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The World Socialist Web Site reports
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released its quadrennial "Report Card" last month on the condition of infrastructure in the United States. Once again, the association gave the country an overall grade of D+, the same as in 2013.
The report is a damning appraisal of the state of American society under capitalism, and the Obama years, which saw essential social needs starved of funding while the stock market tripled in value and vast public resources were squandered on war. This will only accelerate under Trump.
The ASCE report assesses the state of sixteen different categories of infrastructure: aviation, bridges, dams, drinking water, energy, hazardous waste, inland waterways, levees, parks and recreation, ports, rail, roads, schools, solid waste, transit and wastewater.
Twelve of the sixteen sections evaluated earned a D grade. The report defines a D grade as "The infrastructure is in poor to fair condition and mostly below standard, with many elements approaching the end of their service life. A large portion of the system exhibits significant deterioration. Condition and capacity are of serious concern with strong risk of failure."
According to ASCE, the total costs to bring all US infrastructure into an adequate condition would exceed two trillion dollars.
[...] ASCE's answer to this crisis is not only inadequate but downright reactionary.
[...] In the section of the report titled "solutions to raise the grade" the authors suggest that "Infrastructure owners and operators must charge, and Americans must be willing to pay, rates and fees that reflect the true cost of using, maintaining, and improving infrastructure." Other sections advocate "user generated fees", hiking the gasoline tax, and other regressive proposals that would disproportionately affect the country's poorest citizens. The report also calls for more "public-private" partnerships, along with the streamlining of approval for private investment in public infrastructure projects.
Such free-market measures would only create an ever-greater class-based infrastructure system, where only those who could afford to will be able to drive on high toll expressways and bridges, send their children to quality schools, drink clean water, and live in areas not threatened with constant flooding or environmental disasters.
View the ASCE's report card here.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Monday April 17 2017, @12:22AM (2 children)
until we start voting out the politicians who would rather have their name on a new bridge than maintain the existing bridges. This has been going on for 30 years. As a homeowner for 30 years I know that if the roof leaks you fix it, else the leak spreads and eventually the roof collapses. Which means you now have to fix the leak, fix the roof, buy new electronics, and new furniture.
Then again, if I could pass the buck and move out at no cost to me before the roof collapses, then, well, ya know. And I'm of a higher moral fiber than most politicians I've run across.
Relationship status: Available for curbside pickup.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Monday April 17 2017, @01:36AM
In the feature people will have to drive over patchy roads to buy fuel to heat and light their home. Stopping at intervals to charge the battery for a hour. A big truck is needed because water, food, energy supplies all has to fit. All paid with gold coins. To find the best deals everybody has a satellite phone set because the fibers are not maintained. At home the food has to be tested to not contain deadly fungi or contaminants. Health care is taken care by the village uncle that still remembers his exam from the 80s and in return he get to feel the female patients a little extra. Vandals and thiefs are dealt with 9 mm and the village has a round robin duty to dig a hole for each of them paid with fresh apples in return.
Hurricane warnings are easy, house still there? ok. If not too bad..
Prosperous feature! ;-)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 17 2017, @06:47AM
We should only name bridges for politicians AFTER they fall down.