Gid -- Is there another "to nowhere" case that I missed (it sounds like there is). I konw that the "bridge to nowhere" was introduced by/the pet project of Republican Senator Stevens and passed in the last Congress (which was Republican controlled) -- what's the one that you are referring to?
No, you're right, it was the bridge, not the road.
I didn't realize it had passed, and you're right on the Congressional balance. I stand corrected.
The trick of how to fix it, though, is to begin by realizing that both parties have their share of bozos (and good guys). Blaming one person or group of persons for such monumental failure without looking at the other guy is ridiculous. The truth is, in my opinion, this SHOULD have been federal responsibility. The bridge was over a waterway that forms the boundary between two states, meaning it should have been a federal priority due to its need for interstate commerce, which does fall under the jurisdiction of Congress. In addition, it is an INTERSTATE highway, not a state or county road. To my understanding, this would almost certainly make it a federal priority.
The bridge to nowhere is just a top of the head example I can give of money that should have gone to repair this bridge before it collapsed. I'm sure closer research would yield even more examples of money ill spent that could have been sent here. If 70,000 of our bridges meet the same criteria, 70,000 bridges need to be fixed.
In my hometown, there was a bridge collapse just 6 months ago. The only thing that kept it from the CNN front page was the fact that, fortunately, nobody died. They just reopened the roadway, but in the wake of the collapse, they evaluated the other bridges and found they had a lot of work to do.
These bridges do make a good metaphor, though, for the trust we place in our government. I'll have to let my thoughts coagulate for that one, though.
