Originally Posted by JcMack

The news today said that the horrible blast and fire was caused by a ruptured gas main that was laid in '56 before the subdivision was built over it. A terrible tragedy that might have been avoided if authorities had acted on reports of gas smell. Probably a lack of manpower to follow up.

Last week about 50 miles from me a crude oil pipeline in or about Bolingbrook, Illinois cracked. It's another old line no one suspected was there. Turns out it supplies (I heard %7 of U.S. needs) crude oil from Canada. The line is shut down until they find the break. The search starts Monday. Meantime gas prices went up $.30 over the W.E.. There's no projection on when it will be repaired.

On a smaller note a 6 mile stretch of bridge about close to me has been deemed unsafe and was shutdown until funds can be found to completely rebuild it. Small stuff in the scheme of things I know, but it was built only 20 yrs ago. That bridge connects 2 interstates. So local traffic is now snarled with semis that can no longer use it. And the heavy traffic is tearing up the roads.

My personal opinion is our country is falling apart. Wait until a major power grid fails.