So, What Did They Do With The Money?

 A few local communities are having problems with their infrastructure. Roads are the usual problem. Traffic changes, traffic loads increase, and even some newer roads are showing signs of problems. Many I watched during construction. Since I have no access to testing reports, or watched them performed, there's no way I can say it's due to shoddy construction, but know enough to see where it probably happened. Laziness, outright fraud, and unscrupulous contractors can lead to "boiler-housed" test reports, and failures in the future. City crews do what they can, but do so at a pace that guarantees they probably are rejects from the private sector.

The problem that is found more in the news is the problems with sanitary sewers. Regardless of the millions spent in the eighties by grants for rehabilitation, and new systems, the sewer systems are failing. Why? There's too much groundwater infiltration from dilapidated pipes, overloaded systems, and a failure to upgrade capacities. This causes the sewers to surcharge in rain events, toilets don't flush, and some neighborhoods are filled with people calling their insurance agent to claim they need new carpet. Why is there so much infiltration? Cities don't spend the money on for what it was intended. They spend it on useless salaries, unwarranted benefits, ridiculous programs, and the necessary things are pushed to the back burner...until they break. Then it becomes a crises without funds for necessary upgrades.

I'm sure this is not just isolated locally. Cities, like all government entities, are filled with incompetent, selfish people that never intend to do anything but secure a salary and retire with a pension you can't find in the private sector. It is what it is, and I'm glad I moved away from a city decades ago. I like my toilets to drain, my water supply to be without repairs I can't do, and not having to deal with the bureaucrats that ignore telephone calls. As far as the roads, our county commissioner does what they can, but is a politician. That explains it all.