Saturday, August 7, 2010

Interesting. One of the the first things to go in dissolving political systems is road maintenance.


Just ask the Romans.

25 comments:

pdxr13 said...

The basics of what built the civilization are ignored, while non-essential luxuries like in-town trollies and light-rail (why is violent crime, B&E, car prowls up instantly 38%-300% as soon as the rails connect cheap illegal-alien apartmentville with commuter suburbia? Why are there now "crime islands" about 10 blocks wide centered on boarding platforms?) are well-funded. Why do roads need a bond passed to repair? What happened to funds collected from the highest gas taxes in the nation?

Watch for restrictions on trash pick up, like increasing fees for smaller containers, weight limits, recycling programs with force of law for non-compliance, less-frequent pick-up (every 2 weeks instead of once a week, sometimes coinciding with new trash bins that pretend to seal the stench in during warm weather), notes left on not-pick-up containers by sanitation workers with a box checked explaining why they could not take your trash/recycle/yard debris (and that it's your fault) but that billing will be as if they had done their job. Trash collection is inevitably a city-gift contract with envelopes of cash circulating and union-thug staffed.

It's not a coincidence that the City of Portland and the State of Oregon are just a little behind Greece and California in the on-going Municide (to borrow a word from JohnGaltFLA).

We are on our own.

Cheers.

Jay said...

The road in the picture still looks better than our roads will after the same amount of time.

Different perspectives on planned obsolescence, I suppose.

Anonymous said...

That is what four wheel drive is for. Individual townships could ask citizens to chip in for maintenance of the major roadways. I am sure the business owners in the article who are afraid it will "ruin" their business would be more than willing to chip in several thousand to save it, if not, it must not be that important to them.

Dakota said...

I have seen some of this going on, mostly in very rural areas which have local traffic only.

County boards have rode a "blank check" mentality over the last 30 years or so. Raising taxes, going off of land sales to city dwellers who don't need to make their living off the land and only want a place to "get away" from the city rat race ... or hunting. Retiring farmers were happy to sell their $100 an acre land for $500 or $1000 an acre to the stupid city folks. Of course those that were left there were stuck paying taxes on all land being valued at those prices. County agencies started living like the government big huge expensive sheds, and equipment high salaries and all the other big perks of government workers. Now with falling land prices and shrinking budgets they are in serious trouble cause government agencies do not cut "their" expenses .... those must grow. Naturally they run out of money for the "other" folks.

They learned their lessons well from the Federal government and it is biting all of us in the ass as usual.

Defender said...

Ironic. Building and maintaining roads is one of the few legitimate government functions.

Legal Alien said...

Somewhat related as well is the following:-

County Sheriff standing up for his county against Federal BLM agents

http://noisyroom.net/blog/2010/08/07/first-signs-of-civil-war-begin-in-the-us-sheriff-tony-demeo-threatens-force-against-federal-agents/

At least there are still some rural LEO's that are aware of and true to the oath they swore to uphold. Oathkeeper and IIIper material methinks, in this declining society.

Anonymous said...

I've noticed that several roads here in NC are starting to have damages that are not being repaired. These are not small roads, but major roads. Also, there are starting to be cuts in other areas such as waste pickup. At the same time, however, roads that are obviously policial candy are being built. (Easy to tell by the very expensive stylized O signs.)

Anonymous said...

Well at least the roads in DC will never have to suffer this degradation!

Anonymous said...

This topic has crossed my mind more than once in the past. Many cars today are designed with the assumption we'll always have smooth roads and they would not do well in rougher terrain. Having a compact or hybrid car with great gas mileage is a good money-saver especially in urban areas, but it probably won't work out so well as our "duty vehicle". Not only might we have to sleep in such a vehicle, but also transport a lot of gear and people through some places luxurious roads don't exist. For about the same money as a compact, sacrifice on some gas mileage and get a 4x4. Chances are you won't miss the fuel savings a compact can give you, but in times of crisis you would miss having a larger and more versatile vehicle.

Dan III said...

Good grief! How short-sighted!

Defender said...

Sheriff DeMeo promises "SWAT vs. SWAT" if Bureau of Land Management federal agents try seizures in his county.
My money would be on the local boys.
Thanks for that link, Legal Alien. I feel better already.

Anonymous said...

just picked up a '90 jeep wrangler yesterday. my new tactical vehicle. living in a rural area, this is a must. drove Toyota land cruisers for 20 yrs but since those are long gone, found something similar to get me over the rough spots.
very good point to bring up about vehicles. most people don't understand what really rough roads are. we get tourists here in wyoming who, when coming to a dirt road, turn around and go back, thinking it's the end of the road.
find something tough, not one of these new suv toy 4wd or awd things. they can't really go anywhere, always getting stuck in snow and mud. good offroad tires with more than 4 ply highway rating too.
from here it will only get worse, plan for it.

Anonymous said...

Just this week, in Mills County, Iowa, road crews finally came down our road to "repair" damage from last winter. That's the good news. I actually thought they were going to skip roads repairs this year. Bad news, they used the same old ghetto repair job in the same places. Throw some cold pack asphalt down and run over it with a truck. At least use a roller. Four months from now, the repairs will be chunks along the edge of the road. I'd bet that if I reviewed the county's budget, I'd find tons of money being spent on lots of silly useless pet projects. And to add insult to injury, they are raising property taxes.

ScottJ said...

Spooky. I was having this very thought earlier this evening as the wife's Audi's suspension made some unkind sounds on roads in my area this evening.

Uncle Lar said...

