More Weasel Words

A lot of interesting stuff is coming out in the wake of the I-35W bridge failure in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Now we learn that that state's transportation bureaucracy quietly lowered its goals for bridge maintenance in 2003 from 65% to 55% of bridges receiving a "good" or better rating. Here's a wonderful quote from one of the top bureaucrats there: "Once we started looking at what others were doing, we realized that 65 percent was an unrealistic number." In other words, if we can show that we're no worse than others, it's okay.

The 65% goal was set in 1997 when actual inspections showed that 62% of Minnesota's bridges were rated "good" or better. By the time 2003 rolled around and the bureaucracy determined that 65 was an unrealistic number, their performance has dropped to 52% One wonders what happened in the intervening six years.

One thing that happened is the bureaucrats were advising the policy leadership that they were having problems keeping up because of "dwindling financial resources", a set of weasel words that are hereby nominated for immediate elevation into the Weasel Word Hall of Fame. We all know, of course, that it means we need more money or we can't do this.

Recall now how the Governor of Minnesota vetoed a gas tax increase that may have enabled the bureaucrats to meet the more ambitious goal. I think he should be reminded of this sad fact daily, but what is even better is the massive memory loss currently being suffered by policy makers across the political spectrum. None of them has the vaguest memory of this reduction occurring!

The reduction in goal was done very quietly, one paragraph buried deep inside the department's budget request. In fairness it should be reported that the latest data available show that Minnesota improved its "good" or better rating to 54% in 2006, in other words they came very close to meeting their new lower goal.

But what about those "others" who Minnesota wishes to be compared with? Well, neighboring Michigan established a goal of 95% "good" rating for freeway bridges and 85% for other bridges by 2008. Since then they have gone from 63% to 87% good. How, you may ask, did they do this? Well, first off they enacted a 4 cents per gallon increase in their gas tax and then they postponed some expansion for maintenance. Here's a really outstanding quote from a Michigan Department of Transportation bureaucrat: "We are working (under) the theory that you don't put an addition on your house while the roof is leaking."

Must be a tax and spend liberal.

Utah, always a place where good sense seems to abound in government, has established a goal of 65% very good and 25% good and by all indications they are succeeding. But most states are like Minnesota, doing very little, hoping that nothing bad happens, and keeping their heads well buried in the sand. How is your state doing?