August 02, 2007
I Wonder How Long...
The bridge collapse in Minnesota is a disaster to be sure. There are some indications that the bridge was declared "structurally deficient" as late as 2005. Powerline reports:
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports this morning that the Highway 35 bridge that collapsed last night was rated "structurally deficient" and possibly in need of replacement when it was inspected in 2005.The death toll appears to be around a dozen or so, and to each of those families we can only wish for their memories to be sweet and their grieving short.This will no doubt attract a lot of interest, and it certainly could prove to be important. But apparently many bridges receive the same evaluation, and inspections in 2006 and 2007 evidently didn't reveal any cause for alarm."
The pundits and politicos in Washington will be crawling out of their slime pits to "report" on the "failure of the infrastructure" and others with BDS will be blaming Bush, the war in Iraq or or some such cause. I wonder how long it really will take? Hours? Days? Weeks? Or, nanoseconds?
Update: Apparantly Nanoseconds wins
Update 2: Dean Barnett has more on the roaches and others crawling out of the woodwork:
Let’s face it – if a bridge collapsing in Minnesota makes you angry at George W. Bush, the results of your political Rorschach Test are conclusive. You’re a nut. But a useful nut; you’re the kind of nut who probably opens your heart and your wallet to the causes that strike your fancy.LEST I BE ACCUSED OF suggesting that the left has the exclusive franchise in this sort of monomania, the right has its sliver of kooks and misfits who jam every event into a one-size-fits-all-events ideological prism
Posted by GM Roper at August 2, 2007 10:36 AM | TrackBack
When I heard something about Bush being responsible for the bridge..being bombed maybe, I checked out who was covering the craziness of the Lefties and I found it right here! What a coincidence.
I like this article that G.M. and I found and discussed on the phone:
Bridge Collapses - Women and Minorities Hardest Hit
Many a truth are said in jest.
It is still a horrible tragedy and we need to continue praying for the victims and their families.
Posted by Woody at August 2, 2007 11:38 AM
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure...
Posted by e. nonee moose at August 2, 2007 12:13 PM
Nice detailed report. I just found out about this tragedy as I was out of the loop last evening and my first thought was, "they are going to blame this on Bush."
Posted by UGN at August 2, 2007 12:36 PM
Moose, how many bad bridges to you have to cross in Alabama to get from work to home? Why aren't those fixed? Do you think that the State has unlimited resources? Maybe they're wasting too much money on education. ;-)
Posted by Woody at August 2, 2007 02:12 PM
The nation has been conditioned to accept socialized road ownership by the same undermining forces that brought on the so-called right to privacy, so-called judicial review, and the so-called separation of church and state, all of which motivate against the smooth operation of market forces. What the Looney Left is unwilling to admit to the public is what a golden opportunity this will create for the pontoon bridge sector.
Posted by Jassalasca Jape at August 2, 2007 05:03 PM
Flashback!
Bridge to Bias: In 1989, S.F. Bridge Collapse After Earthquake Blamed on Conservatives
If anyone in the media blames the Minnesota bridge collapse on "cheap Republicans" who like tax cuts, it would not be the first time. In 1989, after a memorable San Francisco earthquake, an interstate highway bridge collapsed and killed hundreds. Media figures demanded new taxes, and some even suggested the Proposition 13 ballot initiative may have caused unnecessary deaths. We reported in the November 1989 MediaWatch:As aftershocks rumbled through the San Francisco Bay area, media figures began calling for more taxes. On the October 18 Nightline, Ted Koppel asked an agreeable Democratic politician from California: "We all remember a few years ago Proposition 13 which rolled back taxes. And at the same time the point was made you roll back the taxes, that's fine, but that means there are going to be fewer funds available for necessary projects. Any instances where the money that was not spent because of the rollback of Proposition 13 where money would have made a difference?"
I bet the 1989 earthquake was Bush's fault, too. In fact, he probably detonated a nuclear device in the fault, like in the Superman movie, to start the earthquake.
Posted by Woody at August 2, 2007 08:54 PM
This is provided as a little education:
Structurally deficient structure: A bridge is classified by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as structurally deficient if it meets any of the following criteria:
• It has an extreme restriction on its load-carrying capacity.
• It has deterioration severe enough to reduce its load-carrying capacity beneath its original as-built capacity.
• It is closed.
• It is frequently over-topped during flooding, creating severe traffic delays.
For more on bridges go to:
http://www.dot.state.tx.us/services/bridge/default.htm
If there is any blame or fault then the words of Cassius in "Julius Caeser" are appropriate. "The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars but in ourselves…"
Posted by psyberwolfe at August 2, 2007 09:14 PM
Following from Woody's observation above, I would like to say that I once lived in California, and judging my own experience, the climate there is very conducive to the growing of bridges, at least where there is adequate rainfall. I've heard that Prop 13 argument many times myself, but it sure beats me why anyone would want to spend the taxpayer's hard-earned money on bridges that nature can supply perfectly well on her own.
Posted by Jassalasca Jape at August 2, 2007 10:40 PM
Moose, how many bad bridges to you have to cross in Alabama to get from work to home?
There's a fairly important in Montgomery that's been closed for a couple of years now. There's a hullabaloo over who should pay to fix it (city, county, state or federal) and at this point it looks like it will never be fixed. But at least it's closed and not a danger to anyone... though I suspect people sneak onto it at times to fish.
Posted by e. nonee moose at August 3, 2007 07:22 AM
Moose, if no one accepts responsibility for the bridge, who put up the barricades to close it?
Posted by Woody at August 3, 2007 09:31 AM
GM writes: "The pundits and politicos in Washington will be crawling out of their slime pits to 'report' on the 'failure of the infrastructure'"...
First of all, let me just note that all the links provided are to random blogs and blog comments. Hardly evidence of the media's tendency to "blame Bush." Second, investigating whether this is some freak occurance or evidence of wider malfeasance is exactly the kind of work Americans want their media to do. Shouldn't they be looking to see if the bridge collapse is a direct result of some policy or another, and, if so, shouldn't the public know so we can correct course? What you're worried about, I think, is either an unfair examination or merely one that indicts a Republican policy. I'm sure you'd say the former, but I'm not so convinced.
I heard the Republican governor of Minnesota on the radio talking about how he recently vetoed a transportation bill because he felt it was too expensive and wanted to observe his pledge not to raise taxes. He noted that while criticism regarding his veto of that bill was fair, it wouldn't have made a difference in the case of this particular bridge. That may or may not be the whole story, but it's the kind of discussion we should be having.
Posted by Mavis Beacon at August 3, 2007 12:40 PM
Let's take the discussion back to 1990, when problems with this bridge were first identified. Did Gov. Jesse Ventura wrestle with this concern?
Posted by Woody at August 3, 2007 01:44 PM
