Invest in Infrastructure
To the Editor:
A recent letter wondered why voters prefer one candidate over another. A short answer is that voters believe that one is better at solving problems in the public interest than the other, a sort of each to his own said the man who kissed the cow. A case in point involves building better transportation and infrastructure systems. No Eastern elite, Dwight Eisenhower, who was born in Denison, TX and raised in Abilene, KS, became the 34th President. During his military career, he rose to be the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe during WWII. He helped plan and oversee D-Day, defeated Hitler, and became the first Supreme Commander of NATO. As president, he was dedicated to helping those who served in uniform and the folks at home. Based on his military experience and his belief that he was a “progressive conservative,” he continued New Deal programs and launched the Interstate Highway Initiative. The interstate highway act established a Highway Trust Fund financed by taxing gasoline, diesel fuel, tires and other items. Designed to establish a national, integrated highway system, the bill he signed in 1956 not only provided jobs but also gave “we the people” and free enterprise a safer and more efficient and effective highway system. To fund this project, he raised taxes so that people and companies with more money would benefit the nation, and themselves, by building better highways.
In 2017, President Trump’s infrastructure plan called for a trillion dollars and involved cutting other government programs. In his first speech as president-elect, he pledged to “begin the urgent task of rebuilding” the US, making it great again. Bipartisan opposition and negotiation were stymied by the 2020 COVID crisis, various disasters, and other spending priorities. I have not been able to learn whether Texas received any of that proposed money for roads and bridges.
As negotiated in Congress, President Biden’s initial infrastructure proposal, costing $547-715 billion, become two expensive and expansive bills. Capturing that bipartisan House and Senate debate regarding spending options in a quick summary is impossible. Bills were drafted to help citizens, and businesses, have more efficient and effective infrastructure systems, including more than highways, such as broadband needed to help schools and small businesses, as well as rural citizens. State initiatives, including Texas, were honored and funded to provide a lot of job and free enterprise stimulus for roads, bridges, ports, broadband access and other infrastructure improvements. Texas Comptroller, Glenn Hagar announced: “In 2021 alone, the federal government allocated a historic level of funding to states, including Texas, through two pieces of legislation signed by President Biden.” Hagar reported that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act ($1.2T) allocated $36.7B to Texas and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ($1.9T) allocated nearly $40B to Texas. We are witnessing federal money at work on road, broadband, bridge and trail improvements in Fayette County.
The second Trump administration is revisiting Biden’s 2021 “Build a Better America” transportation and infrastructure policies and objectives. Trump questions whether state initiatives are frustrated and costly burdens are incurred by greenhouse gas emission and equity initiatives.
To answer the opening question, voters place their bets on competing candidates based on their perceived values, character, track records, plans, and accomplishments. Time will tell, but one can argue that efforts to go back to some “golden era,” to make America great again, had better build a better future for “we the people.”
Bob Heath Carmine