[HM2Viking]

From EPI:
The recent tragedies of the collapse of the Interstate-35 bridge in Minneapolis and the crash of an Airbus A320 at Congonha Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil have two things in common: both pieces of infrastructure had been identified as potentially dangerous and their repair or replacement had been put off as governments chose to spend shrinking resources on other priorities
...
Infrastructure spending in the United States has also declined as a share of GDP from its peak in the late 1960s (see Chart). This neglect stems from the increased political difficulty of generating public investment revenue by raising taxes. The federal tax on gasoline—the main source of federal highway funds—has not risen in 14 years. Two years ago, Congress proposed a four-cents-per-gallon boost in the fuel tax that would have financed a $375 billion, five-year highway bill. President Bush threatened to veto any highway bill that included a tax increase and Congress backed off, instead presenting a $286 billion spending plan. Two weeks before the I-35 bridge collapse, the House Appropriations Committee added $631 million above the level for highway funds requested by President Bush. In response, the White House again threatened a veto, and the bill passed without the increase requested by the Committee.

The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates the cost of repairing or replacing obsolete or deteriorating bridges at $7.4 billion per year. This year's appropriations bill provides slightly less than $4 billion for such infrastructure maintenance, leaving many U.S. roadways in a state of disrepair, and drivers wondering about the safety of their daily commute.
http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/webfe...shots_20070814

I think that we need to take a long hard look at infrastructure repair needs nationwide.

[pickledpepperRN]

The physical ties of America's civilization, Texas: http://www.star-telegram.com/245/story/198771.html
Oregon History: http://bluebook.state.or.us/cultural.../history25.htm

Iowa: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/app...0388/1001/NEWS

The Ozarks: http://thelibrary.springfield.missou...tch/ow703c.htm

Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi : http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~pmullins/chapter17.htm

Established under the $4.8 billion Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935, the WPA lasted until 1943 and employed at least 8.5 million people at an average of $2 a day. They built thousands of roads, bridges, schools, post offices and other public construction projects. In addition, under the WPA's Arts Program, thousands of unemployed writers, musicians, artists, actors, and photographers temporarily went on the federal payroll, producing public projects ranging from murals to national park guidebooks.: http://www.thinkbright.wned.org/teac...ContentID=4121