During the past five years, we’ve seen an increase in infrastructure issues, from the 2003 Northeastern blackout to insufficient aqueducts in Georgia to collapsed bridges. Perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate public works.
The programming started by Franklin Roosevelt to help end the Great Depression may be a classic example of “big government,†but it provided thousands with jobs at a time when they were most needed and gave our country such mainstays like the Golden Gate Bridge, the Washington Airport and several hydroelectric dams.
As American infrastructure declines and begins to fall into disrepair, we are spending more than $600 billion in Iraq, not counting interest and other hidden costs.
“Roosevelt’s basic idea — that the government should employ idle hands to upgrade the nation — should never have gone out of fashion,†said Adam Cohen of the New York Times. “The next president will need to confront the nation’s disrepair.â€
Posted by Kristin Mehler
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16 Comments
Yeah, but the rich needed a big tax cut.
The problem with the monies that are raised by Congress and States, is that the infrastructure funds have been loosely tied. That is, the original intent on monies to repair infrastructure has been frittered away on ‘pork’ projects that have nothing to do with repairs.
The money needed for repair has always been there to fix infrastructure. The problem is holding politicians accountable for wise use of public monies to get the job done.
The poor are not willing to work for their welfare, and they shouldn’t have to, that’s not the way the Government was designed in the 1960’s.
The bridge to the 21st Century paved by Bill Clinton is founded on the few working people supporting the many lazy people.
The Government is here to take care of those who DON’T work, and to punish those who are successful.
Record amounts of money entering the US treasury as a result of the tax cuts but yet nothing left for maintance. Maybe if the Republicans and the Democrats were to stop their welfare programs and PORK Barrell Spending we’d have enough left. The amount spend in Iraq is a drop in the bucket when it comes to what our government wastes. By the way, why does Adam Cohen of the New York Times and the other liberals want democracy in Pakistan but not in Iraq, and they think it is wonderful for Castro and Chavez to be little dictators?
Clinton robbed money from the highway trust fund, instead of using it for bridge and road repairs.
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/gastax.cfm
The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, signed by President Bill Clinton on August 10, 1993, increased the gas tax by 4.3 cents, bringing the total tax to 18.4 cents per gallon. The increase was entirely for deficit reduction, with none credited to the Highway Trust Fund. However, the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, which President Clinton approved on August 5, 1997, redirected the 4.3-cents general fund gas tax increase to the Highway Trust Fund.
A new “new deal”?
LONG overdue.
A massive committment to public service would help bring America back together.(well, except for the greedheads but who cares about them?) It would also provide a healthy competition for workers to greedy businesses who would have to think twice about how they treat and pay their workers.
Let’s do it!
Bush is more concerned with Iraq’s infrastructure than with America’s. We need to build it there, rather than build it here!
Before the Federal Government robs taxpayers of more money, we need to take a look at a couple of things,
1) How many Billions of Dollars are lost thru corruption? Note the undocumented journal entries cited in this Federal Highway Audit Report.
2) Look at how many Billions of Dollars being collected today, are actually spent on highways and bridges.
Throwing More Money at the Problem, is the Government approach to fixing every problem, but seldom is that the BEST solution.
Remember, 18.4 cents for every gallon of gasoline, is already being collected by Federal Government. In ADDITION, each State has it’s own tax on gasoline. 24 cents/gallon in Kansas.
Is every state spending every penny of gasoline tax on highways and bridges?
Lotsa out of state gas tax revenue comes into Kansas via I35 and I70.
http://www.gaspricewatch.com/usgastaxes.asp
Max,
So, NOT investing in infrastructure is more likely to get the infrastructure built and the needs met?
Call us when the shuttle lands, ok?
Maybe we should pass a law that states every penny that Bush spends in Iraq should be matched and spent on our own infrastructure? At least that way, we know our infrastructure will be maintained because we all know the Iraq War will not be over for a long, long time – even with a new president.
I would like to see one of the presidential candidates seriously talk about getting the US off the dependency of Middle East oil and then follow through to make sure we do get off the crap.
The best defense is a good offense and being self sufficient is a good offense to the threats of the Middle East. What else do they have besides their oil?
What kind of infrastructure should we be building? One that assumes that Americans will continue to guzzle down oil at an ever increasing rate for the next 100 years?
How foolish is it to continue to build roads and bridges to reach strip malls and subdivisions and then restrict and tax the refiners and oil companies that sell the necessary fuel for such infrastructure to be utilized?
If you build it, they will drive on it… and then you can tax them to death!
rfl – we need to be maintaining the infrastructure we have now, don’t you think? Even this smallest investment is not being done at the present time.
But if we were really serious about finding alternative fuel sources, then won’t we still need the roads and bridges you are talking about?
I’m just wondering – are you in the oil business?
I thinks it is contradicting to speak out against big oil and how we need to “wean ourselves off of foreign oil” and then spend money on upgrades an infrastructure that requires oil consumption. Don’t you think?
BTW, I am cyclist. I would love for Beijing style bike lanes on every road through Wichita.
So, NOT investing in infrastructure is more likely to get the infrastructure built and the needs met?
Call us when the shuttle lands, ok?Posted by: CF2K | November 19, 2007 at 11:04 AM
“Specifically, for the 183 journal entries selected we noted 33 instances related to all of the OAs, where either no supporting documentation was attached to the entry or the supporting documentation was insufficient to support the entry.”
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/htffy06/htffy06.pdf
When the Government can document 100% of the journal entries on its ledger for the Billions being spent on infrastructure CF, AND 100% of the highway tax revenue is spent on highways, THEN a tax increase could be considered.
I never said don’t keep the infrastructure maintained.
If the Highway Dept was a private business, with an audit report like the one I posted, it would be shut-down by its investors or driven out of business by its competitors.
For those who can’t figure, 33 of 183 undocumented journal entry items = 18% of highway expenditures that cannot be documented.
Where did the Billions of Dollars for highways and bridges go?
Find the money, and you increase Federal spending on highways by 18% without increasing taxes by one red cent.