SCRAMBLE: BREAKING: Minnesota’s hospitality industry ‘on the brink of no return’

Summary

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Garage Logic: Weekly Scramble

Episode: SCRAMBLE: BREAKING: Minnesota’s hospitality industry ‘on the brink of no return’
Date: April 8, 2026
Hosts: Chris Reivers & Mike Fratelloni
Theme: Examining the economic crossroads in Minnesota – from controversial wealth taxes to the staggering decline in the local hospitality industry – and their ripple effects on cities, businesses, and residents.

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Episode Overview

This week's "Weekly Scramble" checks the pulse of Minnesota's economy, especially as it plays out in the hospitality and tourism sector, real estate, local sports, and the social fabric of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Hosts Chris Reivers and Mike Fratelloni bring a mix of concern, exasperation, and local loyalty as they dig into data, share personal stories, and react to recent legislative proposals—most notably a proposed 1% wealth tax and its anticipated consequences. The episode is marked by genuine lament for the decline of city life, pointed skepticism toward state and local governance, and nostalgia for better days.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Wealth Tax Proposal in Minnesota

Timestamps: [03:09]–[05:32], [24:04]–[24:28]

• Details: Proposed House File 4616 introduces a 1% annual tax on net taxable wealth exceeding $10 million, targeting ~5,600 high-net-worth residents.
• Critique: The hosts argue such policies have driven wealthy residents from other states and predict a similar exodus from Minnesota, undermining the tax base and local economy.
• Quote:
  • "It's almost as if they got together as a team and they all said, okay, who's got an idea of how we can drive away more and more people?" —Chris Reivers [03:58]
  • "Every single high net worth person in Minneapolis will leave that town before the ink dries on this bill." —Mike Fratelloni [06:40]
• Concerns: The tax is viewed as punitive ("going to steal from 5,600 residents"), ineffective (won't solve wealth inequality), and self-defeating considering out-migration trends.
• Linked Issues: Discussion highlights that people with means are especially mobile, and similar policies failed in states like New York and California ([07:48]).

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2. The Hospitality Crisis: Industry ‘On the Brink of No Return’

Timestamps: [14:49]–[18:18]

• Source: Per a Minnesota Star Tribune article and a Hospitality Minnesota survey, only a third of businesses expect improvement over last year; more than half saw foot traffic and profits drop.
• Perspective:
  • "Minnesota's nearly $9 billion hospitality industry is on the brink of no return... We are at a point now where it is dire and we're starting to see the effects." —(paraphrased from Emma Nelson, Star Tribune) [15:15]
• Pressures: Mounting regulation, high minimum wages, tariffs, and economic uncertainty are cited as drivers of decline.
• Quote:
  • "Operators cannot continue to absorb regulatory costs on one side while consumer demand erodes on the other." —Report quote [16:39]
• Anecdote: Fratelloni and Reivers compare Minneapolis to cities like Omaha, suggesting event organizers specifically avoid Minneapolis, which hurts convention business ([17:11]).

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3. The Case of the Empty Ballpark: Declining City Vibe

Timestamps: [08:18]–[13:11]

• Observation: Attendance at the Twins' opening day was shockingly low compared to past years; the vibrant atmosphere from 2010–2015 has vanished.
• Comparison: Soccer games (Allianz Field) are packed, whereas the Twins struggle to pull even a few thousand fans ([10:21]).
• Quote:
  • "If I wanted to park at third base, I would have been able to." —Mike Fratelloni [09:32]
  • "Something's wrong." —Chris Reivers [11:57]
• Notable Moment: Barstool Sports' viral deadpan: "Boy, I hope that tens of Twins fans at the game really enjoyed this new graphic." ([11:50])

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4. Hospitality & Nightlife: Stories from the Seville Club

Timestamps: [18:44]–[21:33]

• Seville Club Closure: Once a barometer for downtown's vibrancy, the Seville strip club's closure is mourned.
• Personal Story: Fratelloni recounts a surprise birthday party at the Seville—with friends, family, even his banker—underscoring its social role ([19:44]).
• Community Concern: The closure of such longstanding spots hints at deeper urban problems, as fewer conventions and events find the city appealing.

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5. Skepticism Toward State & Local Policy

Timestamps: [26:31]–[30:54]

• Nonprofit Spending Transparency: Business owner Kevin Peterson discussed government stonewalling as he sought data on Hennepin County nonprofit funding.
  • "As taxpayers, we kind of are owed that level of transparency." —Kevin Peterson, as relayed by Fratelloni [27:49]
• Fratelloni's Challenge: Questions the efficiency and effectiveness of funneling money through nonprofits vs. direct government action.
  • "The government is not known for its proclivity to do things really well and within budget." —Mike Fratelloni [28:30]
• State Spending vs. Population: State spending per capita is skyrocketing while population stays nearly flat, raising sustainability alarms ([30:18]).

