Kalin’s Spin Machine

The LAC approved $60 million for Mn/DOT from cash reserves until federal money arrives. Rep. Kalin (D-17B) posted this press release on the subject.

He wrote, "It became clear that the Governor's temporary request was not to keep the bridge replacement on track but rather the other projects around the state on track. The TCAG short-term authorization ensures that 2008 planned projects can proceed, along with the unexpected 35W bridge replacement."

It’s getting impossible to believe what Kalin writes. Either he has a distorted view of reality so that he writes what he believes or he deliberately changes reality to smear and gain votes.

Of course Mn/DOT can’t replace the bridge and do the scheduled transportation projects on the budget that it had for the scheduled transportation projects! It is a given the bridge needs to be rebuilt even if that means putting other projects on hold. No one in the administration or Mn/DOT wants that.

Furthermore, no one was asking for more money for scheduled transportation projects until the bridge collapsed and until the promised $195 million for the bridge from the feds was jeopardized by a threatened veto because of excessive pork in the bill. Apparently Kalin refuses to understand basic cash flow.

Kalin wants to turn it on the Governor that his request for $195 million (with $60 million approval) was to cover un(der)funded 2008 planned projects rather than the I-35W bridge. Kalin is playing politics again.

The Star Tribune article does not support Kalin’s take. It says, "In legislative hearings over the past three weeks, MnDOT officials revealed an upcoming cash crunch related to replacing the I-35W bridge (italics added)." It cannot be clearer than that. The Pioneer Press does not support Kalin’s statement either.

Kalin loves innuendo, stretching the truth, ignoring facts, manufacturing suspicion and operating the spin machine. I cannot trust anything he says.