Who's Responsible?

The collapse of a major bridge in Minneapolis last week finally made the media, politicians, and American public pay attention to the crumbling infrastructure in this country. Though, I'm sure, most average Americans have already noticed that.

So now there are grand plans to build the Minneapolis bridge in record time. What about the thousands of others throughout this country which are also substandard? Will it take another accident and more lives being lost?

In the 1950s, when I was born and Eisenhower was president, the U.S. had a "can do" attitude. The new national highway system made it possible to drive from coast to coast. "See the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet." Trains played an important role in transporting goods and people. The bridges were new and the country had a spirit of hope which extended into the next decade.

Now people are depressed. The infrastructure is depressed. They tell us that even household pets are depressed. Optimism sprouts like grass through a concrete sidewalk, only to be cut down far too often. There are good things still happening in this country, at the grass roots level. There has been no real good news out of Washington D.C. for a very long time.

So who is responsible? The people? Or the current Republican president who, unlike Eisenhower, destroys rather than builds?

I'm not sure how much more abuse this country can weather.