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6. Faith in Minnesota—and Its Limits

Timestamps: [21:33]–[22:43], [24:29]–[25:15]

• Love for Place: Despite relocation talk, both hosts profess deep affection for Minnesota, its cities, and sense of place.
  • "All I'm doing is bitching about Minneapolis and St. Paul and Minnesota. I love Minneapolis and St. Paul... that's what saddens me about this so much." —Chris Reivers [21:33]
• Point of No Return: There’s a tone of helplessness: if even they, as dedicated locals and business owners, are driven out, the city is truly lost ([24:29]).

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7. Humor & Levity Amidst Gloom

Timestamps: [31:01]–[32:12]

• Moment of Comic Relief: Story about William Shatner supposedly opening (and quickly closing) a high-end lingerie store in Naples, Florida.
  • "It was a Shatner panties and it just didn't work. Shatner panties. That is a great... Democrat, Republican, Shatner panties..." —Mike Fratelloni [31:47]
• Camaraderie: The episode ends on a warm note, with the hosts promoting local products and thanking listeners for riding through the week's economic roller coaster.

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On the Wealth Tax:
  • "It's almost as if they got together as a team and they all said, okay, who's got an idea of how we can drive away more and more people?" —Chris Reivers [03:58]
  • "Every single high net worth person in Minneapolis will leave that town before the ink dries on this bill." —Mike Fratelloni [06:40]
• On the Industry Crisis:
  • "Operators cannot continue to absorb regulatory costs on one side while consumer demand erodes on the other." —Hospitality Minnesota report [16:39]
• On Transparency:
  • "As taxpayers, we kind of are owed that level of transparency." —Kevin Peterson (via Fratelloni) [27:49]
• On the State’s Finances:
  • "The government is not known for its proclivity to do things really well and within budget." —Mike Fratelloni [28:30]
• On Loyalty and Resignation:
  • "If you can't get a guy like me to want to stay here, you're screwed." —Mike Fratelloni [24:33]

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Major Segments (with Timestamps)

• [03:09]–[08:18] — Rant on the proposed wealth tax, implications for migration, and doubts over policy rationale.
• [08:18]–[13:11] — The decline of city buzz: empty ballparks vs. packed soccer stadiums, anecdotes of past vibrancy.
• [14:49]–[18:18] — Hospitality industry’s economic peril, regulatory pressures, and the threat to conventions and restaurants.
• [18:44]–[21:33] — The Seville Club closure as a symbol of shrinking downtown culture.
• [26:31]–[30:54] — Conversation with business owner on government transparency and the rise of nonprofit spending.
• [30:54]–[32:12] — Data on per-capita state spending, population trends, and a Shatner-inspired comedic detour.

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Tone & Closing Impressions

The episode is candid, deeply local, equal parts analytical and personal, using humor and reminiscence to balance a serious critique of Minnesota’s direction. The hosts express genuine worry for the future of their home state, situating economic policies and regulatory strains in real terms—for businesses, families, and the spirit of their cities.

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For listeners seeking a lively, no-spin snapshot of Minnesota’s current economic crossroads—grounded in local experience, flavored with wit, and tinged with sadness—this is a must-hear episode.

Transcript

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[Chris Reivers]

This is the Weekly Scramble, a place where we chat about life over a cold one or two. It's time to belly up to the pod with Mike Fratelloni and your host, Chris Reivers.

[Mike Fratelloni]

That's right, it's time for the Weekly Scramble Podcast. My name is Chris Reivers. With me as always, his name is Mike. Hello, Michael.

[Chris Reivers]

How you doing, Reavers?

[Mike Fratelloni]

I'm doing well. We were not on last week. We had some Best of Weekly Scramble material that was in our place because we were both.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

I listened to that.

[Chris Reivers]

Not so great.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I thought it was good.

[Chris Reivers]

I'm just kidding.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I thought it was better than the first time I heard it. All right, good. Because we were both enjoying some spring break festivities and I do want to get into some spring break festivity stories and whatnot. But I gotta tell you, there was some stuff that had surfaced in the early part of the week here in garagelogic, and I thought I have got to bring some of this stuff up that has surfaced with the guy, Mike Feneloni.

[Chris Reivers]

And you've been out of town.

