Woman Killed in Boston Big Dig Tunnel Fall
POSTED BY: AURaptor
UPDATED: Tuesday, July 18, 2006 07:47
VIEWED: 2700
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Bridge to nowhere? Stevens?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_stevens
Stevens served as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee from 1997 to 2005 except for the 18-month interlude when Democrats controlled the chamber. The chairmanship gave Stevens considerable influence among fellow Senators, who relied on him for home-state project funds. But it also made him a target for critics who have said Stevens has directed excessive amounts of pork barrel spending to Alaska, including the Gravina Island Bridge, dubbed the "Bridge to Nowhere".
On October 20, 2005, Stevens threatened to resign from the Senate if lawmakers passed language that would have stripped money allocated for two bridges in Alaska, (primarily the Gravina Island Bridge, referred to commonly in the media as 'The Bridge to Nowhere) and redirected it to Hurricane Katrina repairs in Louisiana.
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...Big Gov't projects like this tend to run amuck and so much time/$ / materials have been wasted, and for what? A horribly flawed project! And trajically so!
You mean like the war in Iraq?
A baby seal walks into a club...
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Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:Quote:
...Big Gov't projects like this tend to run amuck and so much time/$ / materials have been wasted, and for what? A horribly flawed project! And trajically so!
You mean like the war in Iraq?
A baby seal walks into a club...
Not even remotely like the war in Iraq.
People love a happy ending. So every episode, I will explain once again that I don't like people. And then Mal will shoot someone. Someone we like. And their puppy. - Joss
" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "
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Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
Not even remotely like the war in Iraq.
You're right. We could build a Big Dig every two months for what we're spending on Iraq.
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/pa12_murtha/pr071206warcost.html
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You know, I work on small engine bikes, most of which begin as mere 49cc toys and many of which become evil fire-breathing 68cc Monsters, not to mention the truly psychotic Honda Spree with a 103cc Maligutti (I think?) kit on it (and front disc brakes, to stop the insane little thing), and these bikes, once you take them past the frame specs, they shake, vibrate and rattle... A LOT, ok ?
One very common solution to vibration/loose bolt issues that's been common for ages and ages is thus: Reverse the freakin threading, morons.
If a cab driver who works on this stuff out of his garage on weekends can see the bloody fekkin obvious here, whatever overpaid contractor didn't should be held responsible for it.
At least Haliburton/KBR didn't build it, it woulda cost ten times that and the whole thing woulda come down.... Contractors are Contractors, especially those connected with lobbying firms, at either end of the political spectrum, with shell company holding, fake minority status, etc etc - Caveat Emptor.
Our representatives (again, in either party) are awfully free with our money when the job ain't gettin done, why not take them to task for it ?
I pay you to do a job, you take the money and do 10% of the work, then come back and demand more money ? to hell with payin you at all, you'd be lucky if I didn't beat the crap out of you!
And THAT, is the root of the problem, letting these guys slide on 'cost overruns' instead of locking them up for fraud and theft when they pull crap like this.
-Frem
PS- FYI, that Spree does 89mph, imagine the humilation of being blown off the road by.. a honda SPREE ? bwahahah, and no it ain't mine, I wish it was!
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Quote:
...Big Gov't projects like this tend to run amuck and so much time/$ / materials have been wasted, and for what? A horribly flawed project! And trajically so!
Not even remotely like the war in Iraq.
Hmmm... Let's see... Checklist for War In Iraq (Operation Iraqi Liberation, or O.I.L. for short)
1) Big Gov't project: Check. Invading another country is definitely a project for Big Gov't (and their Big Business allies).
2) Tendency to run amok: Check.
3) So much time wasted: Check. Three years and counting, with no end or exit in sight.
4) So much $ wasted: Check. Half a *TRILLION* or more, so far. Again, no end in sight.
5) So much material wasted: Check. Not to mention so many LIVES wasted.
6) A horribly flawed project: Check. Flawed from the get-go, and parroting the President's "Stay The Course" message (or his more infamous "Mission Accomplished" one) won't make it less horribly flawed.
