When someone offers help, accept

My friend Bob Bruininks, the University of Minnesota's president, once told Gov. Tim Pawlenty that when it comes to higher education, "You cannot 'cut' your way to the future."

President-elect Barack Obama and congressional leaders are preparing a stimulus proposal aimed at shocking the economy's heart back to life, through Medicaid reimbursements, unemployment aid and public-works projects throughout the country. After the president-elect met with the nation's governors last week, truth eclipsed the absurdities of fiction as a front-page headline notified us: "Pawlenty balks at Obama proposal."

Sure enough, our nationally ambitious governor, who competently responded to a shocking bridge collapse two summers ago, now appears to be rejecting federal funding for public-works projects on the grounds that it would increase the national budget deficit.

One budget at a time, Governor -- it ain't 2012 yet.

Bruininks' wisdom holds true for public infrastructure as well, especially at this point in our state's history, not that Minnesotans need to be told that. The state's financial coffers are running low, but the common sense is still in surplus. Most folks realize that you get exactly what you pay for.

Fifty years ago, a Republican president led what would become the largest public-works project in American history. Dwight Eisenhower's National Interstate and Defense Highways Act of 1956 led to more than 46,000 miles of freeways, built with American sweat and financed with a whopping 90 percent federal share. The roadways, 82 tunnels, nearly 15,000 interchanges and more than 55,000 bridges continue to pay economic dividends to this day.

Somehow, massive federal investment in transporting people, goods, power and information across the country has become politically toxic. Neither Eisenhower nor anyone else five decades ago ever believed that infrastructure was everlasting, and the bill for the next 50 years has come due.

Meanwhile, the 90 percent federal share of the Eisenhower era has shrunk to 50 percent and is fraught with rules that cause years of delay and accompanying inflation costs. If done correctly, federal infrastructure investment would return a threefold benefit: construction jobs paying livable wages to local workers; relief for state and local governments' capital programs, allowing them to build new clinics, libraries and educational buildings; and public-works projects benefiting anyone who travels or buys movable goods -- which is to say, benefiting everyone.

We could simply lament the lousy shape of both the economy and federal budget, and many have perfected that talent. Or we could choose to energetically embrace Obama's vision and recognize the stimulus for the relief it can provide Minnesota and its local governments. I'll choose the latter.

We must make clear to the incoming administration and to Congress that we have real needs here. And whether it's replacing roadways such as the Hwy. 61 Hastings bridge, fixing traffic bottlenecks or creating a visionary transit system for the 21st century, we need federal help -- now.

It's time for Minnesota leaders to rise to the offer of long-overdue federal assistance, not question capable leadership that could finally promise the improvements Minnesota needs to grow.