[Mike Fratelloni]

You've been out. Quite literally flew back home yesterday or

[Chris Reivers]

the day before, whatever it was. I just got back. I haven't paid one bit of attention to Minneapolis, which, as an aside, isn't

[Mike Fratelloni]

that kind of nice to just unplug?

[Chris Reivers]

I don't like it.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Really?

[Chris Reivers]

I don't like it. I can't do it. Reverse.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Why?

[Chris Reivers]

Because I just. I like a formulaic day, and I don't like just winging it. Just winging it. On vacation.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Okay.

[Chris Reivers]

I don't like it.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Okay. All right.

[Chris Reivers]

I like Florida enough. I saw Joe Maurer walking down past my place. It was kind of cool. I was like, that's kind of cool.

[Mike Fratelloni]

You suck. Hit more home runs. Oh, wait, you're retired.

[Chris Reivers]

I did not say that.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Okay, I'm sorry. I love Joe. What am I talking about?

[Chris Reivers]

What a great guy.

[Mike Fratelloni]

So basically, the theme has been these past couple of days is, what, What. What are we doing now? What. What. What is. What. What are we doing in Minnesota? The Twins.

[Chris Reivers]

What's our next thing we want to do?

[Mike Fratelloni]

Because, as Joe likes to say often, is that we're. We're run adult children, and there's just so many things to get to. But one of them is we now have. We now have a bill that was. That was introduced yesterday in which. And because this has worked so well in other states, most notably the state of New York, the state of California, the state of Washington, and the state of Illinois, Minnesota just said, you know what? Let's join those fine states that are fiscally thriving. And a wealth tax was introduced. I think it was House File 4166. I believe I'm willing to be called House File 4616. Dang it. I knew I had close. Mike, I gotta tell you, it's almost as if the people that have been placed in these positions to legislate us. It's almost as if they got together as a team and they all said, okay, who's got an idea of how we can drive away more and more people? Because the data is already there. The migration and the wealth migration that is fleeing this state is evident, and it's getting worse and worse and worse every day. You cannot have a state. You cannot have a city. You cannot have any type of economic engine that has more people living off of it than more people contributing to it. That math just don't. Math.

[Chris Reivers]

So let me read you the bill, and then I want to stop my heart from beating so loudly.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Okay.

[Chris Reivers]

Realize that people I know are going to Mentally take up arms against the aggressor, not physically, but mentally take up arms. So in 2026, Minnesota proposal HF4616, spearheaded by Minneapolis very own representative Aisha Gomez, seeks a 1% annual tax on net taxable wealth exceeding $10 million. What's nice, Reivers, is the first 10 million is free. Oh, that's nice.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Yeah.

[Chris Reivers]

But every dollar past that has a 1% tax on it. So if you had a net, this is net wealth, your taxable wealth, Right. So your net worth, your taxable net worth. If it's $20 million, you would pay additional $100,000 in tax to the city of Minneapolis. Right. This affects roughly 5,600 residents. It's introduced as a way to address wealth inequality because of course we all have to be equal in wealth because the person laying there not working right now, they need to be equitable to the person who's a multimillionaire who has worked his ass off or invested millions of dollars into the community. This tax would apply to assets like real estate ownership, aiming to raise roughly $288 million that they're going to steal from 5,600 residents in the fiscal year 2027. I'm going to tell you, Reivers, I don't know how to express this. Every single high net worth person in Minneapolis will leave that town before the ink dries on this bill. If it passes, they will be so far gone. Minneapolis doesn't have anything to hold high net worth people there any. The lakes aren't that nice. The cityscape is not that nice. Everybody will flock out of Minneapolis, move to Minnetonka, they'll move to Orono, they'll move to Florida, they'll move to Tennessee. If you're going to move out of Minneapolis because of this, you might as well move out of the state, right? If you gotta move anyways, why sit here and let Minnesota steal 9% from you and then an additional 1% of your net worth above $10 million, I don't care. People are gonna lose their frickin mind. These 5,600 residents that this is gonna happen to, if they don take 100,000 bucks a piece and say, okay, we're gonna fight every single one of you trash heap of city council people and representatives. Aisha Gomez, if we don't do that and fight this, shame on you, cuz. You should all take as many funds as you can and fight it or leave.

[Mike Fratelloni]

God forbid we didn't do something that's actually smart and cut spending we can't do that.

[Chris Reivers]

We can't afford to cut spending Reavers. We have processes. We have things we need to get done.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Because that's the part I don't understand. You are seeing it unfold right now in New York City, where you elected the communist socialist Moran Zamdani, who had all these promises that said, well, no, we will absolutely tax the rich. And then they were mocked by the governor of New York, Kathy Hockel, and she said, well, why don't you just head on down to Florida and join Trump?