7) Tragically so: Check. Only in this case, the casualty numbers aren't even remotely similar. One dead in the Big Dig, 2800+ American soldiers dead so far in Gulf Wars II.
Gosh, you're right; they're not even remotely similar. ;)
And before you keep babbling on about The Big Dig being in the home state of Kerry and Kennedy, note that it's also the home of Governor Mitt Romney, Republican. Sure, he's not responsible for the Big Dig or the woman's death (any more than Kerry or Kennedy are), but it DID happen on his watch, so he should bear as much responsibility as you're willing to assign to Kerry/Kennedy.
Hero wrote:
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Perhaps you should start a "Liberals can't dig a hole" thread to go along with the 'cant defend america' one. Its ironic. They can't dig the whole, but they can sure fill them up.
That's kind of like me saying that conservatives are so freaking stupid and useless that they can't even protect a couple of tall buildings.I suppose that by your way of thinking (current officeholder = scapegoat for untimely death of residents), the collapse of the WTC towers on 9/11 were actually Rudy Giuliani's fault. After all, he WAS the mayor at the time, and that surely isn't a coincidence, right? And Dubya WAS the President at the time. If you're going to lay blame on part of a construction project failing at the feet that state's Senators, then I reserve the same right to lay 9/11 at the feet of Rudy (I never cheated on my wife, except when I was cheating on her) Giuliani and George (I'm a coke-addled coward who won't even complete his Air Force Reserve duty) W. Bush.
Say what you want about John (I was in Viet Nam) Kerry, but he was actually IN Viet Nam. Unlike Dubya, Dead-Eye Dick Cheney, Rummy Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Karl Rove and the rest of your beloved Immoral Majority, Kerry actually SHOWED UP TO SERVE IN VIET NAM. I don't care what you say about HOW he served - he at least DID serve, unlike your worthless heroes who couldn't go because they were all out of Midol.
Mike
Remember, Kiddies, you can't spell "QUAGMIRE" without "I", "R", "A", & "Q"!
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And then I found out what those panels are for... ventilation! VENTILATION??? To help those big fans exhaust the auto exhaust? To create a "plenum"?
I would have understood all that weight if it was shoring up the roof of the tunnel, but... VENTILATION? Wow. SOMEBODY'S favourite contract made a ton o' bucks.
---------------------------------
Don't piss in my face and tell me it's raining.
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Way to hijack a thread, folks. So, when you can't respond to the topic at hand, you obfuscate away and shout " IRAQ! W! Cheney! ", etc... ANYTHING to avoid having to deal w/the fact that in a state aptly namned 'Taxchussettes', the country's most expensive road project EVER is falling to pieces.
Quite a testiment.
People love a happy ending. So every episode, I will explain once again that I don't like people. And then Mal will shoot someone. Someone we like. And their puppy. - Joss
" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "
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So Unwrapped,
Tapping your superior insight I have to ask - how's that booming economy going for 'ya?
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Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
Way to hijack a thread, folks. So, when you can't respond to the topic at hand, you obfuscate away and shout " IRAQ! W! Cheney! ", etc... ANYTHING to avoid having to deal w/the fact that in a state aptly namned 'Taxchussettes', the country's most expensive road project EVER is falling to pieces.
Quite a testiment.
Sorry for the hijack, but it was YOU who brought up the political leanings of certain Taxachusetts Senators, when you said:
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From an estimated $2.5 Billion to over $ 14.6 Billion, with delays, leaks.....and the damn thing is falling apart already! This from the land of Ted Kennedy and John ( I served in Vietnam ) Kerry.
Now, I know you're a fair-minded, clear-headed individual, and I know you'd NEVER try to imply that the thing's falling to pieces because Kennedy and Kerry happen to be from that state... right? Right?
You're right about one thing: The Big Dig is a huge mess. Crappy engineering and shoddy workmanship don't really have party affiliations, though.
Remember, Kiddies, you can't spell "QUAGMIRE" without "I", "R", "A", & "Q"!
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