Dem Senator: North Carolina Bridges Aren’t in Danger of Falling
**Written by Doug Powers
To say that President Obama’s justifications to sell the “jobs bill” are overstated would be an understatement. Even members of his own party are on standby with belt sanders to smooth down the sharp exaggerations that are troubling their constituencies.
From CNS News:
Reacting to President Barack Obama’s statement last week that there were 153 “structurally deficient” bridges in North Carolina and that the government should not wait “until another bridge falls” to take action, Sen. Kay Hagan (D.-N.C.) insisted there are no bridges in her state in danger of falling.
“No, no there are not any bridges in North Carolina in danger of falling,” Hagan said when CNSNews.com asked her about Obama’s statement about North Carolina’s “structurally deficient” bridges.
As for “structurally deficient,” a term that Obama uses because it reeks of imminent danger, there’s this:
The Federal Highway Administration applies that scary-sounding label to thousands of bridges across the nation. It basically means the bridge needs careful maintenance and repair to stay in service, and eventually it will have to be rehabilitated or replaced – or closed.
“Structurally deficient doesn’t necessarily mean that they are dangerous,” said Tom Crosby, spokesman for the Charlotte-based AAA Carolinas motor club, which lobbies for more money to replace old bridges. “If these bridges were dangerous, they would close them down and immediately begin work on them.”
I like the way the Beaufort Observer phrased the Obama approach:
Obama appears to have undercounted his bridges. And at the same time – employing the deft spin that political speakers use when they spice up a little information to make a big impression – the president may have over-suggested the risk to public safety.
“Over-suggested” is great substitute for those who don’t want to say “scaremongering” or at the very least “fibbing,” but if the condition of bridges was indeed dire and required a $445 billion outlay for public safety, there should be no need to overstate the situation. Even the bridge that President Obama uses as an example to justify his jobs bill didn’t fall because it wasn’t properly maintained, but rather because of a design flaw.
All I know is that there must not be a lot of bridges in Harry Reid’s district, because he’s still in no hurry to introduce the “American Jobs to Keep Bridges from Collapsing Act.”
**Written by Doug Powers
Twitter @ThePowersThatBe
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There is plenty of tax money to fix Federal highways and bridges.
States should pay for their own state highways and bridges. With their own revenue.
The states need to keep their money and quit sending it to D.C., to be re-distributed to other states according to whoever has the more senior Senator or powerful committee seats.
It’s a R E P U B L I C ! !
About 70 bridges in Nevada qualify for federal funding, I believe. Not in political play right now, unless Dingy can find a reason for them to be used as props in his or Barky’s theater of the absurd.
Getting to be more like Banana R E P U B L I C with Barky at the helm.
Obama is a liar…period.
At this point, there is nothing this man can do or say that would EVER make me consider voting for him. If he were visited by the ghosts of the founding fathers and made a complete turn around to become “super conservative” I still wouldn’t vote for him. I have absolutely ZERO trust in this guy. I refuse to even listen to his voice.
i beg to differ, obama is structurally deficient, and is very dangerous. he needs to be replaced immediately!!
Why would any rational human believe anything tha Zero says? He lies about litteraly everything he says, is, does.
Where is Sen.RINO Burr on this issue?
Still in Japan
Joe
He will say or do anything at all to get the desired result. He’s probably been encouraged to lie when necessary by his leftist mentors since his youth. Now it’s second nature to him as he’s had time to hone the skill to a fine science in his mind. He’ll continue to lie as long as he faces no real consequences for doing so.
I keep waiting for obummer to slip up and say something truthful, like maybe, the sun rises in the east. I stopped listening to him and his ilk (reid,pilousy etc.) a long time ago. I grew tired of waiting for the truth of something to accidentally slip out. They seem confident that they can say whatever they want to on any given subject and not be called on the carpet for it by the Lame-stream media.
Using the liberal logic (insert laugh track here). If:
A person uses a gun to kill another – ban all guns.
Second-hand smoke may cause cancer – ban all cigarettes.
Soft drinks may lead to childhood obesity – ban sodas in schools.
Ok, so if a bridge falls and kills people in Minneapolis, why not ban all bridges. After all, it is always the fault of the inanimate object.
Just sayin’. Trying to understand the liberal mind can be maddening.
What you said x 1000. Only faster!!
Instead of spending $$$ on the high speed intercontinental railroad, perhaps those funds could be diverted to upgrading these existing highway bridges.
Just think of all the bridges the high speed choo choo will need!!
By the way, the picture of Galloping Gertie (the Tacoma Narrows Bridge) is a classic!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBxQCvVykRE
I have a customer of mine who is a big wig with the NCDOT, and specifically stated that no bridges are in danger of falling down, collapsing, etc. Essentially, those that are structurally deficient are ones which are carrying way more traffic than they were meant to have.
One of the worst in the state is on 440 in Raleigh going over Hillsborough St. There is nothing wrong with the bridge, it’s just carrying a ton more traffic than was ever envisioned. Period. No problems.
I’m betting Kay won’t be getting a Chairman Mao
Christmasholiday ornament from Obama and the missus this year.So, let’s take this one step further. Since it can be reasonably shown that liberal politicians are dangerous to the life, health and livelihood of each man, woman and child in this country, we should be able to ban them as well. Works for me.
It’s not like liberal politicians don’t have a purpose in life. I imagine they make great targets and doormats.
If he told me the sky is blue and the grass is green I’d go outside to check for myself.
cabrerski:I like the way you think Coastie, in #15 and in many of your posts.
As a matter of fact, just a few months ago, after the Whiner-in-Chief in thin skin became irritated at being called a liar. He told an audience that if he said the sky was blue, they`d go outside and look up. OR, (my memory is playing tricks on me) he said, if I said water was wet, they`d dip their finger.
Somebody else remember that ?
Note to President Obama: Please do not talk about bridges that are “structurally deficient” (can’t carry traffic quickly enough) as though they were ready to collapse. There is no such thing as a “shovel ready project”, unless you can wave magic fairy dust on the EPA, DOT, Interior Dept., OMB, etc. and make them change their rules. When you spoke in front of that bridge yesterday, you reminded me of Michael Dukaikis playing in a tank, going weee! weee! weee!
Well that pretty much covers them all. Obama’s apparently under-estimating the “danger”.
I refuse to believe anything Obama says. He is a pathological liar, and a rather incompetent one at that.
Maybe I over-misunderstoodthe state of NC bridges. But if they let them get into such structurally deficient shape what else have the dems done to over-endanger the under-misunderstanding citizens of NC. I over-suggest that Green jobs will solve the problem.
Remember “never let a good crisis go to waste”?
If there is no crisis to suit your purpose then just create one!
“The truth is the bullet, the internet is the gun”
Meanwhile the liberals are still sharpening their swords.
Well, if we’d just Pass This Bill we would all feel better about it.
About how I feel after eating too much pizza and get a tummy ache – once it “Passes,” I feel so much better.
I’ll bet there is a labor union that could fix that…
Bridge reconstructions requires approvals from Federal Highway Adminstration. They are the ones that desides who get them and who will not get them. It was Congress who creates this log-jams and set up the rules of financial redistributions.
I’m thinking Senator Kagan will disappear soon in an unfortunate bus accident.