REPORT: As Their States’ Bridges And Roads Crumble, GOP Leaders Remain Opposed To Infrastructure

[cal04]

REPORT: As Their States’ Bridges And Roads Crumble, GOP Leaders Remain Opposed To Infrastructure Investment
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/09/09/315827/report-as-their-states-bridges-and-roads-crumble-gop-leaders-remain-opposed-to-infrastructure-investment/

President Obama’s plan to kickstart the economy and put the American people back to work includes investing in the nation’s rapidly deteriorating infrastructure, which, as studies have shown, is in need of as much as $2 trillion in immediate investment just to bring it up to date. In the past, Republicans have agreed that infrastructure improvements are needed, but in the context of economic stimulus and in their effort to remain opposed to anything Obama offers, they have chosen to ignore the nation’s infrastructure and jobs crises. Unfortunately, that approach doesn’t mean either crisis will go away.

Republican leadership has continually blocked efforts by Obama and Congressional Democrats to invest in infrastructure improvements, and as a result, bridges and roadways in their states are crumbling. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, about 12 percent of the nation’s bridges are considered “structurally deficient,” the same rating given to the Minneapolis bridge that collapsed in 2006, killing 13 people. Roughly another 12 percent are considered “functionally obsolete.” In four of the five states represented by Republican congressional leadership, the rate of structurally deficient or functionally obsolete bridges outpaces the national average. ThinkProgress compiled a breakdown of the status of roads and bridges in each of those five states and, where applicable, individual congressional districts:

OHIO:

KENTUCKY:

VIRGINIA:

ARIZONA:

CALIFORNIA:

(snip)
The result, as statistics from these five states show, is that the country continues to watch its infrastructure crumble while leaders in the Republican Party sit idly by, refusing to do anything about it.
more at link

(how many more bridges have to collapse and people die before these idiots do anything)

[spanone]

1. anything to make Obama fail

[FiveGoodMen]

3. Anything to privatize what's left of America

1) Let it crumble
2) Buy it up cheap
3) Rebuild it, own it, and profit from it forever.

[madokie]

4. Mitch and boner too both said that their priority was that Obama was a one termer

They were not going to do anything that might make him more electable. They said it, I'm just sayin' it

[FiveGoodMen]

9. Sure they SAY that; it's part of the play

Why would they want Obama gone???

With him in office, they get EVERY FUCKING THING THEY WANT and when the chickens come home to roost they can blame the Democrats!

They couldn't possibly have it any better than they do now.

[Mendocino]

2. They don't care about roads or bridges

except for the ones that lead to their gated community or their business.

[ixion]

5. privatized roads in our future.

Joy.

[Fresh_Start]

6. another thing that would make them notice

is if commercial traffic was banned from those routes....
it would really get the business community rattling their cages

[Atman]

7. They don't want the contracts going to Democratic districts.

They know it has to be done, but won't do it until they can personally profit off it. The fact that they instead voted for endless unfunded wars and unpaid-for, uncompetitive drug programs doesn't matter to them. They were in total control then and made sure the massive defense contracts came it to their donors. But few benefits would come to their constituents, who were literally dying in the desert fighting for corporate profits.

Priorities.

.

[EC]

8. Yes,

they'd rather put projects into another bill as pork and then cut the ribbon at the opening taking all the credit, too. In Obama's bill, it will make Obama look good.

On edit: From what I heard this morning in Virginia, Obama's naming projects in the districts around there that would happen, making it personal. Next I think he's going to Boner's state Ohio and naming the projects. He's going to rile up the people state to state with specifics.

Well, the repubs have been complaining that he never gives specifics, I wonder if they are happy now that he is?

[GeorgeGist]

10. They'll love the infrastructure ...

once the Private Infrastructure Bank owns it.