Today's bridge collapse in Minneapolis brought back the memory of a warning issued by someone who should know against the decayed condition of American roads, bridges, and waterways.
In a previous incarnation, I looked at this issue, which Trish over at Pensito Review blamed on Bush's tax cuts. (Once all of the neo-anderthals have rushed over to their keyboards to defend The Deciderer, I'll resume.)
Sure, this assertion could be dismissed as mere liberal fulmination by those who don't want to admit that Dubya's Terror War For Oil led to unnecessary American deaths. But they should listen to one of their own desired economic class.
Back on March 30, 2006, UPS CEO Mike Eskew addressed the Houston Forum. During his talk, Eskew referred to the 2005 report card issued by American Society of Civil Engineers:
"... let's put it this way: if your kids brought home report cards like this, someone would be grounded... aviation system got a D+; navigable waterways a D-; roads a D, and rails a C-."
Eskew had noted back then that the US economy (and the standard of living which depends upon it) cannot function if the transportation sector isn't up to the demands being placed upon it (the book selections below are partly intended to illustrate the importance of good transportation infrastructure), and that any improvements were going to require huge sums of capital. [July 22, 2007: Watch the video of ASCE again supporting this contention as featured on NBC Nightly News]. The heavy weight and numbers f military vehicles would only bring on final collapse sooner.
Back in 1956, someone certainly knew what can happen when a military is confronted with poor or nonexistent roads. President Eisenhower - while maybe remembering the troubles he had crossing northern France after transiting the defensive bulwarks of Festung Europa - signed a bill committing $25 billion dollars to the construction of the interstate highway system, a vital asset in the conduct of homeland security.
Article comments
1 - Dr Dreadful
Re: my comment #3 on the other post on the subject of the bridge collapse: That goes for you too, Realist.
2 - gonzo marx
gotta agree...poor taste is putting it mildly
completely fucked is about correct
Excelsior?
3 - Max Neocon
Nobody "lied us into war" and the only people responsible for the bridge collapse thus far are the inspectors who looked at it last year and said it was still safe...they are to blame. [Gratuitous vulgarity deleted by Comments Editor.]
4 - Dave Nalle
If they wanted money to repair and maintain the bridge, there's plenty being used to build completely unnecessary highways here in Texas.
Dave
5 - Anchorage Activist
Good to see someone else picked up on the ASCE 2005 Survey. When I Googled "America's Crumbling Infrastructure", the survey url came up on the first page.
I noticed that no mainstream media outlet has even referred to it in their reportage yet. Our media just can't resist sacrificing substance for sensation. The $1.6 trillion would be available had we obeyed George Washington's counsel to avoid entangling alliances. Our priorities are so misplaced.
6 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Realist,
I would have waited a day with this particular story. Unlike Bambenek's satire, this piece has the redeemiong quality of outrage.
One of the sidebars at the S'trib alluded to the survey you mention above. But i was trying to get a story written and the S'trib wanted me to log-in with a code name and all that other garbage; I don't have time for a zillion code names and passwords - can't keep track of them all.
Not a bad job - but for the timing...
7 - Nancy
What's truly tasteless is the rush by the local MSM to drum up business by compulsive, continuous speculating that local bridges are next. This sort of yelling 'fire' in a crowded theatre should be illegal, IMO. However, Realist certainly has a point, that if BushCo hadn't lied, cheated, & connived their way into this faux war to enrich their oil-company cronies, the US would have several billion to spend on its own citizens, instead of wasting it on Iraq. For that matter, John B. has a point also. I don't know that I'm all that offended, on second thought, with these blogs. People ARE going to discuss the matter. At least on this blogsite, no one is making money off it, which is the big difference between John & Realist, & the politicians & MSM.
8 - bliffle
Dave sez: "If they wanted money to repair and maintain the bridge, there's plenty being used to build completely unnecessary highways here in Texas."
To say nothing of a Bridge To Nowhere in alaska.
9 - bliffle
Max sez: "Nobody "lied us into war" ...".
Sure they did. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell. They knew the whole WMD thing was untrue from their special DIA organization. Then they setup the hapless hopeless CIA and Tenant to take the fall. If the WMD were not a pretext they would have pulled out a month after the invasion.