Fatigue over time is not a factor in L.A., what with the earthquakes and all.......
Posted on 08/03/2008 6:40:14 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
One year ago today, when the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed during the evening rush-hour commute and killed 13 people, the disaster sparked a furious national debate about the crumbling state of our infrastructure. So quickly are such catastrophes forgotten that a major-party presidential candidate can now propose eliminating the tax that pays for bridge repair, and few bat an eyelash.
About a quarter of the public road bridges in the United States are considered functionally obsolete or structurally deficient, according to the American Assn. of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Fixing them would cost roughly $140 billion, but even a modest House bill to provide $1 billion for repair of federal bridges faces a veto threat from President Bush.
The money for things like road and bridge repairs comes from the 18.4-cent-a-gallon federal gas tax, which hasn't been raised since 1993 and doesn't adjust for inflation. With high gas prices prompting Americans to drive less, gas-tax revenues are dropping. This situation will get even worse if John McCain has his way. In one of this campaign season's more revolting pander-fests, McCain this spring proposed eliminating the federal gas tax for the summer. That would cost the government up to $9 billion that would otherwise go to preventing another disaster like the I-35W bridge collapse.
Weird, but it seems like we've been here before; weren't people screaming that New Orleans needed more money for levee repair, just before a great American city was flushed away like yesterday's sanitary napkin?
(Excerpt) Read more at opinion.latimes.com ...
There was a picture of the 2007 Minneapolis bridge collapse, but it's AP, so yo no incluyo aquí.
(Relax, I'm probably going to have to relearn how to speak Invader sooner or later, anyhow)
This was a Clinton talking point when he ran against Bush I. Fact is, there is always infrastructure in need of fixing. It’s concrete for crying out loud, out in the sun and the rain!!!
why, without taxes, the world will simply self implode!
It was caused by an undersized gusset plates, not because troops were in Iraq.
Mostly the rain, plus hot and cold. The guys in LA have no idea what might put wear and tear on a bridge.
The Democrats designed and built that bridge too.
I live in Southeastern Wisconsin
Our democratic governor chose to put in bike paths with highway funds and we still have pot holes from last winter
See Post #4 and don’t forget that good old NaCl.
Dan Turner is a dolt. More money would have stopped that bridge collapse. They were spending money on the bridge when it collapsed, but they were spending it on the wrong things.
There are museums that are being built with that money, bike paths, trails, repairing lighthouses....
One bridge collapsing is hardly a crumbling infrastructure. 100 bridges of America 160,000 collapsing isn’t even a sign of a crumbling infrastructure.
However, I would be willing to endorse dismantling ALL public transportation and spending all the money saved on roads.
well Mr. Turner, I noticed the democrats were quite willing to stiff the infrastructure fund in Colorado by siphoning tax-free gas from city pumps.
Funny - they’re not mentioned in the article.
Hasn’t Congress been diverting money from the Highway Fund for years?
-PJ
Of course, Louisiana is a Gulf state and would benefit economically if the government would allow more off-shore drilling. So much for this author's concern for New Orleans and its recovery.
Fatigue over time is not a factor in L.A., what with the earthquakes and all.......
Yep, amazing what ways a politician can be convinced to spend money meant for one thing on something else.
Apparently the bridge collapsed because those tax dollars were appropriately appropriated and spent on bridge repairs./sarc
The bridge collapsed anyway. YAY TAX!
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