Ozymandias

I met a traveller from an antique land Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand, Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things, The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed. And on the pedestal these words appear: "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!" Nothing beside remains: round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare, The lone and level sands stretch far away. "Ozymandias", by Percy Bysshe Shelley "The fact is that Americans have been squandering the infrastructure legacy bequeathed to us by earlier generations. Like the spoiled offspring of well-off parents, we behave as though we have no idea what is required to sustain the quality of our daily lives. Our electricity comes to us via a decades-old system of power generators, transformers and transmission lines—a system that has utility executives holding their collective breath on every hot day in July and August. We once had a transportation system that was the envy of the world. Now we are better known for our congested highways, second-rate ports, third-rate passenger trains and a primitive air traffic control system. Many of the great public works projects of the 20th century—dams and canal locks, bridges and tunnels, aquifers and aqueducts, and even the Eisenhower interstate highway system—are at or beyond their designed life span. "The blind eye that taxpayers and our elected officials have been turning to the imperative of maintaining and upgrading the critical foundations that underpin our lives is irrational and reckless. "America’s gross domestic product in 2006 was $13.2 trillion—we can afford to have world-class infrastructure. As a stepping-off point, we should insist that our elected representatives publicly acknowledge the risk of neglecting the bridges, roads and other essential hardware that goes into making a modern civilization. Then we should hold them accountable for setting priorities and for marshaling the requisite resources to repair our increasingly brittle society." --An editorial from Popular Mechanics magazine

That's How The Infrastructure Crumbles

Courtesy of Meteor Blades from Daily Kos, here's the report card from the American Society of Civil Engineers. It ain't pretty: Dams (D+) Since 1998, the number of unsafe dams has risen by 33% to more than 3,500. While federally owned dams are in good condition, and there have been modest gains in repair, the number of dams identified as unsafe is increasing at a faster rate than those being repaired. $10.1 billion is needed over the next 12 years to address all critical non-federal dams--dams which pose a direct risk to human life should they fail. ... Drinking Water (D-) America faces a shortfall of $11 billion annually to replace aging facilities and comply with safe drinking water regulations. Federal funding for drinking water in 2005 remained level at $850 million, less than 10% of the total national requirement. The Bush administration has proposed the same level of funding for FY06. ... Schools (D) The Federal government has not assessed the condition of America's schools since 1999, when it estimated that $127 billion was needed to bring facilities to good condition. Other sources have since reported a need as high as $268 billion. Despite public support of bond initiatives to provide funding for school facilities, without a clear understanding of the need, it is uncertain whether schools can meet increasing enrollment demands and the smaller class sizes mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act. ... Transit (D+)Transit use increased faster than any other mode of transportation--up 21%--between 1993 and 2002. Federal investment during this period stemmed the decline in the condition of existing transit infrastructure. The reduction in federal investment in real dollars since 2001 threatens this turnaround. In 2002, total capital outlays for transit were $12.3 billion. The Federal Transit Administration estimates $14.8 billion is needed annually to maintain conditions, and $20.6 billion is needed to improve to "good" conditions. Meanwhile, many major transit properties are borrowing funds to maintain operations, even as they are significantly raising fares and cutting back service. ... Wastewater (D-) Aging wastewater management systems discharge billions of gallons of untreated sewage into U.S. surface waters each year. The EPA estimates that the nation must invest $390 billion over the next 20 years to replace existing systems and build new ones to meet increasing demands. Yet, in 2005, Congress cut funding for wastewater management for the first time in eight years. The Bush administration has proposed a further 33% reduction, to $730 million, for FY06. As usual, Jonathan Schwarz puts this lunacy in its proper perspective: A country that can’t keep its bridges from collapsing is not going to be running the world very much longer. That’s the interesting thing about the standard historical trajectory of imperial elites…at a certain point they either (1) forget the power they can wield outside their country ultimately derives from a healthy society beneath them, or (2) understand that but decide they’d rather be comparatively more powerful within a poorer society and less powerful outside. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Twins have a new baseball stadium that cost over half a billion dollars. Gee, can you say "irony", boys and girls?

Collapse

The San Jose Mercury News: I-35W bridge collapses over Mississippi River; 7 dead The Interstate 35W bridge over the Mississippi River collapsed this evening, plunging dozens of vehicles into the water, killing seven people and injuring more than 60. Tons of concrete have collapsed and people are injured. Survivors are being carried up the riverbank. Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan said more than 50 vehicles had been searched with the potential for more and all of the survivors had been cleared from the bridge. Amelia Huffman, Minneapolis police spokeswoman, said the 64-foot high bridge over the river dropped into the water shortly after 6 p.m. "The entire bridge, more or less, has collapsed into the river," said Lt. Amelia Huffman, Minneapolis police spokeswoman. "It's unclear what caused it." Sometimes doing nothing is worse than doing something bad. And there's been lots of nothing not-happening all over the country. The bridge in Minneapolis might be only the beginning. It's a falling domino. Call me foolish, but I'm not worried about a terrorist attack. It's the not-so-slow erosion of our aging infrastructure that's scaring the fuck outta me. Our bridges, our rail system, and our highways get worse every damned day. Libraries, schools and hospitals are closing. There's not enough cops on the streets. There's fewer jobs, the number of foreclosures are up, and more Americans are in debt. Medical insurance is horribly expensive. And why in the hell are we hearing reports of food on supermarket shelves killing people? You think we should start fixing things for real instead of slapping a fresh coat of paint on it? Oh yeah, the check's in the mail. But it got sent to the wrong address. It isn't as though we don't have the money. We have trillions. It's being poured in that black hole called Iraq. It's a rotten investment. So when that bridge collapsed, Osama bin Laden chuckled softly to himself and said, "Pass the popcorn." No, he and his murderous rat thugs don't have to do anything. Not anymore. George ("Mission Accomplished") Bush & Co. are already doing the dirty work for him. Look out below.