Why We Couldn't Build The Golden Gate Bridge Today

Here's what President Obama has said about China:

"China is making investments in the future...they're making investments in infrastructure...we USED to  have the best infrastructure in the world...had the best roads, the best airports, the best ports, the best highways, the best internet service, now we're second, we're third, we're fifteenth, we're twenty-first, we can't win that way...listen, Abraham Lincoln helped build the  intercontinental railroad in the middle of the Civil War..." 

Golden Gate Bridge, built in 4 yrs (1933-1937)

Once again, we have the President of the United States "running down" the U.S. in comparison to China. 

I believe in American exceptionalism. I believe in American ingenuity--just look at Apple and the new iPad. I believe that we can do whatever we set our minds to do as a nation.

• We built the Golden Gate Bridge in just over 4 yrs (from 1933-1937) and 11 men died during its construction.
• We built the Hoover Dam in five years (1930-1935) and an estimated 112 deaths occurred which included a drowning as well as heat-related deaths. The Hoover Dam provides water to over 25-million people in the Southwest.
• The Panama Canal was built in 10 yrs (from 1904-1914).
• The Brooklyn Bridge was built in 13 yrs. At the time, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world (from 1870-1883).

Hoover Dam, built in 5 yrs (from 1930 - 1935)

But, having said that, here's why we could not accomplish these same feats today in the same amount of time, and why China can run circles around us as far as building bridges, highways, etc.:

1. EPA (The Environmental Protection Agency)
2. ESA (The Endangered Species' Act)
3. Army Core of Engineers
4. Labor Unions
5. Federal regulations (otherwise known as "red tape")
6. OSHA (Occupational, Safety, Health Administration)

These are the 6 culprits which comprise the reason why we CANNOT compete with the Chinese. 

Panama Canal built in 10 yrs (from 1904 - 1914)

We could NOT build the Golden Gate Bridge now in less than 30 yrs because of regulations, required studies, endangered species, labor unions. Again, the Golden Gate Bridge in all probability could NOT be built today because it would be cost prohibitive due to federal & state regulations. Also, it would be studied to death by the Army Core of Engineers and if there happened to be a nest of endangered eagles at the proposed site, the entire project would have to be relocated (like how are you going to relocate a bridge. It needs to cross exactly where it has been planned).

Brooklyn Bridge built in 13 yrs. (1870-1883)

The Hoover Dam could NOT be built today because of endangered species act, the Army Core of Engineers (a bunch of environmental-whackos) who care more about endangered fish, snails, rats, owls than they do about the progress and well-being of our nation, and the added expense of union labor along with thousands of pages of regulations which would make this cost-prohibitive. Also, the moment one person was killed or seriously injured, the entire project would be shut down for safety evaluations and fines. 

So keep all this in mind the next time you hear our President praising China and deriding America as second, third, or fifteenth to the rest of the world in its infrastructure.

Imagine this: You're being sued for attempting to build a home on your own property.

John Adams wrote: "The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence."

Mike and Chantell Sackett on their Idaho property

Today homeowners, farmers and businesses are subjected to a host of government restrictions and prohibitions that reduce the use and value of their properties, including laws relating to wetlands and endangered species. YOUR RIGHTS as a property owner are in jeopardy thanks to your federal government! This is how the Eco-statists (like Obama and his minion, Lisa Jackson of the EPA) restrict our right to use our private property for whatever purpose we deem necessary or desirable. 

For your consideration, I offer up exhibit A: Sackett v. EPA.

Peter Bella writing in the Washington Times: 

Imagine this: You buy a vacant lot in a residential subdivision across the road from a small lake.  The lot is zoned for residential building.  It is surrounded by other homes and homes being built.  You submit your plans and blueprints and receive a building permit. You start grading the property to build a home.

The Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps. of Engineers show up and accuse you of building on a “wetland”.  The EPA issues what is known as a “compliance order”.  You must stop all building.  You must restore the land to its natural state.  You must replace and plant trees.  You must place a fence around the land and maintain the property in a pristine condition.

You have no right to a pre-enforcement challenge of the order.  You must comply with the order or be sued by the EPA and face fines between 35-75 thousand dollars per day.

“Unlike other regulations and enforcement orders, the EPA under clean air and water laws can issue an order without giving the recipient a chance to challenge it in court before the agency initiates a lawsuit for noncompliance.” (IBT)

You are punished by being forced to spend money to correct an unproven accusation of a violation of the law- no probable cause or preponderance of the evidence.  No way for you to prove or argue your case until the EPA decides to sue you.   

This is at the heart of Sackett v. EPA. The Supreme Court of the United States heard arguments on this case Tuesday.  A decision is expected by June.  The case started in 2007 when the “compliance order” was issued.  The case is based on very complicated, some say senseless, enforcement policies and procedures governing the Clean Water Act. 


Check out this video to hear the Sackett's story in their own words.

Tuesday, Nov. 6, can't come soon enough.