From THINK PROGRESS ECONOMY:
President Obama’s plan to kickstart the economy and put the American people back to work includes investing in the nation’s rapidly deteriorating infrastructure, which, as studies have shown, is in need of as much as $2 trillion in immediate investment just to bring it up to date. In the past, Republicans have agreed that infrastructure improvements are needed, but in the context of economic stimulus and in their effort to remain opposed to anything Obama offers, they have chosen to ignore the nation’s infrastructure and jobs crises. Unfortunately, that approach doesn’t mean either crisis will go away.
Republican leadership has continually blocked efforts by Obama and Congressional Democrats to invest in infrastructure improvements, and as a result, bridges and roadways in their states are crumbling. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, about 12 percent of the nation’s bridges are considered “structurally deficient,” the same rating given to the Minneapolis bridge that collapsed in 2007, killing 13 people.
Roughly another 12 percent are considered “functionally obsolete.” In four of the five states represented by Republican congressional leadership, the rate of structurally deficient or functionally obsolete bridges outpaces the national average.
…snip…
OHIO: 27 percent of the bridges Speaker John Boehner’s home state of Ohio are either “structurally deficient or functionally obsolete,” while one-fourth of its roads are considered poor or mediocre. At the heart of the Midwest, Ohio’s share of the national highway system has 171 highway bridges that are structurally deficient. 10 of those bridges are located in Boehner’s own district.
…snip…
KENTUCKY: More than one-third (34 percent) of the bridges in Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s home state are structurally deficient or obsolete […]
Nearly one in five of Kentucky’s roads are in poor or mediocre condition.
VIRGINIA: In House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s home state, 26 percent of bridges are considered structurally deficient or obsolete […] In Cantor’s congressional district, 11 national highway bridges are considered deficient.
ARIZONA: In Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl’s home state, 12 percent of the bridges are “structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.” […] Indeed, a recent report found that the poor rural roads and bridges in Arizona, where 21 percent of roads are considered poor or mediocre, have earned the state the eighth highest rural traffic fatality rate in the nation.
CALIFORNIA: Home to House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, California is perhaps most in need of infrastructure improvement. Thirty percent of its bridges are “structurally deficient or fundamentally obsolete. […] California ranks 19th in the nation for percentage of rural bridges that are structurally deficient, and two-thirds of its major roads are in poor or mediocre condition.
Even as roads and bridges in their states fall apart, Republicans remain opposed to Obama’s efforts to invest in improvement projects.
HYSTERICAL RAISINS 
Hey you know when those bridges & roadways collapse…..it’s Obama’s fault!
exactly! and if they stay up, it’s due to rethuglican tax cuts to the wealthy.
I can’t even come up with a snarky remark. The ignorance and outright negligence is astounding. We can’t say wait until something bad happens like a bridge collapsing in rush hour because it already happened and even that won’t move these shitbags to overcome their petty little political ambitions and get off of their asses to do what needs to be done. The national infrastructure won’t fix itself. Unfortunately, people don’t seem to know this when they step into a voting booth.
i hate when news networks hunt down people who have experienced a tragedy and ask them to be on tv. however, in this case, i hope they find the family members of some of the victims of the bridge collapse and ask them what they think of spending money to reinforce structurally deficient bridges and roads.
These are the talking points to hammer home from now till the election. Let’s talk about the human costs to the refusal of the R’s to do anything that might help the unemployed. It’s an opportunity Obama should not pass up.
i agree 100%. make that 200%. make that 300%
Rachel said it best three years ago. Infrastructure is sexy.
Also, here’s what Next Media Animation had to say about the speech itself.
Yes, I’m in a video mood tonight.
i like the part where the lady chases the rethug with a stick. 😆
Your picture is hilarious, too bad the reality is so sad. Maybe the Republican’ts will listen this time since their approval rating is about 20 points below Obama’s.
hello thorsaurus.
welcome to the raisin! 😀
it really is sad that people have to beg rethugs to fix schools, roads, and bridges. they jump whenever rich people tell them to put through another tax cut, but when the unwashed masses demand that they do something for the poor or middle class, they not only drag their feet, but they make bad guys out of anyone who isn’t fortunate enough to be rich. shameful!
i thought your little gravatar was your own, but it was actually randomly computer generated. can it be any more perfect? it goes so well with your name!
If the shoe fits … 🙂
😀
That I35 bridge collapse might have been prevented with bridge inspectors finding the design flaw (undersize gusset plates). Would have saved all those lives and substantial money too. But in these modern times, they say “let the marketplace decide” and you can’t find a better living example than King Parry. When the Highway 121 project seemed to be lagging north of the Metromess, the King, by royal decree, sold the road to the Spanish. Now I realize Spain used to run the place, but that was a long time ago. Then he got the more brilliant idea- sell all the built and paid for highways to the Spanish too because government (who built the roads with gas tax money) CAN NOT do the job properly. Of course you are going to have to pony up toll money to drive those same roads you already paid for but he gets his graft and investors become more wealthy. Moral of the story: If you ain’t rich, you’re just shit.
i remember reading about how gov little ricky goodhair sold the toll roads to spanish corporations. wasn’t there some kind of agreement that, if the corporation lost money, the state would reimburse them? i think i remember reading something like that. all in all, the taxpayers got screwed.
To see best example of royal screwing, just look up the Chicago selling of the parking meters to the “job creators”. The deal is absolutly unbelievable.
maybe that’s what i was thinking of with the reimbursement. still, the texas highway deal was a bunch of crap.
Why do you think we have so many Amish in this state? Horses can traverse even the crappiest of roads. And I should know – my wife used to drive the Amish around. There are actually state routes paved in gravel! (Which is a step up from my half-gravel, half-mud driveway…)
what happens to all the horse poop? they should collect it all and convert it to energy.
A bridge falling with people on it reduces unemployment. Falling bridges are the real job creators of this country.
too bad timmeh didn’t last long enough to brag about it in the debate.