What if we don't fix things?
The roads, levees, power grid, damns and other key elements of our infrastructure will soon reach a point of absolute tolerance. After that point, serious economic contraction will set in. Inter state trade on a regional basis may become the preferred option due to the hazards of just getting around the country. State and regional conflict over water and power will emerge pitting the "haves" against the "have nots." Imagine a trade war between the Great Lakes states and the South over access to fresh water. The notion of "United" will be threatened by irresolvable conflicts between "States." The results of a cycle of continual shortage and competition for ever scarcer resources may become irreversible.
The dialog on the stimulus plan, the first step to avoid a bleak future, is already polluted. Opponents cited a fictitious Congressional Budget Office study and claimed there would be major delay in spending. But facts were never their strong point.
The forces of denial and failure may have lost an election but they're alive due to the Wall Street welfare program for their loyal patrons. Like sharks in a feeding frenzy, the Republicans were in lock step unity in opposing the rebuilding effort. Their alternative -- do nothing!
It is all so unnecessary, given some foresight and commitment. But as long as the cult of ignorance and mandated suffering persists in its superstitious quest, we risk entering the perfect storm of no planning, no regulation, and no action. The future of the country is still in the balance.
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