"It could have been one of us"

[Love Bug]

That's the home made sign I saw in the back window of an SUV while driving home from work tonight. Next to it was a picture of the 35W highway sign. I work in a suburb of Minneapolis and I can tell you the population is quickly moving from the grief stage of disbelief and shock to anger. Anger that this tragedy could and should have been prevented.

[jgraz]

1. It could have been anyone in this country

And it still could be. I wonder how many of the bridges I drive across each week are safe.

[MadMaddie]

2. The Anger has alwasy been there simmering....

unfortunately Americans are losing their lives to the Rethuglican tax cut mania. The Rethuglicans never got the Constitution...and they never will.

[snappyturtle]

3. I took the low water crossing to town today......unless the river

was raging I figure I could easily survive the "slip" into the river.

[RufusTFirefly]

4. And it's gubmint's fault

We need Wal-Mart to own all our roads. :sarcasm:

State and local governments are being made to bear more of the burden now that Grover Norquist's disciple runs the country. Furthermore, the Club for Growth types have done such a number on everyone that taxes are seen as inherently bad by a significant portion of the population. The result is no money for infrastructure, a predicament that led almost inevitably to tragedy. I hope people wake up and start demanding that we spend tax money to rebuild America instead of allocating it to destroy other countries.

[Sal Minella]

5. Heard on Minn Public Radio tonight the bridge was designed for 65,000 vehicles per day as a 4-lane

but then they converted the breakdown lanes to traffic lanes (6-lane) and then restriped the surface to make it an 8-lane, and recently it has been carrying more than twice the daily traffic it was designed to carry.

[OHdem10]

6. Perfect example: Conservative Economic Fundamentalism

Cut Taxes, Cut Taxes, Cut Taxes. No New Taxes.
There are Conservative Democrats as well as Conservative Republicans.

Running Government on the Cheap--Local, State and Federal.

As long as governments. year after year manage the pot of money
they have--you end taking from one program to help another program.
You help the program who has the most consitiuents who cmmplain.
Some programs either get neglected or a band aid is applied.
"We will patch up this bridge to get us to the next election."
Then it will be someoneelse's problem.

Think about it. This is all they can do.

Just as some in out party took money from Medicaid Advantag, Medicare
and Children's Health to give Welfare to Illegal Immigrants this
week. IMO, this is cowardice and immoral. I will not forget it.
It would have taken courage to say--We have to take care of our
own before Illegals. This is what causes resentment and division
in this country. This is the sort of thing that has made IMMIGRATION
such a hot button issue.

As long as we have a Center Right Government, the bridges will fall
the roads will crumble, the nuclear plants are probably a disaster
waiting to happen.

Our elected officials pander to some special interest group and
try to get re-elected.

[RufusTFirefly]

8. Please don't make Medicare Advantage sound noble

It was a scheme/scam to begin privatizing Medicare and undermining traditional Medicare, exactly the sort of thing the Free Market Fundamentalists have wet dreams about. It robbed/cheated seniors and made insurance companies rich. Cutting back on it was the courageous and right thing to do.

And I really wish so-called "illegals" didn't become the convenient bogey men for all the nation's woes. Who's hiring them?

What about the problem of illegal employers?

They're the ones luring cheap labor over the border, especially after NAFTA has decimated farms and industries in Mexico and there's a desperate, vulnerable workforce willing to take the risk of coming to America.

Aside from that, I'm in general agreement with you OHdem10.

[OHdem10]

9. I did not intend to make any program sound noble.

To take money from poor Americans on Medicaid and
American Children(Children's Health program) only
creates anger and eventually hatred. Democrats should
not be in the business of creating division. This
has been on every program and the Republicans pointed
it out in Iowa. C-Span Viewers. Their political brain
was out to lunch.

If the Dems lose their failure will have been SCHIP and
that FISA Debacle.

[rodeodance]

7. as someone said -IT was not a natural disaster--it was a man-made disaster.

[Ilsa]

10. People are saying now that they'd support an increase in local gas tax

to pay for new highway/bridge construction. They said a year ago they probably would have been against it.

I guess some people have to learn their lessons the "hard way." Of course, it was the people killed that got it the hard way.