I've lived and worked in Connecticut for 33 years now.

Growing up, I was a twice-a-year visitor, when Mom and Dad packed the 3 Brooks boys into the Chevy Bel Air wagon for a trip to my aunt's house in Newington.
We always left our magnificent tract-housing ranch in beautiful Framingham, Massachusetts early for two reasons.
I can still hear my father say, "Connecticut State Police will stop you for going two-miles-an-hour over the speed limit. And there's ALWAYS road construction."

Well, Dad, wherever you are, they're still working on the roads. ALWAYS. Daytime, at night. 84, 91. Wherever, whenever.

But now, they can't even get it right. Boston has its Big Dig. We have our Big Pig.

The now 5-year-old I-84 project between Cheshire and Waterbury.
A 3.5 mile, 71-million dollar embarrassment.
Hundreds of bad storm drains...bad brackets for the light poles...a poorly-built bridge deck. What a mess.

The State and Feds are conducting investigations.

There are lawsuits (of course) against the contractor, L.G. DeFelice of New Haven, and the company hired to inspect DeFelice's work, the Maguire Group of New Britain. (Maybe they should have hired the McGuire sisters, or Mark McGwire, who's a free agent these days.)

The governor shuffled the deck at the DOT, and created a task force to come up with ideas to reorganize the agency.

And the legislature's on the case, trying to get to figure out what went wrong.
Wednesday's hearing produced the requisite quotes of concern.

"It seems to me that someone was asleep at the switch." -- Rep. Christopher Caruso, (D-Bridgeport)
"There is plenty of blame to go around here." -- Robert Genuario, Secretary, Office of Policy and Management
This very well could be the tip of the iceberg." -- Rep. Tom Reynolds, (D-Gales Ferry)
"Something obviously happened." -- Rep. Antonio Guerrera, (D-Rocky Hill)

Well, something obviously didn't happen. Proper construction and proper oversight.

Millions down those storm drains that can't even flush the cash away properly.

So we'll pay...the commuters who use that stretch of highway will really pay...the lawyers will be paid...the task force will do whatever task forces do...and the pols will feed us our sound bites.

And as ALWAYS, Father Knew Best.