Davin News Server

On Sat, 22 Feb 2025 22:30:36 -0500
Governor Swill <governor.swill@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:54:29 -0700, Mercy-a-lago <run@no.spam> wrote:
>=20
> >On Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:39:40 -0800
> >Alan <nuh-uh@nope.com> wrote:
> > =20
> >> On 2025-02-22 12:31, Mercy-a-lago wrote: =20
> >> > On Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:27:07 -0800
> >> > Alan <nuh-uh@nope.com> wrote:
> >> >    =20
> >> >> The previous administration did more for infrastructure than the
> >> >> past 3 Republican administrations combined.   =20
> >> >=20
> >> > In Ukraine and Gaza...
> >> >    =20
> >>=20
> >> Bzzzzt.
> >>  =20
> > =20
>=20
> >><https://usafacts.org/state-of-the-union/transportation-infrastructure/>
> >>=20
>=20
> What a shame you snipped his resource from your reply.
>=20
https://www.csis.org/analysis/united-states-broken-infrastructure-national-=
security-threat

Published February 16, 2021

The warning signs are everywhere. In Texas, a winter storm leaves millions =
of households without power. In Wisconsin, farmers are struggling to safely=
 use modern equipment on roads that were built over 50 years ago. In Arizon=
a, a century-old bridge partially collapsed last summer after a train derai=
led. In Florida, old pipes are leaking millions of gallons of sewage. Ameri=
ca, the city on a hill, is crumbling.

After years of promises and inaction, revitalizing U.S. infrastructure need=
s to be treated as a national security priority rather than a punchline. Fe=
w ideas have as much bipartisan appeal and economic potential. Increasing p=
ublic spending on infrastructure to levels similar to the mid-twentieth cen=
tury would create more than 3 million jobs by 2029 and boost productivity. =
The U.S. economy would grow by $2.70 for every dollar spent.

But above and beyond the economic stakes, fixing U.S. infrastructure is a n=
ational security imperative. The strategic importance of infrastructure is =
not new, but it has grown in recent years due to climate change, innovation=
, and China=E2=80=99s rise. At stake is the United States=E2=80=99 military=
 readiness, national resiliency, and global competitiveness.

During the Cold War, President Dwight Eisenhower understood the link betwee=
n infrastructure and military readiness. As he argued in his 1955 State of =
the Union Address, =E2=80=9CA modern, efficient highway system is essential=
 to meet the needs of our growing population, our expanding economy, and ou=
r national security.=E2=80=9D Eisenhower worked with Congress to create the=
 National Highway System, which enhanced the United States=E2=80=99 ability=
 to move troops and evacuate large cities.

Decades later, these capabilities were still on display. =E2=80=9CThe capac=
ity of the U.S. highway system to support the mobilization of troops and to=
 move equipment and forces to U.S. ports of embarkation was key to successf=
ul deployment,=E2=80=9D Lieutenant General Kenneth R. Wykle explained to Co=
ngress after the First Gulf War. The problem, however, is that the National=
 Highway System was designed to last until the 1970s. Years of underfunding=
 has left a backlog of work for U.S. highways and bridges that exceeds $830=
 billion.

Infrastructure is also essential for resilience, the ability to recover fro=
m adversity. Last year, the United States experienced 22 weather and climat=
e disasters with losses exceeding $1 billion each, a new record. Combined c=
osts reached $95 billion. No person or place is immune to these risks, whic=
h aging infrastructure magnifies. As a National Academy study explains, =E2=
=80=9CIf a community has weakened infrastructure, like a human body with a =
compromised immune system, it will not withstand trauma as well as one in g=
ood health.=E2=80=9D

Climate change is increasing these risks. Much of today=E2=80=99s infrastru=
cture was built for a world that was cooler and less extreme, and it is now=
 aging more quickly. Increased temperatures, precipitation, and storm sever=
ity that accompany climate change all degrade roads, bridges, and railways.=
 Rebuilding infrastructure provides an opportunity to incorporate disaster =
resilience. It also provides an opportunity to increase energy efficiency a=
nd build a greener economy.

Resiliency extends beyond natural disasters. As the U.S. government conside=
rs how to make supply chains for critical goods more resilient, investments=
 in infrastructure will be essential for reshoring production. New domestic=
 production will create new patterns for moving goods that infrastructure w=
ill need to serve. Investing in infrastructure would also incentivize for c=
ompanies to set up shop in the United States.

The United States is competing for much more than the attention of global c=
ompanies. Infrastructure will influence whether the United States trains an=
d attracts the brightest minds, whether it remains a leading hub for innova=
tion, and whether U.S. workers and companies have the solid foundation requ=
ired to export their goods and services to foreign markets. Right now, the =
sorry state of U.S. infrastructure is a drag on all these prospects.

Digital infrastructure has become even more essential to daily life, a tren=
d accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, over 40 million Americans =
still don=E2=80=99t have access to broadband. Investments in infrastructure=
 are needed to close that divide and give U.S. communities access to the ed=
ucational, health, and business opportunities that digital connectivity pro=
vides. Done right, investments in digital infrastructure could also positio=
n the United States to export more of these solutions, from Open RAN networ=
ks to smart city systems.

China=E2=80=99s rise raises the stakes further. The United States is enteri=
ng what could be a decades-long competition in which economic and technolog=
ical power will matter just as much, if not more, than military might. Star=
ting this race with decaying infrastructure is like lining up for a maratho=
n with a broken ankle. Beijing understands the nature of this contest. Chin=
ese leader Xi Jinping is championing =E2=80=9Cnew infrastructure,=E2=80=9D =
calling for major investments in 5G networks, data centers, industrial inte=
rnet capacity, satellite services, and other digital infrastructure.

With its Belt and Road Initiative, China has even rolled out a bigger infra=
structure package beyond its borders than the United States has been able t=
o muster at home. Washington should not attempt to match Beijing=E2=80=99s =
infrastructure activities, which keep bloated state-owned enterprises afloa=
t, stoke corruption, and can destroy more value than they create. But the U=
nited States must rise to the challenge by making strategic investments in =
its own future at home and playing to its own strengths abroad.

There are two paths ahead. The path not taken for ages=E2=80=94revitalizing=
 U.S. infrastructure=E2=80=94will require courage and compromise. But it le=
ads toward renewal, prosperity, and security. The current path=E2=80=94negl=
ecting U.S. infrastructure=E2=80=94is easy and dangerous. It leads toward u=
npreparedness, fragility, and decline. The choice is simple: the city on th=
e hill can shine again, or the world can watch as its lights go out.