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White bread on white bread sandwich, Tim Pawlenty talks to Esquire:
I’ve argued, at least as it related to the stimulus bill as opposed to TARP, that there were things that we could have and should have done, but it should have been much more targeted. For example, instead of spending $800 billion in a stimulus package, I think we would have gotten much more bang for the buck if we would have done two simple things: focused on tax cuts that would have put cash immediately into the average citizen’s pocket, and two, put money into bread-and-butter infrastructure projects like roads and bridges that could be done quickly. Of the $800 billion stimulus package, only about $50 billion, give or take, actually went into roads and bridges. It was a paltry amount compared to the overall size of the bill.
Oh, yes he said that.
That would be this Tim Pawlenty:
MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 6 (2007) — In the past two years, Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota twice vetoed legislation to raise the state’s gas tax to pay for transportation needs.
Now, with at least five people dead in the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge here, Mr. Pawlenty, a Republican, appears to have had a change of heart.
“He’s open to that,” Brian McClung, a spokesman for the governor, said Monday of a higher gas tax. “He believes we need to do everything we can to address this situation and the extraordinary costs.”
Somewhere on Tim Pawlenty’s desk, possibly obscured by a copy of American Mullet magazine, lies an unread report entitled: Interstate 35W Bridge Determined To Strike Mississippi.
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I live in a nation (the U.S.) which has apparently taken that bit from Monty Python and the Holy Grail about “we take it in turns to to act as a sort of ‘executive officer’ for the week…” and decided that this is how the Senate should rule the nation; in a state (CA) governed by a steroid-addled has-been vanity case who convinced himself and a majority of CA voters – twice! – that his business acumen (Exhibit A – the then-merely-failing, now-failed “Planet Hollywood” chain) made him just a spiffy choice for Governor; in a city you’ve probably never heard of, and if you have, it’s ’cause you either live in the SF Bay Area, or have otherwise read about it’s major “successes” of late, like an inept mayoral election (which produced an inept mayor, natch), or filing for bankruptcy, from which we have still not emerged (Vallejo, CA, home of
Marine WorldDiscovery Kingdom).And I’m supposed to be impressed with Tim Pawlenty’s strictly-minor-league douchebaggery?
Please. In the modern Republican Party, this qualifies for Best in Show.
Like so many Republican, Pawlenty is really into magic. Since they’re unable to understand how the world actually works, everything seems like magic (i.e., rain falls because God cries, thunder is angels bowling, etc.),
So it’s no surprise that the belief in magic carries over to governance. Thus, cutting taxes can solve every problem. And if people have to die because w can’t afford to fix things, well, that’s a small price to pay for those who survive. “Death before Taxes!” is much more than just a slogan for Republicans.
I freely admit I might be missing something here (not the first time) but wouldn’t that be “determined to strike Minnesota”? Or at least “Mississippi River”?
They missed the sign* on the Tim Pawlenty Memorial Overpass and Sudden Carwash.
*Lower Aerials/Not Responsible for Vehicle Damage/Keep Vehicle in Neutral to Avoid personal Injury
Death before Taxes. Preach it!
“Voodoo economics”, it’s called and its been the policy of the US Gov’t since Ronaldo Raygun. Unfortunately, Obama seems to be a believer in it as well.
It should be obvious that the unemployed do not need a (Federal Income Tax) tax cut. It will not put any “money in his pocket”.
It is a clever trick – how the Republicans and the Media have convinced the unemployed teabaggers that their primary concern is that they pay too much federal income tax.
They own the airwaves. Repeat something often enough and loudly enough…
(Tax cuts and job outsourcing are what got us here today.)
Love the reductio ad absurdum: if tax rates were zero, tax collections would be infinite.
Tim hasn’t ben entirely right since Marcus Bachmann degayed his mullet with an extended, getitalloutofyoursystem exorcism involving cowboy crank and a male hooker. Some have said it was the nekkid pics of Michele Bachmann at the climactic moment that really fucked him up. The Way of the Straight Married republiKKKan Male.
Too bad about the bridges, though.
Of course he wants to go there. Our overfed and indifferent corporate media, and in consequence the ill informed masses, always develops amnesia to the faults and failings of Republicans. This is absolutely no cost to him and anyone who dares bring up the past will be branded as shrill and partisan.
Some have said it was the nekkid pics of Michele Bachmann at the climactic moment that really fucked him up.
That could cause some serious psychological damage, alright. The idea of funding infrastructure becomes entirely irrelevant when you throw nekkid pics of Michele Bachmann into the mix. Terrifying.
I’ll take a tax cut on my unemployment insurance any day. Trouble is, that’s not where “tax cuts” usually take place.
He actually had the nerve to veto a gas tax AFTER the bridge collapsed too. His dicktitude knows no boundaries.
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=500264
i think the phrase you’re avoiding is “Shovel-Ready”
No, we call it ‘the Mississippi’ here, mostly, and reports like that tend to leave the little words out of the titles, so it’s about right.
