How do you go from “81 million votes” (the most in all of history) to a 38% approval rating in 10 months?
Are Biden supporters ready to admit that the media brainwashed you into voting for your oppressor? Take a look around you: mandates, empty shelves, force-vaxxed children. Are you ready to stand alongside the rest of us yet— as Americans— and stand up to Biden’s regime?
While it’s nice to see the left’s nose bloodied remember that the message that parents have no rights to their children and a racial blood libel should be taught in school only lost by two points. There are a lot of stupid, awful people out threre…Wake up….on the side, Dominion owns ALL 56 voting machines that “malfunctioned” in New Jersey. Shocking (not).
Note, dig into the 39-page Igor Danchenko indictment. One early key takeaway that may interest even those who gave up on Durham: It is now CONFIRMED, not a forum fantasy, that the Clintons conspired with Russia to undermine the 2016 election, and the FBI knew it all along.
If you think racism is one of the main issues facing our country, you’ve been duped.

Climate change can only be stopped if tens of thousands of us fly to climate conferences to be shamed by Greta Thunberg. It’s the only way.
A Pentagon review concludes that the U.S. drone strike that killed innocent Kabul civilians and children in the final days of the Afghanistan war was not caused by misconduct or negligence, and doesn’t recommend disciplinary action. Imagine killing an aid worker. Imagine killing his family too. Imagine seven of them were actually children, smiling little tots. Then just rise from your chair to grab a coffee and say, “mistakes were made.” This is absolutely unforgivable.

REVENGE OF THE ORDINARY PEOPLE
Expecting the people at the Pentagon to feel any remorse whatsoever over killing children in another country is an act of futility.
Nits breed lice, blow them all away and let their god sort them out afterwards is their philosophy, which actually is quite acceptable to them.
Loved this. Thanks.
Here You’re Petty, Vindictive, and Cruel:: Shame on You!!!
Note: Flattery will get you nowhere.
Hi Philip and Ann Sagle.
My goodness, but it is always so great to see the two of you around and to read your witty and pithy posts like this one.
But I’m curious!
Why do you see speaking the truth and facts to be Petty, Vindictive, and Cruel?
What is Petty, Vindictive, and Cruel about speaking truth and facts?
Since when did that happen?
Since January 6, 2021 when Nancy Pelosi made Joe Biden president of the United States so he could in turn reward her and her Democrats with a multi-TRILLION dollar slush funs to rake graft off of, while providing patronage jobs for all the Democrat hangers-on?
You certainly have opinions and positions:: so why don’t you run for elective office? Even if you lose, you’ll be heard by a larger audience then you’ll ever have here…
How do you go from “81 million votes” (the most in all of history) to a 38% approval rating in 10 months?
In the case of Joe Biden, first of all, the number of 81 million is highly doubtful, but let’s go with it, because it makes his fall from grace that much more dramatic.
Joe is president because Nancy Pelosi made Joe president, and Nancy Pelosi made Joe Biden president because Joe Biden represented to her a RUBBER STAMP for the PELOSI PROGRESSIVE AGENDA and TRILLION$ in graft money to rake off, plus scads of patronage jobs for free-loading Democrat hangers-on, and Joe secured his votes through electoral bribery, promising not only a bunch of free stuff, but a path to citizenship as well for the illegals if only they would cast their votes for him, and now, it appears that Joe isn’t going to be able to make good on all his promises of free hand-outs, so his followers are pouting and showing their displeasure by deserting him.
That brings us back to the Congressional Record for 6 January 2021, the day Nancy Pelosi turned OUR Constitution and OUR Rule of Law on its ear by making Joe Biden president despite an illegitimate presidential election, to wit:
Mr. BROOKS of Alabama.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the objection.
The SPEAKER.
The gentleman from Alabama is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. BROOKS of Alabama.
Madam Speaker, for years, Democrats and their media allies deceived America about Trump-Russian collusion and the extent of foreign interference in the 2016 elections.
Yet, in 2020, Democrats promoted massive foreign interference in American elections by helping illegal aliens and other noncitizens vote in American elections, thereby canceling the votes of and stealing elections from American citizens.
Want evidence?
Exhibit A.