[Chris Reivers]

Get out of here.

[Mike Fratelloni]

And they did. And now you're begging them to return.

[Chris Reivers]

Literally begging.

[Mike Fratelloni]

You cannot afford any of this stuff. And I just don't understand. Everyone seems to think, well, it didn't work somewhere else. Why do you seem to think we can make that happen here? That's the part I don't get. And by the way, Minneapolis is already fledgling. I got to share a quick story. I went to opening day, the Twins game last Friday.

[Chris Reivers]

Sure.

[Mike Fratelloni]

And I usually do go to opening day. I've only missed. I bet I've missed one in the past 25 years, whatever it's been. Because I love opening, obviously. I love baseball. I love opening day. Right. I can't tell you. And again, I get it. Whether there's no hype, there's no buzz around the Twins. People are mad at the poll ads, which I get, and I understand, I am not one of them. But. Because I love baseball. But I get why there's fan resentment towards the organization. But I don't care. I still love baseball. I'm still going to watch as much as I can and try to support the club whenever I can. Anyway, it's not my point. So I get there's that aspect of it. And I also get that, like I said, the team's not expected to be very good. The weather wasn't particularly great either. I don't even think it got to 45 degrees that day. But who gives a damn? It's opening day. Right?

[Chris Reivers]

It's opening day. People should be still. Have fun.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Mike, if I wanted to park at third base, I would have been able to.

[Chris Reivers]

Oh, you're kidding me.

[Mike Fratelloni]

There was. I mean, there were no lines for the ramps. There was. And. And the other part is there wasn't a whole lot of anything going on around the ballpark.

[Chris Reivers]

Sure.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Like, I just. Again, I know I'm. This doesn't even get off my lawn. 2010 through 2015 wasn't that long ago when that ballpark first opened. Remember how festive it was, how awesome it was. Even I remember opening day because we had the Twins on AM 1500 and a bunch of us went down there and it was awesome. I mean, every fricking bar on every corner was packed. There were people that just wanted to be down there that weren't even going to the game, but they just wanted to be part of the vibe. It was fantastic.

[Chris Reivers]

Let me give you a brief summary of my visit to Alliance Stadium for a soccer game the other day. Freezing cold outside. Gloves, hats, mittens, everything. The place is near packed. Tickets are 150 bucks a piece. Almost packed to the gills. Right. Yesterday's attendance at the Twins. Twins played the Dodge or Detroit Tigers. Yesterday they played the Tigers. People are saying it could have been 2000.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Well, you saw what happened. Did you see the viral video?

[Chris Reivers]

No, I said I saw that. They said it was 12, 5, but people are saying it was like 2000.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Well, Barstool Sports, which they're good with social media stuff. So the Twins have a new. So, you know, like on how Sunday night Football, they have the players and they say, you know, Byron Bucks, University of whatever. Sure, sure. So the Twins decided to do that, which kind of a cool idea. And they had a drone with the Twins players in the bottom left corner of this thing with the logo of a competitor of yours that I'm not going to mention. That's in the bottom right corner. Right. So just picture the graphic. Very well done. And they did the drone of the

[Chris Reivers]

crowd, and it's just empty.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I'm thinking, well, what graphic person said, let's scan the crowd?

[Chris Reivers]

Yeah, let's scan.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Why not do empty seats, the concession stand where you can see the Karmarczuk brats being made or the red cow burgers being grilled.

[Chris Reivers]

Cut to somebody standing next to the bar.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Porn, a summit beer. That's exactly what you should. But instead, they panned the crowd behind the plate.

[Chris Reivers]

It was empty, empty, empty.

[Mike Fratelloni]

And the barstool caption said something to the effect of, boy, I hope that tens of Twins fans at the game that he really enjoyed this new graphic.

[Chris Reivers]

Thanks to God. That is a problem. It's bad when soccer and soccer is a different sport than baseball, when our soccer stadium is packed to the rim and the twins can't get 2,000 people into that stadium. Something's wrong.

[Mike Fratelloni]

We are nuts. And we are nutsmn.com. they're never wrong. And in fact, they are a wonderful locally owned family operation right here in the great state of Minnesota. You can get them at your fratelloni's hardware and garden stores locations, Mac's Hardware, Lunds and Barley's, Kowalski's Markets, Cub foods, Coburn's and 700 different quick trip locations and county market as well. And I created a monster. How'd you do that? I gifted my father because he's been helping me out with some stuff and it's his birthday this week. I got him a couple I stopped in at my Fratelloni's location and grabbed some maple bourbon toffee almonds.

