Make Hay When the Bridge Falls

Manipulating tragedy as an art form

Within a day of the tragic collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis last summer, Minnesota DFL (i.e. Democrats) politicians and a few like-minded squishy RINOs were calling for tax increases. Without any understanding of what caused the collapse they intuitively saw an opportunity to open a new spigot at the government trough. And they drove it forward. On 2/25 the DFL-dominated Minnesota House voted to override Governor Tim Pawlenty’s veto of a $6.6 Billion transportation bill/take hike. The DFL has what it wanted. Our gas taxes are going up. Our sales tax is going up. We are already spending in the vicinity of $18 billion per year to run this lovely state. The wanton taxing is more evidence that the party of “choice” really cannot stand the possibility of having to choose between priorities. They have to have it all, at our expense.

The next maneuver by the Dems is to seek the ouster of Lieutenant Governor Carol Molnau from her second job as DOT Commissioner. That way they can ensure all that luscious loot will be spent by someone friendly to their agenda.

This all has a dreamlike quality to it. A detachment from reality. I have to give the left credit. When they sense a tragedy they sense an opportunity to make our lives miserable. And they don’t sit on it, they move. The reality is that the bridge collapse had nothing to do with a shortage of cash. The bridge was inspected on schedule and found to be worthy. We could have had a sea of cash, and the bridge would not have been replaced. It fell because – most likely – of a defective gusset plate, exacerbated by heavy traffic, brutally hot weather, and probably one other causative variable to be determined. But because Minnesotans had a vague sense of embarrassment about the whole thing, the left knew they could use that to ram through the largest tax hike in Minnesota history. The cynicism is breathtaking.

And what will the cash be used for? Will it actually rebuild older bridges and patch up roads. Maybe a wee bit. Mainly it will be used for the left’s pet projects like light rail and bike trails. It is one more way to squeeze commuters so as to make hip city dweller’s lives a bit more hip.

The enthusiasm with which Democrats are approaching tax increases is actually kind of scary. Having been out of power for years they seem to have become obsessed with the notion that we are sorely undertaxed. And they are wasting no time seeking to remedy that. The question is not whether we will continue to see new tax proposals at all levels of government. No, that is a certainty as long as we insist on giving them power. The only question is what form it will take.

This madness is especially dangerous in the context of the post-Katrina culture. There is a lot about Katrina that I don’t understand. I think the federal government responded just about as well as it possibly could have under the circumstances. But the media and the left immediately grabbed the opportunity to establish a template of victimhood which is truly dangerous. This template says that we are all helpless victims, and that our only hope and salvation in the face of disaster is for the largest unit of government to come help us. But they can’t do that without money, can they?

Mark my words. In the wake of any significant disaster we will see two things emerge from this template. On one hand there will be images of victims demanding help and lamenting the lack of assistance they are receiving from government, and on the other there will be demands for tax increases so that government has the money to be the great benefactor.

I have personally seen this in action twice in the past year, with the bridge collapse and with the relatively minor flooding that plagued southeastern Minnesota last year. Because it has the smell of a winning formula, look for the left to continue pushing this until, in their usual fashion, they go too far. I just fear how much damage they can cause in the meantime.

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