The Road to Nowhere
And we won the war, lost the battle
Lost the war, won the battle
--Humdrum and Humble,
Tears for Fears
It's too much to expect,
but it's not too much to ask
--Not Too Much to Ask,
Mary Chapin Carpenter
_____________
Lost the war, won the battle
--Humdrum and Humble,
Tears for Fears
It's too much to expect,
but it's not too much to ask
--Not Too Much to Ask,
Mary Chapin Carpenter
_____________
Traveling today from Asheville to Boone N.C., we found the Blue Ridge Parkway was closed in two places, and has been so for the past year. These blocks required travelers to take large detours.
The Parkway is a major tourist destination and it is a few weeks from leaf-turning season, yet significant portions remain closed. One of the area's biggest tourist draws has blocked portions due to previous rock slides yet to be stabilized.
Of course roads are not the only untended infrastructure stateside. As New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson says, the U.S. has a "third-world [energy] grid.” While the federal government that takes "a back seat on everything except drilling and fossil fuels," the grid needs a projected $60 Billion to be upgraded to modern standards (The Energy Challenge.)
The U.S. is building roads in Afghanistan and Iraq with billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars. Meanwhile, small sections of a Historic Scenic U.S. Highway stay blocked due to rock slides.
Strange days indeed.
Labels: blue ridge parkway blockages, misspent federal tax money, pwot fallout
posted by rangeragainstwar at 7:41 PM
7 Comments:
And this news just in: The federal highway trust fund is out of money. As in, broke. Nothing there. $0 balance.
So don't expect to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway straight through anytime soon...
- Badtux the Infrastructure Penguin
You see, there is no profit to be realized in re-building American roads.
No, there is plenty of profit in building highways and bridges and dams and such, Bechtel made their first billions that way, but if you're a corrupt Republican contractor it's easier to just steal the money outright via no-bid federal contracts that you never intend to fulfill rather than actually, like, do something for the money...
Badtux,
Thank you for the data on the federal highway trust fund. Sad state of affairs for the Republic.
Range, we're in a shorld of wit. Yet we piss our $$ away paying for snake-handcuffing wars, building highways and schools "over there" that will or might be destroyed, when we need 'em HERE! Combination of the "Emperor's New Clothes", Nero fiddling while Rome burns, and F-troop (well, maybe not F-troop, as there was more or less peaceful co-existence there). I watched the ReTHUGlican convention and listened to the chants of "USA! USA!"---too close to "Deutschland Uber Alles!" for my liking. And Sarah Palin? SEX SELLS, but it's all sizzle--no steak!
Every year my girlfriend and I drive up to Boone to escape the Florida summer and for a change of scenery. Because of a combination of high gas prices and being stuck with a no-vacation contractor job after being laid off from a bank, we had to skip it this year. I guess I'm just whining and feeling bitter.
anon,
A good analogy of our jingoism to that of Nazi Germany. I can almost hear "Banzai!" if I listen closely.
When I hear it, the emperor isn't even present; he is a flickering image on the screen.
Kevin,
Sorry you couldn't get away. These are terrible times for most of us, and I fear they will get worse before they get better.
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