Why doesn't our Federal Government put more funding into repair the country's infrastrucutre?

Question

Rep. James Oberstar, the Minnesota Democrat who chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, blamed President George W. Bush's administration for shortchanging road and bridge repair in a highway funding bill two years ago.

Bush, he said, "failed to support a robust investment in surface transportation," adding the president insisted on only $2 billion a year for bridge reconstruction when lawmakers were pushing for $3 billion a year.

Answer 1

While the federal government squanders trillions of taxpayers' dollars on everything from an immoral 'war' in Iraq to teapot museums in North Carolina, America's infrastructure has been ignored for decades.
Of course, as always, the government will now REact to this crisis by rushing through thoughtless legislation and flushing billions of instant dollars down an infrastructure rat hole. Instead of being PROactive to the needs of the country's infrastructure, this disaster will spawn new opportunities for government waste, contractor scams, over billings, unsupervised work, and massive fraud.
The media will spew its poison Pabulum for a few days; senators and congressmen will bluster with discontent and poundings of their charlatan chests; and the public will soon go back to 'business as usual' and forget about the tragedy until the next one sends all three network news anchors off to on-site interviews and 'on-the-scene' reports.
An 'investigation' will cost taxpayers millions of dollars and recommend only trivial changes in the way bridges are constructed or inspected. New, senseless laws will be passed that will enrich government contractors and cost taxpayers millions more in 'safety' regulations.
Then the next bridge will collapse, or the next hurricane will destroy new levees, or a subway train will fall off its ancient elevated tracks, or an airplane will skid off a runway that's long been designated as 'too short'....and the government and the media will once again parade its circus of serious "investigations', "reports" and "changes" that will only perpetuate the existing problems without any real significant change in how things get done in this slothful nation. -RKO- 08/02/07

Answer 2

Well, if the lawmakers were pushing for more money they should have authorized it. If the President vetoed it, they should have reenacted it, the objections of the President notwithstanding. The bridge which collapsed was built forty years ago. Since then the traffic on the span has increased by several fold in numbers and weight. That is also true for many of the other bridges and overpasses in the nation's interstate highway system.
Since the initial construction of that failed bridge, the Democrats have held sway in both houses of the Congress for most of those years. I see no record of any boost in funding for proper maintenance and replacement of these structures over those years. Oberstar is engaging in the rankest sort of partisan politics in the wake of a tragic event. It's a shame. I always thought the guy had more class than that.

Answer 3

The money is all going to support the war.Of course, its not going to provide the suffering people in Baghdad with drinking water or electricity.Today the temp. there is 117 F. , no air conditioning for the few who have it, because their electricity has been off for 24 hours.Gas over there is $4.00 a gallon, and bottled water is very expensive.There is marginal help for many of our troops when they come home broken in body, mind, and spirit. Neither, of course, is much money going to many victims of Katrina, and all across the country housing, mental health and welfare funding has been cut. A fine mess we're in, but all the prayers we can utter won't undo the damage, unspend the money, or bring back the dead. Yes, I vote.

Answer 4

For the same reason our health care system and education system are crap. We don't care enough about ourselves to reinvent our government. We, and I stress we because WE are letting it happen, are spending BILLIONS on a war in a foreign country, sending BILLIONS out of our country to aid others in need, yet we have problems in our own backyard. Take control of your government get out and vote, call your congressmen and women, write letters, make yourself heard. After all, it is "We the People" right?

Answer 5

It is all about who can bribe whom. Bush seems to cater to the Oil industry where he has his investments. No one and I mean absolutely no elected official in Washington DC puts the needs of the public before their own greed. The fact that the infrastructure is not repaired shows just how much our elected politicians care about us.

Answer 6

Well, that would mean that Congress would have to stop funding meaningless pork barrel projects & voting themselves raises. They would also have to raise taxes. Don't forget we are also funding a very expensive war in Iraq, one in Afghanistan, and ignoring the needs of Americans at home (victims of Katrina, Rita, disabled vets, etc)

Answer 7

more money to be made in iraq than improving a way of life in America. What the war costs each month is equal to what it will cost to keep our infrastructure...yet, dubya and uncle don't make moneyy off of improving this county, they profit from war.

Answer 8

Nobody wants to do anything until after the fact. I guess we all put off things that need to be done for something we think is more important. It's just one of those tragic things.

Answer 9

Cause we have to spend billions stopping a threat that Clinton failed to notice.

However, you are very right that we should spend more on problems here at home...

Answer 10

There is no money. It's all been stolen and divvied up between the CEO's of American corporations.