimp and grits gal now.

    Red’s Savoy closed recently, too. We did try one of their pizzas once…once; we’re not fans of catchup and cardboard with a side of grease. DeGideos was a place we did visit fairly often. Their red sauce was crap too, but they do make good sausage, peppers and onions.

    Doesn’t really matter…Allah willing, y’all will be eating goat balls and chick peas soon enough anyway. And you’ll *like* it too, damn it, if you know what’s good for you.

  9. Fish – the ADA is an excellent example of feel-good legislation over-riding common sense, and the consequences of acting senselessly.

    Handicapped people are citizens, too. They deserve full and equal access to public services, public accommodations, public spaces. We should make everything accessible to the handicapped. REGARDLESS OF COST.

    Whoa, hang on a minute there, professor. Regardless of cost? Let’s not get carried away. We cannot alter this historic building to accommodate modern elevators – it would destroy the historic authenticity. We cannot alter every business doorway – it would destroy Main Street. We cannot alter every city bus, every sidewalk curb cut, every swimming pool – it would bankrupt the nation.

    Knowing all that, Congress passed the law anyway. And the lawyer taking advantage of the law is entirely in the right (that’s why every case he brings is a no-brain winner).

    What’s the solution? Blame the messenger? Or admit the airy notion of universal access was airheaded wishful thinking and change the law? But no, that would be insensitive. Heartless. Unpopular. Better to destroy Main Street one building at a time. After all, it’s not Congress’ dream being crushed. It’s not their lives being ruined. It’s not their money being spent. So what’s the problem?

  10. And the lawyer taking advantage of the law is entirely in the right …
    Can’t argue with the facts Joe; when you’re right, you’re right and you’re right. But it’s not quite that cut and dried either.

    I see this issue in the same light I see people crying about how shitty the public schools are, or how high their taxes are, or how nasty and worthless “other people’s kids” have become.

    Legally, yes he’s right. He is exploiting a system the people who are being shafted allowed to be put in place, and who have not mounted an organized offence until after it’s too late; they’re reaping what they sewed.

    But that lawyer is still a rent seeking reprobate, no getting around that.

  11. So, if I understand, there’s a lawyer who sues or threatens to sue a restaurant and rather than do like the lawyer wants, the restaurants close down. Or perhaps some of them even do make the improvements. Regardless, how does the lawyer make any money on this? I’m not arguing the point, this just seems a little underpants-gnome-y to me.

  12. JDM – the lawyer makes money by settling the cases for small amounts, but settling a lot of them. Walk down the main street of any town – you can find some sort of code violation in every single building. Make the claim, settle for $5,000 plus a promise to correct the code violation, split with the client – easy money.

    Business owners act as if this is a big GOTCHA surprise but it shouldn’t be. The ADA was passed in 1990. The trouble is that nobody really enforced it so owners got used to thinking it wasn’t important to spend the money to comply. You’ll notice owners aren’t defending the claims saying “I’m in compliance,” they’re saying “It’s mean of you to insist that I comply.” That doesn’t work for any other code violation.

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