On the Issues: Infrastructure - Our candidates need to be stronger

[GitRDun]

All of us know how important rebuilding infrastructure here in the US is to our futures. Our 2016 candidates need to do a better job putting a cohesive message together on infrastructure.

HRC offers an infrastructure bank with no capitalization levels or funding mechanism provided.

BS offers a $1 trillion package which includes a $25 billion funded infrastructure bank with no proposed way to pay for it.

MM offers nothing specific. Has some good history trying in MD, though.

Please fill in holes if you think I have them. I don’t hate your candidate…just trying to learn. I fear these candidates are trying to avoid the “tax and spend liberal tag”. IMO, a simple increase in the gas tax should be able to fund infrastructure and I-Banks. There have been no increases in the gas taxes in forever and we pay much less than others around the world in gas taxes.

Please keep the Hillary is a liar and Bernie is a racist stuff out of this thread…we know who hates who in here. Help us pick a candidate. Make us more informed about your candidate.

Hillary Clinton

Identifiable proposal is establish an infrastructure bank. From her July, 2015 speech at the New School

Then there are the new public investments that will help establish businesses and entrepreneurs, create the next generation of high-paying jobs.
You know, when we get Americans moving, we get our country moving. So let’s establish an infrastructure bank that can channel more public and private funds…channel those funds to finance world-class airports, railways, roads, bridges and ports.
And let’s build those faster broadband networks and make sure there’s a greater diversity of providers so consumers have more choice.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/07/13/hillary-clinton-transcript-building-the-growth-and-fairness-economy/

I could not find any information on infrastructure other than the infrastructure bank on Hillary’s campaign site.

Bernie Sanders

$1 trillion over 5 years infrastructure funding. Legislation proposed in January, 2015 would be on top of normal infrastructure spending. The bill would fund both infrastructure and an infrastructure bank ($5 billion per year capital).

No mechanism to pay for the spending appears to be indicated in the legislation. According to an article from The Hill:

Sanders did not offer a concrete funding mechanism for his proposal.

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/s268/text
http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/230866-sen-sanders-files-1t-infrastructure-bill

Martin O’Malley

15 Goals section of his web site includes a section on clean energy, but nothing specific on infrastructure.

A 2012 article in the Huffington Post covers his testimony and proposal on what to do about infrastructure in Maryland on why. Does a good job of explaining why using tax increases to pay for the improvements makes sense.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gov-martin-omalley/we-need-to-invest-in-infr_b_1347197.html

Come on DU! Teach us something!