Exploding building in NY, falling bridges in Minneapolis are only the tip of the iceberg, if the predictions of these experts come true...
Experts warn U.S. is coming apart at the seams http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003226851_fragile26.htmlSnip:
WASHINGTON — A pipeline shuts down in Alaska. Equipment failures disrupt air travel in Los Angeles. Electricity runs short at a spy agency in Maryland.
None of these recent events resulted from a natural disaster or terrorist attack, but they may as well have, some homeland security experts say. They worry that too little attention is paid to how fast the country's basic operating systems are deteriorating.
"When I see events like these, I become concerned that we've lost focus on the core operational functionality of the nation's infrastructure and are becoming a fragile nation, which is just as bad — if not worse — as being an insecure nation," said Christian Beckner, a Washington analyst who runs the respected Web site Homeland Security Watch (www.christianbeckner.com)....More at above link
And, here is a fun little fact from CSIS Commission on Public Infrastructure
http://www.csis.org/component/option,com_csis_progj/task,view/id,568/Snip:
"One-quarter of the nation’s bridges are structurally deficient or obsolete. According to a survey of the American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE), our airways, port, and mass transit systems are unable to keep pace with growing demand.
The cost of these failures is great. Time is lost to delay, commerce is impeded, and business productivity is compromised.
Some 13,000 fatalities on highways each year result from inadequate maintenance, design, or capacity of roadways. At the center of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans was the failure of the flood walls and levee system. Our homeland security requires safe and efficient infrastructure systems and state-of-the-art facility management, planning, and technology for both first responders and the general public alike."
Can we get that one again, 13,000 deaths EVERY year are ALREADY occuring due to compromised infrastructure? Why isn't THAT blasted on the nightly news? (Oh, I forgot, Nicole Richie just went to jail or something, right?)
Here is a useful link from the American Society of Civil Engineers...Report Card of American Infrastructure from 2005, Looks just like a George W school record...
http://www.asce.org/files/pdf/reportcard/2005reportcardpdf.pdfOh, let's not forget the Tranmission Grid & our Electricity System: Excellent article on the problems surrounding this vital infrastructure, it is a long one, but well worth the time....
http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2003/3033elec_grid.htmlThose are just for starters. I have more, but I will save those for another post over the next few days. These are enough to give you a migraine all on their own.
:hangover:
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