Why More Truck Drivers Are Going To Die

[ATeam]

From today's Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

"WASHINGTON - Bridges are aging and rusting all over the country, but if Congress has its way, Las Vegas will get a history museum out of the Senate-approved transportation and housing bill soon headed to President Bush.

"North Dakota will get $450,000 for its Peace Garden on the Canadian border, while Montana will see funding for a minor-league baseball stadium in Billings. So too will Minnesota get $250,000 in the House version -- for bike trails.

"The U.S. Senate bill does contain an extra $1 billion for bridge repair. But the amount set aside for pet transportation and community projects would be more than double that: In all, 843 new congressional "earmarks" totaling $2.5 billion.

"The House version of the bill, passed before the Interstate 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis on Aug. 1, is nearly as fatty, with more than 1,400 earmarks worth nearly $2.2 billion.

"If current trends continue, the feast of pork-barrel spending is likely to grow, the result of Republican and Democratic lawmakers across the country who grab transportation funds for things like local highway interchanges -- and a California Mule and Packers Museum in Bishop, population 3,575."

Full story: http://www.startribune.com/587/story/1421821.html

 

[greg334]

I find the whole article finger pointing, like I said in the 9/11 post where is the accoutablity at the state level where the inspections and repairs happen? I don't see the people recalling the governor so it must not be that important to them.

It is sad that no one is saying that the leadership of the state is to blame but rather the feds with the normal politics in Washington.

The fact is that we have to examine not just the funding of the roads but what has taken place with the specifications of the feds and the states in the last 40 years. Because of the knee jerk reaction from this event, the feds now allow the states to fast track bridge building and repair to all kinds of specs when we should have one or two standards and limit the way the states build the bridges.

It also goes for signage, which should be standard throughout the country but isn't. I could rarely find mile markers in California or proper information about exits in Arizona and Colorado.

We also need to examine reinstitution of the weights limits that were used during the time most of the bridges were made, sorry people with your heavy axle weight but there is a lot to be said about axle weights and the demise of the roads (look at Michigan and the mess we have) seeing everyone is afraid of saying it.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Absolutely about the weights Greg...when those bridges were sped'd it was 35' and 40 ' trailers the norm....now we have the 53' monsters triple and double trains...trombone trailers...so on and so on...

 

[arkjarhead]

Plus like he said up in michigan you see those trailers with all the axles hauling at least 90-100k i would assume. can't be good for the roads, and the ata wants longer heavier rigs across the board. meanwhile like greg said no one wants to accept the blame. if someone did accept the blame i wouldn't chastize them, but tell them thanks for being one of the few with a backbone.

 

[Moot]

Nobody likes pork barrel spending, unless of course it is their congressional representative spending it on their district. Mr. Oberstar has been bringing home the bacon, ribs, hams and porketta roasts to the good people of Northeastern Minnesota for over 30 years. That's why he keeps getting re-elected.

Now he wants a .05/gal. fuel tax to fund infrastructure repair. If taxes collected from the sale of fuel were used for the intended purpose of highway construction and maintenance there would be no falling bridges.

Money diverted to pet projects such as light rail only creates another monster that will require more money for operation and maintenance. This country is embarking on a nation wide bridge repair campaign. During this particular crisis I'm sure we will be ignoring something else until it too gains crisis status.

It's cute! It's silent! It's deadly! Ding! Ding! Here comes light rail.

 

[Broompilot]

Why just ask but kissing Mary Peters she has all the answers. If she had a brain she would be dangerious so she borrows someone elses. Biggest but kisser of the 2000's no back bone, lousey speaker, terrible fact collector, but she knows only what she is told. Could not give a straight answer if her life depended on it.

How people with so low IQs ever get where they are at is just one of those 10 wonders of the World. Maybee I got that wrong High IQ with no commonsense, or did I get it right the first time?

 

[Turtle]

One thing to keep in mind about this Transportation bill (and its budget) is that it is a combined budget for the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (the Transportation-HUD appropriations budget). Many people believe that HUD's responsibilities are solely that of building homes and securing meals for the homeless, and for dumping large sums of money into "the hood" for re-development.

