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Editorial: Money flows to Iraq while the U.S. falls apart They are the basis of our daily routine, the things we don't think about as we start our days. The alarm clock goes off, a shower and the brushing of teeth ensue, and the kids get shipped off to school before we head to work. Nothing to be concerned about, right? To be sure, the major power outage along the Eastern Seaboard this summer opened our eyes to the possibility that the nation's infrastructure could, perhaps, need some attention and funding. The bureaucratic process ensures that nothing concrete will happen for a while, but while we're discussing concrete, there are also problems with roads, bridges, schools, drinking water systems, public transportation and more. As President Bush prepares to ask Congress for another $80 billion for our efforts in Iraq (they're more expensive than his team of experts could foresee), the cost estimate for fixing these infrastructure problems makes $80 billion look downright paltry. The American Society of Civil Engineers, which represents more than 130,000 civil engineers from around the globe, released a report and a report card on the problem. The latter contained marks that most parents would be angry about (a D-plus average), while the dollar amount attached to the former would more likely induce fainting. $1,600,000,000,000. Yes, that's $1.6 trillion, a follow-up figure to the $1.3 trillion estimate provided by the same organization a mere two years ago. The report breaks down cost estimates in each of 12 areas reviewed and also gives some statistics that provide cause for alarm. In the nation's schools, 75 percent of buildings are inadequate, and the ASCE suggests $127 billion is needed to bring them to a fully functioning level. This figure breaks down to about $3,800 per student, which is about what government spends each semester to educate each child. More dangerous is the condition of bridges: "As of 2000, 27.5 percent of the nation's bridges were structurally deficient or functionally obsolete," the report states. In practical terms, every fourth bridge you cross carries some risk of collapsing at a rather inopportune moment. But with our war spending, the nation isn't going to be crossing any of these bridges, because the money simply isn't there. An estimated $500 billion federal budget deficit isn't helped by the $3.9 billion we're spending each month on the occupation (not the rebuilding) of Iraq. The ASCE's figure represents a five-year spending plan of $26.7 billion per month - to rebuild the United States. If we can't take care of our own problems, what business do we have claiming that we can rebuild any other country? LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -