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The Collapsed Bridge to Nowhere: Francis Scott Key and Missing Logic; Something is amiss about the serial infrastructure fails happening all around us
American Thinker ^ | 04/02/2024 | Victoria White Berger

Posted on 04/02/2024 9:16:58 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

Joe Biden is demanding, and pronto, more of our tax money to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

He wants more from us—naturally—but America needs, as its first priority, to investigate and determine if the bridge’s destruction was in fact unintended… or malicious. Much documented evidence is emerging as to the bridge “accident” being in fact, a political, and likely international, cyber-attack. Whether or not this is so, something is off-kilter about the serial infrastructure fails happening all around us. It is time for a much closer look.

As to Biden’s call for more cash, where are the trillion plus dollars obligated by Biden’s crowning achievement, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law? From the Department of Transportation website:

The law authorizes $1.2 trillion for transportation and infrastructure spending with $550 billion of that figure going toward ‘new’ investments and programs. This bipartisan law strengthens PHMSA’s safety authority and includes many provisions that will help PHMSA fulfill its mission of protecting people and the environment by advancing the safe transportation of energy and other hazardous materials [emphasis added].

(The PHMSA is the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.)

Now to March 2024, the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and hazardous materials:

Ship that hit Baltimore bridge carried tons of hazardous materials: US official

The cargo ship, MV Dali, was carrying 764 tons of hazardous materials when it crashed into the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, a top US official has said.

Why is Biden demanding, immediately, new money to cover the Baltimore bridge disaster, when insurers have not yet submitted determinations as to eligible underwritten costs to rebuild?

A good bet is more federal fraud. The real answer is Joe Biden’s graft and essential dishonesty.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: baltimore; baltimorebridge; bridge; collapse; debt; fskbridge; infrastructure; insurance
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1 posted on 04/02/2024 9:16:58 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

The “expert” estimates of “hundreds of millions” in this NYT piece, interestingly, is far less than the billions estimated now by industry experts; Bloomberg leans on the expertise of Yonah Freemark of the Urban Institute, who puts the approximate price tag of the project at “several billion dollars” (at least), and experts in the insurance industry concur, via Insurance Journal:

Insurance Industry Readies for Historic Losses From Baltimore Bridge Tragedy

It’s very early in the recovery process and already the numbers are large.

Insured losses for the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore could be as much as $2 billion to $4 billion, according to Morningstar.

S&P Global Ratings estimates $3 billion, which would still make this tragedy the largest marine insurance loss ever recorded.

Barclay’s analysts believe damage claims for the bridge alone could reach $1.2 billion, while claims for wrongful deaths and business interruptions could run $350 million to $700 million, according to Bloomberg.

‘I do see this claim as having a high likelihood of being one of the largest marine claims on record – rivaling Costa Concordia in 2012 or Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 — almost 35 years ago to the day,” John A. Miklus, president, American Institute of Marine Underwriters (AIMU), told Insurance Journal.

‘While the incident still has to be investigated, we believe it has potential to become a significant insurance claim, particularly in the marine market,’ wrote a Barclay’s analyst cited by Bloomberg.


2 posted on 04/02/2024 9:17:56 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

The cargo ship, MV Dali, was carrying 764 tons of hazardous materials when it crashed into the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, a top US official has said.


Nothing out of the ordinary. It may even turn out to be a relatively small amount, compared to the average carried by all other ships.


3 posted on 04/02/2024 9:21:59 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: SeekAndFind
Much documented evidence is emerging as to the bridge “accident” being in fact, a political, and likely international, cyber-attack.

Let's see some of it.
4 posted on 04/02/2024 9:24:36 AM PDT by ComputerGuy (Heavily-medicated for your protection)
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To: SeekAndFind

“Much documented evidence is emerging as to the bridge “accident” being in fact, a political, and likely international, cyber-attack.”

It would be interesting to see this “documented evidence”.


5 posted on 04/02/2024 9:25:24 AM PDT by JSM_Liberty
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To: SeekAndFind

“ Much documented evidence is emerging as to the bridge “accident” being in fact, a political, and likely international, cyber-attack.”

Who writes stuff like this?


6 posted on 04/02/2024 9:27:17 AM PDT by Jim Noble (Assez de mensonges et de phrases)
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To: SeekAndFind

Such failures aren’t just “happening” - they’re the inevitable consequence of a workforce where capable workers are being replaced with the lesser-talented.


