Landslides

AFTER just a few days of rain, the landslides happen. Roads wash away. Bridges weaken. Communities are left stranded.

And in the weeks that follow, the excuses will begin.

They’ll say heavy rains caused the collapse.

They’ll say climate change caused irregular weather patterns.

They’ll say it was “unavoidable.”

But let’s be honest.

Rain doesn’t destroy properly built infrastructure. Water exposes weakness. It reveals shortcuts. It uncovers corruption buried beneath asphalt and concrete.

The truth is simple: the roads were not built properly from the start.

The department responsible for our highways — whatever official name they go by — approves projects, awards contracts, and oversees construction. Yet contracts often go to the lowest bidders. Corners are cut. Materials are downgraded. Standards are compromised. Profits are protected.

And when the roads fail? Responsibility disappears.

So we have to ask: What is the purpose of a department that supervises failure but claims no accountability? Shouldn’t the very office tasked with building our roads have the equipment, the oversight, and the integrity to ensure they are built to last?

Switching excuses is like switching two left shoes and pretending one of them magically became right. It doesn’t fix the problem. It only hides it — temporarily.

Real change begins with accountability.

If department heads faced real personal consequences — including prison time for proven corruption — priorities would shift quickly. If politicians were held liable for appointing unqualified friends instead of competent professionals, maybe public office would once again mean public service.

Maybe then roads would be built to withstand rain, and systems would be built to withstand greed.

Because infrastructure doesn’t just carry vehicles.

It carries trust.

And when it collapses, so does public confidence.

Just a thought.