BCT Editorial – 8/13/06

This page was last updated on August 13, 2006.

Attack of the E. coli; Editorial; Beaver County Times; August 13, 2006.

This is at least the seventh editorial on this topic since March 13, 2005. In chronological order, the previous editorials were “Woe are we,” “Sound the alarm” (a companion to “Woe are we”), “Falling down,” “Cutting corners,” and “Look ahead.” This is also at least the third editorial to conjure up images of a “Third World” country.

As I noted in my critique of the first editorial, “I have no reason to doubt the ASCE findings, but we need to recognize a conflict of interest. The more government spends on infrastructure, the more it benefits members of the ASCE. I believe it’s fair to speculate the ASCE will never issue a report saying we spend enough on infrastructure regardless of the amount we spend. If the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) issued a report saying our cars were too old and should be replaced immediately, would we accept the report findings?”

Below is a detailed critique of the subject editorial.

“Erie beach closings show the need to address infrastructure failings

“The summer isn’t over, and Erie already has set a record.

“It’s not for high temperatures, though. The record is for the number of times public beaches had to be closed due to elevated E. coli levels in the water.

“The Associated Press reported that six beaches at Presque Isle Bay were closed on Tuesday due to E. coli levels. That brought to 42 the number of beach closings in Erie this summer, one more than the record of 41 in 2000 - and there’s more summer yet to come.

“E. coli levels are usually fueled by heavy rains that flush bacteria from surrounding streams into the bay. However, recent weather has been calm, The AP reported. Other sources of the bacteria could be failed septic systems, animal waste or even waves that stir up polluted sediment on the bottom of Lake Erie.”

[RWC] Translation: “We don’t have a clue why the E. coli levels are high this time, but it’s been almost three months since our last ‘Third World infrastructure’ editorial so we’re overdue.”

“Erie’s water woes aren’t unique. The public has been barred from parts of local rivers after heavy rains because area sewage treatment plants can’t handle the excess storm water runoff, which causes raw sewage to pour into the rivers. This puts them in violation of federal clean water regulations.

“That’s why Alcosan, which serves 83 communities in Allegheny County, is going to spend $3 billion in the coming years to upgrade its sewage system. That’s why towns such as Ambridge and Rochester have agreed to spend millions of dollars to bring their systems in line with federal mandates.

“This problem is so massive that it needs to be addressed at the local, state and federal level.

“In its 2006 Report Card for Pennsylvania’s Infrastructure, the American Society of Civil engineers gave the state a D-minus in the wastewater category.

“‘Aging wastewater management systems discharge billions of gallons of untreated sewage into Pennsylvania’s surface waters each year,’ ASCE reported ‘In addition, failing on-lot systems and non-point source pollution from agricultural and mining activities are further impacting the Commonwealth’s rivers, lakes and streams. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the state must invest $12.7 billion over the next 20 years to replace existing systems and build new ones to meet increasing demands.’

“ASCE’s 2005 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure handed out a D-minus at the national level in that category. The task of raising that grade is daunting. ASCE reported the federal Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the nation must invest $390 billion over the next 20 years to replace existing systems and build new ones to meet increasing demands.

“State and federal governments are in various stages of addressing the funding needed to make the necessary improvements. However, what’s scary is that wastewater represents just one segment of America’s crumbling infrastructure. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us if we don’t want to leave future generations of Americans with a Third World infrastructure.”

[RWC] You probably noticed the editorial didn’t provide any recommendations about where to get the money to pay for the repairs. To be fair, though, the editorial “Look ahead” said, “instead of using the slots’ revenue to reduce school district taxes by an insignificant amount, why not use the money to build a better infrastructure for future generations of Pennsylvanians?”

Taking a lead from a recent editorial, let’s do a little “what if.”

What if we didn’t waste tax dollars on an overpriced public education system?

What if we didn’t waste tax dollars on subsidizing public mass transit systems?

What if we didn’t waste tax dollars on socialist wealth redistribution programs like Medicaid, Medicare, Socialist Security, welfare, et cetera?

What if we didn’t waste tax dollars on so-called “economic development” programs?