In 1993, Democrats rammed through Congress the National Voter Registration Act, making it illegal — illegal — to require proof of citizenship that prevents illegal aliens and noncitizens from registering to vote.
Why did Democrats do that?
Simple.
To steal elections, of course.
Exhibit B.
How bad is the noncitizen voting problem?
In 2005, Democrat President Jimmy Carter’s Commission on Federal Election Reform warned that ‘‘noncitizens have registered to vote in several recent elections’’ and recommended that ‘‘all States should use their best efforts to obtain proof of citizenship before registering voters.’’
Exhibit C.
A June 2005 General Accountability Office report discovered that up to 3 percent of people on voter registration lists are not U.S. citizens.
Exhibit D.
In 2008, Electoral Studies surveyed 339 noncitizens.
Eight percent admitted voting in American elections.
As an aside, I have seen higher percentages in other studies.
Exhibit E.
The 2010 Census counted 11 million illegal aliens in America.
Exhibit F.
A 2018 Yale study estimated as many as 22 million illegal aliens in America.
Exhibit G.
The math means between 880,000 and 1.72 million illegal aliens illegally voted in the 2020 elections.
Exhibit H.
In 2014, Old Dominion University and George Mason University professors surveyed noncitizens and illegal aliens and found they vote Democrat roughly 80 percent of the time.
Exhibit I.
The math is again straightforward.
The 60 percent Biden advantage times the illegal alien voting number means Joe Biden gained roughly 1,032,000 votes from illegal alien voting.
That is the high number.
Exhibit J.
While no one knows for sure how massive the illegal alien voting bloc is, we do know Joe Biden and his campaign believed it large enough and critical enough to winning the Presidential race that, at the October 22 Presidential debate, Joe Biden publicly solicited the illegal alien bloc vote by promising: ‘‘Within 100 days, I am going to send to the United States Congress a pathway to citizenship for over 11 million undocumented people.’’
Ladies and gentlemen, Madam Speaker, that is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for illegal aliens.
Joe Biden knew exactly what he was doing by seeking the illegal alien bloc vote.
After all, on May 11, 1993, then-Senator Joe Biden voted for the National Voter Registration Act, which makes it illegal to require proof of citizenship from illegal aliens and other noncitizens when they seek to register to vote.
Madam Speaker, the evidence is compelling and irrefutable.
Noncitizens overwhelmingly voted for Joe Biden in exchange for the promised amnesty and citizenship and in so doing helped steal the election from Donald Trump, Republican candidates, and American citizens across America.
Madam Speaker, in my judgment, if only lawful votes cast by eligible American citizens are counted, Joe Biden lost and President Trump won the electoral college.
As such, it is my constitutional duty to promote honest and accurate elections by rejecting electoral college vote submissions from States whose electoral systems are so badly flawed as to render their vote submissions unreliable, untrustworthy, and unworthy of acceptance.
You certainly have opinions and positions:: so why don’t you run for elective office? Even if you lose, you’ll be heard by a larger audience then you’ll ever have here…
I actually did once and was turned off by the fact that to win, you have to pander and tell lies, and actually be way too far over on the side of being real sleazy for me.
Donald J. Trump sure as hell didn’t PANDER!
I’m talking about my experience at the local level, not his experience at the national level, and I’m talking about my experience in the locale where my experience was gained, which was hardly the whole United States, so context is everything, and I would point out that while Trump didn’t pander, Joe Biden most assuredly did, and my goodness, who is president today?
Nah, he just told lies, David.
While Joe Biden never told the truth.
“Paul Plante says
NOVEMBER 9, 2021 AT 8:50 PM
While Joe Biden never told the truth.”
Either Paul’s account was hacked or he’s posting this under duress. There is no way the real Paul would post something using only 7 words.
That was a slam-dunk. Sorin, where seven (7) words were more, actually, than were sufficient to make the point that needed to be made.
Joe Biden, Să mă pupi în fund!
Why don’t you two run along and play…find a safe place, some play dough or a dog to worship. You people have done enough damage over the years with your voting habits. There is no greater threat to our Judeo Christian Democratic Replublic than Democrats.
Stuart Bell truer words have never been spoken here!
