WHOEVER the next president is, there are plenty of issues for them to address that will effect the civil engineering industry.  Looking at the infrastructure, the US is failing in many areas in many cities and something clearly needs to be done.  I think that once we start drawing down our Armed Forces and bringing them back home, that will free up a lot of money to spend on Infrastructure. The surplus of homes limits what the land development engineers can do, and as long as the economy drags along and gas prices rise we will continue to dig ourselves into further debt which will lead to more foreclosures...you catch my drift?  So the economy needs to be fixed so land development engineers can start going full speed ahead again.  We need to start bringing our troops home, as this is where SO much of our money is going, we need that money for new and improved infrastructure.  We need to find a way to make college more affordable so we can bring more civil engineers into the industry.  And on and on and on and on.  Not quite sure who I am voting for - I am a registered Republican but Obama is making me ponder crossing party lines.  SO, this presidential election is crucial, not only to the civil engineering industry, but to many industries across the country.

Has anyone gauged the political currency generated from the Minn. Bridge Collapse ?

It has always amazed me how we can always find money to build something new in the US or demolish buildings and destroy people in other lands and yet we cannot manage to patch a pothole.

David Perrings, PE