THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this image released by the U.S. Coast Guard, debris from the Interstate 35W bridge that collapsed over the Mississippi River is shown Friday in Minneapolis.
BY MIKE CETERA
The folks in Springfield are now very anxious to get a capital projects bill passed. It's amazing what a little bridge collapse can do to inspire resolve.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich used the Minnesota bridge collapse as an opportunity (excuse?) to push a $10 billion capital bill, which didn't get nearly the ink or attention from lawmakers days ago that it's getting now. Call it a reshuffling of priorities, or for the more cynical, political opportunism run amok.
There is a need for infrastructure investment. But the need is no greater today than it was Wednesday. This should have been a priority earlier.
From an AP story:
Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson, R-Greenville, said the Minnesota tragedy has inspired new conversations about a construction program, which has been a questionable priority in budget negotiations this year.''Certainly we wouldn't want anything like that in Illinois,'' Watson said. ''There have been warnings over the last several years from directors of transportation (about Illinois bridge structures).''
But he said Republicans don't trust Blagojevich to spend the money fairly.
Sen. Kirk Dillard, R-Hinsdale, said Illinois has not had a capital bill in the five years Blagojevich has been governor ''because of his ineptness as a leader but also no one in either party trusts the gentleman not to play politics with our concrete and road money.''
That's a poor reason not to get something done. And it rings of the kind of partisan rhetoric that people are really sick of. Would Dillard suggest that former Gov. George Ryan didn't "play politics" under his Illinois First program?
One of the young men that survived the impact of his truck crashing on the I-35W bridge said that he was alive because of his seat belt. He knew that he would have been through the windshield, otherwise. He then said, "Thanks, Mom, for always insisting I wear my seat belt."
I wish the press would underscore and highlight these kinds of things that greatly increased the number of survivors from this tragedy. No one seems to seize these opportunities to emphasize the importance of seat belt use.
The same thing is true of the pile ups caused by tailgating. I've never heard a reporter or commentator once proclaim that the injuries or fatalities would have been reduced if people were following the rules of allowing a car length for every 10 miles of speed. In this day and age, that seems to be an outdated notion, but it WORKS!! There is no time to respond when something sudden happens, and what could have been limited to 1 car, ends up as a multi car pile up, often with sad consequences. What in the hell is the hurry?
We don't need more bridges, we need less congestion. We need better ways than cars and trucks to move all the people and freight.
I LOVE ILLINIOS