Sports

Over his many years as a star NFL quarterback, Brett Favre has earned respect and admiration from Packer fans and the front office.  He is admired…no…REVERED in Packer Dom.  However, the Packers have given him plenty of time to make up his mind about whether or not he will return next season.  The NFL draft is approaching.  Favre has been stalling.  It is time for Brett to decide.  If doesn’t do it within a week, it is time for the Packers to give him a deadline and treat him like any other football player under contract.

Congress and Immigration

The Congress of the United States has taken a break without resolving immigration issues, particularly at the Mexican border.  This is a complex, multi-faceted problem, so perhaps it is good that they are giving it more time.  My prediction is that Congress will pass legislation soon.  It is also my prediction that the new law will be unenforceable, ignored, and will not solve any of the problems it was intended to resolve.  Twelve million illegal immigrants aren’t going home.  They can’t afford it, the US economy can’t afford it, and the US government has neither the will nor the money to make it happen.

Gasoline Prices

The price of regular gasoline may reach $4.00 per gallon in some parts of the United States this summer.  That’s good news in one respect.  At prices above $4.00 per gallon (crude prices above $70) OPEC will face serious competition from other forms of fossil fuel (tar sands in Alberta) and alternative energy sources (nuclear, wind and solar).  The United States will finally be taking baby steps away from dependence on oil in the politically messy Persian Gulf.  OPEC need not worry as the Chinese and Indians will suck up as much oil as they can produce over the next 40 years.  Finally the geo-political problems of the US that are related to dependence on oil will begin to subside.  In as little as one generation we may be nearly free of dependence on oil from the Persian Gulf.

The Prosperity of Minnesota Taxpayers

Evidently, Minnesota is an incredibly prosperous place where taxpayers will build not one, not two, but three new sports stadiums.  Presently the Vikings, Twins, and Minnesota Gophers all use the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis.  The Vikings and Gophers share the complex for football because college teams play on Saturday and professional teams play on Sunday.  In the summer when there is no football the Metrodome is home to the Minnesota Twins, who have won two World Series Championships at the dome.  It takes a mere four hours to transform the Metrodome from football use to baseball use.

The Metrodome is just a few blocks from the University of Minnesota campus, but now the U of M wants a new football stadium.  The Vikings and the Twins both want taxpayer support for their own separate sports facilities.  The cost of all three venues may exceed one billion dollars.  In contrast, the Metrodome, the world’s largest multi-use air-supported stadium was completed under budget and on time in 1982 for a cost of $55 million.

In this era of stupid politics, only one thing makes sense in Minnesota.  Knock down the Metrodome, the only public stadium in the country that does not rely on a continuous tax subsidy, and build three new stadiums!