The Collapse Of Public Infrastructure Spending In One Chart

[xchrom]

http://www.businessinsider.com/skagit-bridge-collapse-infrastructure-spending-2013-5

The big news today is that a bridge in Washington collapsed, throwing cars into the water. Amazingly, nobody died.

This may revive debate about the need to spend more on infrastructure, which would have multiple positive effects.

Nothing is likely to happen, however.

That being said, here's a chart of public construction spending (TLPBLCONS) as percentage of GDP.

[xchrom]

1. Bridge Collapses In Washington State — Vehicles Thrown Into The Water

http://www.businessinsider.com/bridge-collapse-in-washington-state-2013-5

Another stunning example of America's crumbling infrastructure.

A bridge collapsed in Washington State, just north of Seattle.
WSJ reports:

A section of an Interstate Highway bridge over the Skagit River in Mount Vernon, Wash., collapsed Thursday evening, sending vehicles into the water from which three motorists were rescued, state officials said.

There were no fatalities reported at the scene, about 60 miles north of Seattle, said Marcus Deyerin, the public affairs officer for the five-county incident-management team that responded to the collapse.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/bridge-collapse-in-washington-state-2013-5#ixzz2UDDhPKdX

[byeya]

2. The infrastructure keeps the economy moving. Big capital is abandoning the USA and the RepubliKKKans

are their hired rear guard.
It's a sick situation.

[KG]

3. welcome to low tax america, where people know the price of everything, and the value of nothing.

[marmar]

4. Collapsing bridges, buckling railroad tracks, roads with as many potholes and painted lines.......

It's sad.

[byeya]

5. Add to what you've posted the millions of workers who are ready, willing, and able to fix these

structures and things like water and sewer systems and it adds up to one huge waste with 3rd World written all over it.

[Historic NY]

6. Exactly instead were putting band aids on the crumbs....

all around me the old 30's & 50's bridges are being patched up again. We lost a section of bridge back in Irene and its repair is still not started.

[byeya]

8. The two headed $$$Party is helping the 1%ers hollow out the USA just like they've hollowed out

productive companies with their leveraged buyouts and driven them to bankruptcy so they can screw the workers out of their pensions.
Well, since the 1% and their stooges are transnational, or anational, they don't need much of the USA and its happy people anymore so there's no reason for them to be taxed to pay for public services and infrastructure and health care for peons(us) and this is the result. They gotten to the point where they - the Ultras - don't need interstate highways, or those in rural areas, and don't need public health services and don't need the USA.
It's a war that we need to recognize and mobilize for.

[xtraxritical]

7. We really need to kick RepubliCON ass in 2014!

[FogerRox]

9. Chart uses a strange metric, thats not exactly % of GDP

Federal share of infrastructure spending was 1.7% in 2010, 1.3% in 2011, total public spending was bit higher.

Looking at spending over 40 years, the decline is more apparent. Remember in FDR's first term Fed spending went from 12% of GDP to 20% of GDP. Since the Carter Admin. (3.4%) we've been on a declining trend.