Earmarks Blamed for Bridge Collapse

Apparently, Sen. John McCain and I are thinking on the same lines. From Yahoo/AP:

Republican John McCain said Saturday that Congress could share
in the blame for the Minnesota bridge collapse because lawmakers diverted
billions of dollars in transportation money from road work to pet projects.
"I think perhaps you can make the argument that part of the responsibility
lies with the Congress of the United States," the Arizona senator
said...

"We spent approximately $20 billion of that money on pork
barrel, earmark projects," said McCain. "Maybe if we had done it right, maybe
some of that money would have gone to inspect those bridges and other bridges
around the country. Maybe the 200,000 people who cross that bridge every day
would have been safer than spending $233 million of your tax dollars on a bridge
in Alaska to an island with 50 people on it."

This is what's wrong with our infrastructure. Congress spends so much money on trivialities so as to remain in the good graces of the electorate, there's noting left for the essentials like bridges, highways, electrical grid, ect. While many of these pet project may be important to the locals, politicians must first consider what's more important to the country as a whole. But they think out tax money is an ever flowing fountain that won't run dry. The most I blame Bush for is not using his veto nearly enough.