Michadichu: Most pumping houses in state not in good condition.

[brizee]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...ition-Michigan

According to MDOT, 58 percent of the pump houses are in poor condition, 20 percent in fair condition and 22 percent are in good condition.

I may be a DPS graduate but I'm pretty certain those percentages are piss-fucking-poor.

[313WX]

Given that much of the state's infrastructure is being allowed to crumble before our eyes as the state's economy remains in the gutter and we're handing out tax breaks to business and wealthy folks like candy [[thus losing more revenue), this doesn't surprise me one bit.

Unfortunately, it will probably take a truly catastrophic event before we take our collective heads out of our ass and decide to spare a few dollars to completely replace it all.

[maverick1]

I don't see this changing anytime soon. We have to wait until people die or are inconvenienced to the point that it's painful. Most citizens think the state has more than enough money to upgrade its infrastructure, it just doesn't manage it efficiently.

[jt1]

It is wasteful to pay for any pump upgrades until they pumps can pay for themselves.

[leapfrog]

It is wasteful to pay for any pump upgrades until they pumps can pay for themselves.

This is too true. If the pumps were run more like a business, the upgrades would pay for themselves. If only they didn't have such strong a strong pump union!

[motz]

It is wasteful to pay for any pump upgrades until they pumps can pay for themselves.

How come those lazy pumps can't pull themselves up by their bootstraps? Always waiting around for a handout from Big Brother Obama... If they worked hard, they would Succeed!!!

[jt1]

How come those lazy pumps can't pull themselves up by their bootstraps? Always waiting around for a handout from Big Brother Obama... If they worked hard, they would Succeed!!!

Reagan said all the pumps drive Caddys and have cable TV.

[Mark Smiles]

I bet these pumps were maintained by a union crew that never missed a paid break. Odds are taxpayers were charged several time over to pay new pumps, but the money never got past all the corruption.

They have more than enough money but choose to waste it. They are in your face with their waste. New lights at 16 and Mound? Why the old ones were not stopping traffic? Right.

More waste examples, how about signs saying "Big Beaver Road Next Intersection"? Why have a sign twice as wide as the old ones? Simple, they have the money to waste.

Next time you hear someone say they need more money for roads or road pumps, just look at all the signs that say "Next Intersection", and ask your self, "if they are wasting money, do they really need more?"

[Cliffy]

I bet these pumps were maintained by a union crew that never missed a paid break. Odds are taxpayers were charged several time over to pay new pumps, but the money never got past all the corruption.

They have more than enough money but choose to waste it. They are in your face with their waste. New lights at 16 and Mound? Why the old ones were not stopping traffic? Right.

More waste examples, how about signs saying "Big Beaver Road Next Intersection"? Why have a sign twice as wide as the old ones? Simple, they have the money to waste.

Next time you hear someone say they need more money for roads or road pumps, just look at all the signs that say "Next Intersection", and ask your self, "if they are wasting money, do they really need more?"

Yup and there you go. Welcome to 1855. Person has no understanding about anything but decides to prove to the world how stupid he is by posting absolute nonsense. Why even post any signs or time traffic lights or even have roads. Fuck it. Horses and guns.

[Wesley Mouch]

Yup and there you go. Welcome to 1855. Person has no understanding about anything but decides to prove to the world how stupid he is by posting absolute nonsense. Why even post any signs or time traffic lights or even have roads. Fuck it. Horses and guns.

I agree with you that its not helpful to assign union failings to every problem. But that does not change that unions are failing us, as a society.

I respect the need to improve conditions of the working person -- but the way we're doing it leads to corruption, protection of weak workers, inability to change work practices, and did I say corruption -- well yes, so let me clarify that... corruption of the equitable social management of civic finances. Schools boards comprised of those hand-picked by labor and then promoted by sometime mandatory dues [[sometimes fees of same amount) so they can agree to binding labor contracts for their supporters. We can rightly criticize crony capitalism. But we also should criticize crony laborism.

So back to MDOT -- I don't see a union problem here. In fact I don't really see a problem here. MDOT's reported on the problem. They should next state a plan for addressing it. Good job, you evil road-builders.

[Mark Smiles]

Yup and there you go. Welcome to 1855. Person has no understanding about anything but decides to prove to the world how stupid he is by posting absolute nonsense. Why even post any signs or time traffic lights or even have roads. Fuck it. Horses and guns.

You are a delusional fool, if you can not see MDOT wasting money at the same time they claim not to have enough.

Before you start calling me stupid, think about what you saying, on second thought forget it, as that would require a tiny amount of intelligence.

I stand by my comments, when you look at all the signs being replaced with bigger ones, and all the functional lights [[poles, cables etc.) being replaced, even though they still have a useful life left in them, you still have a very sizable chunk of change.

You may think it is nonsense to complain about wasteful spending by an organization that claims to not have enough funding, but you are wrong.

[Detroitnerd]

It is wasteful to pay for any pump upgrades until they pumps can pay for themselves.

Yeah! They gotta pay for themselves out of the farebox!

[Danny]

MDOT don't hardly take good care and maintain those freeway sump pumping stations. Some of them don't even work in 40 years. The big blame is bureaucratic politicians in Lansing can't get the job done of fixing our roads. So they went on summer vacation instead while the poor 'Mich-issippians' suffer riding on pothole, sinkhole danger roads.

[motz]

MDOT don't hardly take good care and maintain those freeway sump pumping stations. Some of them don't even work in 40 years. The big blame is bureaucratic politicians in Lansing can't get the job done of fixing our roads. So they went on summer vacation instead while the poor 'Mich-issippians' suffer riding on pothole, sinkhole danger roads.

