"I'm glad to get away from the 35 Bridge. Tim, you and Norm have been a great help to me. Our Democratic opposition has been collapsing just like that Bridge."
A special thank you to George Bush who is racking up a trillion dollar bill in Iraq and began the invasion to occupy the country with a glorious campaign of "Shock and Awe" which included bombing many bridges and roads which the American taxpayers now have to pay to rebuild as Minnesotans prepare for a continued robbery at the pumps in order to rebuild the 35 Bridge and repair over 1,600 more bridges that are in the same shape or worse than the 35 Bridge.
Our infrastructure is failing because we have a failed economic and political system that continues to place corporate profits before human needs.
To compound the problem these same politicians tell us we need to spend more money in order to have safe roads and bridges... the fact of the matter is--- more than enough money has been appropriated for highway and bridge maintenance, construction, renovations, repairs, and replacement.
We need to ask where the money is going The answer lies in looking at the companies which are bank-rolling these politicians... next to the military-financial-industrial complex the transportation industry composed of contractors and construction firms make huge profits feeding at the public trough... we are told this is the way the "free market" works.
Bridges in Iraq get bombed... our bridges collapse... the Wall Street coupon clippers profit from it all... politicians are the recipients of stuffed unmarked envelopes... working people die.
It is no coincidence we have a government that would not blink an eye or give a second thought to bombing bridges in Iraq as our own bridges collapse and then have the unmitigated gall to turn around, smile into the television cameras and tell us we have to cough up more money for a new bridge through an increase in the gas tax.
Maybe it is time to consider making some real changes.
A question to ponder:
Is this collapse of the 35 Bridge an indication that our entire capitalist economic system along with the corrupt political structure it has spun into a web that traps us all like those trapped under the rubble of the 35 Bridge is what really needs to be replaced?
My personal opinion is that this capitalist system is rotting away like the steel girders and beams of the 35 Bridge; which, predictably, finally collapsed into the turbulent waters of the Mighty Mississippi claiming lives and creating misery for families, friends, communities, and our State... a Bridge we relied on to safely carry us across the Mighty Mississippi River. We relied on the very same people for the safety of the 35 Bridge who continue to tell us this is the best system in the world... we better check things out for ourselves, don't you think?
Something to ponder and think about around the kitchen table.
Photo below:
R.T. placing a call to Democratic United States Congressman Jim Oberstar... "Jim, about that sign on south bound 35 coming down from Duluth... it says, 'Thanks Jim Oberstar for providing Minnesotans with safe bridges and highways,' do ya think you should take it down before the next election?"
Oberstar responded... "You betcha Mr. Mayor; I'll have Peter Makowski get right on it after I finish counting the money a guy in a white hard hat who flew into Washington for an unexpected chit chat left here on my desk in an unmarked envelope. He told me we have a little problem with a Bridge."
Congressman James Oberstar hard at work, personally over-seeing the safety of our roads and bridges under construction... here Congresman Oberstar is asking for a small favor: "Say, fellas, would you mind checking out the Blatnik Bridge in Duluth before you do any more work here?"
"Gees, Jim... is there a problem?"
[Don't forget to click on the pictures protruding to the right that are partially hidden like the problems were with the 35 Bridge.]
