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»ARCHIVED TALK
'Go to Hell, KSTP'
Posted July 8, 2008
Minnesota Brown calls out KSTP for a report they did on Ironworld, and on the Iron Range in general: The first problem with the story was the one I pointed out last week when I heard they were working on this. KSTP makes it sound like the state taxpayers are paying for Ironworld when that is just not true. Mining taxes pay for Ironworld and these taxes are paid by the mining companies in lieu of local property taxes. These funds are funneled through a state agency, Iron Range Resources, but the money belongs to the region, not the state. So the people who have the right to be angry about Ironworld are the residents of Iron Range cities, and most of them recognize the unique role Ironworld plays in preserving and sharing Iron Range culture.
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21 Comments:
This guy is one of my new favorite bloggers.
»» Submitted by »»» Ang at 11:08 AM on July 8
As an Iron Range native, I'm embarrassed to say I have never visited Ironworld. Almost did last week for the first time, but alas, did not. I almost went once to see Cheap Trick in the late '80's.
I will be very interested to read this stuff and watch the report when I get a chance. I'm very proud of where I come from, and take great offense when people make fun of the Iron Range. I did notice when I was up there last week, my favored epithet for annoying people became "damn city boy," while it's usually "damn redneck" here in the South.
»» Submitted by »»» spells at 11:08 AM on July 8
As an Iron Range native, I'm embarrassed to say I have never visited Ironworld.
Not uncommon, I would guess.
I grew up in Indianapolis, but never never attended the Indy 500. I have been a Minnesotan for more than 2o years, but have never yet made it to Voyagers National Park. I attended my first play at the Guthrie only recently.
Et tu, MNspeakers?
(sounds like a good post subject for another time)
»» Submitted by »»» justpbob at 11:20 AM on July 8
Good point, Bob. As we drove around Minneapolis last weekend, I pointed out to my wife all the great places I never went to while living in the Cities for 15 years. My wife did the same, and she lived there a decade.
I don't know too many people up nort' who have gone to Ironworld, actually. Last year, I went to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame for the first time in over 25 years. And the only reason I've ever gone to Giants Ridge (the IRR's other big revenue source) was for golf a few times.
»» Submitted by »»» spells at 11:27 AM on July 8
Well, I have gone to the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame and stood in the gaping maw of "Huskie the Muskie."
»» Submitted by »»» justpbob at 11:55 AM on July 8
Places I have yet to visit:
MN History Center
The new Guthrie Theater
Mill City Museum
Ironworld (but there's a smaller mining museum in Crosby-Ironton I've been to)
Voyageurs National Park
BWCA
... and others I can't think of at the moment.
This is the same douchebag reporter that produced the "bicyclists don't stop at stop signs" piece. Total douche.
Fucking KSTP and local tv news is a turd fed to the masses.
»» Submitted by »»» vlado4 at 12:21 PM on July 8
Play nice, vlado. Jason and Josie are our friends...
»» Submitted by »»» justpbob at 12:26 PM on July 8
And we have FOX9 flying half the newsroom to NY to ask NY'ers about meatloaf hotdish and the Duluth Aquarium (full of fish people can see every damn day of their lives), so that patronising any MN attraction makes one feel like a complete rube or shat-kicking hick. Newsrooms (et al) in this city know how people in this state get excercised about these things.... yawn. Maybe IronWorld should peddle some merch to stay afloat.
(proceed to tell me I'm evil.... go!)
»» Submitted by »»» mason at 12:33 PM on July 8
They do. But as Aaron Brown pointed out, Ironworld is operating in the black now.
»» Submitted by »»» Ang at 12:38 PM on July 8
Well then, back to Heaven you go KSTP!
»» Submitted by »»» mason at 12:41 PM on July 8
And we have FOX9 flying half the newsroom to NY
I'm waiting for a live segment with Jason Matheson from Fire Island...
»» Submitted by »»» justpbob at 12:49 PM on July 8
First, I love Ironworld. I once played a show in their amphitheater and it was awesome. The stage is set at the bottom of an open mine and I think it seats a few thousand people.
Second, if Mr.Brown is correct 'these taxes are paid by the mining companies in lieu of local property taxes' and the money goes to what is 'legally defined as residents of the taconite tax relief area'.
So if I understand everything correctly; if Ironworld is operating in the black now then the state could change the law and the mining companies would have to either pay property taxes or the money currently collected could be put into the general state coffers.
I'm not real clear on why the taconite companies get special tax breaks (probably related to a time when they were a big poweful industry), but then again I'm not real clear on why many companies get special tax treatment. Though, ofcourse I have heard the 'it keeps jobs in the state' arguement.
»» Submitted by »»» JACC at 12:50 PM on July 8
That was a most excellent post. Nice job, Aaron Brown.
»» Submitted by »»» ericam at 1:15 PM on July 8
I still haven't been to the new downtown library and I work 2 blocks away. Yet, I always go to the Brooklyn Center library.
Also, I've seen every Great Lake but the one bordering my own state.
I really need to get around to those things.
»» Submitted by »»» Bixby at 2:08 PM on July 8
It's a lot easier to park and get in and out of the BC library.
But having seen all of the Great Lakes, I can tell you that Superior is aptly named.
OK, I never saw Huron, but I'll assume it ain't all that.
»» Submitted by »»» kurtis at 2:24 PM on July 8
I was just on Huron, Michigan and Superior last weekend, grew up near Erie, spent much time on Ontario as a youngster. If I had to draw a pop culture parallel, I'd say:
Ontario = Ronnie Wood (dullish, save for Toronto)
Erie = Bill Wyman (dirtiest)
Huron = Charlie Watts (meh)
Michigan= Mick (glamour of cities and sailing)
Superior = Keef (king of them all)
»» Submitted by »»» g rote at 2:36 PM on July 8
I went to the Central Library once. It's surprisingly hard to find coffee on Nicollet Mall at 6am, but the Dunn Bros just opened.
»» Submitted by »»» champs at 5:41 PM on July 8
Brown is reaching here. The KSTP sotry isn't making fun of the Iron Range. It's asking who's paying (and who has paid) to run this joint. Museum, theme park, roadside attraction, whaterver; it's supposed to draw people and it's not exactly packing in the tour busses.
If KSTP lied in it's story, Brown should say so. He never cited any factual errors from what was reported. The state still owns it, and its operating funds would otherwide go into the state's general fund, so the state, lacking that revenue, IS paying for it.
If Ironworld is solvent, let it earn it's keep and let the mining companies taxes pay for schools and cops and snow plowing like the taxes of other businesses.
It's great to have pride in your home. I do. It's quite unbecoming, however, to draw attention to a the chip on your shoulder by overreacting to tee vee news.
»» Submitted by »»» octane at 9:44 PM on July 8
It sounds to me like KSTP lied, err misrepresented, the nature of the "taxpayer dollars" paying for Iron World.
I just drove by Ironworld today on the way home from Voyageurs National Park (yes, Bob, you should go!) and thought I'd like to make a video about it - now there's good reason to. I'd love to do an UpTake interview with the Ironworld staffers and Brown about this KSTP story.
»» Submitted by »»» chuck at 3:22 AM on July 9
Lie-witness news at five strikes again. First it's the bicycles of the metro now Ironworld. What next, "Lie-witness news reports, Sonia Pitt, wrongly accused, should get her job back. The most reliable news source in the Twins Cities."
»» Submitted by »»» Keith at 4:00 PM on August 4
»»» = registered user. click on it to see the user's profile.
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