Men go to jail, women go to jail, all colors do wrong as all politicians have an agenda.

The only agenda should be is what the American people want and ALL sides are UNHAPPY so no SIDE is WINNING or WORKING…

THIS IS THE POLITICAL GAME! This is how it keeps going.

Bridges are going to fall down, (especially if reports from inspectors are not worth the paper its written on).

Why even have inspections and reports if we allow the bridge to crumble and fall anyway? I mean really, they stopped all the spinach here in NJ from growing *for a few weeks for saftey measures), when bad spinach was found in California, yet a bridge can’t be CAUTIONED? CLOSED?

Why don’t we just place signs that say

“Caution: This bridge is imperfect - Set to expire by (place date here)”

We place expiration dates on bubble gum, soap, PENCILS but not bridges?

Are we so caught up in REALITY TV and Fantasy we forgot that buildings can fall down, roads are imperfect and NOTHING IS PERFECT??

Stuff breaks people. Haven’t we ever heard of PREVENTATIVE measures?

Politics is nothing but a blame game.

Situations like this is what the GAME thrives on.

A higher power, being, force or nature controls the disasters.

Items that are not understood are like crytonite to the corrupt so they blame in their political game.

Politics is a SYMPTOM of tyranny, corruption and BLAME!

Nevermind that there is never a shortage of political finger pointing coming from this blog (and conservatives in general). Gosh, the bridge fell down, now let’s not point fingers. Why so defensive? Could it be the republican lawmakers who are responsible for this mess?

You’re right on one count: the 2007 transportation bill that Gov. Pawlenty vetoed wouldn’t have prevented the bridge from falling down, but the 2005 bill he vetoed sounds like it sure would have. Some facts:

Vetoed Transportation Bill: In 2005, Pawlenty vetoed a transportation finance bill that would have provided $7.8 billion over 10 years for roads, buses and passenger trains. The bill also included an increase in the state’s tax on gasoline by ten cents per gallon. (St. Paul Pioneer Press, 5/20/05)

Pawlenty 2004-05 Budget Proposal Did Little For Local Roads & Transit: In 2003, Pawlenty conceded that his proposed 2004-05 budget proposal for transportation did little for local roads and transit. Pawlenty proposed an overall 11 percent cut in transportation funding with a 64 percent drop in state general fund money. (St. Paul Pioneer Press, 5/24/03; Star Tribune, 2/19/03

Finances Delay Highway Construction: The state’s decision to build with borrowed money and expected federal funding has led to deteriorating roadways. Existing roads are now in their worst condition in decades, according to the state Department of Transportation. The agency’s cash balance dwindled from a $155 million surplus in 2002 to a deficit of $60 million before officials were legally required to get back in the black. According to the Star Tribune, tight finances are starting to delay highway construction, even on projects already underway. (Star Tribune, 7/4/06)

Funny how conservatives were so quick to blame Ray Nagin and Kathleen Blanco… yet want to wait an “appropriate amount of time” for the investigations to run their course before we hold anyone accountable for this disaster. I know, an oxymoron to use conservative and accountable in the same sentence, but this is theoretical. In practice, we all know how the cycle works. Which, of course, leads me to the question: When are we going to blame Bill Clinton for this?

The real gem, though, is this:

let’s all practice some personal accountability in this country by firing the blamers we put into office and find some real leaders.

What? Did this guy actually just say that we should hold the people who are asking questions about this disaster accountable, but not the people whose neglect and tax-cut politics at least contributed to this disaster, if not outright caused it? This is one of the finest pieces of spin, ever. Worthy of Billo! Congratulations, I nominate John G. Miller for today’s Worst Person in the World!

Simply shameless. And exactly what we should expect from republicans.

OK, so were the Republicans guilty of spending all the money earmarked for dike repairs prior to Katrina on projects that made contributors to their campaigns more wealthy on projects that had nothing to do with the dikes? Or any of hundreds, nay, thousands of other projects?

Get a grip, guy. The vipers in D.C. are guilty no matter what their political persuasion, as are most the other vipers in local, state and regional governments.

Thieves are thieves whether they are donkeys or jackass-wannabees.

Sometimes 20-20 hindsight can see what should have been done.

If it weren’t about a deadly serious subject, the reality-challenged backbiting would be almost funny.

If there was shoddy work, planning, or construction, that needs to be identified, and steps taken to reduce the odds of such a thing happening again.

But determining that will take a very long time, probably more time than will elapse before the elections.

(A look at what the non-politicians, who actually make the state run, were doing, is at “Through One Dad’s Eye” - http://smalltowndad.blogspot.com/2007/08/minnesota-bridge-disaster-front-page.html ).

Jeff,
Politicians work for us. They are not paid to set around, snivele, and hold widows hands and whine about somebody that was in office before them every damn time something happens.

They are paid to get off their lazy over paid asses and keep the public as safe as HUMANLY possible.

If you can’t accept the imperfections and danger don;t drive over the bridge.. DUH! I’ll accept the risk and do everyday in Ca earthquake country. Quit stealing my money telling me youre making the risk lower when the reality is youre not.

Having seen 100s of billions spent on earthquake retrofit at the expense of EVERY major trans project in Ca for the last 20 years and still have many bridges on “The List” and will not ever survie a 9.0 quake shows the corruption that is “retrofit” along with its uncle gov-curruption…

Federal investigators fearing that the structure could fall further into the Mississippi River’s cur…

OK, the bridge collapsed, lets roll up our sleeves and rebuild the damn thing, there will be time enough to discuss what happened later.

I guess nowadays the thing is to stand around, cry, wring our hands, and point fingers. Hell-ooh! thsis is the real world! See in the real world, trains wreck, planes crash, ships sink, bridges fall, things just blow up. Some times it isn’t anyone’s fault, some times it is. Our job is to get a grip!