Born and raised in downstate Illinois where we always drove on gravel because all our road taxes went to build yet another expressway in Chicago. Ironic to see what I grew up with now coming to the rest of the country.
As for Roman roads, the first thing they always did was dig a trench, then fill it with large then incrementally smaller rocks, finishing up with gravel and sand. Which is why most are still visible 2,000 years later.

Pat H. said...

Come on guys, we've got to fund foreign military adventures and give billions in foreign aid to more than 130 coutries; our local infrastructure is irrelevant when those things demand our wealth.

Anonymous said...

The Mills Co, IA road repairs are just like the ones they're doing here in NC, in a city at a midsize intersection.

4WD is nice but not necessary for poor dirt roads. What is critical is ground clearance, tires, and skid plates. A good example is the 4x2 Chevy trucks used by the LRDG in WW2. Both Ford and Toyota make (at least they did) 4x2 pickups with good offroad tires, high ground clearance, and skid plates. While these won't give the same level of performance of a 4WD, they will allow you to travel down most places including dirt roads without significant danger of getting stuck or getting vehicle damage.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I was on Squirrel Road (dirt) in Oakland County (wealthiest Michigan county)the other day, looking at all the McMansion's and thinking about the hell these poor fools will be in collectivists have them driving in battery powered, glorified golf carts.

Frank 3%

Dedicated_Dad said...

I don't know...

Seems to me this is a positive development in some ways.

Many of these roads are little-traveled, and there's really no good reason to spend the sort of cash it takes to maintain them in an asphalt-paved condition.

Sucks a bit for the locals, but then they're not paying enough in taxes to cover the aforementioned costs.

That said, it is part and parcel of the statist pattern: When FORCED to cut budgets, they immediately cut cops and firefighters -- for no reason except to punish the citizens for not giving over more of their income, and using the F-U-D generated to extort compliance.

Letting roads go to hell is just the next step in the progression -- after all, what do citizens *MOST* want from their government?

Cops
Firefighters
Roads

RIGHT?

G*d forbid they should cut back "entitlement" programs like welfare spending -- but we all know what would happen if they did...

This is the biggest reason I *KNOW* we're headed for a crash -- cut welfare (which they'll eventually have no choice but to do) and cities will burn all over the Republic.

Keep your powder dry...

DD

Big Al said...

"I" am glad to see it. The county is staying with their budget.
Is it all "rosy"? NO.
With all of the people unemployed it is not like revenues are going to increase nor the ammount of daily traffic from commuters.

So, you are laid off (unemployed) and have to go a bit slower to town as the roads suck. It is not like you are in a big hurry anyways.

I grew up on a gravel road....

Anonymous said...

I agree that a 4wd is a not needed luxury. Back in the 70s, we got around the countryside fine in a 4x2 Ford F250. Of course you had to drive the truck and have enough sense to stay out of places that you would bury the truck. My grandfather used to say "if you think you are going to get stuck, you will, just stay out those spots."

Frank

Dennis308 said...

All the dust from these gravel roads will make it easier to set up the ambushes for the Government Pricks when they are coming to your neighbor hood.

That and the EPA will be able to levy fines on the BATF and other alphabet soup agencies for excessive dust pollution.

I drive a p/up truck 2x4 she ain´t pretty but just like the old Timex she keeps on tickin.

Dennis
III
Texas

Anonymous said...

The Roman road method would be a good starting point for designing less maintenance-intensive roads in many places in the US. Wouldn't be designed for high-speed travel, but would suffice to keep communications open in the "hinterlands". Might be interesting to have some civil engineering students play with the concept.

Drainage ditches tend to really channel wheeled vehicle traffic; just ask the troops in 'Stan who don't have tracks.

Was up in the Peoples Democratic Republic of MA this weekend; two sections of I-93 developed serious potholes due to "deferred maintenance". No money left for much else because the sheeple have to pay off the $14.3B "Big Dig" bill.

Gunner

Anonymous said...

TPTB already have flyover country by the balls (they think). They will use the money they take from flyover country to buy the ongoing support of urban dwellers, welfare dependents and illegal aliens. They will also squander substantial wealth on wars they have no intention of winning and this insane idea of "nation building." All the better to stomp us into the ground.

They are systematically asset-stripping the nation, impoverishing all those who could or would stand against them.

azcIII

Anonymous said...

From the Emerald PIIG,

Waste collection is by private contract with the individual household, but the county councils get to decide who gets collection licenses. National sport is slinging a bin bag into a ditch.

Depending on county, you pay if the Fire Brigade comes to your property- even if it is too late.

Many roads were sealed with Marshall plan funds - politicians bought votes with US money by offering to get the road to your house tarred if you promised to vote for them.

You can see where the old British turnpike road ran, it is the bit that the tarmac hasn't cracked up over.

When the council employees come out for a site visit, they come in twos, threes or fours, all in separate cars so they can all claim mileage, and they come at 10 o'clock in the morning (after a lie in bed) or 2 in the afternoon, so they can piss off home straight afterwards. They all have "Senior Executive" in their job title, even if they were collecting car tax 5 years ago, all are on €100,000 a year.

Just look through a local authority website for all the outreach directors, all the strategy coordinators, all getting business class flights to conferences.

For your roads, the most important thing is to keep them drained. Check out Thomas Telford and Macadam's ideas. If a stone is too big to fit in a man's mouth, it is too big to go on a road (Just don't employ Tony B Liar's wife to check them).

Re:cars: Friends in former warsaw pact nation bought a VW when the wall came down. It rattled to pieces on their roads (only roads soviets cared for were ones to get tanks to western europe)They replaced it with a Russian car, a bit more primitive, but built for the roads and built to be maintained at home.

Paddy McFlytipping