Infrastructure and Obstruction
History does repeat itself, and it’s about to. The former guy promised movement on our crumbling infrastructure, but never made it happen. Lest we forget, let me remind you: the former guy, Trump, walked away from several infrastructure proposals, including ones with funding for his border wall that Mexico was supposed to pay for. But he nixed all of them for various reasons, which I’m about to talk about because we are going to see a resurgence of those very same “justifications” for the GOP obstructing this infrastructure bill, too.
It’s already a sad guarantee: The Republicans will oppose every idea in this infrastructure proposal on the grounds that we can’t afford it and can’t raise any taxes to pay for it. But that isn’t the real reason. The real reason is that these plans will greatly expand opportunities for working class families, and that will in turn cost Republicans votes. Probably not as many votes as it should, as I’m sure millions will remain single issue voters and continue to vote against their own interests. Apparently it’s more fun to bitch about the crumbling infrastructure than to actually fix it. That’s another topic for another day. Back to this infrastructure bill.
We have seen this movie before. It ran during the Obama administration and was largely successful in holding on to votes for the GOP. All this ignoring the insurmountable evidence that President Reagan’s trickle-down economics has failed to generate the kind of economic growth we need. I know it’s an American original sin to doubt anything President Reagan did, but the studies are out there and it’s undeniable. Here is the most recent study, completed in 2020. Our version of unfettered capitalism has failed. It is time to bring it back to the people not just in the form of taxing the rich, but focusing heavily on the middle and lower classes’ needs. This infrastructure bill will accomplish that.
Our past Republican presidents have proved that deficits are never a problem for them. But if you suggest spending money on the working people and increasing taxes on the 1%, forget it. It’s a non-starter. And somehow they’ve convinced a huge swath of the working poor that this is a good thing for them and for the country.
Let me make this clear what they are really rejecting: What they will have no part of is prosperity for their voters under a Democratic administration. Mind you, the jobs and economic progress will last far beyond 2024 when we may get a new president anyway. Far be it from the GOP to actually create a platform that will help independent voters like me sway to their side. Oh no, they’d rather try to pass voter suppression laws and engage in endless culture wars like Mr. Potato Head and Dr. Seuss while people sit in the cold, unable to afford the basic necessities through no fault of their own. Where’s the morality in the so-called pro-life party?
There is another way to look at this. $3T is an unfathomable number — it’s a big bill. But we have to look at this not as a cost, but as an investment — one of the most important in a generation. Don’t fall for the old “Tax and Spend Democrats” mantra. This is investment in America. Investments generate returns. Think about the price tag in 1956 when Congress passed the interstate system bill: $530B in today’s money. Can you even begin to calculate the return on investment on that investment? That was back when America got stuff done. Americans are craving that again. They just aren’t sure what it’s going to look like.
This bill is going to change that. It’s going to create the vision. It will not only generate economic returns, it will improve the quality of life for tens of millions. That is the return most feared by Leader McConnell. And it’s the fear he wants you to feel. Don’t let your life to get overrun by partisan politics. This bill is exactly what America needs.
