I’ve written about the Brent Spence bridge before. It crosses the Ohio River, connecting Kentucky to Ohio and is part of I-75. It’s also one of the biggest transports of commerce in the country.
You might remember the bridge from a speech President Obama gave in 2012. He stood on the banks of the Ohio, by the bridge, talking about the need for the government to invest in our crumbling highways and bridges and get them up to par, including the Brent Spence. Instantly Republicans, including John Boehner and Mitch McConnell, two people who know that bridge very well, decried it as pork barrel, despite years of reports saying these bridges are in dire need of repair and replacement.
Well that was way back in 2012. Here we are in 2014, so what is happening with this crumbling infrastructure? There’s a big debate going on in Ohio and Kentucky about that. The states realize the bridge needs replaced, but with no federal money for it, they are looking at other alternatives, including highly unpopular ones like making the bridge a toll bridge. And while the debate lingers on, the bridge isn’t magically fixing itself or decided to stop deteriorating. Instead, it’s still crumbling, including this from yesterday:
Police say large chunks of concrete fell from an interstate support beam just blocks away from where Cincinnati Bengals fans were tailgating.
No one was injured, but a car was heavily damaged when concrete chunks fell on it Sunday afternoon near Paul Brown Stadium.
Thankfully no one was hurt, or killed by this, but it really shows the lengths Republicans will go to when playing politics, to the point that the life and safety of our own citizens, as well as a vital artery in our economy, come a distant second to trying to prove the President wrong.
So remember that come November. Go ahead and vote for John Boehner and Mitch McConnell if you believe the President was just playing games in 2012 and somehow you and your loved ones are invincible to chunks of falling concrete from our crumbling infrastructure that President Obama tried to bring attention to in 2012. Put your partisan views, or racial hatred ahead of your family. Send these two back to Washington, and maybe the bridge will still get fixed and you can proudly hand over your hard-earned money when crossing it, because proving the black man in the White House wrong, well nothing beats that!