Ole Pappy

State Rep. Chris Swedzinski, R-Ghent, is displeased with Tuesday’s announcement that MnDOT is awarding $469 million to fund four Corridors of Commerce program projects near the Twin Cities.

Elk River and St. Michael sites are the deepest in Greater Minnesota to receive funding. He should be angry. By calling Elk River and St. Michael “outstate” sites, the Corridors of Commerce met their obligation to rural Minnesota — and in so doing, cut out the much-needed projects in Marshall, namely overpasses on Highways 19 and 23. “I’m really disappointed in the list they came up with,” Swedzinski said.

“I really felt we had a lot of strong projects in southwest Minnesota, in rural Minnesota. I really feel they didn’t get the fair shake they deserved with the department. This metro-centric thinking has come through in the with here on ditch mowing and buffers programs and now the Corridors of Commerce program.” Rep. Paul Torkelson, R-Hanska, Chair of the House Transportation Finance Committee, issued a statement regarding the decision.

“We have critical corridors like Highway 23 in Western Minnesota, Highway 14 in Southern Minnesota, and countless others in desperate need of upgrades and repairs that are being completely ignored by this Metro-centric project list.”

“It’s astonishing that MnDOT would select four projects with massive price tags all within 50 miles of Minneapolis and Saint Paul — it’s clear that changes are needed to ensure a more balanced approach for the Corridors of Commerce program moving forward.”

Obviously, this is another case of the big kids getting all the candy and the little ones left holding the bag. Shame, shame!

LAUGH A LITTLE: Under my bed A man told his psychiatrist he’s always had a fear that someone was under his bed every night.

“I can cure that,” said the psychiatrist. “How much do you charge?” the man asked. “About $150 a session and we’ll meet three times a week for a year.” The man never went back.

When he passed the psychiatrist on the street he was asked, “Why didn’t you come back to see me?” The man said, “You would have charged me thousands of dollars and a bartender cured me for $10.”

“What did the bartender tell you to do?” asked the psychiatrist. The man said, “He told me to cut the legs off my bed. There ain’t anybody under there now.”

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: As my Ole Pappy used to say, “Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you handle it.”

Thanks Ole Pappy!