Today is Father's Day; we hope our readers are enjoying the day with their families.
The Winona Daily News reports in Coleman pledges bipartisan bridge aid:
Minnesota’s congressional delegation will cross the political aisle to secure funding for bridge inspection and repairs, U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman said at a press conference with city and transportation officials Saturday morning at Levee Park. . . .
. . .Democratic Reps. Tim Walz and Jim Oberstar, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, made similar statements last week. Oberstar wants to introduce a $2 billion bridge-funding package, and Walz said he’ll work to change federal guidelines to reimburse Winona for shuttle expenses.
MnDOT will likely expedite a previous plan to replace the Interstate Bridge, originally scheduled for replacement in 2017, Coleman said.. . .
Congressman Walz is looking for ideas about how to curb wasteful spending. We found this June 12 press release via Nexis-Lexis:
Over the next few weeks, I will be developing legislation to eliminate wasteful spending and unnecessary tax breaks for corporations, in order to use the savings for other important national priorities.
Since I came to Congress last year, I have worked to take bring common-sense ideas from southern Minnesota to Washington and put them into action. From my Farm Bill amendments to help young farmers get their start in agriculture, to my Wind Energy Promotion Act that will provide clean, renewable energy, some of my top priorities in Congress began with an idea someone in southern Minnesota shared with me in a grocery store or over a cup of coffee.
So, I need your help in identifying examples of unnecessary, duplicative, or wasteful government spending that can be eliminated from the federal budget. This is critically important as I work to restore fiscal responsibility to Washington. Please click here to share your thoughts with me.
Walz's congressional office contacts are found here.
Image: Norman Rockwell's "2 o'clock"
Yes, a Happy Fathers’ Day to all but especially for those who have kids doing service for our country. We forget that it isn’t just the active military, but also the ones doing service through Peace Corps, WorldTeach, Doctors without Borders etc. We also sometimes forget that as of April that over 195,000 women have served in Iraq or Afghanistan … it’s ain’t just “our boys over there” anymore.
I know of one Dad who’s feeling a little better today. This weekend I attended the wedding of a neighbor’s eldest daughter … over the past 25 years, we have watched the kids grow and met many of their extended family. The bride was beautiful, but Mom and Dad were more at ease because the bride’s twin brother was able to move his leave from April to June and arrived in from Iraq just 14 hours before the service. Through the Dad I have heard the stories. He joined the Army to be a medic and help people, but he soon found himself on the receiving end of getting assistance after a mortar attack in the Green Zone. He’s had a buddy killed and had to confront and kill an Iraqi in combat. Through it all, his attitude is great … and as he says, “He loves his job.”
On this Father’s Day, we should renew our commitment to improving Veterans care – it’ll make every Dad proud !
Posted by: MinnesotaCentral | June 15, 2008 at 08:05 PM