"Structural Deficiencies"

It has become somewhat of a meme, that phrase, taken from reports about the bridge that collapsed in Minnesota. Of course, like many things for us, it takes a big disaster like this to wake us up to the realities: twenty seven years of fiscally conservative, largely trickle-down economics (Clinton didn't significantly change anything), and the focus on the military-industrial complex has meant that our entire infrastructure, the things that we depend on every day, like roads and bridges and schools and hospitals are all full of structural deficiencies, and are ready to collapse. But, of course there is more. Our American society as a whole is full of structural deficiencies. Structural deficiencies in priorities, in compassion, and in awareness. We all fiddling while our Rome burns. It is, of course, burning. It's been burning for a while now.  I think we're finally beginning to really feel the heat. In a pessimistic moment, I hear people say "here's a wake up call," and I think "how many of these do we need?" We've had a gazillion already. But then, I think perhaps it's like those mornings when you don't want to get up, and you hit the snooze button over and over, until, at some point, you realize it really is time to wake up.