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MINNESOTA DEMOCRATS POLITICIZE 35-W BRIDGE COLLAPSE – STATE SENATOR RICK OLSEEN
By Michael B. Brodkorb | August 3, 2007
"Sen. Rick Olseen, DFL-Harris, said he had been upset all day Thursday about the bridge collapse.
Harsh judgments
Olseen, unlike the other lawmakers, offered some harsh judgements of the Pawlenty Administration. 'We never heard a word about it,' he said of MnDOT officials informing lawmakers about federal bridge inspection reports.
Other lawmakers warned against placing blame.
'We have to be careful about pointing fingers here,' said Sen. Carlson. Carlson, like Holberg, doesn’t believe the recently vetoed transportation funding bill had any bearing on the disaster.
'The 2007 transportation bill would not have changed the outcome here,' said Carlson." Source: Hometown Source, August 3, 2007
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28 Responses to “MINNESOTA DEMOCRATS POLITICIZE 35-W BRIDGE COLLAPSE – STATE SENATOR RICK OLSEEN”
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August 3rd, 2007 at 12:36 PM
I can think of alot more harsh words then “We never heard a word about it”… c’mon you are embarassing yourself even more then usual MDE…
August 3rd, 2007 at 12:45 PM
I wonder why Olseen words represent Minnesota Democrats and not the words of Mike’s own state senator DFLer Carlson who said now is not the time to rush to judgement? Or DFL Mator RT Rybak? Or Senator Klobuchar or Congressman Ellison?
Because it doesn’t serve MDE’s purpose and that to find/create mud on Democrats where ever he finds it. Its why I will not let up on this political hack.
August 3rd, 2007 at 12:46 PM
It seems to me he is blaiming questioning MNDOT and not Pawlenty, but if you think there should be a buck stops here mentality so be it. If thats the case then in essence your blaiming Pawlenty.
August 3rd, 2007 at 12:48 PM
DJZ,
You are a hypocrite, DFL muckraker.
August 3rd, 2007 at 12:55 PM
This is a pretty crappy post…
Imagine next year when us DFL’ers try to pass legislation for transportation, Pawlenty will be hard pressed to veto it this time.
August 3rd, 2007 at 1:05 PM
If it includes another run at $5 BILLION DOLLARS IN TAX INCREASES AND FEES… he will have no problem vetoing it.
August 3rd, 2007 at 1:09 PM
I’ll tell you why Carlson go’s with the “let’s not rush to judgement ” approach DJZ ! ITS JUST
GOOD POLITICS ! I notice you conviently forget to
mention that he is also GOV. PAWLENTY’s state senator. The people of his district know how UTTERLY STUPID AND FRAUDULENT OLSEEN’S statements are regarding the GOVERNOR, who was their state representative for 10 years ! DJZ, YOU HAVE DEMONSTRATED ONCE AGAIN, THAT YOU ARE THE DISINGENUOUS HACK HERE !!!
August 3rd, 2007 at 1:13 PM
Where’s Waldnau?
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:03 PM
Andrew & Chestnut,
The two of you combine to raise an interesting point. The next transportation appropriations process will undoubtably be a race to see who can be the most “compassionate” in reacting to the tragedy.
Perhaps we should start a little pool as to the total price tag as well as the number of unrelated tagalong amendments attached to what will be seen as an untouchable bill.
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:36 PM
I see a long overdue gas tax in the future passing with about 85% support. Pawlenty signs this one.
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:43 PM
What is so hard about acknowledging that infrastructure rots when you refuse to spend money on it?
Oh right, people died so conservatives could save a teensy bit on their taxes. Well, that would be embarrassing. So, about the expense of replacing the bridge, cleaning up after the collapse, the disruptions of travel, time spent commuting that could have been spent at work or even, wow, with family, what’s that going to do to taxes?
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:43 PM
We’ll see if the democrats rush to cut bloated welfare and public dependency programs as fast as they rush to raise taxes. Or elimnate all spending on public art.
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:57 PM
Gas tax revenues have tripled in the past 20 years. Making gasoline even more expensive is feel-good bullshit for socialists, not an answer to transportation needs. We’ve already seen a 300 percent increase in gas tax revenues…
If another b.s. gax tax increase is tied to even more b.s. $5 BILLION IN TAX INCREASES, then I expect Pawlenty will veto that bill as well.
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:58 PM
No Eric, people died because liberals waste government money on feel-good socialist bullshit.
August 3rd, 2007 at 3:06 PM
Where is the outrage that speaker Pelosi won’t let the Minnesota delegation bring their bill to the floor for funds for the bridge. Aren’t the democrats incharge,can’t Amy, Ellison and the gang get Pelosi to move. Pathetic liberals who actually allowed a finished vote on H.R. 3162 which stopped funding for illegals health care by cutting Senior funds to Medicare to keep voting until they got enough votes. Watch the video on c-Span from the house last night at 11:15. Sick, it is the way Stalin used to do things. New Zogby poll: congregssional approval at 3% with a minus 1% error rate in the poll.I like our chances in 08.
