US is under spending on Infrastructure

The United States is falling behind on investing in the roads, bridges, airports, and transit systems that keep our economy humming. We spend just 2 percent of our GDP on infrastructure projects. Europe and China invest 5 percent and 9 percent of their respective GDPs on developing infrastructure.

Functioning infrastructure provides a critical backbone for a strong economy. Research shows that investments in creating, maintaining, or expanding transportation networks promote efficiency, productivity, and more rapid economic growth.

Today, President Obama is calling on Congress to pass a piece of the American Jobs Act that will invest $50 billion in our nation’s transportation infrastructure and $10 billion in a National Infrastructure Bank. Together, these initiatives will put hundreds of thousands of construction workers back on the job rebuilding our roads, rails, and runways. With 1.1 million constructions workers out of work, we can’t wait to invest in our infrastructure.

The US has been falling behind for decades since World War 2. The problem is that we spend more that twice as much--4.7 per cent--on defense.


After World War 2, the Europeans and the Japanese had to rebuild their infrastructures.


The US did not do this and we have not invested in ports, roads, bridges, leevees and dams to remain competitve in the world.


The last big civil construction boom in the US was during the Great Depression in which many civic project such as roads bridges and high school stadiums were built.


We are not keeping America safe with gullded defense spending while our civil infrastructure collapses from within.


Rightardia was listening to the defense bureaucrats like Leon Panetta whine about cuts to defense spedning which increased 40 per cent after 911. That huge increase in defense spending  did not include the costs associated with the Iraq and Afghan wars which is already more than $ 1 trillion.

The life cycle cost of both wars is expected to reach $4 trillion as veteran's disability claims are paid.

see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures


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