The following are the lyrics to a song written by Bloomington City Councilman and performed by the Dew Daddies on the CD Save it — Don't pave it!

As I was flippin' through the local paper yesterday
I saw another story on this I-69 highway
It said the State was havin' this big meetin' in our town
To tell folks 'bout their study and some things that they had found
And to listen, so they said, to what the people had to say
The newspaper said we have to have this road without delay
(same guy writin' the editorials been writin' all the news reports too...can't hardly tell the difference)

At the high school auditorium where I had my graduation
Were consultants and some folks from the Department of Transportation
Said we have a lengthy presentation and when we are done
We won't be taking any questions, that's way too troublesome
Police are here just to help make sure that everything goes fine
Hey Officer remove that woman with the protest sign
(freedom of speech? tell her she checked her 1st Amendment rights at door... damn liberal environmentalist agitator)

They said there's every reason you should have faith in our studies
These consultants that performed them are the Governor's good buddies
They think so highly of him that they gave him 30 grand
To help him get elected, now you can understand
They get millions of dollars in contracts from the state without even biddin'
It's all perfectly legal - I was thinkin' man you gotta be kiddin'
(He said I'll be workin' for 'em myself in a few years...we got what you might call a revolving door policy)

If we ignore the actual data then the study demonstrates
That the root of all our problems is this missing interstate
Don't look too closely at the numbers you might strain your cranium
Just repeat after me, if we build it they will come — if we build it they will come
I-69 is gonna be a golden corridor, somebody yelled it ain't that way along I-64
(for those of you not familiar with southwest Indiana geography, Interstate 64 passes thru the region... and that's about all it does)

A consultant said that's because I-64 runs east and west
And its been scientifically shown that north and south highways are best
I-69 will be the road from Canada to Mexico
Look at the map and you'll see there's not another way to go
We've gotta build this highway because, well we just hafta
It'll help all Hoosiers enjoy all the benefits of NAFTA
(and judging from the crowd response I figure he regretted bringing that subject up)

They said some people say just fix up US 41
Ten minutes more drivin' time don't add much to the sum
And they point out it would save a billion dollars of our tax
But we say don't let them confuse you with these little facts
What they say may be true but it cannot be done
'Cause the Governor he says this road must go through Bloomington
(come hell or high water... or most of the people in Bloomington)

Oh yes we're interested in what people have to say
Take a number for 2 minutes each in which you all can weigh
In on what you think and what you think I think we already knows
'Cause if it's like the other meetings most of you are opposed
But don't worry it don't matter, cause we're not keepin' score
We're just required to take some public input for us ignore
(green means go, and when the light turns red that means stop talking)

A man got up and said I am concerned about the land
And how this highway destroys it you don't seem to understand
They said it's the price of progress, and we've determined the price is fair
Who is this guy, some kind of tree-huggin' sandal wearer
He said no sir I'm just a farmer like my dad and his dad too
And our farm is gonna be ripped in half if this highway goes through
(and for a couple hours all kinds of people got up and spoke about the highway — most of them strongly opposed, and for a lot of different reasons. But the highway boosters'll tell you it was just a bunch of tree huggers, NIMBY's, Unitarians, liberals, and musicians)

Finally I asked those guys what money will be used
To build I-69 'cause what we'd heard had me confused
This money that you tell us is for I-69
Is it the same fund we need to fix our roads that are in decline
They never answered, they just said now don't you worry there's enough
And if not we'll raise the gas tax that you pay when you fill up
(or maybe we could use teacher's pension fund to pay for it... after all I-69 will be education highway, right?)

Comin' home from that meetin' I found myself thinkin'
That plenty about this I-69 deal was really stinkin'
You couldn't tell any difference between those consultants and the State
Or between all them and the Highway boosters sayin' boy ain't it great
But the people are talkin' loud and clear about what we think of it
Sayin' — whoa fellas, hold on a second... to adapt a famous line made popular in a song by the late Johnny Paycheck -- take this boondoggle and shove it
(Mommy, the new terrain I-69 opponents are being uncivil again!
Now Stevie, people tend to get that way when they're lied to and ignored)

Andy Ruff is a member of the Dew Daddies and a Bloomington City Councilman.

For more on the Save it -- Don't pave it! -- see the lead story in today's Bloomington Alternative -- ... .