Rebuild America’s infrastructure

While the Bee’s editors recognize California’s flood control management challenges (Sept. 2) it would be nice if our federal politicians were also conscious.

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, from 2016 through 2025, each household will lose $3,400 annually because of infrastructure deficiencies. They estimate the nation needs to spend $3.32 trillion to keep its ports, highways, bridges, trains, water and electric facilities up to date but has funded only $1.88 trillion of that.

Instead of 16 years of war at $5 trillion, I support liberals who can deal with domestic challenges, like our electrical grid which needs upgrading. Invite conservatives to focus on real problem solving.

Conservatives need self-identifying actions like starting wars, which divert the public’s attention away from the wealth inequality that dooms 9 million of the poor working full time. Problem-solvers never create ideal solutions, but they are better than war-makers who get Americans killed.

When politicians scapegoat some foreign dictator as a way to divert our attention from our infrastructure’s domestic problems, then they are no better than their targets, like North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, condemning his people to militaristic poverty. Easily fooled, some Trump “patriots” need an imperialist king. I say, rebuild America.

This story was originally published September 16, 2017 at 5:37 PM with the headline "Rebuild America’s infrastructure."