In a thread I started on what happened since the bridge collapse in Minneapolis it laid out what Pawlenty had done in opposition to doing things to raise taxes to pay for needed repairs.Here is the link to that thread and the original story on what Palwenty had done is response.
http://board.freeones.com/showthread.php?t=228134&highlight=bridge
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080730..._year_later;_ylt=AjQNWKTdIdHnmR8y3IHppl9I2ocA
"Understandably, Minnesota's response has been among the most vigorous.
The Democratic-controlled Legislature, with some Republican help, overrode GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty's veto of the $6.6 billion transportation spending plan, which raised the gas tax, local sales taxes and vehicle registration fees. The Senate then sacked his transportation commissioner, who had resisted the increased spending and higher taxes.
In June, a new commissioner outlined a $2.5 billion draft bridge improvement plan that would replace 11 major spans over the next decade using the new money. By 2018, 120 bridges that lack structural redundancies — like the doomed I-35W bridge — or that rank poorly on the structural sufficiency scale would be repaired, replaced or under construction."
While some applauded in the thread his veto and not being willing to raise taxes, IMO some things must be done and paid for, and fixing crumbling infrastructure is one of them.Pawlenty thought no new taxes was more important than repairs but thankfully the rest of the govt in MN got together and did it without his help.
