Dear Sen. Klobuchar: It’s not as sexy as a new baseball stadium or as macho as a new war in the Middle East. It’s no the kind of thing that has a constituency. No lobbyists. Only a few nerdy civil engineers writing report cards from dusty hidden offices. No one gets on a bus to Washington, DC, to demand that the government DO something to ensure that our nation’s bridges, water systems, steam service lines and power grid are up to modern standards. Not until yesterday. Continue reading →
Daily Archives: 2 August, 2007
02
Aug 07
Bridge in Troubled Waters
We’re not in the natural disaster business here in the center of the country. We don’t have either of the oceans at our doorstep. There is no large lake on which a large ship can sink in a withering storm. We have tornadoes that barely warrant mention, occasionally mussing our hair a bit but not doing much more. Rain comes our way and Dave Dahl runs his hand through his receding blond hair and tells us how many minutes is the storm from our zip code and block. During 9/11 authorities decided to evacuate the IDS Center, 55 stories, the tallest building in Minnesota. It seems a little silly now. Continue reading →
02
Aug 07
Years of neglect
Since this is front page news in the London Times and the New York Times there isn’t a lot I can say to illuminate. Here is a ink to the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s slide show. One of their photographers,Jeff Wheeler, is part of our block club. We’ve been watching TV for about four hours now and we’re drained.
Tribune day one photo gallery | Username: lafondblog | Password: lafond
02
Aug 07
Incremental Terrorism
HI All … Yes, the gov and Norm Coleman showed a unified front even as they spoke in separate news conferences. They even used the identical phrase when speaking of the victims and their families “who were impacted.”
But even more painful than their horrendous choice of language is their insistence on methodically eroding the quality of life in this state (to echo what Patrick said about the neglect, the cuts). Continue reading →
02
Aug 07
Four Point Six Miles
According to Google Maps we are 4.6 miles away from the east bank anchor of the I-35W bridge. It is not a structure we use very much because the natural alternative routes are the more logical way to go. A friend called from California and was concerned about some friends who live straight south of us in Saint Paul. She hadn’t been able to reach them. Continue reading →