To me the answer should be that road construction already has a source(s) of funding specifically set aside for that purpose. The other projects do not — unless you count general funds dollars that are used to pay off the bonds themselves.

Bonding for road projects without even marginally increasing the ability to pay for them in the long run cuts down on the state’s long-term ability to engage in not just new construction, but maintenance on current construction. Ask a room full of highway engineers how tired they are of the phrase “deferred maintenance”.

In addition, look at the counties that are using property tax dollars to pay for their road projects. Not good when you consider how strectched county budgets are (and I don’t mean Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka, Scott, et al).

We should not have to bond for road projects. We should have been keeping up with the needed revenue. But we did not. And where has this gotten us?

Civility is not what the right wing spin machine has been about for 6 years. Trolls have been a problem on blogs that allow them for many years now.

If we just laid down and let you righties walk all over us, we’d be labeled as being “soft” by the right. If we fight we are labeled as “unhinged”.

I am way way past the point of laying down and letting you righties get away with the bullshit that you have the last 6 years. I am not soft, and in fact, am quite angry at all you stupid ass trolls.

Why does the debate about the bridge so resemble the debate about Katrina? Same themes of “out blaming” the other guy, especially those whimpy Liberals. Well that does not move America forward. O’Reilly doesn’t move America forward.

We’ll see what happens in the local news tomorrow….perhaps a wake up call?

That’s not the question I asked. I asked whether you supported bonding for the projects requested by Rochester? You can bet your bottom dollar that next year Rochester will be back at the well for the Mayo Civic Center among other things.

Also, Pawlenty did propose $1.7 billion (not a few million here and there) for big road and bridge projects. They were dismissed out of hand by the same people who are saying that another bridge collapse is “iminent.”

AS it turned out, funding was refused for most of the requests Rochester made. Our 1/2 cent City Tax is still in place and revenues will continue to be raised that way to pay our share of future projects.

AS it turned out, funding was refused for most of the requests Rochester made. Our 1/2 cent City Tax is still in place and revenues will continue to be raised that way to pay our share of future projects.

You’re pathetic. Apparently all of your false talk of civility — as well as any shred of hope I had in it — has gone in the crapper. And, by the way, Publius, with its barrage of posts today (beginning with this one) about the political ramifications of the GOP’s stance on the gas tax in relation to the bridge collapse has ended the moratorium on politicizing the issue.

Basic infrastructure — such as roads and bridges — should be funded first, not the collectivist choo-choo trains you and your utopian greenie friends want to coerce us taxpayers into riding.

When Bill O’Reilly calls people names like scum every show that doesn’t bother you?

What are you, scum?

It didn’t take you long to start calling names again. I didn’t attack anyone, either, Nitro. I did not say Murphy and the DFL were to blame for the bridge collapse. I am saying that anyone campaigning on being better than someone else on the issue should be careful because their own record on that issue is checkered at best. Look at the MVET Amendment last year where we said that AT LEAST 40% would go to transit and NO MORE THAN 60% would go to roads and bridges.

Wow you’re on the ATTACK today. We all are so very impressed with your grasp of bullshitting your way and SLAMMING those Dems again and again.

I’m sure you’ll be fired up after the factor tonight.

AWESOME!!! Keep up the great work, scum.

Nice pre-emptive attack. I think you’re probably aware that both parties’ record on infrastructure will be coming into question. That includes the DFL which for the last decade or more has abandoned road and bridge construction in favor of mass transit including light rail.

Could it be a liability for the DFL if people found out that Steve Murphy killed over $1.7 billion in road and bridge construction in the last session of the legislature?