In the rush of progress and innovation, there was a time when America led the way, constructing monumental feats that left the world in awe. Skyscrapers stretched to the heavens, bridges spanned mighty rivers, and highways carved pathways through the landscape. Today, one can’t help but wonder what happened to that spirit of ambition. Recently, China opened the world’s tallest bridge, a marvel that rises 2,051 feet above the Huajiang Canyon floor. It includes a glass skywalk and a high-speed glass elevator. Although some attractions like bungee jumping and paragliding are planned for the future, they are not yet available. This impressive structure was built in less than four years. It’s a stark contrast to the current state of construction projects here in the U.S., where even a simple parking garage could get bogged down in zoning permits for six years.
Let’s face it, if someone tried to build that Chinese bridge in California today, it would be stuck in bureaucratic limbo for well over a decade. Permits, environmental reviews, and endless debates would push the start of construction to 2040, if it even happened at all. By then, the construction would likely be canceled due to some procedural oversight or the newfound “concerns” of the day. So, what changed? Why can’t America achieve greatness on such a grand scale anymore? The answer is a mix of red tape, regulatory roadblocks, and perhaps a shift in values that no longer prioritize, or even recognize, excellence.
In contrast, the bridge in China not only serves a practical purpose by reducing travel time from two hours to two minutes, but it also stands as a testament to human ingenuity. It’s a symbol of what can be done when a nation puts its mind to grand designs. Building not just for necessity, but for the sheer awe and grandeur of the achievement itself—this is a concept seemingly lost on today’s American bureaucrats. They are more concerned with maintaining their complex systems of regulation and paperwork than with anything as quaint as progress.
Progressives might argue that these regulations and delays are necessary to protect the environment, ensure safety, or achieve some social good. Yet, one could suggest it’s more about maintaining control and justifying their existence. The constant hand-wringing over every possible consequence has enabled a culture that fears doing anything big, anything different, or anything spectacular. Bureaucrats have become like those pesky seagulls squawking over a dropped french fry, endlessly complicating matters just to show they have something to do.
Ultimately, the story of the world’s tallest bridge is more than about cutting-edge technology or engineering marvels. It’s about ambition, about remembering what a nation can do when it dares to dream big. As was once famously said, not because it is easy, but because it is hard. Somewhere along the line, that audacious spirit has been lost. It’s time to reclaim it, not merely to compete on the global stage, but to remind ourselves of what America is truly capable of achieving.
