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July 07, 2005
Where are the Billions for the NYC Subway?
Let's be clear. The bombings today in London's subway system show how bullshit Bush's priorities are in the war on terror.
Even as we pour hundreds of billions of dollars into Iraq and the military, vulnerable infrastructure like the New York City subway is underfunded and left vulnerable.
Take this typical headline from New York magazine: New York's Frighteningly Fragile Subway System:
Money for basic maintenance has been drying up: For the past four years, the funds for keeping the subway in what is quaintly called a “state of good repair” have been 29 percent lower than the MTA’s own needs assessments, according to an analysis by the Regional Plan Association.Staff has been cut at many booths, which means less eyes to see potential trouble.
A serious anti-terror strategy would be pouring money into the NYC subway as a likely top target of terrorism. But Bush doesn't because that wouldn't involve handing fat defense contracts to his corporate friends, but instead would employ union workers at decent wages. So security is sacrificed to Bush's political priorities.
But Bush can only promote Iraq as "flypaper" to attract terrorists for so long. As London shows, his approach is a failure. No one thinks all terrorist attacks can be prevented, but their damage can be minimized. But Bush has refused to promote serious spending on upgrading America's infrastructure in favor of a war in Iraq, a stupid and venal choice that benefits his defense contractor buddies but makes the rest of us likelier to die.
Posted by Nathan at July 7, 2005 10:32 AM