Ack. Here’s the link.
Thanks. I plead having an editor for a father.
Pawlenty modestly neglected to mention that tax cuts would generate thousands of jobs for returning deceased war veterans.
Shoes for industry, Tim!
Why did the bridge fall did they ever determine that?
Was the bridge inspected regular was maintenance done as suggested? Its hard to believe that a sudden design failure was not preceded by cracks in concrete, cracks in welds, bolts shearing off, steel rusting through etc all things a good engineer would notice on a routine inspection and demand they get fixed.
.There was no extraordinary stress on that bridge that day. No extra weight over its design limit. No wind, earth quake etc a sudden collapse with no obvious cause?
Yes when pigs fly.
Even a Design Failure needs some stress as a trigger.
Then you’ll love the Jesuits attempts to prove the existence of God with logical argument. Or as I like to call it how many logical fallacies can I spot and give the proper name for?
Circler Logic, Strawman, etc.
yes, regular inspection was done, and inspectors had raised alarm about various items, but due to Republican shenanigans, bridge was not closed, repairs were not authorized.
The day of collapse, lots of heavy equipment was on the bridge as it had been for days (weeks? don’t recall) for resurfacing (winter use of salt is hell on road surfaces). I drove over that bridge regularly, and i remember not enjoying the shaky vibration while that resurfacing was going on. Luckily for me i had a contract in a different area of the metro the week the bridge went down.
If you search the archives of the StarTribune & St Paul Pioneer Press you’ll find the history, and the conclusion of the investigation team.
On March 17, 2008, the NTSB announced an update on the investigation. The announcement gave updates in the areas of load capacity, design issues, computer analysis and modeling, digital image analysis, and analysis of the undersized and corroded gusset plates. The investigation revealed that photos from a June 2003 inspection of the bridge showed gusset plate bowing.[131][132]
On November 13, 2008, the NTSB released the findings of its investigation. The primary cause was the under-sized gusset plates, at 0.5 inches (13 mm) thick. Contributing to that design or construction error was the fact that 2 inches (51 mm) of concrete were added to the road surface over the years, increasing the dead load by 20%. Also contributing was the extraordinary weight of construction equipment and material resting on the bridge just above its weakest point at the time of the collapse. That load was estimated at 578,000 pounds (262,000 kg) consisting of sand, water, and vehicles. The NTSB determined that corrosion was not a significant factor, but that inspectors did not routinely check that safety features were functional.[133]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-35W_Mississippi_River_bridge#Investigation
My bold
If you have photos of gusset plates bowing then why didn’t the State fix the plates Tim not enough money in the budget?
Notice they don’t say that the bridge was over its stated weight limit.
Money quote Tim Inspectors did not routinely check safety features why budget cuts?
Tim wants to be President a diary from a local would be good. Also a diary from a structural engineer would be nice.
How do you have a bridge collapse where deaths occur and nobody held responsible? Is Tim protected by the Prince of Darkness?
By having sovereign immunity — the original tort reform.
Yeah, remember how many of us – once we all got that tax money back into our own pockets after some serious “tax cuttin,” got together and pooled our money and invested in some infrastructure – ’cause we all now how better to spend our money than some bloated government beaurocracy? Yeah, me neither.
Dear TBogg:
This would be the same self-absorbed heartless jackass who recently earned the name “Governor Gutshot” for leaving a deer he hit during a hunting photo-op in roughly the same shape as he’s leaving the state after eight years of his misrule. The last Republican governor to actually give a damn about Minnesota was none other than Arne Carlson — and he’s been essentially kicked out of the party for being sane.
is god crying over gutter balls?
mahalo! for the giggle.
peas!
A GOP governor who preaches the party line about fiscal responsibility and less government blames the federal government for not compensating for his fiscal irresponsibility? Well, color me shocked.
Pawlenty is the asshole that wouldn’t pony up the state funds to get federal matching funds to fix his bridge, the asshole. This clueless asshat is just counting on amnesia. Let’s spend some campaign money on reminders.
So he’s saying he’s in favor of an 800 billion dollar bill JUST for infrastructure? :-D
Goddamn, I should NOT have clicked on this link. I loathe Ratface Pawlenty, simply loathe him. This is the same man who said the Twins and Vikings would not leave on his watch, cheerleading a forced tax hike on Hennepin County for an outdoor stadium for the Twins. Which, by the way, should be called the Hennepin County Tax Payers Stadium by default. I was actually rooting for the Vikes not to make it to the SB because they have been making noise about an $800M stadium, which would be paid for by the state, of course. The time is right. Uh huh. I am a sports fan, but I am not for wealthfare for billionaires.
Yet, since Ratface didn’t sign the tax hike into law, he gets to technically say that he hasn’t raised taxes. While HCMC, the urban (as it were) hospital is in real danger of having to shut down. They are turning away people from the emergency room as well. The fucking infrastructure of MN is crumbling in large part thanks to him!
This fucker has the balls to spout this shit? Seriously? Where’s my rusty pitchfork?