Posted on 06/23/2016 9:42:05 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
I recently had the privilege and the pleasure of delivering the commencement address at UC Berkeley's College of Engineering. In preparing I reflected on the sorry state of America's infrastructure and the role engineers and government can and should play in putting things back together.
In my talk I pointed out that Congress is largely populated with trained lawyers, individuals who are schooled in the art of discourse, but unschooled in the art (and excitement) of creating and building. With 200 lawyers in Congress and only 8 engineers, it's clear that decisions to invest in our infrastructure are being managed by those who focus on debating one another rather than on conceiving important new projects - projects that would create jobs, spur on our economy, and energize our population. I urged those graduates in the audience to consider a career in politics, and from the applause at that exhortation perhaps some will take up the challenge.
In the meantime, the country's infrastructure is in a shambles. Highways and roads, bridges, tunnels, water systems, airports, mass transit, and perhaps most notably our electric grid (for reasons of national security as well as function) are all badly in need of rejuvenation. According to the National Economic Council, roughly 65 percent of America's major roadways fail to achieve a rating of good condition, let alone excellent. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) states that almost 25 percent of U.S. bridges are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. We have not built a major new airport in 20 years, and our air-traffic control systems are woefully behind advancements in today's technology. The ASCE estimates that an investment of $3.6 trillion by 2020 is required to bring our infrastructure to an acceptable level. Not even excellent mind you, but merely acceptable.
How did such a state come about? In the past, the Federal Government, as well as state and local governments, spearheaded the creation and renewal of U.S. infrastructure. The Erie Canal, which opened the interior of the United States to commerce with the east coast and ultimately with Europe; the intercontinental railway, which tied the entire country together; the Tennessee Valley Authority, which electrified and modernized a great swath of rural America; the Interstate Highway System, on which all of us have traveled; and a myriad of other undertakings were all funded or enabled by Government. Such efforts not only created productive projects but made us all proud of our country.
But in recent years our governments have backed away from such transformational activity, in particular, the Federal government. Having spent a fortune on the Iraq war, our swollen deficits made Congress reluctant to invest funds in domestic projects, even though such investments would, by any measure, have achieved a marvelous return. Having spent so much on destruction overseas we were loath to spend money on construction at home.
In 2008, we had a perfect opportunity. Millions were out of jobs, and there were thousands of projects worth doing. But instead of undertaking anything constructive, the members of our Congress did nothing but argue with each other, and as a result virtually nothing got done – particularly nothing that would truly strengthen our nation. Our politicians focused on tearing each other down rather than building our country up.
As the 2016 presidential election approaches, and a new administration prepares to take office we again have an opportunity to make the kind of public investments that would revitalize our nation, create jobs at a time when they are badly needed, and modernize our dilapidated foundation. It's time to seize this opportunity and not let it pass us by. Outnumbered as they are, we can only hope the engineers will at last prevail.
Commentary by Dr. James Simons, a prize winning mathematician, founder of Renaissance Technologies, and chair of the Simons Foundation, which is focused on supporting scientific research.
Flush out all the radical, muslim enablers that are implanted in our government.
It went to bailing out the big three and supporting unionized government workers in the states and cities.
“Firing 20,000 Federal employees per day for the first 90 days.”
That notion actually gives me a tingle up my leg.
They did build a bunch of overpass on the I-10 in the Coachella Valley. And on the I-215 though San Bernardino.
How about seizing all the pertinent records of the corruption and graft of the previous Administration and exposing it for all to see.........
Eminent Domain! Eminent Domain!
It should be the immediate removal of the entrenched administrative mandarin class of faceless,unaccountable bureaucrats and aparatchiks.
Infrastructure is the priority?
No. First, fire every director of every dept and every deputy to that director 10 levels down. Then start appointing originalist judges in every federal bench on all levels. Then fire every politically correct military officer.
Day 2, fire everyone in the DOE, EPA, State, BLM, BLA, white house.
All of money and knowhow went overseas, was outsourced, went to pay welfare for formerly employed Americans, went to government employee’s pension funds, to crony military contractors, to the Fed to prop up “too big to fail” banks and businesses, payments to foreign governments, and to finance rebuilding and improving infrastructure in OTHER nations.
That it why our nation is literally falling apart.
Too much money to be made elsewhere while deliberately ignoring our own home.
The US is literally being bled dry of equity and being ran into the ground for the profit of a few.
Increasing transportation funds are being squandered on invasive plant species abatement, adjacent wetlands, ludicrous storm water runoff treatment schemes, minority subcontracting quotas, feel good or politician praising signage, pocket parks, bird houses...yes -I said bird houses.
....debug the White Hut....yeah both,ones with legs too
What needs to be done—that which Constitutionally falls to the Federal Government—will all flow naturally from putting America & the Americans first, again.
2008 ...nothing was done? 2 or 3 Trillion dollars were diverted to Rat money laundering. Something WAS done. The money was STOLEN.
No? What do you see?
The WALL!!
Social programs
Nope Slush Fund, just try and find where the money was spent. Of course not having an actual budget makes it a little harder.
You may not believe it but those Alphabet Departments now have more small arms and ammo than our military. No one seems to remember Obama's demand that we must have a civilian defense force just as strong and just as powerful as our military.
It (God forbid!) klintoon is the next prez she should resign immediately.
1. Cut off any payments from the government to the Obamas AND the Clintons.
2. Eliminate most of the ABC agencies. Fire the government employees, board up the buildings, pull out all the phone and internet connections. Sell off all fixtures.
2. Clear all perverts out of what’s left of the central government as well as the military. Women should serve as part of the WAC.
3. Return all government lands to the states in which they’re located.
4. Bomb Tehran, Pyongyang and Riyadh quickly.
5. Fast track the SDI for North America and our Eastern European Allies.
6. Declare America a Judeo-Christian nation and deport all Muslims.
7. Order the UN building cleared of all personnel and deport the foreigners to the lousy countries they came from then remove the USA from the UN.
There’s much more to do, but this can be accomplished in the first day.
It’s not for unknown reasons at all. It was nothing but a $1T payback to local and state political patrons who supported Obama in the 2008 election.
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