Long before tonight's SNL appearance and Hillary's upcoming trip to Flint

[Uncle Joe]

Bernie was proposing major investments in our nation's infrastructure, his current plan calls for a 1 trillion dollar investment over five years.

The REBUILD AMERICA ACT of 2015

A Comprehensive Plan to Invest in our Infrastructure, Create Jobs and Strengthen the Economy

The Rebuild America Act will make a historic one-trillion dollar investment over five years to repair and modernize the physical infrastructure that our economy depends on. At a time when real unemployment stands at 11.2%, the Rebuild America Act will put thirteen million Americans to work in decent-paying jobs.

The World Economic Forum’s 2015 Global Competitiveness Report ranks our infrastructure as just 12th best in the world, as U.S. spending on infrastructure has slipped to 2.4 percent of GDP – less than at any point in the last twenty years. Meanwhile, Europe spends five percent on infrastructure and China spends nine percent.

The American Society of Civil Engineers – which has endorsed this bill – says we must spend an additional $1.6 trillion through 2020 above current spending just to get our infrastructure to a state of good repair. Our deteriorating infrastructure already costs the economy close to $200 billion a year, and if we don’t make these investments now, they will simply cost us more the longer we wait.

(snip )

WATER INFRASTRUCTURE

The Problem: Much of our drinking water infrastructure is nearing the end of its useful life: each year there are nearly a quarter-million water main breaks with a loss of an estimated seven billion gallons of fresh water. Because our wastewater treatment plants aren’t keeping up with needed improvements, almost ten billion gallons of raw sewage are dumped into our nation’s waterways each year. More than 4,000 of the nation’s 84,000 dams are now ‘deficient’ and nearly nine percent of all levees are likely to fail during a major flood.

The Solution: The Rebuild America Act will invest $145 billion in water infrastructure over five years:

• Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund: $6 billion a year to improve the water systems that provide Americans with clean, safe drinking water.

• Clean Water State Revolving Fund: $6 billion a year for water pollution control and wastewater and stormwater infrastructure that protect our nation’s rivers and lakes.

• Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act: $2 billion a year to finance large drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects currently not eligible for SRF funding.

• Dams and Levees: $12 billion a year to upgrade high-hazard dams that provide flood control, drinking water, irrigation, hydropower, and recreation, and for levees that protect our cities and farms.

(snip)

http://www.budget.senate.gov/democratic/public/index.cfm/blog?ID=3d1eef89-1dcb-491b-8f10-5cf22fd9c313

Is our infrastructure really “crumbling”?
Yes. In its annual report card on the nation’s infrastructure, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gave the United States a cumulative grade of D+. In 2010 alone, it was estimated that deficiencies in surface infrastructure from potholes and outdated rail lines to collapsing bridges cost us $130 billion between property damage and lost time.

While arguing to garner to support for his proposed infrastructure legislation, Bernie expounded:

“America once led the world in building and maintaining a nationwide network of safe and reliable bridges and roads. Today, nearly a quarter of the nation’s 600,000 bridges have been designated as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Let’s rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. Let’s make our country safer and more efficient. Let’s put millions of Americans back to work.”

How can we afford investing $1 trillion in infrastructure?
We can’t afford not to! According to a report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), federal spending on transportation and water infrastructure since 2003 has decreased by 19 percent (23 percent with respect to new infrastructure) while only a 6 percent increase in spending on operations and maintenance has developed in its place. According to the aforementioned ACSE report:

24.9 percent of bridges are functionally obsolete or structurally deficient, over which more than 200 million trips are taken daily
42 percent of major urban highways are congested, costing us $101 billion annually and increasing carbon emissions
32 percent of roads are in poor or mediocre condition, which adds up to a cost of $324 per motorist every year

(snip)


The most important point is that rebuilding our infrastructure is an investment in our economic future. Independent studies show that, in the short-term, non-residential construction generates nearly twice as much economic activity as money spent ($1.92 per $1 spent). This means that for every dollar we put into our infrastructure, we get almost two dollars back in immediate economic impact. The long-term impact is even more significant at well over three times what we spend ($3.21 per $1 spent).

