In arguing in favor of a surge in Afghanistan, President Obama cited the importance of investing in the country's infrastructure as a mechanism for strengthening democracy. Our Commander-in-Chief has currently approved the pouring of billions of dollars into Afghani schools, clinics, roads, and bridges. In addition, the United States has currently added "hundreds of US advisers including agricultural specialists, engineers and lawyers." Yet in light of recent events, I urge our president to bring home our money, our resources, and even our engineers.
The United States is falling apart. No, I am not talking about our leadership or our standing in the world (although one could make a good case for both). I am talking about the physical infrastructure of the country. While other countries such as China and India have invested billions in creating 21st century infrastructure, America has proved content with the progress made under the Eisenhower Administration. The lessons learned from the devastating collapses of both the levees in New Orleans and the Mississippi River Bridge in 2007 had all but disappeared in the talks of the bank and auto bailouts.
What we had speculated for years has finally been articulated in the extensive American Society of Civil Engineers report on the state of infrastructure in the country. The report card is on par with a third world country. Our GPA added up to a solid D. The "highlights" of the chart include Aviation: D, Levees: D-, Bridges: C, Drinking Water: D, Roads: D, Schools: D, and Hazardous Waste: D-. Maybe instead of discussing the correlation between Afghani infrastructure and Middle East safety, we should talk about the relationship between America's infrastructure and American safety. We do not need terrorists to destroy our infrastructure; we are doing it for them.
For any student, these grades would warrant a parent teacher conference. Let's just take a moment to address some of these failings. In regards to aviation, our airports and more importantly our air traffic control systems are clearly outdated which not only carries financial costs in delays, but also a potential for human costs. The ground is not much safer as over one and four bridges are "either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete." The question is not if we will have another bridge collapse in the United States, but when. Our roads are in even worse shape as one in three are deemed to be in "poor condition." Even the most precious resource of clean water has come in jeopardy. Our drinking water systems are decades old and in dire need of repair. Many fail to comply with current water safety regulations, never mind meeting the demand of a growing 21st century population.
Yet attention to these important issues of infrastructure seems to have disappeared during the Great Recession. Contrary to what Congress may believe, government spending is not a zero sum game where money is either allocated to economic recovery or infrastructure. Infrastructure can and should play a critical role in turning our economy around. While tax cuts are important, money needs to be allotted for public works projects that benefit both the workers and the community. There is no better example of the role that public works can play in economic recovery than that of treatment of areas that have been contaminated by hazardous waste known as brownfield land. The redevelopments of brownfield land in the past 5 years have produced a staggering 191,338 jobs and extra $408 million in annual revenue for localities. However, there are currently 188 U.S. cities awaiting federal funds for brownfield cleanups. Uncle Sam needs to allocate public funds not only for brownfield cleanups, but also for all other types of public works projects that will both create jobs and improve community life.
The Milken Institute recently released a report citing 10 specific national infrastructure projects that could create in excess of 3.4 million jobs. As Congress discusses economic recovery, they simultaneously need to be focusing on developing our infrastructure. Yet despite the present evidence, Congress seems to be moving in a different direction. As Senator McCain wisely diagnosed long ago, "The problem is that most members of Congress don't pay attention to what's going on."
The House's $825 billion current proposal for a new jobs bill fails to comprehend the negative consequences of faltering infrastructure and the positive externalities of improved infrastructure. Less than a third of the bills spending is dedicated to addressing our infrastructure crisis. The actual percentage of investment being allotted to "concrete" infrastructure projects is even less, as much of the money is being directed in peculiar areas such as the development of a health record database. The rest of the bill focuses on tax cuts, state aid, and expanding the already great financial safety net.
However, this approach feels fundamentally flawed as a mechanism for creating jobs and even keeping America safe. The President of ASCE Wayne Klotz notes, "Our leaders are looking for solutions to the nation's current economic crisis. Not only could investment in these critical foundations have a positive impact, but if done responsibly, it would also provide tangible benefits to the American people, such as reduced traffic congestion, improved air quality, clean and abundant water supplies and protection against natural hazards."
