The Minnesota Bridge Collapse

The Interstate Highway System is one of the marvels of the world, one of the unspoken keys to post World War II prosperity in America. The American economy simply wouldn't have boomed in the same way and to the same degree without President Dwight D. Eisenhower's foresight. So when an American bridge collapses of its own weight in the middle of a major city across the span of our longest and most important river it's worth stepping back and thinking about what's happening to our infrastructure. One doesn't have to travel a lot in Europe and elsewhere to know that roads in other developed countries are often better. And one doesn't have to read recent headlines about Minnesota's collapse or an explosion in Midtown Manhattan to think that something is very wrong. The American Society of Civil Engineers have pointed to a $1.6 trillion backlog in decrepit infrastructure. We need a debate about how to do this. In the past it's been a staple of Democratic rhetoric but Republicans need to get in on the act. It was the likes of Henry Clay that pushed for the creation of the first transportation systems and Eisenhower who saw the importance of a national network of highways. Republicans could have a lot to say about this matter--the ending of Davis-Bacon work rules that make these projects more expensive, tying guest worker programs to highway construction, more private roads--whatever. Let a thousand flowers bloom before the next, much worse, collapse.