Election 2012 Is Comming

john b wrote: Yea, who needs a good infrastructure. Let all the roads go unrepaired and the bridges fall like they did in Minneapolis.

The Actual cause of the 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis was the failure of a structural plate that had been spec'd undersize at the time of its design. This lead to a sudden and catastrophic failure. The bridge had been inspected annually and was under going a major deck resurfacing(repair) at the time of the collapse. It had nothing to due with funding, and the bridge was not due for replacement. Hats of to all that responded to the incident that day for minimizing the effects of the tradgedy.

critter wrote: Maybe they are like NC where the Governor takes money from road repair money, gas tax, to balance the budget. A Judge finally stopped this practice. Last 2 NC Govs have taken money from the Education Lottery and from the DOT roads and bridge money. We now have some of the worst roads in the country. Maybe they should balance the budget by cutting spending rather than taking from infrastructure repair money and Education.

In Minnesota we voted in a special transportation funding package, all the billboards supporting it had roads pictured on them when in fact only 41% was designated for highways, the rest went to light rail and bike paths. A year later they were looking for more road money again.

So write a check already.... No one is stopping them.

Watching a program the other day and the person being interviewed
was a rich lawyer that agreed that he and other rich should pay more.
When asked if he paid extra in 2010 or 2011, he said that he would not pay until all were required to.
What kind of answer is that ?

I donate to Charities and do not ask others to just because I am.
The Government is just a great big Charity. So Donate already....

4 more ski

you guys made me do it!

it breaks my heart to see them tearing down the Chrysler plant over here in Ohio, and the bad part about it is the scrap from the building, i have no doubt will wind up in one of these po*************** nip cars some flag wavin american will be driving in the near future

It had nothing to due with funding, and the bridge was not due for replacement. Hats of to all that responded to the incident that day for minimizing the effects of the tradgedy.

Really, nothing to do with funding? The problems were well documented and the patches were not sufficient to prevent the collapse.

Since 1993, the bridge was inspected annually by Mn/DOT, although no inspection report was completed in 2007, due to 0the construction work. In the years prior to the collapse, several reports cited problems with the bridge structure. In 1990, the federal government gave the I-35W bridge a rating of "structurally deficient," citing significant corrosion in its bearings. Approximately 75,000 other U.S. bridges had this classification in 2007. According to a 2001 study by the civil engineering department of the University of Minnesota, cracking had been previously discovered in the cross girders at the end of the approach spans. The main trusses connected to these cross girders and resistance to motion at the connection point bearings was leading to unanticipated out-of-plane distortion of the cross girders and subsequent stress cracking. The situation was addressed prior to the study by drilling the cracks to prevent further propagation and adding support struts to the cross girder to prevent further distortion. The report also noted a concern about lack of redundancy in the main truss system, which meant the bridge had a greater risk of collapse in the event of any single structural failure.

The problems with the bridge were documented. I noticed here in Chicago bridge work began almost immediately after that one came down.

London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, AZ

John, London bridge is falling down, falling down....its a rhyme
anyone got any info on what they are constructing right next to the Whitehouse on the grounds, the price tag was i believe 326 millies

eric lavine wrote: John, London bridge is falling down, falling down....its a rhyme anyone got any info on what they are constructing right next to the Whitehouse on the grounds, the price tag was i believe 326 millies

Supposedly 376 million to replace utilitie lines, water, electric, communications. I am guesing union labor at that price. No secret tunnels or bunkers ..... or so they say.

eric lavine wrote: John, London bridge is falling down, falling down....its a rhyme

I am aware of that, I sing it often. It was a weak attempt at humor. It proves that we even import our bridges.

bastards!!!!!

their standards are not quite like ours, and it has been proven that the United States manufacture's the best steel in the world, I would bet the steel on that bridge is of the same qaulity of the stuff my friend tries to machine

This is the part that I noticed..
"But California officials estimate that they will save at least $400
million by having so much of the work done in China."

If you want to live in a Global Market, you have to be competitive.
5.56% savings is better than I get at the Bank.
Or as I said earlier... shut and lock the doors..
Ross talked about "that Sucking Sound" that everyone laughed at.
Not laughing now...