Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Infrastructure (HBO)

YT: America’s crumbling infrastructure: It’s not a sexy problem, but it is a scary one.
spawnflaggersays...

loved the cameos.
My pessimistic side says that no funding will materialize, and only the "it's going to break next week" bridges and dams will get a band-aid emergency repair, over and over, until they eventually collapse or close.

I've seen a road that got a giant sinkhole, and rather than fix it, they put up a few concrete barriers and 2 stop signs, basically making it 1 lane at the part where the sinkhole is.

I've seen bridges that were closed for years because they were deemed unsafe.

Another problem is that road materials exist that will last 8 x longer than asphalt, but they cost 2 x more. These were proposed, but guess what? The highway works union lobbied against them because it would mean fewer jobs for them.

ChaosEnginesays...

Isn't part of the problem simply that people pay a lot less tax now than when most of the infrastructure was constructed? Ultimately, these things have to be paid for and it seems like no-one is willing to pay for it.

bobknight33says...

Sad to see Oliver just pick on John Boehner all the while the Dems have been in control last 6 years.

Both parties have failed. Even Obama's $800Billion stimulus fund for highways and bridges and other shovel ready jobs did not seem to produce much. How much of that got wasted for his "buddies"

We also just blew 10 Trillion and now 18 trillion in debt Where did all that go to?

kceaton1says...

One big issue is that we are throwing our tax money away, thanks to all of our collective Legislative branches (which is what makes me laugh when anyone says that Obama is the biggest problem to this country; they apparently have yet to really look at all of the concerns that are listed due to each branch of the government). I can't believe how much new infrastructure has been built in my own area, BUT they are not doing anything about exceptionally old infrastructure issues (though I do believe Utah does a better job than other states; but just *barely* so).

But, it is also true that our taxes are "getting a break"; but an extended problem is that with all of this inflation we have not gotten raises to keep up with these changes. Plus various other issues (with costs for so many things getting out of control)...

This is an endemic issue, caused by many things. But there are multi-secondary issues that are contributing to this as well (like house costs, college cost--we are supposed to have a shortfall of 90,000 doctors in the future, I bet you can imagine what is causing that--and so many cost related issues); which is why the public is SO unwilling to pay a bit more for this.

Because our government misuses the money so badly already, we are so far in debt (oh but, that, is somehow all the President's fault; as though the President is the equivalent of the Christian God, but in a government sense...), and many other stupid issues akin to these.

Send this Article to a Friend



Separate multiple emails with a comma (,); limit 5 recipients






Your email has been sent successfully!

Manage this Video in Your Playlists




notify when someone comments
X

This website uses cookies.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

I agree
  
Learn More