Is it the design or the maintenance?

The very tragic collapse of the bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis is a reminder of many things we Americans don’t talk about, or seemingly avoid talking about. In the case of the bridge, it should come out in the future just what the cause was, and how we got to the tragic results.

It seems in the lifetime of the bridge, 40 years, similar things have been going on in America by design. We have conducted a war on poverty, unleashed our mentally ill to the streets, sanctified double standards in the name of civil rights, converted our public education system from the 3R’s to nanny-hood, and used legislation to try dictate safety from all of life’s perils. We’ve even legislated energy independence. And we’re trying to legislate peace for the USA.

All this has been by design, it seems. Playing God with good intentions is dangerous to all things living, to include people. Since we Americans elected these politicians who have been the designers, so be it.

Yet most Americans just want the basics, as in the maintenance side of things. Fill the potholes in the roads, maintain the bridges, teach the children the 3R’s, provide police and fire protection, and ensure good clean tap water and waste management, and 24/7 electricity. This in itself is a tough job, to include the financing.

So is it local, or national? The answer depends on where one sits. One inside the Washington D.C. beltway sees the cutthroat budget wars going on over the distribution of the vast public monies. One more local person just wants the basics, as in driving across the bridge without fear of death. And they are willing to vote and pay taxes for that.

So politically it is about time for less design and more maintenance, be it nationally or locally. This should be a National Issue, like Social Security and Medicare financing for the baby boomers. Infrastructure design and maintenance is both human social and public policy.