Do you think your tax dollars should be used to help expand the Mall of America? Of course not.

The Mall of the America claims it is the biggest tourism draw in the Midwest, and with 40 million visitors a year it probably is.

And there&8217;s no doubt that Albert Lea reaps sales taxes from Iowans and other motorists stopping here on the way north for shopping fun. It&8217;s is an excellent attraction, and Minnesotans are proud to have it.

On the other hand, the megamall sucks local sales away from many merchants in greater Minnesota, money that might otherwise be spent locally. There are pros and cons to the mall.

Mall of America officials are asking state lawmakers to fork out $181 million for a parking ramp.

The ramp would be one aspect of a $1.78 billion expansion project that would place the mall back on top as the largest indoor mall in the United States.

We support the expansion. We support a request for a sales-tax exemption on construction materials, too.

But it hardly seems fair for the entire state to buy a parking garage for an attraction that mainly benefits the metropolitan area. Could the state build new parking lots for Albert Lea&8217;s local malls, too?

The Mall of America generates enough revenue that it should be able to afford its own parking ramp, considering many of the retail and service workers at the mall don&8217;t have health coverage yet work in a place teeming with profits.

This seems like a case of asking the state for funds just to see what happens. Let&8217;s hope lawmakers save the tax dollars for more important budget items.