Bridges, Airports and Roads Get a Failing Grade. And So Do the Politicians.
On CBS’s 60 MINUTES this past Sunday, there was a report on the crumbling infrastructure in this country. It was shocking … and sobering … and frightening … and infuriating. But it’s a “must see”. If you missed it, here’s the link:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/falling-apart-america-neglected-infrastructure/
We have an estimated 70,000 bridges in this country that are literally unsafe and potentially dangerous. In particular watch for the segment toward the end in which Amtrak president Joe Boardman is interviewed about the Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River in New Jersey over which literally hundreds of passenger trains pass every day. It’s a “swing bridge” which opens to let boats through. It’s more than 100 years old … and it frequently doesn’t close properly … and one of these days it will simply break down, which will cost the whole northeast economy hundreds of millions of dollars every single day.
Watch this report. And then contact your two senators, your member of Congress, and any other person in public office who represents you. It is a disgrace that our elected representatives have allowed this to happen. But they have … and it’s for the shallowest of reasons: they don’t want a political opponent to be able to attack them for raising taxes to pay for these repairs.
I’m willing to bet that the relatives of the thirteen people who died and the 145 people who were injured when the bridge collapsed in Minneapolis seven years ago would have some pretty strong opinions about that.
Having worked with Publics Works officers on bases around the country, I know it takes a courageous base commander to resist delaying routine maintenance when faced with budget cuts. Same applies in civilian life.
Drew and Chris, you guys are absolutely right. I’m very much afraid it’s going to take a catastrophic failure of some kind before people will, however grudgingly, agree that there will have to be some kind of sizable tax increase to pay for all the work that must be done. Or, who knows, maybe the Walton Family will step up to the plate and pay for it themselves. Ya think?
Jim, I’m afraid the politicians are reflecting public opinion. I’ve done a bit of work on a side job doing market research for transportation projects and so I’ve talked to thousands of people about their opinions. Overwhelmingly public sentiment in this country is: “Don’t Raise the gas tax, don’t raise other taxes, don’t adopt tolls, fix the roads with the money currently coming in instead of wasting it.”
The problem is, the math doesn’t add up. What the public wants is simply impossible.
I think what we are seeing is the result of a crisis of trust in government, largely manufactured by conservative interests that don’t want to pay their share. Of course there is enough waste in the system to provide plenty of fuel for this fire.
If we are going to move forward successfully as a nation, we’re going to have to pull together. I don’t see us ready to do that right now. It might take an inspirational leader to ask people to do so. A lot of people hoped Obama might be that person, but he wasn’t. Unfortunately, our political system makes it quite difficult for most politicians to take this kind of leadership. We blame them, but that’s unfair because they reflect the system they are in, so polarized, bought out and vicious as it is.
Unfortunately far too many signed the “No tax increase ever for any reason” pledge. Ridiculous!