(cross-posted at The Agonist)
Actually, bridge collapse is different form of terrorism
So rather than talking about infrastructure as such, maybe politicians should focus on the subject as a matter of public security, which it most definitely is. Just as the government is responsible for protecting the public from terrorism, it is equally responsible for protecting citizens against lethal failures of bridges, roadways, other transportation systems, and underground structures that can cause collapses. And developing a far more effective and efficient strategy for improving public security against disasters like the one in Minneapolis requires the leadership of individuals who actually believe in government’s capacity to solve problems ‚Äö√Ñ√Æ a belief fundamentally at odds with the modern conservative movement, as demonstrated in recent years.
It’s far too early to fully know, much less understand, what the lessons to be learned from this week’s bridge collapse in Minneapolis will be. Having said that, I don’t believe it’s much of a stretch to intuit that one of the lessons will be that this is the sort of thing that can and will continue to happen as we continue to ignore our aging on progressivly crumbling infranstructure. As horrific as this collapse was, if we don’t see it for what it is- a warning shot across our bow- we’ll continue to mourn more needless, senseless losses of life as we continue to ignore what’s now painfully obvious.
No, this isn’t about terrorism, but if we can’t use our nation’s infrastructure without fearing a catastrophic failure somewhere, then the end result will be the same. Our safety and security will continue to be at risk- albeit by our own neglect and ignorance.
No one wants to spend money on maintaining roads and bridges. Politicians can’t use it to trumpet their accomplishments, municipalities can’t use it to advertise their growth potential, and there’s nothing tangible to show for the billions it will take…except for the lives that will be preserved, which is a difficult thing to quantify and cost-justify.
No matter what happens in the aftermath of the I-35W bridge collapse, though, one thing is certain. Continued ignorance of the need to maintain this nation’s infrastructure will only lead to more- and likely more frequent- disasters like the I-%W bridge. The real tragedy of this collapse is the very real possibility that it was probably preventable. Hindsight being what it is, experts will probably be able to determine what caused the collapse, and perhaps the appropriate design and maintenance changes will be made going forward. Perhaps the lessons will be learned and employed, but until Congress and the White House get serious about committing the resources to maintaining our crumbling infrastructure, we face the risk of more tragedies like what Minnesota is dealing with.
The real tragedy of this bridge collapse is that it may well turn out that it could have been prevented. That doesn’t mean we can’t and shouldn’t take what lessons we can from this experience in order to reduce the risks going forward. That aside, we MUST as a nation begin to insist that our elected representatives commit the resources needed to ensure that no one has to grieve their way through this sort of tragedy again. If we fail, then the next bridge collapse will be….
That’s a form of terrorism that none of us should have to live with.
