It still could turn out to be a freak "perfect storm" of conditions that sent the bridge and so many of our citizens to their demise.

All too often the cause is what is known in the field as a "predictable surprise," a risk that we had enough information to identify and act on but wasn't (often due to a conflagration of circumstances like an unrealistic assessment of probability or impact, or discounting the warnings of the experts, poor management decision-making, inadequate checks-balances, etc.)--just like the Challenger disaster. More than likely there'll be enough blame to go around and too much to hold anyone accountable. We'll declare that it can "never happen again" but it will. It will because of the deteriorating infrastructure around the country. And that is largely due to our pathetic political system which has been hijacked by special interests and big money. No new taxes and zero-sum-game playing have a stranglehold on democracy and it will inevitably lead to more tragic wake up calls. The final disposition will be determined largely by actuaries conducting risk and cost-benefit analysis and politicians playing to the it's-my-money-I-earned-it-I-should get-to-decide-how-to spend-it crowd. If you watch Twins baseball you're constantly hearing Bert Blyleven bemoan the fact that no one pitches complete games anymore and that the game of baseball has forever changed. Well, the special interests have forever altered the political game and now we have to pay the price...

That's my Eeyore moment for the day.