[Chris Reivers]

Oh, that's good.

[Mike Fratelloni]

And I said, okay, I'm just gonna have a couple of these on the drive down.

[Chris Reivers]

Oh, no.

[Mike Fratelloni]

But which I kept half. I bought two jars.

[Chris Reivers]

Okay.

[Mike Fratelloni]

And so and because we were gonna watch the college he loves college basketball, so we were gonna watch the national championship game on Monday, he ate the jar I gifted him in addition to the half jar that was still left over from what I had in one sitting of a cocktail. Reaver's really pretty good. Anyway, so he's.

[Chris Reivers]

That's a lot of fiber.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I'll say. He is a fan. So anyway, but you can also go online and purchase your [e-mail] and you can see their entire lineup. The dill pickle was a big hit at the Reivers household over the weekend, and so are the cinnamon toffee peanuts. Please let them know that you heard about them here on the weekly Scramble podcast.

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[Chris Reivers]

We've planned for the plot twists, so

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[Mike Fratelloni]

I have this story here kind of playing into the theme of what we've been talking about. I think that this is gonna be kind of the theme of the show today. Are you ready for this?

[Chris Reivers]

Please God, tell me it's not St. Paul or the state of Minnesota wanting to raise some tax on something. Don't drive me out of the state. Don't do it.

[Mike Fratelloni]

And this isn't from some right wing publication. This isn't some conspiracy theorist that I found on Twitter. This is from your Minnesota Star Tribune. Okay.

[Chris Reivers]

All right.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I know them by a. The author is Emma Nelson. And this is from earlier today. Minnesota. You familiar heard of it? Minnesota's nearly $9 billion hospitality industry is on the brink of no return, according to a new report warning that years of mounting regulation and economic uncertainty threaten to dec a key part of the state's economy. The new survey from Hospitality Minnesota found that only a third a third of restaurants, hotels and other tourism businesses expect a better spring than last year, which also wasn't very great. In contrast, nearly 3/4 expected a better spring in 2021. We've not recovered since the pandemic, said Angie Whitcomb, Hospitality Minnesota's president and CEO. We are at a point now where it is dire and we're starting to see the effects of this. In 2025, more than half of hospitality businesses in the state saw foot traffic and profits drop year over year. Slightly less than half reported being in financial decline, an increase of 12 percentage points over 2024. The report cites a slew of pressures on the industry, which employs roughly 230,000 people statewide. Of course, we've got to throw in the tariffs that have raised wholesale prices, which I'm sure it has. State and local regulations have added new costs and red tape. And widespr economic uncertainty has consumers spending less. Here's the quote that we all need to hear. Operators cannot continue to absorb regulatory costs on one side while consumer demand erodes on the other. No.

[Chris Reivers]

S minimum wages in St. Paul and Minnesota. Just. Or St. Paul, Minneapolis. So high. Right?

[Mike Fratelloni]

I've spent my entire adult life working in the hospitality industry off and on. But I could have told you this.

[Chris Reivers]

You know, picture this here, let's do that little bubble thing where you're on the cartoon bubble. Right? The cartoon bubble. You're a girl's chess tournament director, right? So you have 4,000 girls that love chess and you go, and we gotta find a spot for our chess tournament for the year. And you look at a city like Minneapolis and you say, oh, there's Minneapolis. Then a fine city like Rapid City or Omaha, Nebraska, steps up and you say, I'm picking Omaha because there's not a damn chance I can get anybody to go to Minneapolis. Because no one wants to come here. What we do here pisses in the pot. No one wants what we have here, and we have to change that. If we lose half of our restaurants in this town, reverse. We are Detroit. We might as well just start knocking houses over, because people will be gone.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Mike, I'm gonna say this, and it breaks my heart. I think we're already there to a certain degree. I mean, I hope to God not.

[Chris Reivers]

I really do.

[Mike Fratelloni]

If. You know, thankfully, there is still. There's the theaters downtown.

[Chris Reivers]

Theaters aren't doing great.

[Mike Fratelloni]

They're not doing great. At least, you know, the twins, which aren't drawn very well right now and probably won't draw well this summer. Maybe once the weather turns and the club plays a little bit better than they expected. The Wolves are going to be in the playoffs. But other than that, what reason do you have? You know, because even. Mike, I even did a couple of different routes to and from Target Field last Friday because I wanted to see. Okay, what exactly is.

[Chris Reivers]

Sure. What's it gonna look like?

