And They Want to Be Our Health Care Providers

http://www.wiseandfrugalgovernment.blogspot.com

In 2002, Caltrans (California Department of Transportation ) began the construction of a new eastern span of the Bay Bridge. The estimated cost was $1.3 billion dollars. The plan? To rebuild rather than retrofit the span after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 caused a section of the bridge to collapse.

After a series of delays and cost overruns the bridge is now expected to be complete in 2013 at a total cost to taxpayers of $6.3 billion. Just $5 billion or 384% over budget. That was before the break in a steel cable on the new section which was recently inserted into the old span. The bridge is closed indefinitely until the cable is repaired. Caltrans does not have an estimate of when the repairs will be complete.

But there is good news in all of this we are told. Caltrans has the parts to fix the problem on hand. Yippee.

When have you known the government to finish anything on time or on budget? The CEO of the bridge project--if a member of the private sector--would have lost his job by now and if Pay Czar Feinberg had anything to say about it would have to give his salary back. Yet the Caltrans folks keep plugging along: $5 billion over budget, years behind schedule and now, it appears, being paid to fix a broken cable that should never have snapped in the first place.

Now tell me, do you want these unaccountable bureaucrats in charge of your health care?

I don't think so.