7 posted on 04/02/2024 9:28:52 AM PDT by T.B. Yoits
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To: SeekAndFind

“Why is Biden demanding, immediately, new money to cover the Baltimore bridge disaster, when insurers have not yet submitted determinations as to eligible underwritten costs to rebuild?”

One does not have to result to conspiracies to explain why Joe Biden says the things he says. It’s an election year and his first instinct is to pander.

However the feds or some entity will likely put forward initial monies to get the rebuilding started as the insurance claims process will take a long time.


8 posted on 04/02/2024 9:32:38 AM PDT by plain talk
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To: SeekAndFind

Meanwhile Mayor Pete between taking maternity leave and chest feeding his kids is spending taxpayer money studying racist highways


9 posted on 04/02/2024 9:34:56 AM PDT by srmanuel ( )
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To: JSM_Liberty

“It would be interesting to see this “documented evidence”.”

Well, the evidence of a cyber attack was destroyed in a cyber attack, of which we have no evidence as it was lost in another cyber attack, and the evidence of that cyber attack was lost in yet another cyber attack.


10 posted on 04/02/2024 9:36:40 AM PDT by Round Earther
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To: SeekAndFind
Just a side issue, but I'd like to hear more about the illegal alien road crew killed while working on the bridge when it fell.

Does Baltimore routinely employ illegals for pothole repair? Was it the state? The port authority? Who hired them?

11 posted on 04/02/2024 9:38:15 AM PDT by ZOOKER (Until further notice the /s is implied...)
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To: SeekAndFind

Can you imagine the bribes, kickbacks and graft on this thing?


12 posted on 04/02/2024 9:38:27 AM PDT by Fido969
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To: T.B. Yoits

Part of The Plan!
When did the fix infrastructure start?
Was any fixed?


13 posted on 04/02/2024 9:39:01 AM PDT by TribalPrincess2U (Bye done!)
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To: PIF

I think it is humorous when you read about all these stores that this ship had “hazardous materials” on it. Like there are not hundreds of thousands of tankers going up and down our interstate highways every day with hazardous materials.

My father was a long haul trucker driver that specialized in moving hazardous materials(chemicals) in Stainless Steel tankers. Over his career he hauled blue indigo dye, rocket propellant, jet fuel, caustics, acids, Palmalive dish detergent, sugar and almost anything else that gets shipped in a tanker.

The only thing that he was not licensed to haul was nuclear waste. You needed a perfect driving record and a special license for that.


14 posted on 04/02/2024 9:40:17 AM PDT by woodbutcher1963
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To: T.B. Yoits
"... lesser-talented"

Both foreign and domestic...

15 posted on 04/02/2024 9:41:02 AM PDT by kosciusko51
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To: PIF

You’re right. “Hazardous” includes a huge spectrum of “hazards,” many of which are pretty innocuous. Your car has 150 lbs. of hazardous material in the gas tank.

Plus, only a small number of 9000 onboard TEU’s (containers) were damaged.


16 posted on 04/02/2024 9:42:19 AM PDT by cyclotic (Don’t be part of the problem. Be the entire problem)
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To: SeekAndFind
"The real answer is Joe Biden’s graft and essential dishonesty."

On occasion, the American Stinker gets it...

17 posted on 04/02/2024 9:43:46 AM PDT by SuperLuminal ( hen we so desperately need him)
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To: ZOOKER

The work crew on the FSK Bridge, were employed by Brawner Builders:

https://nypost.com/2024/03/27/us-news/construction-worker-escaped-baltimore-key-bridge-collapse-after-shift-change/


18 posted on 04/02/2024 9:44:18 AM PDT by linMcHlp
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To: ZOOKER

Where has it been documented that the workers were undocumented?


19 posted on 04/02/2024 9:47:15 AM PDT by Round Earther
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To: SeekAndFind

A couple of days ago the YouTube channel What’s Going On with Shipping did a video outlining the legal complexity of the allision of MV Dali with the Key Bridge. Apparently, nearly everyone involved in any way can sue just about everyone else for damages. The people and companies (or their insurance companies) that had cargo on Dali are liable as well under maritime law.

It may be a very long time before the financial liabilities get sorted out.


20 posted on 04/02/2024 9:54:43 AM PDT by hanamizu ( )
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