Radio Free JoJo

I think that this mind mapping stuff is just somewhat organized stream of conscience, but let me give it a try:

A bridge falls down in Minneapolis; 9 plus people are dead. The governor of MN has vetoed tax increases for bridges. What programs didn’t he veto that took money from the infrastructure?

PA governor wants to put tolls on Interstate 80, which supposed to be the free bypass from the Turnpike. Rural congressmen balk, saying it’s a penalty to rural Pennsylvanians to prop-up for Philly’s SEPTA mass transit system.  Why not put tolls on Philadelphia’s free roads, and then maybe more people would ride the train?

An alderman in Chicago wants to tax bottles of water 25 cents in the Windy City. Why? Because he says that the sales of Aquafina or Evian are putting a dent into the city’s water usage contributing to a $40 million shortfall. Why not just create “Lake Michigan Breeze” brand water and bottle it yourself? You might sell a few cases.

In Virginia, following the example of New Jersey and Michigan, they are adding additional surcharges to common speeding tickets, some which can run up to $3,000.  They are doing this because they need to fix more bridges. Meanwhile, the jumbo fines are disproportionately directed toward the poor (less driving skills?) who then can’t pay the fines, lose their licenses, and creates a whole underclass of unlicensed motorists. NJ has raised an additional $100 million for their general fund from these fines, making those legislators addicted to the revenue.  Again I ask, what’s out of whack with these states’ budgets that they can’t afford simple maintenance of their roadways and bridges?

Time was that a DC-9 or 727 would fly you from metro to airline hub, even on short hops. Not anymore. According to NBC News, in the past six years the airlines have grounded almost 400 bigger planes in exchange for over 1000 regional jets; smaller and cheaper to operate. Meanwhile all of those additional flight operations (takeoffs and landings) are clogging the nation’s airports, creating the gridlock we all fear these days.  The answer: an update to our national air traffic control system, using satellite technology. Price tag: $20 billion. Congress is balking at the project. Huh? That’s pocket change for this government.

The notion of government to me is to provide for the civil defense and build and maintain the basic infrastructure of society. I get blown away when things like bridges and water systems and airports are not maintained, yet we spend money studying cow flatulence.

I think I have a headache.

As Jay Leno used to say when he was a guest on Late Night with David Letterman back in the 80’s, “want to know what’s bugging me? Want to know what’s eating me up?”

• OK, so I like the idea that globalism allows me to buy $13 jeans from Sears (a Hollister guy I’ll never be) but maybe we should leave whole blocks of commerce to the good old USA. Like Mattel’s toys for children, or fish or tires. Importing from China Elmo complete with lead paint is just the latest fiasco stemming from American multinationals sending their manufacturing to China. Just how much money are you saving when you have to endure a $30 million recall?
• More and more liberal media types are breaking rank with the drive-by conventional wisdom and are finding that the troop surge and leadership by General Petraus in Iraq is working. This has gotten the Democrat leadership in Congress in a tizzy, because they only win if the US loses.  Their blindness caused by their Bush Derangement Syndrome has got them secretly rooting for the bad guys.
• Closer to home, the new $44 million Bayfront Convention Center has opened in Erie. Now I’m a guy that is totally behind a progressive agenda for Erie’s future, but I have a sick feeling that we are going to be holding a multi-million dollar bag here for decades. Losses are forecast for the next 10 years, just in time for another bond issue and more debt to cover what will be most certainly needed renovations. One look at the list of booked events and you get the sense that these would have already happened in Erie at a tax-paying venue. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I actually agree with Jim Thompson who said it looked like “we’re shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic.”