Big-city mayors told Congress on Thursday that they are overwhelmed by the infrastructure needs of their regions and cannot maintain well-functioning water systems, roads and rail networks without more federal help.

"We're having a quiet collapse of prosperity," said Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Mark Funkhouser, one of four mayors to testify before the Senate Banking Committee about the state of the nation's infrastructure, which they agreed was poor and getting worse.

They blamed much of the decay on shortsighted thinking by local, state and federal officials.

They should put the blame where it belongs: on politics itself. Saving money and building sports stadiums are popular, spending money on invisible needs is not, so the buck gets passed -- until a tragedy happens, and then everyone is all righteous indignation. God bless America.