True enough, the core mission of HUD is to combat homelessness, increase homeownership, and provide access to affordable housing, as well as urban economic development. The problems start when such a rather broad mission statement can be interpreted by Congress to mean the development of anything economic, and results in what amounts to a massive pork barrel earmark slush fund. That's how you get a Mule and Packers Museum funded for a town of 3500 people.

The one that caught my eye more than anything else was the funding for the new baseball stadium in Billings, Montana. Being a huge baseball fan, a Reds fan in particular, and having been to many games in Billings, my first thought when I read that was, "Hurmummrmgh?!?! What is HUD doing funding a stadium that doesn't need any funds?"

OK, the old Cobb Field is in desperate need of repair, which would not make sense considering it was built in the 1930's. Even as it is, a baseball game there is hands down the purest baseball experience that you can have. There are no frills, everything is focused on the game. The stadium only has about 4200 seats, yet they manage to have an attendance of around 5000 for each game. It's that popular there.

It's so popular that the citizens of Billings voted to pass a bond issue that would fund the new $12.5 million stadium in its entirety, which is why the inclusion of $500,000 for the stadium in the 2008 federal budget caught my eye. Not only is the $12.5 million covered, but there have also been more than $3 million in additional private donations, one of which was a cool million from John Dehler that will result in the name of the stadium being changed from Cobb Field to Dehler Park when the stadium is completed next summer.

Predictably, costs are running over budget, but it's not like things are running over budget on a federal project. The cost overruns on this stadium are for things like ornamental fencing and other aesthetics that were cut from the project ($200,000), and when voters balked they were added back in. Apparently, the people of Billings want this thing, and they want it they way they wan it. Period.

Admittedly, the new stadium is way over the top for Low-A Minor League Rookie level, Pioneer League baseball, who's season is just four months long. But, it will also house games for the American Legion League, as well as for the MSU-Billings team. Other recent stadiums and renovations in the Pioneer League are the new 5000 seat stadium in Orem, Utah that cost $3 million, and the one in Ogen that cost $5 million in 1997 dollars (that's a really nice stadium, too). In any event, the stadium will be not only the crown jewel of the Pioneer League, or any Rookie Level league, but it will certainly be the crown jewel of Billings and its people. It's what people do there on warm summer nights.

But why federal dollars, even federal pennies, are being put into this project under HUD funding, I have no idea, other than it's coming from someone who thinks it'll help get him elected again. Like I said, it's already funded in its entirely, and any cost overruns are also pretty much taken care of. If any additional funding should become necessary, the state of Montana has a half-a-billion dollar surplus, predicted to be nearly $900 million in 2008. They can afford $500,000 to cover the high cost of the drink holders in the cushioned seats. For that matter, the Cincinnati Reds could simply not pick up Adam Dunn's option for 2008 and bang, there's $15 million, which could foot the entire cost with some left over, not to mention having the side effect of forcing the Reds to then having someone in left field who can actually run down and catch a fly ball.



Slow and steady, even in expediting, wins the race - Aesop

 

[Broompilot]

Nice post Turtle, but HUD has accomplished its goal of Home ownership why with so many people who now cannot make the mortage payments since the adjustable pendalin is now swinging against there bright plan. Well what more could one expect from a Govt. backed agency? Answer EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING TODAY these unprepared people are gona be right back where they started from, Homeless. Three cheers for HUD>>>>>

 

[greg334]

Broom,
The majority of home owners who have used HUD programs to purchased housing have not been facing the realities of the over extended fool who have bought into the 'no money down and you too can be a millionaire' syndrome. If this was the case, there would be no homelessness in the country today.

The 'crisis' has been happening within middleclass upper income people more than it has been happening with the not-adjusted for inflation lower class people. The sad thing is, a couple making $100k or more who have bought their fifth or sixth house now can't afford the payment for the house because of their true debt load are the ones crying more than anyone else.

Oh by the way, just so you all understand something, the government has been slowly adjusting the poverty level to reflect the idea that a poor person is in the mid-middle class income range - going from $14K to $28K (two people with kids) under the new welfare programs passed recently. You can make as a family almost $30K and still receive a government check and this is non-military.