United States: Focus On Infrastructure
16 November 2021
by E. Stratton Horres Jr. , Karen L. Bashor and Taylor A. Buono
Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP
Your LinkedIn Connections
with the authors
(November 5, 2021) – Stratton Horres, Karen Bashor and Taylor Buono of Wilson Elser LLP present lessons learned from recent tragedies caused by the failure to maintain and update infrastructure.
Our nation is in crisis. We refer to an infrastructure crisis with bridges, tunnels, railroads, overpasses, sewers, water supply, electrical grids and some buildings, although safe and code compliant when originally constructed, are no longer either.
These hard infrastructure facilities, structures and systems are essential not only to sustain and enhance our high standard of living but also to ensure our safety. In fact, they pose unacceptable risks to our society. This article examines the legal issues and addresses the safety concerns posed by an aging infrastructure sorely in need of updating and the consequences of failing to do so.
According to a recent report issued by the nonprofit research group First Street Foundation, as much as 25% of all critical infrastructure in the United States is at risk of becoming inoperable due to flooding.1 The same report also found that 14% of residential properties, 25% of roads and 20% of commercial properties face a similar risk.
Further, the Foundation commented that climate change and weather events are more likely to impact the nation’s infrastructure than other physical attacks, energy crises or terrorism. And since 2000, major power outages caused by weather and climate-related events have increased 67%.2
Power outages and major weather events stress all parts of our infrastructure, including roads, bridges, tunnels, water systems and buildings. Our facilities and structures are literally at war with Mother Nature, and she is winning.
State of the nation: America’s below-the-grade infrastructure report card with climate changes looming
In 2021, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released its new report card for America’s infrastructure.3 While the nation’s overall grade improved to a “C-” for the first time in 20 years, there are still significant gaps in America’s infrastructure that require improvement.
According to the report card, of the more than 617,000 bridges in the United States, 42% are at least 50 years old, and 7.5% are structurally deficient. And the “C” grade afforded to bridges this year is worse compared with the “C+” grade given in 2017.4
Other key parts of America’s infrastructure received less than satisfactory grades. Roads, critical to the ever-increasing transportation of people and goods, received a “D,” with more than 40% of roads in poor or mediocre condition.
Stormwater systems, which are ever more important given the increase in major weather events over the past two decades, also received a “D.” The report card noted that the expansion of impervious surfaces in cities and suburbs has exacerbated urban flooding, resulting in approximately $9 billion in damages annually.
Other “D+” or lower ratings were given to the nation’s aviation, dams, hazardous waste, inland waterways, levees, public parks, schools, public transit and wastewater structures. The report persistently recommends that the nation consider the impact of climate change and that our valuable infrastructures be made “climate resilient.”
Outdated infrastructure can result in catastrophic consequences locally and globally
We find ourselves today in dire straits, and the consequences of failing to address the critical infrastructure issues in America and around the world could be catastrophic. Let’s look at a case in point: the collapse of the Ponte Morandi, a bridge in Genoa, Italy.
In August 2018, the Ponte Morandi in northwest Italy collapsed, resulting in 43 deaths. Construction for the cable-stayed bridge was completed in 1967, making it 51 years old at the time of its collapse. Riccardo Morandi, the bridge’s designer, was aware corrosion might cause structural problems and recommended thorough tests. But tragically, the bridge operator did not carry out the tests.
A lengthy report on the collapse concluded it was caused by problems with the design and construction of the bridge, as well as a lack of maintenance, which resulted in corrosion of the steel cables, ultimately causing them to snap.
The corrosion may have been the result of sea air and local factory pollution. The report stated that throughout the bridge’s lifetime, no maintenance was conducted to prevent deterioration or repair any flaws.5
The bridge was operated by Autostrade per l’Italia, a company controlled by a powerful Italian family. In a settlement, Autostrade agreed to pay $3.9 billion to compensate victims and cover replacement of the bridge, and the family agreed to turn over Autostrade to a government-owned bank.
But these significant financial penalties were not the end of the repercussions. Last year, an investigation into highway neglect resulted in the arrests of Autostrade’s former chief executive and top managers.
The judge who ordered the arrest warrants said the handling of bridge maintenance constituted “grave criminal conduct, linked to entrepreneurial policies aimed at maximizing profits deriving from the contract with the state, through the reduction and the delay of expenses needed to maintain the motorways, at the expense of public safety.”
