Badly Bent

2007-08-03 - 12:49 p.m.

Day off. Another laundry-and-video day.

Oh, and I need to pick up something at the post office for the gig tonight.

Bwah hah hah.

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Well, if it's even possible, there's some good news about the 35W bridge collapse.

The number of missing has been downgraded from 30 to eight, and as of this writing the death toll stands at 5. That's far less than the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, where 66 were killed. So there's still some (very) cautious optimism that it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

And now, the bad news - there had been warnings as early as 1990 that the bridge may collapse. They relied on, to quote the article, "patchwork fixes and stepped-up inspections".

What's truly truly sad is this is typical government bullshit - "we know there's a problem but it's too much work to actually fix the problem (and it will make people mad if we suggest permanent fixes) so we'll just use a Band-Aid and let future generations worry about it".

Like Social Security. Or illegal immigration. Or the tax code.

Just once I'd like a politician to stand up and say, "Yes, the solution is unpopular and difficult but it's going to get done, and it's more important that this get done FIRST."

Just. Fucking. ONCE.

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Remember when I said that this would turn political? Gee, guess what.

A reporter for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune blames Gov. Tim Pawlenty:

For half a dozen years, the motto of state government and particularly that of Gov. Tim Pawlenty has been No New Taxes. It's been popular with a lot of voters and it has mostly prevailed. So much so that Pawlenty vetoed a 5-cent gas tax increase - the first in 20 years - last spring and millions were lost that might have gone to road repair. And yes, it would have fallen even if the gas tax had gone through, because we are years behind a dangerous curve when it comes to the replacement of infrastructure that everyone but wingnuts in coonskin caps agree is one of the basic duties of government.

The cry that there wasn't enough money is bullshit also. Turns out that, when Pawlenty vetoed the gas tax, there was a $2.1 BILLION surplus from overtaxation. Where did all that money go? Take a look.

YOUR tax dollars at work, gang.

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Bob sent me the following. Since today's entry has to do with political bullshit, it seems appropriate.

Political Truths

"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed." - Mark Twain

Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress....
But then I repeat myself. - Mark Twain

I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. -
Winston Churchill

A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. - George Bernard Shaw

A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money. - G. Gordon Liddy

Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. - James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)

Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries. - Douglas Casey, Classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University

Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. - P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian

Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else. - Frederic Bastiat, French Economist (1801-1850)

Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases:
If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving subsidize it. - Ronald Reagan (1986)

I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts. -
Will Rogers

If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free! - P.J. O'Rourke

In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other. - Voltaire (1764)

Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you! - Pericles (430 B.C.)

No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session. - Mark Twain (1866)

Talk is cheap...except when Congress does it. - Unknown

The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other. - Ronald Reagan

The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings.
The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery. - Winston Churchill

The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin. - Mark Twain

The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools - Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)

There is no distinctly Native American criminal class...save Congress. -
Mark Twain

What this country needs are more unemployed politicians. - Edward Langley, Artist (1928 - 1995)

A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. - Thomas Jefferson

Heh heh heh.

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Today's title comes from this band.

Matter of fact, let's go to the video!

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Have a peaceful day, if you can.

Be seeing you.

Acorn - 2007-08-04 22:27:42 - http://acornotravez.diaryland.com
Hi - I added you to my faves because I read Brin and she seems to like you somewhat. :)

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Dave - 2007-08-05 03:48:43 -
Welcome aboard. Thanks for sticking around. I'll try to keep it interesting. :)

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