August 3rd, 2007 at 3:28 PM
Why do you DFLers keep ignoring the fact that Pawlenty proposed $1.7 billion in highway and bridge projects last session? Why do you keep ignoring the fact that the DFL Senate Transportation Committee killed his proposal? Why do you keep ignoring the fact that 2006 was the biggest road construction year in MN history; 2005 was the second biggest and 2004 was the third biggest?
The answer: because all you care about is politicizing the issue and you don’t actually care about fixing infrastructure.
August 3rd, 2007 at 3:48 PM
Chris why do you keep ignoring the fact that the Governor has vetoed the most comprehensive transportation bill in nearly a decade, again and again.
The Chamber of Commerce gets it on this issue (surprisingly), why can’t the Governor?
The Governor has refused to work towards a compromise on this issue and the public is not going to buy his “my way or the highway” bullshit anymore. The public wants action and surely his pollsters and finger-to-the-wind advisors must realize he must act.
Now that McCain is toast, maybe our Governor will actually get back to doing his job.
August 3rd, 2007 at 4:28 PM
“I see a long overdue gas tax in the future passing with about 85% support. Pawlenty signs this one.”
Pfft.
What shall be seen is a long overdue investigation as to where the millions of dollars that the taxpayers are ALREADY paying for upkeep of our roads and bridges have been carted off to.
Can you say “bye-bye Choo-choo train”?
I’m guessing we have seen the last of bills promising to spend money on ROADS (and transportation) in favor of actually spending the money on ROADS that is supposed to have been spent there.
It’s time to put the moonbats in our legislature back into their cave and seal it off.
August 3rd, 2007 at 4:34 PM
Oh right, people died so conservatives could save a teensy bit on their taxes. Well, that would be embarrassing. So, about the expense of replacing the bridge, cleaning up after the collapse, the disruptions of travel, time spent commuting that could have been spent at work or even, wow, with family, what’s that going to do to taxes?
~ Eric
Eric you are so full of shit it makes me giggle.
No the blood is clearly on the DFL hands. How much money have they wasted on social programs. We all know the game liberals play, fund the fluffy social stuff first, then claim you do not have money for fire, police, roads, BRIDGES and such.
It is the wasteful spending of the DFL and the fact that cannot pass a transportation bill without hanging a bunch of pork on it is what has brought us to this point.
History has shown it is the DFL who pushes for mass transit and fights new road construction at every turn. People are not fooled, all know if you want a strong police force and strong basic infrasturcture than you do not vote DFL.
We have two shining star cities run by liberals, Mpls and St. Paul, I think we all know what direction those cities are heading… in the toilet! Is it any wonder we have failing bridges and roads when the mindless sheeple have been voting DFL for years not even understanding why.
I believe this is going to wake a few of the mindnumb sort-of liberals out there.
August 3rd, 2007 at 6:46 PM
Big Tuna,
Name the fluffy social programs that add up to billions that we should have cut- AND, why weren’t they on the table while the Republicans ran the House and Governor’s office?
August 3rd, 2007 at 6:52 PM
Don’t forget folks, we are now Constitutionally obligated to spend a MINIMUM of 40% of Transportation money on transit.
Doesn’t it make you feel better that for every $2 billion dollars worth of bridge repair, we will be forced to build $1.3 billion worth of bike paths?
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:59 PM
Mark (Heaney) as well he should have…. how about cutting free money to lazy bums from Chicago..or Gary In to pay for roads…. This state takes in more than enoug hmoney..it is all spent on your socialist agenda……..
August 3rd, 2007 at 11:40 PM
Small Cockhuna,
You can live in your make believe world all you want, but take a look in the mirror and it’s just ugly old you. The majority of folks will fall over laughing when you say it is Republicans not Democrats who have supported investment in infrastructure. You can spin all you want, but in a major disaster like this people are going to demand answers and action. It’s a sad statement on the Republican party that it took this horrible incident to finally get some guts and do the right thing.
As for your law enforcement comment, who cut the “Clinton Cops” again? Ask your local law enforcement…
August 4th, 2007 at 12:30 AM
I loved that comment about paying for bridges by cutting out public art. Right, that will pay for two girders, maybe even some paint.
These claims that the money for transportation was wasted on other programs might make sense if it was cut to pay for other programs, but the DFL legislators did pass the bills to pay for transportation. They didn’t cut it to move money elsewhere. They passed it, Pawlenty vetoed it, the GOP legislators upheld the vetoes. This was after years of infrastructure neglect being a, well, “neglected” issue on the GOP side. There’s no getting out of this, except for Republicans to bite the bullet and raise the funding to fix it. If you still can’t get past your bumber sticker slogans, then your election chances will collapse like your policies, which are clearly visible laying in the river.
August 4th, 2007 at 11:15 AM
Fergeson..you simpleton, the bridge did NOT collapse due to a lack of funding…. it smacks of a sweep under by the inspectors…arrogant ass
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