[Mike Fratelloni]

Did you hear this? And I didn't know this until. Until after. After the weekend. The Seville is closing. I heard that.

[Chris Reivers]

So sad. I don't know what my poor Crystal's gonna do or diamond, but doesn't that.

[Mike Fratelloni]

That's. That's a litmus test of foot traffic. If a high end. I mean, I shouldn't say high end. If a. Not Dungeon Gentleman's Club can't make money, that's a bad sign.

[Chris Reivers]

It's not a good sign. Can I tell you one quick story about the show? So I was in there once with my wife many, many years ago, right? And we were. Downtown Minneapolis. We were having fun in downtown Minneapolis. And we were with some buddies. We said, we should go in here. And I walked in. I was 38 years old at the time, so this was many, many years ago. And I said, this place is great. I should have my 40th birthday party here, right? My wife laughs, my best friend laughs. And all of a sudden, my 40th birthday party comes around. We're downtown, we went to a steakhouse, we hopped in a car, and my wife turns to me and says, we should go to the Seville.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Oh, boy.

[Chris Reivers]

I said, all right. Yeah, let's do It. Well, I walk into the Seville. I don't know if I've told you this story or told it on the air. I walk into the Seville, and all of a sudden someone said, happy birthday to me. And I was like, how do they know it's my birthday? My wife, the one time. This is my first wife, the one time she ever listened to me ever in my life is when I was 38 years old. And Dr. And I said I should have my 40th birthday party here. She did a surprise birthday party for me at the Seville. All my aunts, my uncles.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Oh, no.

[Chris Reivers]

My family, my banker, my insurance guy, were upstairs in a private room.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Oh, my God.

[Chris Reivers]

I turned to her and I said, what have you done? What have you done? Like, she said to me, well, you said, when you were 38, this would be a great spot for your 40th birthday party. And I said, why would you. Why would that be the thing you would.

[Mike Fratelloni]

One time you ever listened to me?

[Chris Reivers]

The one time you ever listened to me? So I have great feelings of the Seville. It turned out to be a really benign night. Thank God the Vikings were playing the packers in some game or something. So that was on tv. It was Monday night, I think. And thank God it was super benign and it wasn't a bunch. I remember at one point, like, a couple girls came up to entertain us and said, oh, hey, stop. This is gonna be chicken wings and watching football party. Right? We're not doing this.

[Mike Fratelloni]

And they just looked at you and went, huh?

[Chris Reivers]

Huh.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Okay. It was really.

[Chris Reivers]

So I'm saddened to hear that the

[Mike Fratelloni]

Seville is closing, because that used to be. And I hope I'm not unearthing any secret, but that used to be going back to my service industry days. That used to be the hang for everybody. Once we got done closing down the

[Chris Reivers]

bar, what a great spot to hang out.

[Mike Fratelloni]

God, I hope I'm not getting them. Well, they're called. Yeah, it's statute of limitations.

[Chris Reivers]

I mean, it is. We do not want to be in a town that restaurants and hospitality and conventions don't come in here. But if you were part of the Minneapolis Convention center group that said, hey, let's get some people here. How many people are doing that? I just feel hor. And. Oh, by the way, let me restate this.

[Mike Fratelloni]

This.

[Chris Reivers]

All I'm doing is bitching about Minneapolis and St. Paul and Minnesota. I love Minneapolis and St. Paul.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I love Minnesota.

[Chris Reivers]

I've lived within 10 miles of the place I was born my entire life.

[Mike Fratelloni]

And that's what saddens me about this so much, and that's why I don't want this to happen. But if no one points out why this city is failing, no one is going to understand what's really behind this. And that's why it's so frustrating. It's. It is so GD frustrating to watch this happening, knowing the solution is so simple, but yet there's too many people that would have been along with that change that just said, bleep this, I'm done. I mean, classic example. I know someone. I'm gonna be very careful with this. I know a person who is in charge of running a massive expo that used to be at the convention center every single year. And three or four years ago, it was post pandemic. They decided we ain't having it downtown here. And it was strictly a business decision because what they sold, that clientele didn't want to come to Minneapolis anymore. So they moved this.

[Chris Reivers]

Great, by the way.

[Mike Fratelloni]

And it is. We were just there for the golf show. It's a wonderful facility, but you can't cater a product to someone if the people that want to buy your product don't want to come see it. That's a problem.

[Chris Reivers]

It is a problem.

