Minn. bridge catastrophe
Re: “Bridge collapse kills at least seven,” Aug. 2 news story.
The collapse of a bridge in Minneapolis on Wednesday was a tragedy; hopefully it will also be a wakeup call. As the presidential primaries loom on the horizon and as both political parties are holding their presidential debates, the issue of the country’s infrastructure needs to become a focus point.
According to the Star-Tribune in Minneapolis, the bridge was rated as “structurally deficient” two years ago, based on information provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) National Bridge Inventory database. Certainly, and sadly, this was not an isolated incident. According to a factsheet published in May by the Washington-based TRIP, a national transportation research group, “USDOT estimates that the current backlog of unfunded but needed road, highway and bridge repairs and improvements is $461 billion.” It goes on to say that “twenty-six percent of America’s bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.”
The event that occurred in Minneapolis was a tragedy. Hopefully, though, it will be the catalyst needed to create both a public dialogue on the state of the country’s infrastructure as well as the political will to provide the resources needed to address the issue before another tragedy occurs.
Jeff Workman, Denver
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The news about the bridge collapse is very sad and disheartening. When will we start doing something about the infrastructure here in the United States, instead of building Iraq’s? Seems to me we should be taking care of our country first. Why does this administration not get it?
Louis Montez, Aurora
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For over a quarter of a century now, we have been told, without qualification, “Taxes are bad.” The wonder is not that a bridge collapsed. The wonder is that there are any bridges, or schools, still standing.
Martha Monsson, Fort Morgan
Bicyclists’ discourtesy
Yikes! Here come the bikes. Recently, a friend and I walked on the Cherry Creek path, where most bikers have little regard for pedestrians. Occasionally, one of them will ring their bell or yell “on your left,” but the majority just fly by.
Why isn’t there a speed limit? If bikers choose to ride as fast as they can, they should be on the street, where at least they would have to obey traffic regulations.
A lesson in courtesy wouldn’t be bad either. One fellow rode through a puddle and splashed dirty water without comment or even a second look.
Elaine Little, Denver
Semantics of health care
There is an argument raging about socialized vs. privatized medical care in this country, which seems to me to be primarily an argument about language. We already have socialized medicine in this country. It’s called health insurance. I may never get sick, and may never need to use my health insurance, yet my premiums will continue to go up every year. Why? Because I am already paying for the health care of all the other people who are in my health pool. Not only that, but I am also paying for all the uninsured people who are treated by medical providers, who then try to recoup their losses by overcharging insurance companies, which in turn pass the costs along to me in the form of increased premiums and reduced services. Since we are all in denial that we already have socialized medicine, we will continue to operate within the confines of a system which is illogical, inefficient and, sadly, at times inhumane. You say tomato, I say tomato. No wonder we can’t get anything done around here.
Ta Lucero, Denver
Failed immigration plan
Re: “Truth, love stymied by immigration naiveté,” July 29 Diane Carman column.
Diane Carman wrote that “congressional cowards voted down the latest stab at immigration reform.” I must strongly disagree with her assessment of our elected representatives. They are not cowards, they are heroes; they stood up to unimaginable political pressure to pass a blanket amnesty bill for tens of millions of illegal aliens. These “cowards” listened to the voices of the working, taxpaying legal citizens of this country. These representatives need to be thanked for putting the rights of the citizens of this country ahead of the wants of tens of millions of illegal aliens. We do not need a version of immigration reform in the form of a blanket amnesty, what we need and want is existing immigration law enforcement. We want this enforcement at the city, county, state and federal levels and we want it now.
Homer Paddock, Thornton
More of a good thing?
Re: “RTD shouldn’t be a secret,” Aug. 3 guest commentary.
I totally agree with Dick Woodbury about the use of public transportation, RTD in particular. My line is the No. 2 bus, and I use it to get downtown for jury duty, the Central branch of the Denver Public Library, and the Denver Art Museum. However, I would use it more often if only it ran later. I now drive downtown for performances at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. The No. 2’s last run leaves Market Street and 16th Street at 9:15 p.m., much too early to catch after an evening at the theater. That may be one reason more people don’t attend these performances. Paying at least $8 for an evening’s parking, on top of New York City prices for Denver performances, doesn’t encourage mass attendance. A late-night, eastbound No. 2 bus would certainly be helpful.
Harriet Rosen, Denver
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