Wa[r]ter Over the Bridge

With the collapse of the 35W bridge in Minnesota, the aging infrastructure of the US has been brought to the forefront. The major roads and bridges of this country have been neglected for way too long. Anyone can see the decay by simply driving to work or the grocery store. To make matters worse, the roads and bridges were not meant to be used so long nor were they built to handle the size and weight of current cars and trucks. That means the infrastructure is being worn down at a pace unimagined when most were first designed and built decades ago. As with most things, maintenance is required to keep them in good condition. Maintenance, of course, costs money. Lots of money. Therein lies the issue. Whereas in the past the American public has been told there is no money for the maintenance of our basic infrastructure, there always appears to be money to spare for other “projects”. Our bridges and roads which have been rated and found wanting are left to rot and decay year after year. Yet somehow the President and Congress finds money to wage wars that not only the US public but the world at large finds ill conceived and poorly run. To add insult to injury, the money that is sent to foreign countries to help rebuild what is being destroyed almost as fast as it is being constructed is being siphoned off to private individuals, politically connected corporations or just plain lost. Why is it that the Republicans can continually find funds to pay for unwinnable wars in distant lands yet cannot find the money for pay for basic domestic projects? Perhaps this recent tragedy will help open the eyes of our leaders that they must remember that the needs of the citizens of this country must be attended to at least as well as those of the countries to which we send troops and money.