[Mike Fratelloni]

And so they decided to go to a different city still within the state. And that area that they decided to go with, they're doing very, very well. And that's why I think areas like. Well, we've been talking about a lot on gl and I don't know if you and I have talked about it, but this new amphitheater that they're building in Shakopee, you tell me about that. It's gonna be massive for this summer. I don't exactly. Because I drive by it every single day on my way to and from here. And I don't recall when the first show is going to be, but what they've done with both that facility and obviously Canterbury park is phenomenal. It's a great. It's a great hang for family, especially if you don't want to spend any money, because kids can be super entertained and it's awesome. And whether it's boardwalk that's right there and all those places around, it's awesome. And I think that's what's going to end up replacing the downtown nightlife is going to be places like that where, sure, they might not be open until 2, but who wants to be out

[Chris Reivers]

that way drinking until 2 o' clock anyways? At home smoking weed.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Yeah, exactly. And I think that that's what's going to kind of replace that downtown nightlife vibe, if you know what I'm saying.

[Chris Reivers]

Well, I can see why. So we have that Minnesota wealth tax. 1% of taxable wealth over $10 million. That didn't even mention the 10% personal income tax proposal that lawmakers are debating. A 10% annual tax on personal earning. A million bucks. So if you make over a million dollars, you have to pay an additional 10% tax. They don't understand how fast people with money can get mobile. They'll be out of the state.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Those are the ones that have the means.

[Chris Reivers]

They have the means. And then everyone else is going to have to pick it up. I go back to that adage that you and I had talked about before. Remember, if you, if you want to get five votes, you take 500 bucks from one guy and you hand everybody $100, you lose the one guy's vote that you took 500 bucks from, but you get five votes from everybody you gave $100, you're up, right? You're. Technically. They don't understand that you can only do that so many times till everybody's out of money. I just. I really fear for this town if they keep doing these things again. If you can't get a guy like me to want to stay here, you're screwed. Because I'm in. I'm all the way in. My family's here. We have businesses here. We have property here. And if I have to run away and I don't want to go anyplace. I just spent 11 days down in Florida. Florida's fine. I just don't get it. I don't want to be down in Florida.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Let's talk about Quick links golf and quicklinksgolf.com. that's what you need, Michael. So you know what? They're a wonderful, wonderful local company based in Chaska, Minnesota. And here's the neat thing about Quicklinksgolf.com. if you go on that website, you can set up your free consultation through the website, but you can also see all sorts of really neat past projects that they've been working on. Some of that stuff is really, really cool. The neat thing about Quicklinksgolf.com is they work with all different price points and all different budget sizes. That's what makes them great. You can also, like I said, book your appointment online. Like I said, it doesn't. If you're looking for something for your home, for your office, entertain your co workers, it doesn't matter. They're going to be able to take care of you. They're based out of Chaska, Minnesota and it's for any golf lover in your life, or maybe you're just a casual golf fan. It's just a really cool company and a really cool product. It's Quick links golf and quicklinksgolf.com Please do me a favor that reavers from the weekly Scramble podcast sent you their way. Let's stay with the theme, shall we? Trust sure Alpha News, which is pretty much the only outlet that covers a lot of this stuff. This, for whatever reason, made my blood boil and you'll get why I don't

[Chris Reivers]

know if I can take anymore Liz

[Mike Fratelloni]

Collins we're familiar with Liz Collins. She does tremendous work. She interviewed a gentleman by the name of Kevin Peterson. Kevin Peterson is a business owner and entrepreneur and he spoke with Liz on her podcast about his experience trying to get financial data from Hennepin county and the shocking results of his analysis. Peterson also explained how his concerns about tax increases, government spending fraud and a lack of government transparency have led him to get more involved in politics and run for office in the Minnesota State Senate. God bless you. Peterson said that he was inspired by Sebastian Stoss, who took a look at taxes and spending on nonprofit organizations just in Ramsey County. Stoss found that Ramsey county county was spending 38 million on more than 200 nonprofits amid a nearly 10% increase in property taxes. Much like Stoss, who encountered delays in getting data from Ramsey County, Peterson also encountered delays and had to demand financial data from Hennepin county several times. Peterson told Liz Collins that back in December I submitted my first data request to Hennepin County. I asked for the last eight years of non profit spending. They sent me me one year. After a couple of weeks I responded back with appreciate the one year but I'm looking to understand trends. Please send me the last eight years. I never got a response, he said. Peterson then started attending the Hennepin county board meetings where he spoke up, asked questions and demanded answers. I just asked as a property tax owner for a little bit more transparency on how our dollars are spent and why the fluctuations have happened the way that they have. I think as taxpayers we kind of are owed that level of transparency so that that's what I've been asking for, peterson said. It's just when there's no accountability, when there's no answers and when people are running from the truth that are supposed to be serving the public, this is why we are in the mess that we are in.