More, as Bernie has noted, the cost of the Iraq war — which included rebuilding much of the infrastructure that was destroyed — is now hovering at $1.7 trillion dollars. Bernie has introduced a number of bills to curb corporate tax dodging, which would account for over half of the required revenue in addition to the previously mentioned savings. Investing in infrastructure boosts our economy now and saves money long-term.

http://feelthebern.org/bernie-sanders-on-infrastructure/

I have little doubt that a President Bernie Sanders would be most proactive in addressing specific needs that have come to light from the catastrophe of what's happening in Flint and no doubt other areas of the nation as well.

Hillary is proposing an investment in our nation's infrastructure equal to about 25% of Bernie's and with the greater likelihood that she would have us engaging in conflicts around the world, taking away precious financial resources, I see little upside that Hillary is up to the task.

Hillary Clinton's Modest Infrastructure Proposal

It’s hard to call a plan that spends $275 billion in taxpayer dollars over five years “modest” and keep a straight face. But that may be the best way to describe the proposal Hillary Clinton unveiled on Monday to upgrade the nation’s ailing infrastructure.

(snip)

Yet the reaction from advocates of more robust infrastructure spending has been less than enthusiastic, a nod to the fact that the size of the Clinton plan falls well short of what studies have shown the country needs. “Secretary Clinton is exactly right to call her plan a ‘down payment,'” said Damon Silvers, the AFL-CIO’s director of public policy. “The reality of our infrastructure deficit is in the trillions, not billions.”

Specifically, that deficit has been pegged at $1.6 trillion—the amount of additional money governments at all levels would have to spend by 2020 to bring the nation’s infrastructure up to date, according to a widely-cited report issued two years ago by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Even Bernie Sanders didn’t make it that high, but he came a lot closer than Clinton by introducing legislation to spend $1 trillion over the next five years on infrastructure.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/12/hillary-clintons-modest-infrastructure-proposal/418068/

[PoliticAverse]

1. His Saturday Night Live appearance is tonight not tomorrow. n/t

[Uncle Joe]

2. Thanks for the heads up, PoliticAverse,

I have corrected the title, peace to you.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

3. oh god no - more facts

is that all you got

[Uncle Joe]

4. Facts are boring things when you can have a photo op.

[kath]

8. Facts? Facts?! We don't need no steenkin' facts!

[cyberswede]

5. Yes, the implication that appearing on SNL means he hasn't worked on this issue is ludicrous. nt

[Uncle Joe]

6. It's all about the spin. n/t

[TheProgressive]

7. Good paying American jobs must be in the high priority list...

It is a prerequisite for every other high priority items.

[Uncle Joe]

9. And other than the obvious benefit of enhancing safety, it's a great return on the investment.

The most important point is that rebuilding our infrastructure is an investment in our economic future. Independent studies show that, in the short-term, non-residential construction generates nearly twice as much economic activity as money spent ($1.92 per $1 spent). This means that for every dollar we put into our infrastructure, we get almost two dollars back in immediate economic impact. The long-term impact is even more significant at well over three times what we spend ($3.21 per $1 spent).

[TheProgressive]

11. Exactly. And...

...for all the other programs to function properly, like SS and healthcare, workers
need a paycheck so that contributions can be made.

[Uncle Joe]

12. As in life, this is a circle, it's up us as to whether we wish that circle to grow larger and

stronger or shrink into decay.

[bigwillq]

10. K and R (nt)

[Uncle Joe]

13. Thanks for the K and R, bigwillq.

[amborin]

14. plus, Bernie courageously demanded Mich Gov resign, but Hillary just goes for photo ops nt

[Uncle Joe]

15. I believe it's the only time that he has ever done it. n/t