What happened a few hours ago in Minneapolis was a tragic event. Several people dead and dozens injured after the I-35 bridge over the Mississippi River collapsed while undergoing repairs.
From The Huffington Post:
MINNEAPOLIS — An interstate bridge jammed with rush-hour traffic suddenly broke into huge sections and collapsed into the Mississippi River Wednesday, pitching dozens of cars 60 feet into the water and killing at least six people.
The eight-lane Interstate 35W bridge, a major Minneapolis artery, was in the midst of being repaired and had several lanes closed when it crumbled.
"There were two lanes of traffic, bumper to bumper, at the point of the collapse. Those cars did go into the river," Minneapolis Police Lt. Amelia Huffman. "At this point there is nothing to suggest that this was anything other than a structural collapse."
This is another sad moment for our nation's infrastructure. Only two weeks ago antiquated steam pipes exploded in East Midtown killing one woman with the tow truck driver laying in the hospital with third degree burns all over his body. Dozens were injured and business are losing millions with the repair work still going on.
Now another major city has to deal with a catastrophe that has left several families without their loved ones and economic havoc that will ensue from this. Meanwhile New Orleans is still pretty much in ruins outside of the French Quarter, Downtown and the Garden District.
Our government's ability to deal with catastrophe and preventing infrastructure from crumbling has been diminished considerably over the years. This is something that needs to be turned around. Instead of a $300 tax cut, why not put that money towards fixing our old pipes, highways and anything else that needs to be updated so we can continue to live in a first-world society.
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