Don’t Neglect Infrastructure

To the Editor: 
On Dec. 18 I turned on the TV to hear of a train wreck in Washington State. An unfortunate tragedy with 78 people on board. The train was headed to Portland from Seattle, Wash.
While this was happening, the Congress was anticipating a vote on the “super” tax relief plan. This is only a beginning of so many infrastructure problems we will see in the future. Of course, the tax bill will be more important than even any talk of infrastructure legislation.
Imagine the other neglected areas of our infrastructure aside from train travel. Consider with the continued neglect what can and will happen in our country. Not only have we neglected railroads, but we also have failing bridges, over-stressed water supply and sewage treatment facilities, airports, electric grid systems in disrepair.
Tunnels and highways are in need of replacement. The most recent report I’ve heard from the American Society of Civil Engineers, of which I am a former member, is $5 trillion. Haven’t we spent this in Iraq only since 2003? It was an unnecessary war.
While we’re engaged in wars, areas like the Far East and Europe have kept up their necessary programs. Japan and others have new high-speed bullet trains and junctions.
Progression is a dirty word in our majority in the Congress with their 8 percent approval rating.
Come 2018; if not changed, we can kiss our country good-bye and come that much closer to becoming a Third World nation.
Remember names like Eisenhower and Robert Moses; they accomplished things.
Today, let’s explore what can happen if there’s no progress on infrastructure. We have an antiquated rail system and will have more damage (Philadelphia and Washington). Bridge collapses (Minnesota). Dam breakage (Texas). There are electric grids with periodic shutdowns. Runway and general lack of maintenance (LaGuardia, New York).
Already we’re had breakdowns and oil leakage with the Keystone pipeline (South Dakota). The reason, improper procedure, and foreign steel.
We had a beginning of a tunnel in New York-New Jersey, Gov. Christie cancelled; a big-time error.
In conclusion, and knowing what I know, there will be some movement on infrastructure. Needless to say, it will never be enough.
We’ll see some political fanfare beginning with a small appropriation with promises for more later.
Priorities are rarely met, and we’ll pay dearly in the end. A few more years in a broken America and it will be too late unless (until) the Dems overwhelm in 2018.