Made In China

[Chris_]

Chinese Blame Failing Bridges On Corruption

Since 2011, eight bridges have collapsed around the country, according to China's state-run media. The cases include one in April 2011, when a cable snapped on a suspension bridge in Western China's Xinjiang region, sending a chunk of roadway plunging onto a riverbank.

Two months later, a bridge in southern China's Fujian province collapsed, leaving one dead and 22 injured.

And in March this year, a bridge under construction in Central China's Hubei province snapped in half.

The most infamous case occurred in 2008, when a massive earthquake struck Sichuan province. In one poorly built school alone, 700 children were crushed to death.

"These were charity projects, and officials dared to skimp on the job and use low-quality materials," said Zhu. "This was much worse than Harbin. Up until now, we haven't seen any officials punished."

"This analogy is made by my uncle," she said. "If the central government wants a steel bar, it should be 10 centimeters. When it comes to the province, it will be 8 centimeters, and when it comes to the city, it will be 5. This is very, very common. This is not news."

NPR

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

When Obama was asked to comment he replied, "We didn't build that!"

[docstew]

Was the person at the end of that excerpt talking about corruption?

Corruption? In a monolithic state-run economy where the gov't is the only provider of goods? That never happens!! 

[DumbAss Tanker]

Was the person at the end of that excerpt talking about corruption?

Corruption? In a monolithic state-run economy where the gov't is the only provider of goods? That never happens!! 

The Soviet Union had the same problem, any process or thing that wasn't rigidly inspected with Draconian penalties for shortcuts or diversions (Like military or space equipment) was generally worthless or short-loaded by the time it got to the end of the pipeline.

In the West, there is an old saying from the machine industry, "You can have it fast, cheap, or accurate, pick any two."  The Communist approach to making anything is to demand all three by the power of government order alone, without increasing or improving any of the inputs, then claiming it actually worked and punishing anyone who says it didn't.

[NHSparky]

China...China...isn't that the place that Lizzie Warren, aka "Fauxcahontas", said we should be emulating for their "wonderful" infrastructure?

I wonder if she knows how many Chinese live in firetrap shitboxes, or travel on crumbling roads or bridges, drown in floods, earthquakes, or other natural disasters because of shoddy construction, or hell, **** it--how many of them don't even have running water or electricity?

Lizzie?  Granny?  Yoo-hoo!!!