Comments on: Bridges Under Scrutiny As Minn. Mourns

As Many As 30 People Still Missing In Wake Of I-35W Bridge Collapse; At Least 4 Dead, 79 Injured

[missmead]

A bridge collapsed. I have seen some bridges in sad shape before, but I have never actually seen one fall. With of course an exception for the video of that one bridge that actually swayed in the wind.

It blows my mind that within the limits of a huge city, a heavily traveled bridge can just fall one day. People coming home from a long day at work never make it. Children on a field trip suddenly need to use that emergency exit on the back of the bus.

Perhaps we should be a little less concerned with outside terrorists and a bit more concerned with our countries recent short comings.

Our government needs to protect us from foriegn countries yes, but they have other responsibilities too. Our once great country is quite literally collapsing around us. The worst part is that we do not have a future leader to look to for help. The Republics have proven that they are not concerned with the innerworking of the country, and the democrats want to give all the money directly to the people. It is like giving a man a fish instead of giving a man a fishing pole and teaching him what kind of bate to us and where to fish.

I met a woman today that had driven over that bridge five minutes before it collapsed. She was shaken by the knowledge that if she had started her trip a few minutes later she might have died yesterday. It is a scary thought since it really could have been any of us on that bridge.

[feelfree1]

Re: "How could this happen?

What an amazingly stupid question. We are squandering our blood treasure and dignity in exchange for illegal and disgraceful, self-defeating war of aggression, tax breaks for wealthy people, and welfare and giveaways for greedy corporations.

A big portion of the Bush base is expecting and even hoping for Armageddon. Why the hell do you think that it happened?

It%u2019s called neglect. Gravity never gives up.

###

On a side note- where were Cheney and Gonzo when this occurred?

[condumism]

How Could This Happen?

Let us begin with Reagan Democrats, those self-centered baby boomers who's votes over the past 25 years have proven these fools to be the most disgraceful generation in US history, at least since the Confederate South anyway. EAch and every one of these pigs should consider suicide before they go on any seniors entitlement programs. FVCK YOU REAGAN DEMOCRATS! EACH AND EVERYONE ONE OF YOU!

[mikekleber]

As an electrical engineer who has spent 20 years in Maintenance in a large manufacturing plant, I can tell you, no one ever wants to spend money on Maintenance. Whether it be machines, roads, equipment, etc. Sadly, we put money into maintenace only after a crisis. Look at our current administration. Offering to give 250 million to Minneapolis. Our country spends that amount in Iraq ever couple of days. The 700 billion spent in Iraq could have replaced a majority of the infrastructure, improved towns, and created many jobs.

[hypnotoad72]

taylpatr - you make a good point, but obviously our country feels that helping other countries' infrastructures (Iraq, China, India, et al) is more important than our own.

I wonder how the MN Taxpayer League feels right now for helping veto such tax hikes... and The Onion for putting up a satire of Governor Pawlenty's veto in 2005. Ouch.

Back to taxes; Either taxed to death or plummeting off a bridge because our leaders, who want to run the country like a business, can't be bothered to spend a nominal amount on infrastructure and peoples' lives -- tax us any day. Most of us won't even notice the amount being taken from our checks, just how we never noticed all those tax cuts either.

[grazinggoat]

Red164 is a Muslim apologist, a psychopath, and a known liar. He's not to be trusted, and I advise you to ignore his postings, as he is mentally ill and deranged. He is to be pitied, rather than followed.
Posted by robertkjjj at 08:15 PM : Aug 02, 2007

-robertkjjj, I read all his postings on this story. Red164 is saying real issues to be investigated. Turned out to be you the mentally ill and deranged! Iddiott!

[jb01201a]

Well looke here:
"resident Bush, who will travel to the scene of the disaster on Saturday, said the federal government would help rebuild the bridge in the city that will host next year's Republican National Convention.
I knew it was only a matter a time before one of you leftist morons blames George Bush for the collaspe of this bridge. You people on the left are stupid. There is no concern from any one from the left about the condition of anyone in this tradegy in Minnesota.

[taylpatr]

As a 23 year(ret.) Ironworker I've seen and heard about strucural deficiencies in bridges all over this country. Our infastrucure that was, for the most part, built between 75 and 100 years ago is decaying. If this nation doesn't start spending some money on our own re-builing we are going to see more and more of these type of needless accidents. In the 70's and 80's a report was done on counterfeit bolts that were used in the construction of many of the High-Rises of the day. These bolts would break at 1/10 of the pressure they were suppossed to withstand. It was soon realized that contractors had been using them for years. They could bolt up a building at 1/4 of the cost of American made AK325 bolts. That meant hundreds of thousands difference in cost, the difference always going into someones pocket. All at once, you quit hearing about it. It was brushed aside like the reports on these bridges. Yes, they are standing, until they fall. If you can find a politician that thinks far enough ahead to care about problems like this, you will have a rare creature, indeed. Maybe when the buildings start falling they will take some initiative and do something.Until then we are all at the mercy of their ignorance. Keep your head covered!

[missmead]

The biggest difference between the victums of Katrina and the ones in Minneapolis is that the able bodied people on the bridge did not ask who will help me? They asked who can I help? A year from now they will not still be wondering when the new bridge will be built. A plan will be formed, bids will be excepted, and building will begin as soon as they get a green light.

