In the moments immediately following the Aug. 1, 2007, collapse of the I-35W bridge, speculation ran rampant through media, political and transportation circles as to what — or who — was responsible for that horrific tragedy.

On Election Day, many U.S. voters didn't only pick new elected officials. They decided whether to raise their taxes to pay for new rail lines in their cities. In Milwaukee, Albuquerque, Honolulu, Seattle, Los Angeles and several other cities, the answer was a resounding "yes," despite a sinking economy.

Major elections are meant to be enjoyed at a distance, namely 2,000 votes separating winner and loser. Anything closer and you become witness to one of the ugly truths about democracy: Our voting system is flawed. Not in a "we need to scrap it" way, but rather in a "technology and humans are shockingly unreliable at counting" way. Minnesota Senate race, welcome to the freak show that is Recount 2008.

Americans are as uncertain about the economy as they have been in a generation; the political success of the Democratic Party over the past two election cycles have bolstered the confidence of liberals that their message is a winning one; and the massive intervention in the economy on the part of the Bush administration has opened the door for even greater interventions and bailouts in the coming months.

Last week, Gov. Tim Pawlenty introduced his proposed package to encourage green job creation in Minnesota. His "Green Jobs Investment Initiative," extending a variety of tax credits to businesses and investors, has been called "Green JOBZ."

Paul Wellstone fought long and hard for mental health parity, and the law that finally passed October 2008 — only because it was attached to the bailout bill — appropriately bears his name.

On Nov. 4, our country elected as president, for the first time, someone who wasn't a white guy. It was a deeply inspirational moment, reminding us of the progress we've made since the time of the three-fifths compromise.

Americans should take time to savor the afterglow of the 2008 elections. In his concession speech John McCain was principled and gracious. President-elect Barack Obama was pitch-perfect in acknowledging Sen. McCain's service and calling Americans to come together to solve the challenges facing us. Most importantly, he asked all of us to work with him to achieve our shared goals.

No matter what your skin color, your age, your economic status, your religion, no matter where you live — we all received the same call. We've been asked to serve. We've been asked to take responsibility.  We've been asked to sacrifice.  And most importantly, we've been asked to look after one another.

A loud buzz filled the air right up through Election Day about the prospect of an Obamanami (Obama tsunami) that would sweep all before it in Minnesota.

Multicultural education seeks to include a range of perspectives often suppressed by the majority culture as well as to include students from diverse backgrounds in the process of learning.

Reconciliation does not come easily in a land with the volatile history of the United States of America. It is a country of enormous and impetuous energy, born in revolution and settled by people of mixed races and tongues with clashing dreams and purposes.

Tuesday, Minnesotans elected public leaders. Once again, voter turnout led the nation with 77.5 percent of eligible voters casting ballots. Clearly, Minnesotans are engaged, concerned with our state's future.

MinnPost asked a number of Minnesota officials, political observers and public-policy experts to share their reactions to Election Day results and the 2008 election season. Here are a few of their responses...

Editor's Note: The following is a eulogy for Patty Rogers, delivered Monday afternoon at a funeral Mass in Wayzata.

The increasing income gap between the rich and poor in this country has come to be looked upon as inevitable.  Expanding economic inequality is seen as the unavoidable result of globalization, technological change, demography and other social and economic forces.

I'm writing in response to Jay Weiner's "Target Center costs go through the green roof" post (Monday, Oct. 27).

Sarah Palin has done a favor for the punditry: She has exposed one of the underlying texts of the conservative movement as concocted by Karl Rove.

Americans agree: Our health-care system needs a serious overhaul. A number of recent surveys, including one by Harris Interactive and another by the Commonwealth Fund, show that over 80 percent of Americans believe the system needs either "fundamental change" or "a complete rebuild."

As Nov. 4 approaches, both parties are in a headlong race to run away from taxes. The result will not be good for the country.