Who needs bridge maintenance when you can have tax cuts?

Question

Isn't it more important to put dollars into the pockets of ordinary Americans than to spend money on boring, left-wing causes like bridge maintenance? Aren't we all better off having more money to spend to stimulate the economy? Even those who died in the Minnesotag bridge collapse have done their part to stimulate the economy by providing employment for rescue workers and undertakers. Isn't that what America's all about?

lipstick liberal: The Republican governor of MN vetoed spending on infrastructure maintenance. Like all neocons, he felt it was more important to have "lean government," budget surpluses, and low taxes than actually doing the things that government is supposed to do, like maintaining roads and bridges.

If you could ask the people who died, I'm sure most of them would opt for increased taxes if they would be spent on maintenance.

Princess: I am thinking about those who died and their families. I'm thinking that they would have preferred a competent government that spent money on things that mattered rather than tax cuts for the rich. I'm thinking that they would be willing to spend more money in taxes if it meant not dying or having a dead family member.

Here's an article linking the bridge collapse to Governor Pawlenty's vetoing of a transportation bill that would have put some money into maintenance of roads and bridges:

http://www.leanleft.com/archives/2007/08/02/6220/

LINZ: Aw shucks, ma'am...my head is swelling.

Answer 1

I love gallows humor. Americans are blissfully unaware that they pay the lowest taxes in the entire western, developed world. You pay nothing - you get nothing. It's that simple.

The sad part is that something really AWFUL has to happen before people become interested. The more dramatic the photo's, the better.

Don't expect your bridges to receive proper maintenance anytime soon - kazillions of miles away

with no end in sight
you've got an unpopular war to pay for.

Answer 2

Having just crossed over the bridge before this happened, I am stunned that you aren't thinking about the people who lost their lives, and their family members! Get your head out of your a** and start caring for something besides where to place blame. Everything's a freaking conspiracy theory, everyone else is to blame for everything. We knew the bridge needed to be replaced, but not until 2020. Go to KARE11.com, and you can see the actual reports.

FYI: MN did issue a tax increase on our gas, which went into effect less than 6 months ago. Even I'll admit that the government is not the qickest moving, but I do know that we have been trying to fix the problems. We don't live in a magical world where we can wave a wand and have everything that needs fixed in five seconds.

Answer 3

LMFAO. I had been living here about three months when it was time for the election, and I voted for Hatch. People in this country have a definite problem with reelecting dumb incompetent Republicans who like to fish (Pawlenty, Bush).

My dad works for the Wisconsin State Highway Department (the highways are maintained using both state and county tax dollars) and they've cut labor so much that less than half of the labor crew that was employed when Dad started in the '70s is employed now. Dad's one of about three senior workers available to teach the young guys how to do things while his boss gets paid five times as much to sit behind a desk and incompetently order people around. They've been selling off public contracts (like sign-making) to private companies. Their union (AFSCME) has been getting crap contracts - Dad just informed me that he probably won't be able to retire when he had planned because he won't be able to afford the health insurance.

Highway maintenance costs a lot in the northern states. Apparently people forget that our roads are frozen over, sanded, salted, plowed, and generally beat to s.hit for the eight cold months of the year, then heaved up and cracked during the spring thaw, then completely dried out and baked during our crappy humid and rainless summers.

Boy, I love giving all my money to the military.

Answer 4

Get the facts straight. The Minnesota Department of Highways is responsible for maintenance and all costs incurred. Federal money is allocated for aid with such projects. Crunch the numbers. Funding is ABSOLUTELY NOT AN EXCUSE for repairs not being done on this bridge. Crunch the numbers I have provided below.
In fact, at the end of FY 2006, Minnesota reported a surplus of over 2 Billion dollars in state funds which is more than enough to repair the bridge. Info from MNDOT…

>On Aug. 10, 2005, the federal surface transportation act known as SAFETEA-LU was signed into law.

Authorizes $286 billion in spending for the six-year period 2004-09 for numerous surface transportation programs, such as highways, transit, freight, safety and research.
Amounts to a significant increase in funding for Minnesota over TEA-21—the previous six-year transportation act which expired on Sept. 30, 2003.
Enables state, metropolitan and local agencies to deliver numerous transportation projects during the next four years.

>The FFY 2006 Federal Transportation Appropriations Bill was enacted on November 30, 2005.

Highway (FHWA) – The highway spending level (obligation authority) is $35.91 billion - a $1.644 billion (4.8%) increase over FFY 2005, which is the amount recommended by SAFETEA-LU

Safety (NHTSA) – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration programs are funded at $815 million – a $360 million (79%) increase over FFY 2005. The primary reason for the significant increase in funding was the transfer of two safety grant programs from FHWA to NHTSA. http://www.dot.state.mn.us/safetea-lu/

It just gets me that of the hundreds of thousands of bridges in the U.S., when an accident/tragedy occurs involving just ONE bridge, Democrats turn and blame the Republicans. How stupid.

Answer 5

The problem is that the Federal Transportation Fund had been stripped down over the years in favor of war funding, pet projects, and tax cuts for the rich.

We COULD spend $1.6T dollars getting our roads and bridges back up to snuff--BUT...

I don't think Bush or the GOP would be willing to do that--not when you can spend just as much money (or more) invading another three or four countries, or give handouts--in the form of tax cuts--to the rich.

Answer 6

The first user who answered your question is right.

$2.2 Billion in tax surplus and the State raised taxes on gasoline and cleverly worded it so more than 60% of the money goes directly to mass transit (light rail).

Wow.

Another little statistic all the liberals are failing to express is that current Governor Tim Pawlenty has spent more money on fixing roads in half of his first term as any other Governor ever did in their entire terms of office. His funding road construction has continued at that same pace since initially being elected.

So who are you people going to blame now? Did you forget continuing all the road construction efforts and funding he's been doing was one of the issues he mentioned in his campaigns?

Answer 7

The bridge is a state issue and Minnesota had over a 2 billion tax surplus last year.

Who needs a tax increase?

Answer 8

that bridge is not a state issue. ITS AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY... that was built by Uncle Sam during the cold war...

What next ... the Twin Towers crashing was a NYC issue...

Answer 9

why is it about, money! money! money! all the time, can't we just live normal life and think what we can do better in this country! can we live in peace and harmony! Life is short people! everything we'll live behind when it's our time. so, lets make this world a better place to all of us!

Answer 10

I was wondering when someone from the fever swamp would blame President Bush for the bridge collapse.

The states receive money from the Federal government to maintain their own infrastructure.

You can hate the guy but you cant blame him for everything. Wise up.