President Obama deserves credit for addressing the need for investment in our failing infrastructure during his State of the Union address, a topic that went seemingly unnoticed during the Bush Administration. However, Obama failed to articulate both the importance of the issue and a strong plan to deal with the current crisis. Investing in infrastructure is not about competing with China to build the fastest train, rather it is a belief that all Americans should feel comfortable driving on our roads, flying in our airports, and drinking our water.
Its already happening.
Don't you know the current economic collapse was engineered to force governments and individuals to sell all their assets and turn them over to the financial elite.
Hey, its only money.
There is an alarming increase in the number of "Alternative Delivery" projects in this country. Alternative delivery is a category of public works construction that is other than the familiar design-bid-build in which the lowest bidder wins the job and builds the facility. Something called P3, or Public-Private Partnership, is taking hold. Large financial institutions team with large contractors (both almost always foreign-owned and managed) and lease highways and bridges, performing nominal, sometimes desperately needed, improvements for which there is no other funding source.
Called concessionaires, these teams then charge tolls on facilities previously owned and paid for by American taxpayers. The tolls then leave the country, possible forever.
do you really think Americans want their country to crumble?
Apparently Our Corporate owned politicians want America to Crumble, otherwise
wouldn't they have fixed it years ago?
But Politicians have been in Multinationals Pockets since the 70's
How can big business justify billions (yes with a B) in bonus money to executives that performed so poorly that they nearly ruined the worlds economy? While working people that actually do something are being laid off at record levels. It's a stupid question, but not nearly as stupid as the reality.
Government suffers from that same malady. The federal government just spend 18 million dollars to improve their website recovery.gov showing how wisely they spend your money.
The government has allocated millions in grants to "experts" to determine how to improve the economy.
My local government just spent their "stimulus" money to buy hundreds of thousands of dollars in unneeded equipment for their road and bridge department simply because the money was available.
With decisions like these, it's not surprising we are in the mess we're in. And NO ONE is held accountable.
Just think of the amount of reconstruction that could have been done with that money. Now I know why it's called a depression, when you really see whats going on, you get depressed.
Excellent article shining a light on this most critical of issues. Unfortunately, the massive and desperately needed infrastructure plan that was needed has not materialized. Further, the political and financial capital to address these essential problems seems nonexistant. All man made projects will eventually fail. Our nation's roads, sewers. levys, dams, highways..... are all in dire need. Massive Depression Era Type Programs were and are still needed. Unfortunately, this administration has somehow been convinced that the equity market will drive this recover rather than the pragmatic "kill two birds with one stone" approach of providing jobs for struggling American's while rebuilding our infrastructure. Their approach enriches the top one percent at the expense of a nation....Rebuilding our infrastructure enriches us all for the benefit of our children.
ThomastonPaine.com
Which of our 50 states, let alone the federal government itself, would withstand an honest external audit?
The fundamental, unescapable reality of this world is that you need money/credit to do anything. Now, you have to decide whether you want a loan or a grant. If you want a loan then you have to accept the fact that you must pay interest. If you want a grant you pay no interest. There is a middle ground where you get funding but must repay the principle from your earnings. If you don't earn anything then you won't get that kind of funding.
Now, we the people have been suckered into believing that we (the government) must borrow, at interest, our own money/credit to finance infrastructure and everything else; health care, defense, education, NASA, etc. Not.
We have an alternative that has been withheld because it is not the profitable thing to do. That is, if we were told that our system of credit creation could be managed without charging interest, the folks who now charge interest would lose income. That income comes from us, mainly, tax dollars we send to the Federal Reserve.
To avoid this, there are two major alternatives;
1. Mandate that the Fed no longer charge the Government for borrowing its own money.
2. Nationalizing the Fed making it a public entity. As a public entity it would
not have the authority to charge interest on funds designated to improve our infrasturcture, schools,
defense, NASA, etc.
Think about it. Are we being led by the brain dead or what?
Because, you know, if we can come home and turn on the TV and American Idol is on, or Monday Night Football, or Lost, then everything is copacetic.
Who needs government to do, like, stuff?
if they wouldn't listen to Howard Zinn,
they won't listen to me.
and start at home.
Glaciers extended throughout North America during the Ice Age , they have been receding for thousands of years, who said they would stop melting where we wanted them too.