The local government and the people of New Orleans themselves failed New Orleans. The government continues to fail them by allowing people to rebuild in the dangerous flood plains. They should not be saying, we cannot stop people from rebuilding here because it is the poor that live in those areas. Instead they should be saying, we cannot allow people to rebuild here because it is too dangerous. Of course it is the poor that lived in those areas. Why would anyone who could afford to live on higher ground not take it?

It seems as if the people have discovered the flaws in democracy. The rich buy the politicians and the poor try to vote in someone that will give them more. Once the poor give their vote that is all they have to give, but the rich still have more to give.

[l8c6]

When public Minnesota money was needed to build a new baseball stadium for one of the richest men in Minnesota, no problem! But no money for bridge repair from the state.

No extra federal money for bridge repair in Minnesota--it's all needed for the war, and to give big tax breaks to the billionaires.

What's the point of even having sovereigns if those sovereigns don't provide basic public services, and when money is tight, they do that before needless wars and corporate giveaways?
Posted by gkc99

The people of Seattle voted against the stadium but it was built and they paid for it anyway. When are the boomer's children going to rise up and kick the sorry corrupt as*ses of the boomer leadership that has turned against the founding principles of the United States and stolen the flag? The boomer's were the "me" generation 30 years ago....nothing has changed.

[l8c6]

Lets hear from the economists and business leaders. Afterall, america is best run like a business. Does it make sense to repair an old fertilizer plant or run it till it's return no longer justifies it's overhead?

Same with america. It's getting old. The right wing corporatists elected to minimize government bureacracy like the U.S Corp of Engineers have underfunded such repair like good business people knowing it just doesn't make good business sense to keep patching an old physcial plant.

So, invest in Dubai.

[homespunlady]

newster1 - The Convention might get the job done or maybe that NAFTA Superhighway thing might do it. Either way, I predict a massive Haliburton contract in the works.

[uradufuss]

To homespunlady: I agree with you. If it directly affected him, then he'd be right on it. But then, that takes us back to the Vietnam War, when he was in a National Guards unit in Alabama. While everyone else was getting their buts shot off in Vietnam, he sat here at home. He never had to face Charlie (the Vietcong); in fact, he never even faced the men in his own unit (they never saw him there). And this is the man that we trust with the leadership of this country? What a joke!

[thomderr]

Let's connect this with the recent steam explosion in New York City, the past water infusion in Chicago and wonder where our crumbling infrastructure will hit us next!

I'm not talking isolationism, just wanting u.s. to 'watch our six!'

[nothappyatall]

"resident Bush, who will travel to the scene of the disaster on Saturday, said the federal government would help rebuild the bridge in the city that will host next year's Republican National Convention.

"We in the federal government must respond, and respond robustly, to help the people there not only recover, but to make sure that lifeline of activity %u2014 that bridge %u2014 gets rebuilt as quickly as possible," Bush said. "

More mouth krap from King George, meanwhile 2 years later Katrina victims still languish and litte has been done, but BUSH plans an all out fix on this bridge because and only because his regime's party is having a CONVENTION there.

[uradufuss]

If you look at the billions of dollars that are being spent in Iraq, each and every day; it would not take a genius to realize that we could replace of of these defective bridges in this country, very easily, if we just pull all of the troops, and bring them home to protect the people right here in our own country. The troops would be happy and willing to do that. However, our greedy president would not profit from that...so he will say no to that plan.

[homespunlady]

Here's a thought that those that think keeping American infrastructure safe is a waste of taxpayer dollars that would be better given back to the wealthy.

Our First Lady was scheduled to be there tomorrow. Fate may have had HER on that bridge when it went down instead of the innocents that were there.

Structural failure DOES NOT respect wealth, power or political party.

We tell our kids to clean their rooms and we maintain our homes and vehicles to avoid more expensive repairs and unfortunate repercussions.

It's PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE that lowers the risk of ALL types of "accidents". It's careless disregard of that fact that endangers us all.

How many "warnings" does it take? Lax airline safety, levee failures, destroyed towns from worsening weather, contaminated water systems that kill, bridge collapses, building collapses all while we divert our assets into the pockets of wealthy individuals and companies that take the money and run.

Our nation's priorities are costing us in many ways. Preventable health problems, preventable infrastructure problems, preventable international problems, and on and on.

Shortsighted selfish choices are NO WAY to run a nation.

[gkc99]

When public Minnesota money was needed to build a new baseball stadium for one of the richest men in Minnesota, no problem! But no money for bridge repair from the state.

No extra federal money for bridge repair in Minnesota--it's all needed for the war, and to give big tax breaks to the billionaires.

What's the point of even having sovereigns if those sovereigns don't provide basic public services, and when money is tight, they do that before needless wars and corporate giveaways?

[mh4cbs1]

We will end up spending ONE TRILLION DOLLARS on the needless, horrific War On Iraq.

Meanwhile our jobs our outsourced, our infrastructure is decaying, our planet is heating up, we give massive tax cuts to the filthy rich. McMansions and strip malls are replacing farmland at an alarming rate all around our cities.

We need a citizens revolutions to stop our corporate-owned politicians from running our country into the ground. Bush is leading the charge, but the spineless corporate-owned Democrats are completely complicit and do NOTHING to stop it.

VOTE GREEN PARTY (at least you can sleep at night knowing you voted for new vision for America)

[robertkjjj]

Red164 is a Muslim apologist, a psychopath, and a known liar. He's not to be trusted, and I advise you to ignore his postings, as he is mentally ill and deranged. He is to be pitied, rather than followed.