Minnesota continues to pay for health care for people who live in other states or are dead
Hats off to Eric Rasmussen and 5 INVESTIGATES for exposing the fact that Hennepin County is spending tax dollars on Giganta the dancing robot and Halima the smiling puppet as part of a $2.6 million effort to gather feedback from communities along the proposed Blue Line light-rail extension.
That $2.6 million is aix a drop in the bucket compared to the $3 billion light rail project, but it’s even more unlikely to ease congestion in the northwest metro than the empty train.
Each year, American Experiment bestows the coveted Golden Turkey Award to the most egregious waste of taxpayer money. The fact that Giganta the robot and Halima the puppet didn’t even make the finalist list this year speaks volumes about the sheer audacity of waste in Minnesota. There’s no “honorable mention” category, but if there were, the robot and puppet would warrant at least a shout out.
Halima is a life-size cloth puppet with a cone-shaped basket for a face. She asks passersby to gaze into it and share “What brings you joy?” It’s unclear how that helps design a $3 billion train, but it is—without question—“out of the box,” which is exactly what the assignment demanded.
Giganta the dancing robot comes straight out of Nick Knutson’s mobile disco dance party. According to Knutson, you can “Dance, groove, and get a glimpse into the future of the Blue Line Light Rail Extension!… Attendees will have the opportunity to take a photo with the Robot Mascot in a photo booth and provide feedback on the project.”
Source: https://yourblueline.org/cultiva 1
Other “out-of-the-box” proposals included a yoga class, a drum circle, and various creative projects by featured artists. Jorie Kosel’s “Wherever I Lay My Rug, That’s My Home” invites residents to weave sections of a community tapestry at pop-up events.
A dancing robot and a smiling puppet won’t help engineers pick the best route or make smart accommodations. But the federal and state partners ponying up the $3 billion might want to listen to the people who actually live and work there—who don’t want this train at all. Seventy-seven percent of Robbinsdale residents said “no” when asked. Park Board officials and local business owners keep asking why the project keeps rolling down the tracks despite overwhelming opposition.
Doesn’t Minnesota already waste non-transportation funds on weird art shows?
Taxpayers have every right to wonder why they’re funding Giganta and Halima to promote a $223 million-per-mile train when that money could fix roads or bridges instead. Should transportation dollars really pay for community-art puppets and robots that deliver zero lasting value?
Minnesota taxpayers have already been constitutionally forced to blow more than $1 billion on everything from drag queen shows to a four-hour, $40,000 book reading by disgraced author Neil Gaiman. If they are going to waste money on a dancing robot, it should come from there.
Condolences to Giganta and Halima on missing the Golden Turkey finals. There’s always next year.