Prosecutors are also considering charges against former employees of the infrastructure group and former and current government officials for avoiding proper checks of the infrastructure.6
But we need not need go abroad to see what our future holds if our infrastructure is not brought up to date. On June 27, 2021, the Surfside Condominium collapse in Miami, Florida, showed in vivid detail the devastating consequences of noncompliance.
The sudden condo collapse in the Miami Beach area killed 98 people. Construction for the 136-unit condo building was completed in 1981. A 2018 engineering report noted “major structural damage” and recommended extensive repairs.
Apparently, water was seeping through the foundation because of storm surge and the building appeared to have water damage. In April 2021, two months before the collapse, the condo association’s president sent a letter to residents, stating that the building’s deterioration was accelerating and proposing $15 million to pay for the structural repairs.7
A video released by federal investigators after the collapse shows evidence of extensive corrosion of the steel column at the foundation. No official reports as to the cause of the collapse have yet been released because the investigations are not complete, though engineers have stated the collapse was likely caused by a culmination of various defects in the structure.
Beachfront properties such as the Surfside condos are often at risk of deterioration due to saltwater seeping through concrete. But issues such as “a lack of waterproofing or too little concrete cover aren’t unusual for South Florida condos built in the early 1980s, a time when building codes were laxer and engineering science less advanced.”8
Lawsuits were quickly filed after the collapse, and a district judge in Miami-Dade estimated that claims for losses could exceed $1 billion. A Florida State Attorney has announced that the state intends to pursue a grand jury investigation to consider criminal charges.9
Structures that satisfied code requirements or other industry building standards may have been considered safe at the time they were constructed. But subsequent events show that even though a structure was safe when built, it may no longer be safe because it was either constructed poorly or based on outdated standards, or because Mother Nature has taken her toll.
The results could be catastrophic, thereby warranting consideration of testing and renovations as a means of crisis avoidance. In addition, codes change over the years and a code-compliant structure may be out of date with the codes in place today.
Building codes then and now
Notably in the United States, the federal government does not develop or control building codes. Rather, each state or municipality develops or adopts its own building codes. All 50 states have adopted the International Code Council (ICC) model building codes, which are updated every three years, and allow jurisdictions to amend the codes to suit their specific needs.10
Florida, for example, has adopted the most recent ICC International Building Code, though the state did not create a statewide building code until 2000. Before 2000, Florida had a very limited role in building codes. But the development of building codes since the 1950s has varied widely across all jurisdictions, because building codes have to be adopted by local governments.
Unfortunately, the development of and change in building codes is more reactive than proactive. Changes to building and construction codes often come in the aftermath of catastrophe. Florida’s adoption of a statewide building code was in response to the disaster caused by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, which revealed significant loopholes in the existing codes and exposed lax enforcement.11
After a 2007 bridge collapse in Minnesota, resulting in 13 deaths and 145 injuries, the state took action to update its codes and improve required inspections.12 Certainly, the Surfside collapse will spur changes in codes and enforcement in Florida and across the nation, especially in areas prone to more significant hazards caused by Mother Nature.
Today, building codes and regulations are more comprehensive than the codes of the past, thanks to advanced technology and understanding, as well as attempts to prevent future disasters.
A recent study issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which states that only about 70% of new buildings were constructed to International Code standards since 2013, found that significant losses could be avoided by complying with the International Codes, amounting to $1.6 billion in average annual avoided losses.13
However, America’s aging infrastructure has not been brought up to speed. Miami-Dade requires recertification for electrical and structural safety every 40 years,14 but is that always enough given our rapid technological advances and heightened understanding of the destructive forces of nature? What’s the solution on a federal and state-wide level as a result of this framework? Mandates for updates and government aid? These questions are being debated today and the answers are uncertain.
As referenced above and seen with various examples in America and around the world, failure to update outdated infrastructure can result in crisis, though there is no legal duty requiring action.
Considerations for failure to inspect, failure to perform necessary renovations and delayed action can be attributed to various reasons that run the gamut from the extraordinary financial investments required for such an overhaul, the financial losses that would have to be endured during such overhaul and legal concerns about taking affirmative steps, when not otherwise legally required.
