What does the La Crosse School District do with the gigantic Trane property?

Economist Dr. Adam Hoffer in studio with a hot take: Turn the 40-acre site into a high school.

Voters shot down a Trane site high school back in 2022, but with the company donating the land and the district facing facility challenges, we debate why Hoffer thinks having this property changes the math — and why past district planning hasn't worked out.

We also question some La Crosse city logic — like laying off $400,000 in library staff to cover a budget deficit while approving $600,000 in TID money for a public market study. 

Hoffer, the excise tax director at the Tax Foundation, also discusses what a per-mile tax might look like — as Michigan experiments with that formula in place of a gas tax / EV tax — plus how prediction market state tax revenue is different from sports gambling. 

Also, with the start of the Green Bay Packers season, Hoffer talks about why their ownership model is so unique, it will never happen in pro sports again — but should happen with every franchise. 

Episode Highlights:

• TID Funding Maneuvers: Is the city prioritizing its actual needs when shuffling TID cash — like funding a public market study over people's jobs at the library? 
• Trane Site Opportunity: Acquiring a 40-acre property with a 220,000-square-foot building reopens a major debate for the La Crosse School District.
• Wasted Community Input: Bringing the public together for a year-long Facility Advisory Committee only to toss out their plan creates massive local frustration.
• Per-Mile Driving Tax: Replacing state gas taxes with a per-mile fee sounds great at the pump — until heavy EVs and annual registration bills enter the math.
• The "Packer Rule" Paradox: Why the NFL literally rewrote its constitution to ban fan-owned nonprofits — and how that rule protects billionaire owners from public accountability.
• Prediction Markets vs. Sports Gambling: How federally regulated prediction markets bypass state gambling taxes — and why state regulators are scrambling to stop it.