The Wall Street Journal laid a smackdown on the Democrats who using the collapse of the St. Anthony Bridge as anexcuse to raise taxes...like they really need one. HT Gary at LFR.

"Somethings in politics seem to be inevitable--and one of them is that any road orbridge tragedy will be followed by an argument to raise the gasoline tax. That'swhat is now happening in the wake of the terrible Minnesota bridge collapse, but that state'stransportation and tax record shows precisely why voters are skeptical. "The gas tax pleas are coming from the usual suspects, in both Washington andSt. Paul. James Oberstar, the Minnesota Democrat who runs the HouseTransportation and Infrastructure Committee, recently stood beside the wreckageand recommended an increase in the 18.4-cent-a-gallon federal gas tax, as a wayto prevent future bridge collapses. His wing man, Alaska Republican and former TransportationChairman Don Young, agrees wholeheartedly.

As ithappens, these are the same men who played the lead role in the $286 billion2005 federal highway bill. That's the bill that diverted billions of dollars of gas tax money away from urgent road and bridgeprojects toward Member earmarks for bike paths, nature trails and inefficienturban transit systems. "

The same Rep. Jim Oberstar that stood on the banks ofthe Mississippi River and scolded "If you're notprepared to invest another five cents in bridge reconstruction and roadreconstruction, then God help you," brought home to Minnesota more that $12 million in"transportation" spending that went to (among other things) biketrails! Not one penny went to bridges or roads!

Ladies and gentlemen,take a good long look at your representatives and ask yourself this onequestion. Does the goals that this person represents (bike trails and masstransit) match my goals (safe roads and bridges)? If not, then you know whatneeds to be done next November