An Example of Waste In Minnesota

I recently enjoyed two trips to South Dakota to go pheasant hunting.
I was traveling with a friend of mine who happens to be a retired Minnesota Department of Transportation bridge crew worker.
His job, as the title suggests, was to go out on assessment visits, and then complete repairs as needed to bridges. (And, no, he was not assigned to the district where the I- 35 bridge collapsed.)

As he and I drove along the South Dakota interstate, he suddenly asked me, "What do you notice about these bridges?"
I had to reply like any other layman; "Nothing in particular."

He went on to point out that every bridge was identical in structure to the others.
So what? you might ask.
He continued by adding that by making these bridges structurally identical, they were able to mass produce components economically, thus saving a lot of South Dakota tax dollars.
Great, I thought.
But what really got my attention was when he told me that, in Minnesota, each and every bridge is a separate, uniquely- designed piece of work.
Each one has to have an engineering firm design it and sign off on it's integrity, and so on.
As you can imagine, this customization quickly adds up on the bottom line.
It struck me as yet another example of how Minnesota's Legislature has gotten very good at over- spending, and very bad at fiscal responsibility.
You will NOT find the DFL-led legislature bragging about this one.
Demand more of your Legislature. Vote for a return to a Conservative Minnesota next time around!