However, as seen by the catastrophic results that can ensue from outdated infrastructure and delays in updating, crisis is a possibility and the financial concerns and legal implications then are far more grave.
We must be mindful of the litigation climate, whereby as a result of social inflation, pandemic consequences and other factors, good crisis management in the wake of catastrophe is even more essential as the risk of nuclear scenarios becomes more prevalent at trial.15 Of course, all specific situations are unique and should be addressed on a case-by-case basis.
Suggestions on laying the foundation for a stronger future
The bottom line is that we as a nation need a drastic and immediate change in mindset. We are gambling with time and climate change. Our current national report card is telling of where we are and where we need to be. The studies and the science should not be ignored. Both governmental and private entities would benefit from doing the research, paying attention to recommendations informed by the science and considering the world in which we live.
We need to double down and be proactive to bring our hard infrastructure into compliance with the most recent ICC model codes at a minimum, because any significant delay in necessary maintenance or repairs might be too late.
Acting now allows us to sustain our buildings as lasting monuments to their art, architecture and history, and demonstrates our commitment to building a stronger and safer future for generations to come. Building owners can expect a reduced long-term risk if they take the steps to ensure their structures are up to scratch. We must act now to win the war with Mother Nature; failure to do so could be catastrophic.
Footnotes
1 Joseph Choi, One-Quarter of Critical Infrastructure at Risk of Failure from Flooding: Research, The Hill (Oct. 11, 2021), https://bit.ly/3ExpEnx.
2 Tara D. Sonenshine, America’s Infrastructure Is Failing: What Needs Fixing First? (Mar. 8, 2021), https://bit.ly/3CPvujP.
3 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, American Society of Civil Engineers, https://bit.ly/3pUQIJ8.
4 See 2017 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, American Society of Civil Engineers, https://bit.ly/3mBdgge.
5 Gaia Pianigiani, Poor Maintenance and Construction Flaws Are Cited in Italy Bridge Collapse, N.Y. Times (Dec. 22, 2020), https://nyti.ms/3CHWkdC; Jeffrey Heimgartner, The Rise, Fall, and Rebuild of the Doomed Morandi Bridge, Engineering.com (Aug. 25, 2020), https://bit.ly/2Y6yBVl; Italy Bridge Collapse: What Might Have Caused It? BBC (Aug. 15, 2018), https://bbc.in/3jWXJpc; Lack of Controls Among Causes of Genoa Bridge Disaster, Technical Report Says, Reuters (Dec. 21, 2020), https://reut.rs/3qbLhWH.
6 Eric Sylvers, Battle Over Bridge Collapse Costs Italy’s Benetton Family Its Highways Business, Wall Street J. (July 15, 2020), https://on.wsj.com/3pUQwto; Gaia Pianigiani, 3 Arrested in Genoa Bridge Collapse Investigation, N.Y. Times (Nov. 11, 2020), https://nyti.ms/31noDA7; Francesca Landini & Emilio Parodi, Italian Prosecutors Prepare Possible Charges Based on Genoa Bridge Probe, Reuters (April 22, 2021), https://reut.rs/3BAPWTR.
7 Jade Lawson, What We Know About the Surfside Condo Collapse, ABC News (Sept. 19, 2021), https://abcn.ws/3bvNIdT; Joe Hernandez, What Led to the Florida Condo Collapse? Here’s What We Know So Far, NPR (June 29, 2021), https://n.pr/3pRxJ2i; Anjali Singhvi, et al., The Surfside Condo Was Flawed and Failing. Here’s a Look Inside, N.Y. Times (Sept. 1, 2021), https://nyti.ms/2ZS1UM1.
8 Konrad Putzier, Scott Calvert, & Rachael Levy, Behind the Florida Condo Collapse: Rampant Corner-Cutting, Wall Street J. (Aug. 24, 2021), https://on.wsj.com/3pVor5i.
9 Lori Rozsa, The Prospect of a Speedy Real Estate Deal Compounds Some Surfside Families’ Grief, Washington Post (Oct. 18, 2021), https://wapo.st/3GFdyuk; Prosecutors Will Ask Grand Jury to Probe Surfside Building Collapse, NBC 6 South Florida (June 29, 2021), https://bit.ly/3pWf5WR.