Someone has to stimulate the resort community economy, Danny. Stop being so selfish and thinking you deserve basic necessities like water-free roads and functional infrastructure.

[Danny]

Someone has to stimulate the resort community economy, Danny. Stop being so selfish and thinking you deserve basic necessities like water-free roads and functional infrastructure.

Your comments is non-sequitur. Who say that I'm being selfish. If only those freeway pumps are well taking care of, those 500 people and the precious chitty chitty bang bangs would be heading on home instead of getting trapped. Stimulating the resort community with my hard earned tax dollars is not serving the common good of people and this state. Fixing our dangers pothole, sinkhole flooded roads is. Let's tell Lansing and Snyder, the goofy nerd to get of roads fix NOW! not going on some vacation or saving their election year.

We the People of the Great State of Michigan [[ Mich-ississippi) demand better roads and services and we want it NOW!

[DetroitPlanner]

Yeah! They gotta pay for themselves out of the farebox!

Classic! Post of the Day.

[Cliffy]

Either pay a little now or we will all pay a lot later. Just kicking the can down the road.

[ghettopalmetto]

Why do I get the sense that MDOT's solution will involve construction of new bypasses?

...and people bitched and moaned about Gov. Granholm's "Fix It First" strategy. Oy vey.

[Wesley Mouch]

Why do I get the sense that MDOT's solution will involve construction of new bypasses?

...and people bitched and moaned about Gov. Granholm's "Fix It First" strategy. Oy vey.

You hit it, GP.

Reading this thread, I was struck by how everyone here accepts MDOTs assessment. They sure don't accept MDOTs assessment of I-94 expansion. So are they competent and right about I-94 ... or incompetent and wrong about pumping station repair needs?

The bright light here is that MDOT paying attention. So the financial glass may be 1/2 empty -- but at least we're not in denial. Would we have been happier is MDOT had issues a press release telling us that they've found 99% of pumping stations to be in perfect shape? Its that kind of thing that got Detroit in trouble. Do you remember why Coleman famously pissed off the suburbs and told criminals to hit 8 Mile? It was that DPD was going to solve Detroit's crime problem. Rose colored glasses. Thanks, MDOT for truth.

[313WX]

Reading this thread, I was struck by how everyone here accepts MDOTs assessment. They sure don't accept MDOTs assessment of I-94 expansion.

So are they incompetent and wrong about I-94 ... and competent and right about pumping station repair needs?

Fixed that for you.

And why can't it be both?

[nain rouge]

Right, until there are NO unions left. And then what? Do people really think we'll return to the '90s economy once the unions are all out of the way - y'know, back when we had even more evil unions?

[Wesley Mouch]

Right, until there are NO unions left. And then what? Do people really think we'll return to the '90s economy once the unions are all out of the way - y'know, back when we had even more evil unions?

Beating dead horse....

Unions are neither the biggest problem, nor are they free from blame for some of our problems.

There are those who do wish a death of to all unions, but its unfair to assume that anyone who criticizes unions is out to destroy them. Is unionization untouchable? Can't it be discussed without claims of 'union bashing' and a desire to destroy them?

There's a large middle on this issue. That's where I am, IMO. I have no problem with unions in private workplaces, put there by secret ballot. [[Card check is so much more anti-democratic than anything happening in Michgan EM laws.)

But I don't believe in public sector unions.

Die, horse, die.

[nain rouge]

You don't want a union in the public sector because, like any boss, you don't want to pay a good wage if you think you can get away with it. You want people to clean your streets, police your community, put fires out, and etc., but you could care less if they have decent health care. Because we all know what happens when you don't have unions. Benefits are gradually eroded until all but gone.

And why do you want those unions gone? Out of spite from the market pressures threatening to force your own wages down. But to me, that's a very backwards approach. People think they can preserve what they "deserve" if they can push enough of the other people off the boat.

[nain rouge]

Part of the anti-union rhetoric relies on this concept that competition in the economy is stiff, and we all have to tighten our belts. But ask yourself why everyone at the top has managed to exponentially increase their wages every decade, as ours remain stagnant? Ask why during the recession trillions were pumped into Wall Street, and it's now at a record highs, all while housing values were allowed to crater?

The truth is, the average person is deluded with artificial scarcities, which is imposed on us so that the CEOs and big stockholders can maintain exponential increases. The modern economy is extraordinarily complicated, but your common American still looks at it like its the early 1900s, judging what's going on with horribly outdated models.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Part of the anti-union rhetoric relies on this concept that competition in the economy is stiff, and we all have to tighten our belts. But ask yourself why everyone at the top has managed to exponentially increase their wages every decade, as ours remain stagnant? Ask why during the recession trillions were pumped into Wall Street, and it's now at a record highs, all while housing values were allowed to crater?

The truth is, the average person is deluded with artificial scarcities, which is imposed on us so that the CEOs and big stockholders can maintain exponential increases. The modern economy is extraordinarily complicated, but your common American still looks at it like its the early 1900s, judging what's going on with horribly outdated models.

Amen Brother !! The rich are getting richer, at the expense of the common folks. Most working people haven't had a wage increase in 20 years, while the "fat cats" [[CEO's) watch their salaries and stock options multiply in spades. Why do you think crime is high and will continue to run rampant? Inequality and hopelessness, and don't tell me to go to school, graduate and work hard and you will succeed. That's a crock of _hit for those that don't have a chance to begin with.