Minnieapolis Bridge collaspes in rush hour

[dilloduck]

You people do understand that tax revenue is effected by tax cuts right?

You see when you cut taxes you have less to go arround to spend on things this like this.

When you spend Tax money on things like Iraq it is tax dollars we could have spent elsewhere like say to fund the Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century (TEA-21).

why do you people have problems admitting this?

You Do understand there is of plenty money available to fix a bridge don't you? You DO understand that tax revenue has INCREASED don't you. oh wait---you don't.

 

[Truthmatters]

If what you say is so why does the Structural Engineers report give such a poor grade to our infrastructure?

If there is so much money why isnt this beig fixed?

Why did the people who know structural Engineering site this law as part of what they need to solve the problems?

Why did the R congress refuse toi fund this law for the entire time they were in office?

 

[dilloduck]

If what you say is so why does the Structural Engineers report give such a poor grade to our infrastructure?

If there is so much money why isnt this beig fixed?

Why did the people who know structural Engineering site this law as part of what they need to solve the problems?

Why did the R congress refuse toi fund this law for the entire time they were in office?

Because they wanted to murder people who live in Minneapolis. Isn't it obvious?

 

[mattskramer]

Because they wanted to murder people who live in Minneapolis. Isn't it obvious?

The republicans simply thought that the tax money could be best spent on other things. It is called distribution of finite resources based on their priorities.

 

[dilloduck]

The republicans simply thought that the tax money could be best spent on other things. It is called distribution of finite resources based on their priorities.

naaa--they wanted to murder people from Minnesota because it is a blue state. Rove knew this bridge was just hanging by a thread but told all the Republican legislators that he would kill them if they did anything to keep this bridge from falling. Halliburton is gonna get billions to make new ones all over the country now.

 

[mattskramer]

naaa--they wanted to murder people from Minnesota because it is a blue state. Rove knew this bridge was just hanging by a thread but told all the Republican legislators that he would kill them if they did anything to keep this bridge from falling. Halliburton is gonna get billions to make new ones all over the country now.

Cute sarcasm. Are you related to Ray Nagin?

 

[CSM]

naaa--they wanted to murder people from Minnesota because it is a blue state. Rove knew this bridge was just hanging by a thread but told all the Republican legislators that he would kill them if they did anything to keep this bridge from falling. Halliburton is gonna get billions to make new ones all over the country now.

hey that's what we conservatives voted for...the plan is working!

 

[dilloduck]

Cute sarcasm. Are you related to Ray Nagin?

You don't believe me ?---just ask TM.

 

[T-Bor]

God you really sound like an asshole. I feel sorry for anyone that lives with you.

Your intelligence and analytical skills are sorely lacking. They do NOT say the poor state occurred in 5 years, they say that it can be FIXED in 5 years. But then your not know for your stellar intelligence and logic on this board.

You are aware ( well maybe not) that the gas tax ( federal) was created to build and MAINTAIN our interstate highways and that the democrats changed that years ago to using the money for what ever they wanted? Just as the democrats refuse to mark Social Security taxes for just Social Security, rather preferring it be general funds so they can pay for all their pet projects.

 

[Truthmatters]

Bump

 

[del]

bye

 

[hjmick]

Bump

Why?

 

[Old Rocks]

Minneapolis bridge collapses - Life- msnbc.com

We are starting to see these kinds of disastors as our Infrastructure erodes.

This one is goig to be very bad.

And who's fault is it?

Idiotic Neo-cons who spent our money blowing up other peoples bridges rather than rebuilding our own.

The Republicans have fought every bill that would address the aging of our infrastructure.

Time to remove the remainder of these dinosaurs from any kind of power at any level of government. Get out the people's vote in 2010.

 

[del]

Bump

Why?

off her meds again, apparently.

 

[American Horse]

Minneapolis bridge collapses - Life- msnbc.com

We are starting to see these kinds of disastors as our Infrastructure erodes.

This one is goig to be very bad.

And who's fault is it?

Idiotic Neo-cons who spent our money blowing up other peoples bridges rather than rebuilding our own.

The Republicans have fought every bill that would address the aging of our infrastructure.

Time to remove the remainder of these dinosaurs from any kind of power at any level of government. Get out the people's vote in 2010.

About everything seems to come down to the same old partisan s**t, and name calling. No good comes from it.

The Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis suffered from a design defect. Some construction going on immediately before where large amounts of building supplies had been dumped on it contributed to the collapse. None of that was because of lack of funding.

Interstate roads and bridges are financed through the Highway Trust fund, taxes which come from gas taxes focused for construction, repairs and maintenance, with a share of that financing from the states, with all the work being contracted by the states DOTs.

Huge amounts of "earmarks" by our congress people erode the best applications for the funding in order to get the bills passed. State and county roads are funded through state gasoline taxes, and those expenditures are shared and augmented from the federal HTF.

Bridges are inspected annually and in the case of a compromising event by local state/county inspectors (experts), and the defect in the 35W apparently did not show up in the prior inspection before the situation developed which contributed to the collapse.

Other infrastructure like sewer and water projects are local projects, and are financed through the FHA and other financing arrangements, and only need be planned, designed, and bonded to get the funds for those projects. Local county (and city) roads, streets, and sidewalks, are built by local developers, at their expense and dedicated to the public with maintenance going forward paid for by the county and city corporate entities.

McCain suggested a tax holiday for the federal highway tax, as did Hillary Clinton. They were mistaken, but in fact, that did not occur. Obama, to his credit, was against that. The federal highway tax should be seen as a “good tax” because it is a focused tax, paid directly by the users, and used to provide for the costs to the public incurred by the users, their automobiles and trucks.

The tax should be increased to cover our needs. The system is already a rational plan for providing for our infrastructure needs, and the politicians need the courage to do the right thing and fund it sufficiently. The increase in the price of gas in 08 caused a public to become more conscious of their gas usage and to cut back on unnecessary travel which reduced tax revenues causing a shortfall in the HTF. If we want to finance whatever is needed for our highway infrastructure and at the same time reduce gasoline usage the tax should be raised.

Our (Indiana’s) Republican senior Senator Richard Lugar in the Washington Post, called for raising the gas tax , as a revenue neutral way to “treat our oil addiction.” as did another Republican, Charles Krauthammer.

To adapt such a plan, and for the the American people to go along with it, they would have to be convinced that a large proportion of the money wouldn’t be wasted on earmarks to buy politicians votes. That assumes the politicians any longer care if the people/tax payers go along with their plans, and that depends in part on our level of trust for their "bills" which depends on their transparency.

General funds should not be used except to the degree they presently are to encourage municipalities to expand their plant by enabling them to leverage those projects. There is a well established rational system already in place for sewer and water treatments (and schools) to be financed with low interest FHA loans, to be repaid by tap fees, hook up fees, monthly billings to customers for services to maintain and expand them as the need arises, and finally local propery taxes for schools.