America by the numbers seems to be falling apart

The good news: "Because we're so rich," says Romm, "avoiding catastrophe is a huge amount of money in absolute terms, but it's pocket change relative to our wealth." - SALON

clipped from www.salon.com When that bridge in Minneapolis collapsed, killing 13 and injuring 145, we started to remember that the prosaic details of infrastructure policy matter. Nuts and bolts can mean, quite literally, life and death. And the I-35 bridge over the Mississippi is not the only American thoroughfare suffering from underfunding and neglect. Number of bridges judged structurally deficient: 70,000. Number of major roads in mediocre or poor condition: Roughly one-third. Meanwhile, the roads aren't only worn down, they're overcrowded. In part, we can thank an administration that gave tax credits to SUV buyers while targeting public transit for cuts. clipped from www.salon.com Difference in price of brand-name drugs, U.S. and Canada, in 2004: 70 percent more expensive in the U.S. Number of uninsured Americans: 46 million, or 18 percent of the population under 65. Number of nine warmest years on record that have occurred since 2000: Seven. How much has the Arctic ice cap shrunk? 50 percent since the turn of the century.