Let’s flash back:
2012: Heading for what looks like a tough mid-term, Governor Messinger Dayton promises he’ll lower property taxes for “middle class Minnesotans”…
…many of whom seem blissfully, gullibly unaware that the state government has absolutely nothing to do with property taxes, which are levied by county commissions and school districts. Oh, the state increased “Local Government Aid” (mostly to Minneapolis and Saint Paul) – but for a majority of Minnesotans, property taxes increased, promise notwithstanding.
2015: Governor Flint-Smith Dayton promises to work to synchronize traffic lights throughout Minnesota.
Notwithstanding the fact that the timing of traffic lights is controlled entirely by local public works departments, and it’s not a promise Governor Flint-Smith Dayton can deliver on. Ever.
But smart people already know this.
Which says exactly what about the DFL’s audience? And about what they think about our state’s voters?
And if the state gov’t puts a plan in place to regulate traffic lights, it will probably require so much reporting and regulatory paperwork, that every town with stop lights will need to hire an additional employee to maintain the reporting requirements.
Also, diversity requirements will be put in place forcing the towns to report the skin hue of said new employee.
Not only are traffic lights the province of local governments, but synchronizing them only works when you’ve got very well characterized traffic patterns, generally meaning a grid of one way streets, which is another traffic issue. Moreover, when you’ve got it right, you can keep the timing the same for decades because the safe speed for travel doesn’t change that much.
Now imagine how nice the roads could be if they hadn’t blown a billion bucks on the Death Train, and if they weren’t trying to blow another few hundred million on another Death Train.
Put another way, “No, Mr. Governor, that’s not shoe polish. Guess again.”
What’s more shocking?
That the gang that spent hundreds of millions of dollars yet couldn’t produce even a copy of a working health insurance website is going to centrally plan and execute a statewide synchronized traffic light system OR
that Pat Kessler, alleged to be the preeminent political reporter in the state, reports that they are going to try to synchronize the traffic lights with a straight face.
I’m guessing whoever’s spouse is currently running the Met Council has a serious case of mission-creep-itis with a side of absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Another note; as far as I can tell, local government aid has resulted in towns replacing their $100 metal “Welcome to Byron” signs with other signs costing tens of thousands of dollars, and there is also something of a “pool rush” where towns replace older swimming pools with multi-million dollar “aquatic centers” where the customers do anything but swim. Waterslides? Yup. Sunbathing? Yup. Swimming? What’s that?
And it’s not like those with “body by Wal-Mart” need exercise, after all. Captain Ahab would love these aquatic centers.
You gotta spend (waste) surplus on something, ANYTHING! And traffic signals are part of roads budget, right?
Seflores, if the Met Council controlled traffic lights, no doubt they’d establish a statewide schedule making it as inconvenient as possible to drive anywhere at any time . . . the better to promote The Damned Train as an alternative.
You think I’m kidding, that government wouldn’t intentionally make people miserable by forcing a hated top-down solution so they could promote a phony solution to the problem they created?
Have you met any Democrats? Ever?
JD – Yes fully aware of the articles containing the word “unexpectedly” when the results of the Democrats theories are known. Like when they decided to help the business owners of University Ave by installing the Light(ly used) Rail. The fact that more than a few of those private businesses failed when ‘they built that’ it was an ‘unexpected’ result.
To paraphrase Sonny Corleone in ‘The Godfather’ – “There’s a lot of money in those trains, roads and bridges, Pop”.
Disbeliever.
I suppose you’ll call Governor Dayton’s promise to keep Lake Superior unfrozen and open to shipping throughout next winter unworkable, too …
I’d suggest that Dayton is channeling this guy, but I don’t think he could get through the first few lines.
We get the government we deserve
No, *we* get the government *THEY* deserve.