March 28, 2008 ODP NewsletterIn this issue:Oberstar Receives "A" from Nation's Only Middle-Class ScorecardNTSB Dissent Reveals Multiple Causes of 35W Bridge Collapse Northland Schools Receive American History Grant Oberstar Receives "A" from Nation's Only Middle-Class ScorecardThe Drum Major Institute awarded Rep. Jim Oberstar (DFL-Chisholm) an "A" rating on addressing the struggles of America's current and aspiring middle-class in their release, "TheMiddleClass.org 2007 Congressional Scorecard." A pivotal issue this year in the Presidential race, it's clear that the next President is going to preside over a sluggish economy and a stunted middle class and will need to immediately work with Congress to address the situation. "One Representative who demonstrated a sincere desire to strengthen and expand America's middle class, and the votes to prove it, was Rep. James Oberstar," according to DMI. He has proven a determined and reliable middle-class advocate who will assist the incoming President in addressing these issues with legislation. With issues like healthcare, the economy, trade, and college-affordability at the forefront, it's important for voters to know where their representatives stand on issues directly affecting the middle class. This "A" rating shows that Rep. Oberstar has stood and continues to stand with America's working class on these issues. "The middle-class squeeze isn't inevitable. It is the result of decisions made by those we elect to represent us. Important legislation was voted on this year, ranging from health care and education bills that were aimed at alleviating middle-class burdens to misguided trade agreements and tax policies that were skewed towards wealthy Americans and hurt the middle class. Simply put, how Congress votes matters," said DMI Executive Director Andrea Batista Schlesinger. "From coast to coast working-class families are struggling to make ends meet," said Oberstar. "The Bush administration and Republicans in Congress have failed to address the needs of middle America." He added, "We need to meet these issues with a sense of urgency. The Democratic leadership has taken the first steps: we've raised the minimum wage, increased Pell Grants to college students, and invested in 'green'-collar jobs. But there is much more to do, and we need to get our economy moving again and invest in the health and well- being of working class America." When asked about the most important function of the annual DMI middle-class scorecard, Ms. Schlesinger responded, "Accountability. Members of Congress cannot tell the public they support the middle class but then cast votes against them. Thanks to TheMiddleClass.org, every American has access to their Senators' and Representative's voting records on the most important middle-class legislation. Without question, those who kept their word, like Rep. James Oberstar, deserve every accolade they receive." TheMiddleClass.org 2007 Congressional Scorecard can be reviewed in full at www.TheMiddleClass.org. NTSB Dissent Reveals Multiple Causes of 35W Bridge CollapseThe following is a piece that appeared in the Twin Cities Daily Planet on March 20, 2008, written by Mike McInteePolitics, just like rust, never sleeps. Both may be factors in the collapse of the 35W bridge. But there's a chance you'll never get the full story on either of those factors, thanks to the National Transportation Safety Board's decision not to hold an interim public hearing on the disaster that took 13 lives. The NTSB recently voted 3-2 to not hold the public hearing, angering Minnesota Congressman Jim Oberstar Ñ who has frequently been critical of the NTSB's handling of the investigation. Inside Minnesota Politics and The UpTake have obtained the written dissenting opinions from NTSB Commissioners Deborah Hersman and Katheryn O'Leary Higgins. The dissent reveals not only displeasure with the other commissioners' decision not to hold a public hearing on one of the worst bridge collapse disasters in U.S. history, but the document also gives us a glimpse into likely factors of the collapse. The dissent mentions the design flaw that NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker touted as the "critical factor" at a January press conference, and then quietly backed away from after Congressman Oberstar took him to task. But it also details other factors that should be aired in the public hearing. The two dissenting commissioners wrote: "The public hearing can then focus on other relevant issues, such as the design approval process at the time the bridge was built and its evolution into the process that exists today; national bridge collapse or failure history; inspection criteria and procedures; corrosion standards; records retention requirements; national, state and local oversight; and other areas that could help us learn how to prevent a similar collapse." There's that word "corrosion" again. Rust is an unavoidable reality for bridges unless you paint and maintain them regularly. The frequency of that maintenance (not just inspection) is where politics comes in. Democrats in Minnesota have been pointing fingers at Republican Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty's administration, which has been strangling the budget so the dollars to do maintenance properly have not been there. More political factors: NTSB Chairman Rosenker has spent a career in Republican politics starting with CREEP, the Nixon Re-Election group, where he was deputy director for radio and TV. He has worked in nearly every Republican campaign from the 1970s to the present. If funding for bridge maintenance turns out to be a factor in the collapse, Republican Governor Pawlenty could end up taking the political fall for it. According to the dissent, NTSB staff are concerned that politics will make it difficult to hold a public hearing. The dissenting commissioners argue that the political charged environment make a public hearing necessary to maintain the public's trust in the process: "The downside of not holding a hearing is significant not only for this accident and for the transportation community, but also for the Board. We believe we would be abandoning our important duty to educate and reassure the traveling public of an independent, transparent, credible investigation after a tragic accident of national scope. And, after our decision not to hold a public hearing on the Comair flight 5191 accident in Lexington, Kentucky Ð for which the Board was roundly criticized Ð we believe our reputation for independence and transparency would suffer further. This is one of the rare accident investigations the Board has undertaken that has involved the total collapse of a major interstate highway bridge. Given the number of interstate bridges that exist in this country, the age of those bridges, and the use of those bridges, there is a significant need to explore whether this accident is likely to remain rare in the future." Congressman Oberstar will ask the NTSB to reconsider its decision not to hold the public hearing: "I am disappointed in Chairman Rosenker's decision to not hold public hearings as part of the investigation of the I-35w bridge collapse, I believe the board is making a mistake. There has not been a bridge collapse in the United States in decades and it deserves a hearing. For NTSB it is both a teaching and learning opportunity. The board can teach the public how it investigates a tragedy of this magnitude and the discussion of the data that was gathered may yield new information that will help explain how this tragedy occurred. No investigation has ever suffered from a thorough discussion of the evidence." Northland Schools Receive American History GrantNorthland schoolchildren and their parents got a bit of good news earlier this week when Congressman Jim Oberstar announced a $500,000 grant to fund an American History collaborative. The U.S. Department of education will award the half-million dollar grant to the Itasca Area Schools Collaborative, including eight school districts and the Itasca Community College, to fund its Headwaters American History Collaborative. "This is an exciting opportunity," said Oberstar. "It allows teachers to work closely with the Minnesota Historical Society to enhance their skills, as well as to develop new programs for teaching the history of our state." The Collaborative plans to partner with the Bug O Nay Ge Shig tribal school in Bena, Minnesota, to teach the history of Native Americans in Northeast Minnesota, an important element of the program, particularly considering the significant amount of Native American students in the districts. "History should not be a dry subject taught from dusty textbooks. It is the living story of how our nation was built," said Oberstar. "This program gives educators, researchers, and academics a chance to find new and exciting ways to tell our story." The Itasca Area Schools Collaborative consists of the following:Deer River Public School District #317 Floodwood Public School District #698 Grand Rapids Public School District #318 Greenway Public School District #316 Hill City Public School District #002 Nashwauk-Keewatin Public School District #319 Northland Community School District #1118 Itasca Community College |
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