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To the Slaughter
Damn Right, Nick.
When he's right he's right, and Nick Coleman makes a spot-on point in this morning's column. Minnesota, like much of the rest of the country, is digging itself deeper and deeper into a very serious infra-structure repair deficit, in no small part due to fear of so-called "taxpayer advocacy" groups who force/blackmail cowardly and cynical politicians into signing "no new taxes pledges" and avoiding the basic responsibilities of governance.
When the final report is in, the collapse of the 35-W bridge may be tagged to something no one has yet imagined. Maybe Osama bin Laden did order a hit on Minneapolis. But all early signs point to garden variety, duly noted age and inadequate maintenance, both of which, you can argue are a consequence of, as Nick says, politicians' on-going, craven attempts to govern "on the cheap." As though the world we live in getting less and less expensive -- rather than the reality that confronts the rest of us every day.
Few reactions are more unappealing than your average "progressive" candidate tucking his tail between his legs at the thought of taking heat for making a stand for adequate funding -- i.e. new taxes. Never mind it may be for some indisputably vital, relevant cause -- like major infrastructure repair -- which, by the way, can't be out-sourced to China, and rattles nicely around the local, middle-class economy.
Who and what are they afraid of, largely? Op-ed pieces in either paper? Give me a break. What they fear are the knee-jerk acolytes of mass media demagogues, people who will camp out at their intellectual masters' microphones for hours every day and robotically fire off angry letters denouncing every peril -- mostly imagined and mostly paranoid -- of "big government," the first among them being any kind of taxation (usually because of the way liberals waste money on lesser classes of citizens).
Maybe it takes something as enormous and grotesque as the collapse of a major freeway bridge to remind this stunningly self-absorbed crowd that even their lives are imperiled by the steady rot of arteries we all depend upon, and that the last time I checked, "private initiative" has re-built very few freeways in this country.
Anyway, nice job, Nicky Boy. Not badly written either. Although, a la any New York Times piece the Strib handles, another half-dozen editors might have tightened it up here and there.
9 Reader Comments
I beg to differ.
Compounding Tragedy Political Blame Game
It's too easy to blame fear of taxpayer advocacy as the cause of governance on the cheap. C'mon. A lot of the middle class has an actual beef--watching the weekly bite out of their paychecks while CEO compensation skyrockets and the most expensive little war ever wages on in Iraq. Nick Coleman can't incessantly play the populism card and damn the populists simultaneously. Jeez, if that's the case, what choir is he preaching to?
Yup, me and Sarah Janacek, the tandem voices of reason. Great. Commenting on blogs never gets you anywhere.
LAMBERT: Steve, the cynicism of the tax-fairness "debate" includes progressives go all sotto voce when arguing for raising the tax margins on the wealthy -- the people benefiting not just nicely but fabulously in our new gilded age. I didn't read Coleman so much knocking the populists as simply including their unwillingness to roar what should be an irresistible idea ... and then stand ready bite back at the bullshit noise machine.
As for my dear pal, Sarah. NOW do you see what I was dealing with?
Brian I'll be honest. Your post here had me jumping and I've had to edit my response. I know you are a reasonable person but somehow in this case you have fallen for the failed logic of Mr Left.
First, while I get that the politicians are tripping over each other to find blame, that doesn't mean the rest of us need to join the game. It's been only 24 hours and our time should be spent addressing the victims -- we have plenty of time to investigate and point fingers.
Let's show compassion for now and return later to debate the issues after the investigation is completed.
I expected more out of you on this Brian than to jump on the "no new taxes" rant right away. I look forward to a debate once the facts are in. But now is the time to care for those who's lives were changed forever by the tragedy.
I know you're just doing your regular scheduled, perfunctory round of Nick Coleman fanny smooching Brian (what is your deal with him anyway?) - but he's wrong. He's almost never right, he's not politically astute. ...And he's an unreadable scold most of the time...
Yes, there's going to be blame and anger. But the populist sentiment out there is that 'adequate funding' is present. The primary 'basics', education and social services, are not scrimped on and are in fact funded within state revenues at the EXPENSE of roads. That's the sentiment, and it will persist in spite of the bridge disaster.
Not only is it the sentiment, its the truth. Look, I have a gross household income of $80,000, and a net of probably $60k. I have a federal tax liability of $6500, state tax bill of $4500, prop taxes of $2500, and since I spent all my net income, sales tax expenses of probably $2k. And theres other fees and payroll taxes I'm ignoring for purposes of this example.
This is a pretty mainstream, common breakdown of household income and tax liabilities: about 25% - 30%, between $10k and $20k in taxes.
Want to know why Democratic voter education initiatives on taxes fail? Want to know why even progressive candidates broach the tax subject lightly? The masses out there that you and Nick scold are acutely aware of how much they pay, and an amount like that, per household, is PLENTY. Its ADEQUATE. Infrastructure needs be damned, how could you possibly expect to reasonably ask for more, more than 25% of a households income?
The voters are going to want infrastructure addressed within the confines of current revenue. Maybe - MAYBE - we'll get a 5 or 10 cent gas tax increase.
All that said, the public would probably accept a larger tax increase for infrasturcuture under certain conditions (there's a reasonably good record of passage for brick and mortar school referendums). The but one of those conditions that must be present is tax/spending credibility among the state and federeal governments. It hasn't existed for decades. And this is largely the result of Democratic tax obsfuscation over the years.
Its just as likely that Nick is completely wrong, as he usually is. If the bridge failure is the result the construction taking place on it, then all this talk of infrastructure deficencies was for naught. And thus it was terribly premature for him to shoot shoot off his mouth like a spiteful, ignorant fool. But thats the Nick we all know, isn't it.
Kudos to Nick, and kudos to you Brian for recognizing Nick. I see you've already been labeled a leftist -- fabulous. Hey Dave, maybe just maybe there's a point in here somewhere that goes beyond left or right, Democrat or Republican. Many normally "right" business groups have been begging for a gas tax increase for years. And polls last year showed most Minnesotans wanted a gas tax increase, no matter which party they normally vote for.
Our infrastructure is going to hell, our roads are 20-30 years behind where they should be, and we're not properly maintaining what we have. But our governor was more interested in positioning himself politically as a no-new-taxes tough guy than he was in doing the right thing. Our total infrastructure is in trouble, and has been, with or without this horrible disaster, and last year's gas tax increase wouldn't have prevented it. But this is a wake-up call -- we as a society have to start investing more, in everything from infrastructure to increasing personal savings rates, and stop being so darned selfish. That's the message.
Thats not actually the message. 'Progressives' like Nick and Brian maintain a near theological, utilitarian animous towards consumer spending, and this is directed not only at the wealthy, but at the middle class. They believe the money the public at large spends on extravagences (Ipods, SUVs, McMansions, etc...)would be better spent by the government on initiatives that have communal benefit. The bridge collapse just provides another instance to harp that point.
On 8/3, I said "Its just as likely that Nick is completely wrong, as he usually is. If the bridge failure is the result the construction taking place on it, then all this talk of infrastructure deficencies was for naught. And thus it was terribly premature for him to shoot shoot off his mouth like a spiteful, ignorant fool. But thats the Nick we all know, isn't it. "
Bridge design was perhaps flawed, and should not have had added weight of construction vehicles
Ahem.
LAMBERT: We'll put you down under, "Case closed."
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