In honor of KSTP's taxpayer protection happy funtime charade, I am going to remind them and everyone else of the rest of the state's help to good old Eagan, Minnesota( Northwest's Headquarters and our governor's hometown...oh my) a few years ago. Let's talk subsidies:

1989 MARCH: Gary Wilson and Al Checchi approach NWA about acquiring the company. Other investors make bids.

1989 JUNE: NWA agrees to sell to a group of investors including Wilson, Checchi, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and others for $3.65 billion.

1989 SEPTEMBER: NWA's CEO, Steve Rothmeier and several others resign and are replaced by Checchi and his team.

1991 MAY: Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson and Al Checchi announce a tentative agreement for the construction of two NWA maintenance bases in the state. Legislation passes authorizing public subsidies for NWA.

1991 DECEMBER: The Legislative Commission on Planning and Fiscal Policy approves, by a vote of 11-7, an $838 million financial assistance package for Northwest. The package consists of a loan of $270 million from the Metropolitan Airports Commission and more than $500 million in construction financing for maintenance bases in Duluth and Hibbing. The construction bonds are delayed by a lawsuit.

1992 MARCH: State officials sign a $761 million public financing package for NWA. The original $838 million figure is reduced for a number of reasons.

1992 APRIL: NWA receives the loan from the Metropolitan Airports Commission and gives half of the $270 million to Bankers Trust, its primary lender.

1992 NOVEMBER: NWA's six unions agree in principle to accept $900 million in employee concessions over the next 3 years. NWA seeks a $300 million loan. KLM Royal Dutch Airline, a part owner of NWA, and Bankers Trust, pledge $100 million if other lenders will commit to the rest.

1992 DECEMBER: NWA executives announce the final approval of a tentative $2.2 billion restructuring plan that includes a $250 million emergency loan, $340 million in debt deferral, and cancellation of $3.5 billion in orders for new aircraft. Industry experts say that cancellation of orders for new aircraft threatens the plans for construction of the maintenance bases.

1993 JANUARY: The final piece of the $2.2 billion financial restructuring plan is the concessions agreement with the unions. In return for concessions, NWA unions demand 80 percent equity in the company. More than 1000 NWA employees are laid off.

1993 SPRING: Concessions discussions continue between Northwest and the various unions.

1993 JUNE: NWA warns unions that it will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection within two or three weeks if contract concessions are not promptly approved.

And, this was all about debt from a purchase; a shell game. Their troubles came from the debt from the purchase. Nothing else.

I will not add the rest of the almost two decades of subsidies the south metro has received from Minnesota taxpayers, or the U.S tax payers in the 2001 bailout.

Perhaps they can be quiet now.