ferries to the Twin Cities !!! PRONTO

[stellanoir]

Just sayin'. . .

Used to live there a long time ago for a short time and the cross pollination of Minneapolis/ St. Paul is quite unique and completely vital to both cities.

Back then, St. Paul always felt very east coast with lots of charm, kind of old school, with greater colorful ethnic elements. Minneapolis always felt far different. . .very modern, more homogenized and uber efficient.

Coming from a state that was riddled with corruption long before it became nationally trendy or blatantly federalized, I was startled to observe the Minnesotan government work amazingly well on so many levels. A dear old friend used to attribute that efficiecy to the "Skandahooligan" influence. There was a refreshing lack of bigotry.

Just trying to figure out what the heck happened. Jesse "the body" Ventura getting his fiscal hands tied by partisans, Wellstone's tragic demise probably both contributed immensely.

I really don't believe anything ever happens for just one reason.

The current Gov slashing Dem legislation to maintain that bridge truly didn't help.

But let's just blame the Dem Congress and maybe Clinton. . ./sarcasm

So sad for the victims et al.

Ferries would help everyone out there until they can rebuild that bridge.

Do ya think Bechtel has already been hired. . .?

[CottonBear]

1. Car ferries, docks at each shore and new roadways from the docks to the intact interstate

would probably be a good solution.

I'm quite sure one of Bush-Cheney's corporate friends will get the contract though. :(

[stellanoir]

3. I'm sure someone has got to be thinking along these lines.

Their public transportation was far better than most places in the US.

I loved their above ground pedestrian crossworks between the skyscrapers in downtown Minneapolis.

Also loved the tongue in cheek self deprecating local expression. . ."Minnesnowta. . .land of 10,000 flakes."

The "Skandahooligans" might just actually have the moxie to demand oversight for this project.

I'll betchya they will.

People who can tolerate 100 degree below zero temperatures for a couple months a year tend not to suffer fools gladly.

[CottonBear]

9. I've never been to Minnesota but it seems like a really nice place.

I feel so badly for the people affected by the bridge collapse. :(

Hopefully, Bush will keep his stupid ass, Chimpy self away from M-SP while they start to heal and recover.

edit: I work inthe Civil engineering field so I am following this story closely. I used to work with a structural engineer whose great interest was bridge design.

[itsrobert]

2. Wasn't Norm Coleman

A mayor in that area?

[stellanoir]

4. I didn't know his history so I just checked on wikipedia. . .

Yup

"He served as the mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota from 1994 to 2002. Previously a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), Coleman switched to the Republican Party of Minnesota in 1996. In 1998 he lost a bid for Governor of Minnesota against former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura, a member of the Reform Party of Minnesota, and DFL candidate Hubert H. "Skip" Humphrey III."

[Rick Myers]

5. Yes, Norm was the mayor of St. Paul

Then he ran for Gov and got beat by Jesse Ventura

[stellanoir]

7. Are you from there. . .?

and if so. . .do you agree with the assessment I put forth. . .? I only lived there for about 7 months.

If so. . .how have things changed. . .?

Coleman always seemed sort of swarmy to me. Though I know it's totally wrong to hold someone accountable for their extended family, I had a bad feeling about him as soon as I heard Bernard on "Slimus" referring to him as his first cousin.

[Left Is Write]

12. When he was mayor, I could never have imagined...

that he would one day sit in Paul Wellstone's rightful seat.

[Deja Q]

6. Quite. Pawlenty did cut funding for maintenance, which is the state's job.

KQRS spelled it out neatly this morning as to what feds cover and what the state covers.

Pawlenty nor Bush can cover themselves on this issue. Maintenance is a continual thing and they cut the budget to do the work properly. We know the budget had to be cut at the time, but if Pawlenty, a couple months ago, was talking about taking out a loan to improve roads, he sure as hell can do pull a loan to rebuild a bridge too.

2008 is going to be very interesting indeed.

[zbdent]

8. Well, they were refused in Akron ... oh, wait ... homonym ...

sorry ...

[Ghost in the Machine]

10. I had the same thought last night, not long after hearing about the collapse

A car ferry would help the traffic situation some. I miss the one we had here... they just got rid of it several years ago when they built a bride across the Tennessee River from Decatur to Dayton...

How would the ferry run though? Should they charge a dollar per car, or get paid by the government for their services? Someone has to pay for the fuel, insurance and upkeep of the ferry...

[stellanoir]

11. I was sort of visualizing pedestrian ferries.

The river is not that wide there and public transport is better than most places in the US.

Dunno about the details but I'd imagine people would be happy to pay rather than sitting in conjestion burning copious amounts of fuel going nowhere.

[stellanoir]

13. . . .

[KharmaTrain]

14. The Part Of The Tax Cuts No One Discusses...

When the federal rates on the rich were lowered, besides losing a major chunk of revenue that went to states, the cuts or inadequate funding of programs by booshie put pressure on states to pick up the slack. Many states were in no condition...thanks to abusesive "tax cutting" repugnicans who took a surplus in the late 90s and almost immediately turned it into defecits as the states had to pick up funding gaps from money going to the military rather than to schools or road construction or other things.

Also...when the tax rates were lowered, many states were screwed a second time as the lower tax rates on the Federal would dovetail into lower taxes paid to the state. And who are the ones who usually bitch the most when these services are cut? Its sure not the poor schmuck just trying to make it alive another day.