Jesse Jackson: U.S. in dire need of home improvement [View All]

[marmar]

from the Chicago Sun-Times:



U.S. in dire need of home improvement
June 24, 2008

BY JESSE JACKSON

Floods ravage the Midwest, as the hodgepodge system of levees is overwhelmed. Twenty-four are dead; damage is estimated at $15 billion and counting. The cost to food supplies has yet to be felt.

A bridge falls in Minneapolis, killing 13 people. A 100-year-old sewage valve explodes in Manhattan, terrorizing residents and shutting down much of lower Manhattan. And New Orleans still hasn't recovered from Katrina.

America is literally falling apart. Our infrastructure is old, outmoded and wearing out. Roads, bridges, waters and sewage systems, the electric grid, broadband, airports, public schools -- all have staggering unmet needs. America has become a place of private wealth and public squalor.

The American Society of Engineers estimates that the United States will need to invest $1.6 trillion over five years to bring our infrastructure up to sensible standards. That's "trillion" with a T. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that, on water systems alone, the annual spending gap today is about $19.4 billion for infrastructure modernization, and $18.1 billion in operations and maintenance.

This is a national emergency. The disrepair and decrepitude of our public systems isn't simply aggravating; it is massively costly. Schools in disrepair make children think we don't care about their education. Crowded roads in disrepair cost Americans hours from their families or their work and rack up millions in damage to cars and bodies. Inefficient transport and communications makes American business less competitive in the global economy. If we want to maintain a high-wage economy, we have no choice but to sustain a modern infrastructure, a world-class education system and robust public research and development.

In 2000, the United States was celebrating a budget surplus. It was a time to make significant investments in our infrastructure and our people. Instead, Bill Clinton -- beleaguered by the Gingrich Congress -- called for paying down the national debt, at the time lower as a percentage of GDP than any other industrial nation. George Bush, of course, called for massive tax cuts, skewed primarily to the already wealthy. Bush won the election; the Democratic majorities in Congress bowed to his wishes. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.suntimes.com/news/jackson/1020654,CST-EDT-jesse24.article