10 The International Codes, International Code Council, https://bit.ly/3jRJrGg (last visited Oct. 18, 2021); What Are Building Codes and How Do They Help You? Roofing Contractor, Aug. 1, 2004, at 46.
11 Kim Bellware, Hurricane Andrew Transformed Florida’s Building Codes. The Champlain Towers Collapse Could Usher in a New Era of Regulations, Washington Post (June 30, 2021), https://wapo.st/3mBqOIE.
12 David Schaper, 10 Years After Bridge Collapse, America is Still Crumbling, NPR (Aug. 1, 2017), https://n.pr/3nL3iIh.
13 Building Codes Save: A Nationwide Study, FEMA ES-6, Nov. 2020, available at https://bit.ly/3jW9k7W.
14 Miami-Dade County, Fla., Code § 8-11(f).
15 Stratton Horres & Karen Bashor, Defending Billion-Dollar Claims: Nine Best Practices for 10-Figure Losses, CLM Magazine, Aug. 2021, at 26 (https://bit.ly/3GCZx0e). Stratton Horres and Karen Bashor, Preparing for the Big One: When a Billion-Dollar Claim Is on the Line, Remember to Assemble, Mobilize, Preserve and Strategize, CLM Magazine, Oct. 2021, at 10 (https://bit.ly/2ZOiAUO).
Originally published by Westlaw Today.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
Reality check.
THE MIAMI HERALD
“We’d be fools not to ask if condo collapse is linked to Miami-Dade’s shoddy construction in the ’80s | Editorial”
BY THE MIAMI HERALD EDITORIAL BOARD
JUNE 28, 2021 06:58 PM, UPDATED JUNE 29, 2021 09:22 AM
The death toll from the building collapse in Surfside, Florida, rose to nine on Sunday, June 27, as search and rescue efforts continued.
South Florida’s long and sordid history of shoddy building practices is hard to ignore in the wake of the Surfside building’s partial collapse.
We don’t know yet what caused the horrific failure on Thursday at the Champlain Towers South Condo in Surfside.
We are not suggesting that any corners were cut during construction, or that insufficient inspections or overdue maintenance played roles.
It’s possible that climate change, nearby construction of another high-rise or reported “major structural damage” caused by improper pool-deck drainage affected the integrity of the building.
We are holding our elected officials accountable for a thorough, honest and urgent investigation into the causes of this still-unfolding tragedy to determine what caused it.
But we do know a lot about the way construction was done in South Florida in 1981, when this condo was erected.
Condominium construction was red-hot then, fueled in part by what would turn out to be a disastrous deregulation of the nation’s savings and loans associations.
We know that building codes for single-family homes during that era were weak, and enforcement was lax, something that became terribly apparent when Hurricane Andrew roared through southern Miami-Dade County.
We know that, even though entire neighborhoods were flattened, the homes that stood up the best to the Category 5 storm’s winds turned out to be the ones where developers spent more money to build stronger homes.
And we know that the hardening of the building code, triggered by Andrew’s damage, was long overdue and likely has saved lives in the decades since.
So when we look the images of the destruction in Surfside, we’d be fools not to wonder whether slipshod construction and look-the-other-way enforcement of that era played a part.
Could faulty construction have allowed salt water and sea spray to penetrate the concrete enough to doom the building?
If that happened, who should have noticed?
What should have been done?
Residents of condos across Florida and beyond are watching developments here with anxiety about their own safety.
The ramifications of what happened in Surfside likely are to be enormous.
Now, even as search teams continue to recover the bodies of victims — and pray for signs of life in the horrific, pancaked wreckage — authorities and journalists have been looking for any warning signs.
The most significant, so far, seems to be an engineer’s report in 2018 that raised some red flags, saying concrete slabs on the garage entrance and under the pool deck had deteriorated, and that lack of proper drainage had caused “major structural damage.”
The report didn’t indicate a threat of imminent disaster, and a month later, Surfside’s chief building official told residents the condominium was “in very good shape,” according to minutes from a November 2018 board meeting obtained by the Miami Herald.
Additionally, the building had begun its scheduled 40-year review and roof repairs had started.
Mass tragedies like this one often lead to serious changes in regulations, like those after Hurricane Andrew.
