Talk about Governor Tim Pawlenty's dumb "luck."
News out of the Twin Cities this evening is that I-35E in St Paul had to be shut down in both directions after a four foot chunk of concrete fell off the Maryland Avenue bridge and struck a car. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries.
The bridge is to be inspected before it, and I-35E, is reopened.
It's been almost a year since the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed. The rewritten children's song of that day comes to mind again:
News out of the Twin Cities this evening is that I-35E in St Paul had to be shut down in both directions after a four foot chunk of concrete fell off the Maryland Avenue bridge and struck a car. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries.
The bridge is to be inspected before it, and I-35E, is reopened.
It's been almost a year since the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed. The rewritten children's song of that day comes to mind again:
Pawlenty bridges Falling Down,
Falling Down, Falling Down.
Pawlenty bridges Falling Down.
No New Taxes!
For years, our politician's have spent lavishly on their pet projects and assorted corporate welfare (St. Paul is still paying for the Xcel Center; Hennepin County has just started paying for the new Twins Stadium), while ignoring our crumbling infrastructure.
Tim Pawlenty didn't invent infrastructure neglect. But, he deserves our scorn, as he signed a "No New Taxes" pledge for a wealthy lobbyist group. And, he appointed his Lieutenant Governor to oversee the Department of Transportation - a clear conflict of interest.
It's hard to advocate for necessary maintenance funds when you're catering to a special interest group which appears to oppose all government spending. The Pawlenty administration clearly appears to be less concerned about a crumbling infrastructure than they are about breaking a pledge to their wealthy benefactors.
Fortunately, today's "incident" doesn't sound too serious. Only one car damaged. Nobody was killed. If it had happened during rush hour, as the I-35W bridge collapse did, the story might have been completely different.
As we approach the Republican National Convention in September, Governor Pawlenty had better pray that there are no more infrastructure failure issues to further damage his image.
And, voters everywhere should think hard about how political indifference, in general, and the Republican brand of "Trickle Down Economics," specifically, has damaged this country.
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