Gather: Rendell, Schwarzenegger, and Bloomberg Demonstrate What Working Together Across Party Lines
From Gather:
Meet the Press's David Gregory reported on Sunday that Gov. Rendell D. Penn., Gov. Schwarzenegger R. Cal., Mayor Bloomberg I. NY. Met with President Obama last Friday to push for $1.6 trillion to rebuild America's infrastructure. Yes, you heard me right, $1.6 TRILLION. You may say "my God, that's more than twice the price tag of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act."
But I can tell you as a 23 year veteran of the highway engineering industry that this is the very first time I've ever heard politicians mention numbers that could be considered realistic.
It took nearly half a century to complete the Interstate system and the price tag was huge. But the benefits have produced a return on the investment a hundred fold. But for 30 some odd years now politicians unable to see past their own careers have virtually eliminated money for new highways and have gutted funding for the maintenance of the ones we already have.
And it's not just highways. Water and waste water systems. Airports, seaports, dams, levees and the other assorted facilities that make up the virtual circulatory and nervous systems of our civilization have been allowed to crumble before our very eyes.
And the truly sad thing is that this neglect is the result of political motivation. Tax cut crazy politicians refusing to put the good of the country before their political ambitions have betrayed the American people. Spin it anyway you want but maintaining our nation's infrastructure is not a Right or Left issue. It's an issue of responsibility plain and simple.
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William Millar, former President of the American Public Transportation Association Get The Facts
“Increased use of public transportation is the single most effective way to reduce America's energy consumption, and it does not require any new taxes, government mandates or regulations.”
