Unless more funding and effort are put into saving the nation's infrastructure, it will continue to crumble, say experts. An estimated $1.5 trillion over the next five years could be needed to avoid large-scale disaster.
Dave's comment: Of course, it is not just roads and bridges. The electrical transmission and distribution network is tottering, keeping it functional is in doubt, much less accomplishing the conversion from AC to DC that would dramatically lower line loss hence curtailing the need for yet more coal fired plants. But even that is fairly obvious, at least to those paying some attention. There are even worse and less obvious cases of infrastructure rot. We have hollowed out our educational infrastructure - 1/3 of Texas public school students do not graduate and the ones that do are often functionally illiterate. We have hollowed out not just the physical infrastructure to make things but the human skills needed were the plants rebuilt or refurbished. For the last 40 plus years we have more and more been seduced into the notion that the private sector will cure all ills, which is of course pure BS. The faith and hope of a people acting together through their government to secure the benefits of collective effort has been replaced with a fear and loathing of all things associated with government. We have internalized the message that taxes are an evil burden to be shed rather than a way to pool resources for the common good. So, today, if it does not return a short term profit it is simply unlikely to get done.
I watched a version of this greed and short term thinking play out in one of the most respected institutions of this country - Bell Labs; "The Labs", under the bad old AT&T monopoly. Before Judge Green threw AT&T into the briar patch (I will explain that reference, below) The Labs constituted a lavishly funded pure research world. From that environment came a steady stream of Noble laureates and discoveries ranging from radio astronomy to the semi-conductor. The "break-up" ripped the Labs in half, literally. The lunch rooms at the various Labs facilities had yellow tape down the middle. Those employees who were a part of the retained segment of The Labs sat on one side of the tape, those being "spun out" to the part of The Labs to be held by the Regional Bell Operating Companies sat on the other. Men and women who had collaborate for years could no longer even speak to each other. Then, in both segments, the profit imperative descended like volcanic dust, smothering all creativity and curiosity. It was pathetic by the time I arrived on the scene some three years after divestiture. Here were these scientists and engineers of the first water struggling to figure out what the hell to do. Useful and interesting things still struggled to sneak out, but the befuddled senior managers who had no earthly idea of how to run a company that had to compete couldn't do squat with those few meritorious efforts.
Regarding the briar patch; several years before the court declared AT&T an illegal monopoly they hired Al Toffler of "Future Shock" fame to analyze their business. He was proven just as wrong in his recommendations to the AT&T board as was his wildly optimistic and totally wrong little book. However, his recommendations to the board, while a horrible prescription, was at least an accurate prediction. The elements of Judge Green's ruling were a 100% accurate reflection of Toffler's recommendations. Gee, I wonder how that happened????
dave
This has been an issue I've been following and researching for going on 3 years now. Are we about to go over the peak? Has it already happened? Or is this some scam the oil companies conjured up to maximize their profits? Or is it because of the gay mairriage abortionist terrorist illegal alien atheists? In my opinion, it is not very far off when we will see the painful effects of our voracious appetite for the light sweet stuff.
Here's the trailer to the documentary,
A Crude Awakening - The Oil Crash
Wikipedia defines sportsmanship as: "Sportsmanship typically is regarded as a component of morality in sport, composed of three related and perhaps overlapping concepts: fair play, sportsmanship, and character."
This video is the embodiment of that ideal. Have a hankie handy. You'll need it.
For the past several years as I've been traveling around the country, I've been approaching soldiers in the airports and thanking them for serving for us. On several occasions I have noticed that it felt a little awkward for both of us. There are several reasons, some of which I am even just now learning as I produce this film and talk to more soldiers. But they have always appreciated being thanked, and I have always felt better having expressed my gratitude.
I started to think that it would be nice if civilians had a gesture or sign that they could use to say "thank you" quickly and easily without even having to approach. I did some research and found the sign that we are now using.
Is this limited to the military? Not at all. If you look around you I'm sure that you'll find lots of people who are serving their communities, from local to global. If you appreciate their service, give them a sign. Say "thank you."
-Scott Truitt, FOUNDER, The Gratitude Campaign
Post removed upon request of my son.
Sometimes you assume things are cute where others are either offended and/or embarrassed.
Humor is sometimes lost when it comes to controversial subjects - especially when it didn't even enter into the author's mind that it would have caused trouble.
