Infrastructure
How to Talk About the Issue
WE KNOW that Bush and his conservative allies have intentionally starved government, allowing our national infrastructure of roads, bridges, and schools to deteriorate. Yet Bush has also run up large budget deficits and left a wide range of urgent budget priorities. So don’t start by calling for more government spending. Frame the issue by agreeing with Americans that we have to shift our priorities.
WE SHOULD SAY: Bush and his allies have wasted hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars on corporate giveaways, tax cuts for the rich, and an unnecessary war in Iraq. Conservatives promise to continue those disastrous policies. We need change. Let’s get our priorities straight, investing in areas that make our nation stronger—like better roads, safer bridges, stronger levees, and modernized schools.
The Facts
America’s bridges and roads need much repair. The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that nearly 25 percent of bridges in the U.S.—over 152,000 bridges—are “structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.” [Federal Highway Administration] Heavier vehicles, like school buses and delivery trucks, are forced to take lengthy detours for safer bridges. Nearly one in four miles of urban interstate is in only “poor” or “mediocre” condition. [Bureau of Transportation Statistics]
America’s levees and waterways have become unreliable. Earlier this year, thousands of homes and millions of acres of crops were destroyed after heavy rains overwhelmed obsolete levees along the Mississippi River. In 2007, the American Society of Civil Engineers found more than 150 levees to be at high risk of failing due to poor maintenance; the Army Corps of Engineers cannot confirm or deny this because they have not even made a comprehensive levee inventory. [American Society of Civil Engineers, Associated Press] Over a quarter of the dams overseen by the Corps of Engineers have exceeded the lifespan for which they were designed and need major repairs to ensure their safety. [Army Corps of Engineers]
America’s schools are falling apart. Although public school enrollment has grown in recent years, investment in school construction and modernization has decreased by about 30 percent since 2003 and 2004. In fact, school construction spending was lower in 2007 than in any year since 1999. [American School and University Construction Report] About 17 percent of public schools are considered in “unsatisfactory” physical condition, and in roughly one-third of all schools, deficiencies in the school facilities interfere with the ability to teach. [National Center for Education Statistics]
America’s neglected infrastructure puts us at risk for disaster. A steam pipe explosion in Manhattan last year launched a tow truck 12 feet in the air, killing one and injuring dozens. The blast opened a 40 foot diameter crater and spread toxic asbestos, closing off 40 square blocks for five days. [New York Times] This is just a small illustration of the deadly danger of letting our infrastructure go unmaintained. America’s electric power grid, dams, water treatment plants, airports, and railways are all in dire need of repairs and improvements. [American Society of Civil Engineers]
The Argument
Government spending should reflect American values and goals. In a recession, we can’t afford to waste hundreds of billions of dollars on a civil war in Iraq. We need to realign our national priorities, focusing our spending on programs and structures that make our nation stronger—like better roads, safer bridges, stronger levees, and modernized schools.
Investments in education and transportation will stimulate our sluggish economy. Well-trained workers and top-notch facilities have always driven the American economy, but struggling schools and crumbling bridges threaten our ability to compete in the global market. Investments such as the G.I. Bill and the Interstate Highway System laid the groundwork for decades of economic expansion. We need similar investments now to turn our economy around.
It’s time for change. For the past 7½ years, the Bush Administration and its allies in Congress have spent our money badly. It’s time to stop spending on corporate giveaways, tax cuts for the rich, and unnecessary wars. It’s time for Washington to change directions. It’s time to repair what’s broken in America.
Progressive Solutions
Rebuild our failing infrastructure. We should repair American bridges, roads, and schools—creating jobs that can’t be sent offshore. Investing in American construction projects will also make our country safer and more efficient.
Create a National Infrastructure and Reinvestment Bank. Barack Obama and a bipartisan coalition of Senators support the creation of a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank that will invest $60 billion over ten years, generating nearly two million new jobs.
