From George Mantor:
The horrifying collapse of the I-5 bridge in Seattle in May, one in an ongoing series I’m afraid, is a grim reminder of the true state of our condition”¦we are dying. There is a difference between pessimism and realism. Badly deteriorating infrastructure is a reality and predicting the future is easy.
I’m not a pessimist because I see in this very real situation an opportunity of not a lifetime, but a nation-time. These disasters-in-waiting should be addressed immediately, and if we did what we must demand of our leaders, we would solve our economic crisis and leave the next generation on a solid footing for their futures and the generations to come.
My fear is that we will not seize upon this magnificent opportunity.
Here lie the jobs that have gone away. Here lies the economic boost that this country needs to fire up production. Think of all the component parts that would have to be manufactured. Everything from bridge supports to electronics would be required.
In order to manufacture and construct stuff, you need raw materials. Loggers and miners go back to work. Jobs would be created in transportation because you have to get both the raw material and the completed parts to their respective sites.
Wholesale trade would boom and consumers would go back to spending. Every sector would grow jobs overnight.