If we learn that this condominium collapse could have been prevented with new and better building codes, more frequent inspections or tougher requirements for condo maintenance or construction, this disaster must serve as yet another turning point in building safety in Florida.
That will cost money, a lot of it.
Retrofitting old buildings and constructing new ones to higher standards costs more.
But if — as we learned post-Andrew — cost-cutting is what led to this disaster, we’ll have no choice.
We’ll need to pay up, and just be grateful that we’re around to pay the bill.
Paul:
So you’re quoting the Miami Herald, because you agree that something must be done about our aging infrastructure, Correct?
I’m quoting from the Miami Herald because as an engineer, I really think something should be done about shoddy construction, and I do not believe the federal government should be using taxpayer dollars to promote and reward shoddy construction.
And speaking of federal taxpayer dollars being put into shoddy construction, which is so ******* typical of federal government infrastructure work when Democrats are in charge, racking up cost overruns to rake off more and more graft, how about this article on the shoddy construction of the Mario Cuomo (BIG DOG DEMOCRAT) Bridge crossing the Hudson River north of New York City:
Hudson Valley Post
“ENGINEERING EXPERTS: CUOMO BRIDGE ‘COULD COLLAPSE WITHOUT NOTICE’”
Bobby Welber
Published: March 10, 2021
A new report alleges structural dangers on the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge were covered up and more.
end quotes
That is the kind of bull**** I am talking about.
Getting back to that sorry story of governmental incompetence, we have:
In 2018, a source told NBC, dozens of steel bolts that are used to help hold together the Mario Cuomo Bridge broke apart during construction, causing concern for some who feel the bridge may not be safe.
A whistleblower turned over recordings showing officials knew of the bolt defects which prompted an investigation.
In a transcript of a recording, a foreman talked about a bolt failure and said, “It’s a major defect that does not normally occur,” according to NBC.
Engineers told NBC there’s no immediate safety issue, but the cover-up raises questions the bolts used on the bridge will need to be inspected or replaced.
A Thruway Authority spokesperson also told us in 2018, “independent experts concluded that the actual bolts and the bridge are safe.”
However, a new report from the Albany Times Union alleges structural dangers on the bridge were covered up.
“Despite concerns from engineering experts that girders could separate and the bridge could collapse without notice, the state’s investigations moved slowly.”
“Also, many workers at the site throughout the multiyear project — some with firsthand knowledge of the extent of the broken bolts — were never interviewed by investigators,” Brendan J. Lyons wrote in his article for the Times Union.
The report from the Times Union also questions the thoroughness of the investigations into broken bolts on the bridge.
“A Times Union investigation raises questions about the structural integrity of the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge and the thoroughness of the state’s investigations into the 2016 coverup of broken bolts that were holding the structure together,” the Times Union wrote on Twitter.
end quotes
Do you two think we should be spending government money, OUR money, funding shoddy construction work so the Democrats have a supply of graft to rake?
And why is Joe Biden using OUR tax dollars to rebuild bridges in Italy?
Paul Plante: “ And why is Joe Biden using OUR tax dollars to rebuild bridges in Italy?”
I give up – you’re the only one here in the forum who doesn’t curse at me or threaten me,…and we’re always talking at cross-purposes/ there’s never any points whatsoever we can begin any dialogue.
I leave this Cape Charles Mirror, saddened in the realization that all who remain here choose to exist in a vacuum of their own discourse, without motion, without challenge, without give and take. I pity all of you in your choice…
That’s some good stuff there, Philip and Ann Sagle, about being saddened in the realization that all who remain here choose to exist in a vacuum of their own discourse, without motion, without challenge, without give and take.
That’s very original.
And how come you get bothered by people threatening you or swearing at you?
Laugh it off.
And we do not talk at cross purposes.
That’s a misimpression on your part.
Lets Go Brandon!
There is already a good answer on twitter with a nice picture showing how those states led over the summer in deaths per capita.
“Dr. Lucky Tran
@luckytran
Replying to
@CharlesMBlow
Southern states let COVID rip through their undervaccinated populations, resulting in immunity over the summer at the cost of huge death rates.
Southern governors are now dishonestly spinning this as a successful strategy, conveniently ignoring the widespread harm caused.”