Great again? Oroville dam highlights need for Trump to repair nation's crumbling infrastructure

The crisis at the Oroville dam is a sign of how our nation's infrastructure is crumbling. Despite hundreds of billions earmarked for rebuilding roads, bridges and dams across the country, very little has been accomplished.

As our infrastructure crumbles, our nation becomes weaker. However, Trump could fix our national infrastructure by raising money and creating a public works project.

Highlights

By Marshall Connolly (CALIFORNIA NETWORK)
CALIFORNIA NETWORK (https://www.youtube.com/c/californianetwork)
2/15/2017 (7 years ago)

Published in U.S.

Keywords: Oroville, Trump, infastructure, dam, bridges, public works

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) -- According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, our nation isn't very great. In fact, we have a D+ on their infrastructure report card. That means our infrastructure is below average that found in other western, industrialized countries. And that level of decay is unacceptable.

 ENERGY: D+
 SCHOOLS: D
 PUBLIC PARKS & RECREATION: C-
 TRANSIT: D
 ROADS: D
 RAIL: C+
 PORTS: C
 INLAND WATERWAYS: D-
 BRIDGES: C+
 AVIATION: D
 WASTEWATER: D
 SOLID WASTE: B-
 LEVEES: D-
 HAZARDOUS WASTE: D
 DRINKING WATER: D
 DAMS: D

A: EXCEPTIONAL, B: GOOD, C: MEDIOCRE, D: POOR, F: FAILING

A new report card will be published in March, but the scores aren't looking very good. At best we might maintain our D+ average.

What's the problem?

We're neglecting our infrastructure, and there is now a backlog of maintenance and modernization. Infrastructure is expensive and often controversial. It is difficult enough to close a lane on a highway or a road to repave it. Imagine closing a bridge or overpass for an extended period. When it happens, it is fraught with political liability.

To repair our infrastructure, we need an investment of $3.6 trillion. That kind of money simply isn't available, but that's no excuse to delay.

U.S. businesses are holding about 4-5 trillion dollars in cash offshore in tax havens. They'd like to bring that cash home, but they cannot because it will be taxed at a punishing rate. This is where President Trump could be the perfect man for the job.

If a tax amnesty were declared corporations could bring all that money home. There would be one stipulation, about twenty percent of the money would have to be used to purchase bonds to finance infrastructure projects. Those bonds would be repaid later. In the meantime, the cash would be spent on a major public works project that would employ millions of Americans.

Any American could find work in the program, even those who are dependent on welfare benefits to survive. Jobs could be created that anyone can fill. Data entry, cleaning, painting, and the list goes on. Skilled or unskilled, there's plenty of work for everyone to do. And best of all, everyone gets a paycheck.

So far, there are no such plans in the works. Infrastructure improvement remains a matter of one crisis after another as bridges are repaired only when they are about to fail. Dams are only improved when it appears they could burst. Roads are only repaved when their potholes cause an accident.

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It's time for America to be great again, but we will be nothing if our infrastructure continues to crumble.

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