[Chris Reivers]

Is it possible reivers probably not that the Government could do things better than NGOs. They aren't efficient. The government is not known for its proclivity to do things really well and within budget. But sometimes they still did it compared to giving it to NGOs or charities that in some cases don't do a damn thing because they're completely fraudulent. Right. So I don't get why the city and the state takes our money. They don't have money. They take our money and then they give it to charities. That's not their job. If I want to give to a charity, I give to the charity. You don't take my money and give it to somebody. And we all know if you give it to some people, some people steal, some people steal. So my supposition is, is it better to. If you need a housing department, make it just a city run or state run housing department. Don't allow some NGO to get 2 million bucks because they said they're gonna help supply housing for people. Don't allow that to happen anymore and cut that off. I mean, we're crap out of luck in this state. California's crap out of luck. It sounds like they're really crap out of luck. And it's just, we have to remember that this is our money. Government, governments, state and local. And they're spending like it's just an open pile of cash. It's not their money, it's ours. And we have to act like it's ours, tell them that it's ours. We have to remind them that they work for us. I don't hold any of the people that work in the government at fault. It's none of their faults. But at some point in time, you can't do it this way anymore. No, you can't tax the rich. You'll tax the rich into the state of oblivion. We'll be East Dakota. One of the Dakotas will have to help us out and say, well, Minnesota's done. You went bankrupt. We'll make you East Dakota.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I know I mention him often on the show, but there is a great graphic that was released. I think it was either late yesterday or early today from our buddy Pat Garofalo. And basically, Mike, it shows you the population of the state in the blue line. That hasn't grown a lot, but it's been relatively steady. You would think that the population growth would be more than that. But again, there's just a lot of people who have left the state. A lot of people.

[Chris Reivers]

A lot of people.

[Mike Fratelloni]

And with that, with the blue line, Mike, there's the red line of state spending. And it is significantly more per. Per. What do you.

[Chris Reivers]

Per capita.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Per capita. Thank you. Than it was even 10 years ago. Yeah. And that's not sustainable. No, it's. It's.

[Chris Reivers]

No, it's not sustainable. It's not. We need to get somebody in here who pays attention to every single penny. Reavers. Okay. I was down in Naples. Oh, right. Down in Florida. So we were in Bonita Beach. We have this old place in Bonita Beach. My parents are kind to let us stay there. Right. It's super sweet. And then I brought my girls down to Naples.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Nice.

[Chris Reivers]

And Naples is high end. Just FYI. Naples is real high end. It looks really cool down there. A lot of rich looking people. And guess who I saw?

[Mike Fratelloni]

Who?

[Chris Reivers]

William Shatner.

[Mike Fratelloni]

You're kidding.

[Chris Reivers]

No, it was really cool. He was at this restaurant and I guess he opened up a super high end lingerie store. And I was like, oh, William Shatner opening up a super high end lingerie store.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Interesting.

[Chris Reivers]

But I guess it closed right off the bat that.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Oh, it didn't make it. Taxes, inflation. What was the problem? Oh, no, yeah.

[Chris Reivers]

It was a Shatner panties and it just didn't work. Reavers. Shatner panties. That is a great. I don't care who you are. That is a good joke. Democrat, Republican. Shander panties. In fact, I kind of want to make. Have him make that store because I

[Mike Fratelloni]

could see Saturday Life skit.

[Chris Reivers]

Absolutely. I'm sure that's where I didn't make that up.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Okay.

[Chris Reivers]

I told the story about Naples. That made it sound like it was real.

[Mike Fratelloni]

That's fine.

[Chris Reivers]

Reivers. You are the best.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Thank you, Michael. Hey, and don't forget about our buddies at masters Maples and mastersmaples.com, it's our buddy Ben. He's the brains behind mastersmaples.com 12 years ago he started that wonderful Minnesota product. And you know what? From tap to table, it brings you the best maple syrup that Minnesota has to offer. And a full line of products, including, by the way, the sweet and savory seasonings and rubs, which are fantastic. And the pure, pure maple sugar. But see it for yourself. Go online [e-mail] and place your order. If you're not able to make it to your Fred Alone's hardware and garden store's locations, which carry all of the products of masters maples and mastersmaples.com and you too can taste the difference. That's Mike Fratelloni. My name is Chris Rivers. Thank you so very much. For listening to the weekly Scramble Podcast. We will talk to you again next time. Until then, cheers.

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[Chris Reivers]

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