Lost Lake Tribune September 6th

Lost Lake Tribune 9/6/08 printer friendly edition Tropical Storm Hanna Slams Upper South. -Tropical storm Hanna killed over 200 in Haiti earlier this week and then nailed the coast of the Carolinas on Saturday. The storm that is bringing winds gusting at 80 MPH also hit Virginia and caused Governors Easley and Kane of North Carolina and Virginia to declare a state of emergency. The storm may also cause problems of tornadoes and 6 to 10 inch rain in Maryland and New York.

Hurricane Ike also is on course to brush by Haiti and possibly hit densely populated Southeastern Florida by Tuesday. "Ike has grown rapidly into a dangerous, powerful storm," "I urge all ... Floridians to use the next few days to prepare. Our ability to prepare now will ensure everyone's safety later," he said. We must be prepared, we must be smart, and we must be vigilant." Governor Charlie Christ told a news conference. The last hurricane to hit the Miami area was also the worst ever in Hurricane Andrew which struck in 1992. Barack Obama Speaks in Indiana. -Presidential hopeful Barack Obama went to the Western Indiana city of Terre Haute on Saturday and began his ten minute speech by saying "Form the beginning of this campaign we've been talking about change" He went on touch on his opponent's plan for change by stating that John McCain has voted with the President ninety percent of the time but yet he says "he's the change agent". Obama stated that the campaign directors for McCain are the biggest lobbyists in the US and that McCain will probably not be able to tell them to change. Obama went on to define "what change is and what change is not" He said that "change is not continuing the same tax policies of George Bush giving tax breaks to companies that are shipping jobs overseas, change is making sure that those tax cuts are going to companies that are investing in Terre Haute, right here in the United States of America" He also stated that his proposition of giving tax breaks to 95% of Americans is change. He stated that change can be the stopping of tax breaks to employers who provide health care and giving that to individuals but Obama told the Hoosier audience "that's not the kind of change we need". Obama wants the government to "work with" businesses to lower health care "up to twenty five hundred dollars a year". Obama continued by mentioning his plans for investment in alternative energy and "clean energy" jobs, early education and higher education and the war on terror. He finished by telling his listeners to not be fooled by the republicans. Palin Speaks in Colorado Springs. -Vice Presidential hopeful Sarah Palin spoke in Colorado Springs, CO on Saturday. She stated that John McCain and she are planning to "take our case of reform to voters of every background, of every party or no party at all, and with your help we're gonna go to Washington and ... shake things up". She praised her running mate by saying that "he knows what it takes to overcome great challenges... he's the only in this race who's got what it takes to lead this country" She qualified him as a man with determination and gut. She stated that the voters knew better because they realized that "there is a time for politics and there is a time for leadership". She gave McCain credit for putting America as top priority in his mind by continuing to support the war in Iraq. She stated that Obama finally admitted that the surge in troops was successful in Iraq. Her entire speech focused on the history and record of Senator and Presidential hopeful John McCain.

Rain Does Not Halt New I-35W Bridge. -The workers on the Interstate 35W Southbound bridge over the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis made a sidewalk tour on Saturday and stated that it may be done by September 16, 2008. Even though Minnesota received about two inches of rain on August 27 it did not stop the bridge constructors from getting the necessary work closer to completion. The contractors will receive a $200,000 bonus for every day that the bridge is finished ahead the scheduled date of Christmas Eve 2008. This bonus would reach $20 Million if the bridge is finished in September 16. The DOT told Minnesotans that officials will know the actual opening date early next week and that they should not expect immediate opening after completion. This bridge is a replacement to the bridge that collapsed on August 1, 2007.

Fugate Puts Money on School Bill. -Even though Benjamin Fugate has very little money at his fingertips to dispose of, he still put one hundred dollars down on his $1200 school bill on Thursday. Fugate also figured out the tough published and typed index resource of Elenchus of Biblica, an index of a variety of hundreds of theological journals and periodicals compiled by a Catholic scholar who worked very hard to get as many articles and book reviews into one spot for quick discovery. The index is put out each year but takes as many as four years to get into the hands of Central Seminary. The index refers to Latin and English articles made available in that year by sundry denominations and organizations. This index is not for the high school level and neither is it easy to use because only about ten percent of the articles are available through Central. Fugate has managed to find at least three articles that apply to his question about the presence of God before the building of the physical tabernacle. Letters to the Editor. -"Can I ask a question (s)? Where do you get the time to do all of this? Is this productive? Are you a self endorsed political analyst and columnist? To be honest, I get a kick out of reading these. There is obviously a lot of bias. I do not know if everything that you say is true but I will have to give you an A for effort. Just some observations." David Fish, Lansdale, PA. Your letters to the editor are encouraged. The LLT reserves the rights to edit or delete the comments submitted. Editorial. -Pawlenty finally achieves some success in his governorship. Tim Spendplenty as I call him, has spent millions on mass transit and has a plan in place to spend the taxpayers' money on mass transit for as long as this state exists. He also continues to let light rail run a deficit in the state budget. This two-term governor has approved the building of new separate Twins (MLB) and Gophers (NCCA football) stadiums that will cost taxpayers over $1 billion. If it were not for the NFL stopping the Vikings from building their own stadium, the cost might have reached $1.5 Billion. While at the same time, thousands of bridges in Minnesota lay dormant and even fall apart as evidenced in the LLT 7/26/08 edition. Bridges and roads in MN are in a grave state (no pun intended) and the state leaders made it that way by doing almost nothing even after August 1st. Then when a bridge does collapse, the state addresses only two other bridges, Winona and Wakota. Winona in SE Minnesota was given minor work on its gusset plates (the reason for the I-35 collapse) this year but will have to wait until 2011 for major work. Wakota which is the I-494 bridge over the Mississippi has become an eyesore and will probably not be finished anytime soon. The only work in MN that has been given any true progress is the I-35 bridge and the confusing rebuild of South Minneapolis including the Crosstown (62), I-35W and MN. 77. Minnesota needs a new generation of leaders that will fix the roads and bridges of the state and I hope that those leaders will be elected this November.