Levees

I read in the paper yesterday that the one levee that broke in Cedar Rapids was one in a "working class, racially diverse" neighborhood. In 2003 it was determined that vital repairs needed to be made to it, but they were never made because lack of federal funds. As we try to rebuild Iraq, a nation with bountiful oil revenue, our infrastructure crumbles. And, of course, we are unwilling to have our tax dollars devoted to this; we would rather take the risk of having bridges collapse and levees break.