Advertisement
Well, thank goodness we have neither of those problems.
We don’t have to fret about a major funding announcement because the man who will share the same platform with Peters has starved this state’s transportation needs during his tenure. And when the Legislature adjourned nearly a month ago, they sent the unmistakable message that there was no funding left sitting around for anything — period.
Good thing Uncle Sam is taking care of his little ol’ threadbare niece, Minnesota.
We don’t have to worry about traffic congestion, because the bridge that carried the bulk of the interstate traffic over the Mississippi is closed. Our “corridor” isn’t just congested, it’s blocked with concrete barricades.
Just an hour before that news release from the governor, the state’s sesquicentennial committee announced that the Minnesota Sesquicentennial Stamp, which features the ailing Highway 43 Interstate Bridge, will be dedicated — in Minneapolis.
How ironic, the “bridge stamp,” as it is becoming known, is being dedicated far, far away from the bridge itself. It probably is fitting the bridge is featured on the stamp because the bridge might be better suited for history than infrastructure with 32 rusted gusset plates. Besides, traveling to Winona is becoming more and more challenging all the time with the potholes, flooded roads and awful bridges. Good thing that ceremony is staying put — safely in Minneapolis.
So what’s with a couple of Twin Cities news items?
Well, they seem to suggest a troubling fact: Winona — for state officials — doesn’t appear on their Minnesota maps.
When floodwaters hit Houston and Fillmore counties earlier this week, Pawlenty rushed down. And that’s as it should be. But when a silent, economic disaster hit Winona, Pawlenty stayed in St. Paul.
We love to celebrate the natural beauty and the history of a place like Winona, which has both of those things in abundance. And, when compared with the bustling, crowded urban landscape of the Twin Cities, Winona is pastoral. But what seems to get lost in the shuffle is that Winona’s tax dollars spend the same as those coming from any other corner of the state. Winona’s residents pay their fair share, even if property values haven’t climbed to suburban rates. And Winonans have the same expectations of their government, no matter how far away the capital sits, no matter what level of sophistication the governor or other agencies believe exists here.
Highway 14 doesn’t end at Rochester. Highway 61 continues after Red Wing. It only feels like they stop there.
Ehrlick writes on behalf of the Winona Daily News editorial board, which also includes publisher Rusty Cunningham and online editor Jerome Christenson. To comment, call (507) 453-3507 or send e-mail to letters @winonadailynews.com.
|
More News: |
