Morning Joe just made an interesting point about the bridge collapse in MN

[proud2BlibKansan]

He said they just spent how many billions on the nearby baseball stadium while ignoring infrastructure like this bridge.

[malaise]

1. Joe is a genuine Monday morning quarterback

has he ever had a discussion on the state of infrastructure.

Meanwhile:
http://www.pawlentyunplugged.com/

[AndyA]

2. Look at the billions we're spending in Iraq, while critical infrastructure here at home

continues to deteriorate. We've had pieces of bridges in Oklahoma fall on people driving on the road below, killing them. We apparently have LOTS of bridges in this state that are graded as UNSAFE, yet I don't see any money pouring in to fix them.

Thanks to James Inhofe and the Republicans "representing" this state. :eyes:

[proud2BlibKansan]

24. My first thought was the money we have spent in Iraq

Speaking of Oklahoma, wasn't there a horrific bridge collapse there a few years ago?

[annabanana]

3. lol. . While he does have a point. . What's the biggest fund-diverter

the U.S. has going right now?. .Just sayin'

[Cooley Hurd]

4. State DOT funding has been cut because the Fed is pissing their money away in Iraq...

They said this bridge was inspected over 3 years ago. Bridges of this capacity are supposed to be inspected every year.

[MrMickeysMom]

5. Aint THAT the truth... Does this fall under irony, since the bridge leads to it?

[babylonsister]

6. Stadiums are sexy, infrastructure isn't.

I think he said that, too. On a smaller scale, would you rather have an inground pool built, or fix a damaged roof? Who knew sex sells in the construction biz?

[Robbien]

7. How the heck can you stand watching that nonsense

Joe is a pure stomach turning mess.

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. I was just flipping by and heard this

Trust me, I rarely watch him more than a few minutes. He is repulsive.

[rfranklin]

8. It's a great source of civic pride...

Having your tax dollars siphoned off by MLB owners. Think of all those hot dog vending jobs that were created!

[proud2BlibKansan]

28. Sickening, isn't it?

The 95 year old non air conditioned building where I teach is within shouting distance of the kazillion dollar sports complex here in Kansas City. Make me ill when I think of where the tax payers in this community place their priorities.

[mwb970]

9. Did he comment on the hours and hours of static MSNBC coverage?

All the normal shows were taken off last night for bridge, bridge, bridge. They were still going strong at 11:30pm, still labeling the breathless no-new-developments reports as "Breaking News".

Hopefully today they will return to a normal news balance - after "Morning Joe", I mean.

[proud2BlibKansan]

20. It is a horrific disaster

I appreciate the coverage. Why in the world would you want to go back to more missing blonde or Paris Hilton stories?

[The Stranger]

25. I think the poster would like them to cover the Gonzalez, Bush, Cheney crimes and investigation.

It impacts the entire nation, if not the entire world, and ongoing crimes at the highest level.

[proud2BlibKansan]

27. Do you watch much MSNBC?

They are almost as bad as Fox. Yes, they have a few political shows, but their schedule is monopolized by celebrity news and life in prison shows. I'd rather watch coverage of the bridge collapse.

[wndycty]

10. I may be wrong but doesnt most infrastructure spending $$$ come from the feds. . .

. . .while stadiums are usually locally financed, often by bonds?

[Berry Cool]

11. Infrastructure funding comes from federal and state. n/t

[wndycty]

13. So do you think infrastructure funds were diverted for the stadium?

I generally don't have a problem with publicly funded stadiums because of the economic impact, but I want to learn more about the impact on infrastructure funding.

[Dinger]

12. Another Thought

What happens to shipping/river traffic now? How will it be affected?

[wndycty]

14. Considering how far north the bridge is I would wonder if. . .

. . .it will have that great of an impact. Were there a ton of ports north of the bridge? Where does the river end?

[itsrobert]

16. Most Rivers in the Northern Hemisphere flow south

The Mississippi flows down to the Gulf of Mexico.

[itsrobert]

15. BILLIONS???? Baseball stadiums do not cost BILLIONS

Please get you facts straight. Maybe 1/2 a billion? I just read $522 Million by a simple google search. Please stop with the false sense of outrage.

[proud2BlibKansan]

21. Tell Joe

[Ninga]

17. SHAME ON YOU. TURN MSNBC OFF RIGHT NOW. WE NEED TO GET RID OF JOE.

Please, quit giving him ratings.

[proud2BlibKansan]

22. I will watch whatever I want to watch

And no one is forcing you to read this thread.

[C_U_L8R]

18. Joe and his Republican kind are totally at fault

these stingy creeps starved our infrastructure
while stuffing their pockets and bombimg other countries.
What we really need is a national works program to
rebuild what the republicans let rot,

[The Stranger]

23. How about ONE TRILLION on the Iraq war crime/occupation?

[proud2BlibKansan]

26. Good point

[bleedingheart]

29. this is a sore point with me...it is corporate controlled politicians who override

the people's votes regarding these stadiums...that result in these structures being built.

In Pittsburgh both Republican and Democratic reps ignored the votes against a stadium...and built it anyways..

Just like the war...politcians like to put money where they will benefit from it in the form of campaign donations...

That stadium probably has controlling interests that lined the pockets of politicians...

The folks on that bridge don't have anyone because their politicians are too busy keeping themselves in the good standing of their corporate masters.

[LTR]

30. That's called 'shifting the blame off the federal government'

I-35W is an interstate highway. While local and state government foot some of the bill, the ultimate responsibility lies on the federal level.

About 56% of the construction and maintenance costs are funded through user fees, primarily gasoline taxes, collected by states and the federal government, and tolls collected on toll roads and bridges. The rest of the costs are borne by the federal budget.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_highway

Funding for the new stadium, AFAIK, will be provided primarily by Hennepin County, the Twins and corporate sponsors.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twins_Ballpark

Sounds like Joe the Intern Slayer is passing the buck.