For half a dozen years, the motto of state government and particularly that of Gov. Tim Pawlenty has been No New Taxes. It's been popular with a lot of voters and it has mostly prevailed. So much so that Pawlenty vetoed a 5-cent gas tax increase - the first in 20 years - last spring and millions were lost that might have gone to road repair. And yes, it would have fallen even if the gas tax had gone through, because we are years behind a dangerous curve when it comes to the replacement of infrastructure that everyone but wingnuts in coonskin caps agree is one of the basic duties of government.
I'm not just pointing fingers at Pawlenty. The outrage here is not partisan. It is general.
Both political parties have tried to govern on the cheap, and both have dithered and dallied and spent public wealth on stadiums while scrimping on the basics.
I'll be surprised if this bridge collapse doesn't fundamentally change the dynamics of the state debate on transportation funding. The gas tax increase had bipartisan support from the legislature but Republicans were not willing to help over-ride Pawlenty's veto. But in the aftermath of this disaster and after the hammering they took in the last election, I can't imagine them standing in the way of a substantial increase in transportation funding, whatever the Governor says.
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