ARE AMERICANS WILLING TO REBUILD AMERICA?

The building of America is a story of courage, vision and perseverance that tamed a continent. Nothing was too big. America’s can-do spirit overcame all types of physical challenges as Americans built cities and the infrastructure to make them work. Americans transformed a continental nation and became the envy of the world however as the twentieth century came to a close, we stopped building. Now we patch or ignore our aging infrastructure while making disinvestment excuses as America falls further and further behind. What’s happened to the American spirit of accomplishment? Has the constant drumbeat of lies and division sapped our can-do spirit? Is a lack of understanding of America’s historical accomplishments impacting our national security and standing in the world?

The topic of infrastructure has been a challenge since the birth of the nation. The subject of roads and canals were debated endlessly with the first major project of consequence, the Eire Canal, starting in 1817. At the time, it was considered a revolutionary idea, the transportation by barge of goods from the western part of the new territories through New York State down the Hudson River to New York City. The impact was immediate as it reduced transportation costs while transforming the financial face of the new country from Philadelphia to New York City. The Eire Canal was a huge success and became the catalyst for future investments in rivers, roads and canals.

The presidency of Abraham Lincoln is overshadowed by the American Civil War. His leadership in overcoming the country’s hardships and challenges is legendary but few know that in the 1850’s, Lincoln was a successful railroad lawyer. His knowledge of railroads helped form a vision for an expanding country. California joined the union in 1850 with Oregon following in 1859. As president, Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 which became the Transcontinental Railroad. He believed the connecting of the West would not only keep California from succeeding but create a sense of national pride and unity. Lincoln also insisted on completing the Capital dome even though there were objections regarding costs and timing especially during the war. Lincoln believed in the power of infrastructure to transform the nation while capturing the imagination of his fellow Americans. He also knew you couldn’t put a price on big ideas. When questioned about the dome, Lincoln said: “if people see the Capital going on, it is a sign we intend the Union shall go on”.

At the dawn of the Twentieth Century, the United States exploded onto the world’s stage as a budding global power. Fresh off a victory in the Spanish American War, Americans would face global infrastructure challenges that would transform the world. The first of a century’s list of great achievement was the construction of the Panama Canal connecting the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean. Led by the long term strategic vision of President Theodore Roosevelt, America proceeded where others failed and built “one of the seven wonders of the modern world” as labeled by the American Society of Civil Engineers. At that time, the Panama Canal was the largest and the most challenging engineering project ever undertaken. As the world marveled by the completion of the canal, Americans would turn to infrastructure to overcome the depths of the Great Depression and the challenges of World Wars.

In 1929, the American Stock Market crashed igniting a global depression. The economic impact on the American economy was staggering with unemployment rates reaching twenty three percent, massive bank failures, gross national product and international trade statistics dropping by fifty percent. America was on the brink of revolution as no part of the country was sparred. America stumbled until the election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1933 who introduced the New Deal. Massive government infrastructure programs such as the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Work Project Administration (WPA)) and the Civil Conservation Corps (CCC) emerged with the express goal of getting Americans back to work by building roads, bridges, highways, airports and schools. It also improved life in rural America by bringing power, electricity and roads to forgotten parts of the country. These programs proved the American government could do big things and do them well. President Roosevelt’s vision and foresight saved democracy as well as reshaping and strengthening a nation for the looming crisis on the horizon.

“NOT ONLY OUR FUTURE SOUNDNESS BUT THE VERY SOUNDNESS OF OUR DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS DEPENDS UPON THE DETERMINATION OF OUR GOVERNMENT TO GIVE EMPLOYMENT TO IDLE MEN”

Franklyn Delano Roosevelt

World War II was the defining moment of the twentieth century. America’s participation was the deciding factor before, during and after the war. The demands placed on American infrastructure was unparalleled as the country was transformed overnight from a peaceful domestic economy to a wartime economy on a global scale. Vast new networks of infrastructure were built that changed the face of America. As the “Arsenal of Democracy”, America manufactured goods and weapons for our Allies before and during the war. At the war’s end, the United States was the only major economic power untouched by the war’s devastation. President Truman turned to the challenge of global reconstruction. Through the Marshall Plan, America offered assistance in rebuilding war-torn Europe and parts of Asia including the defeated Axis Powers of Germany, Italy and Japan. The success of the Marshall Plan and other post war programs were instrumental in transforming enemies into allies and protecting allies from the threat of Communism while simultaneously giving hope to people for a better tomorrow.

As the decade of the fifties unfolded, Americans were on the move. Freed from war restrictions, America’s pent-up demand exploded which required a fresh analysis of the country’s infrastructure. In 1952, General Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected President. In 1919, Lieutenant Colonel Eisenhower was part of an experiment to track how long it could take for a military convoy of 80 trucks and 282 men to drive from Washington, D.C. to San Francisco. What seemed like a straight forward journey took 62 days over treacherous or non-existent roads especially in the western half of the country. As Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II, General Eisenhower marveled at the road systems from France through Germany. He was especially impressed by the German Autobahn which enabled the Germans to move armies from one side of the country to the other. He believed these modern highway systems helped shorten the war. As a result of these experiences, President Eisenhower envisioned a modern nationwide American road system and in 1956 Congress passed Eisenhower’s National Interstate and Defense Highway Act.

At the time, the Interstate Highway Act was the largest public works project in American history. Staggering in costs and scale, the initial plan was to build forty thousand miles of national highways over a ten year period at a budgeted cost of twenty five billion dollars. The success was immediate and on its 40th Anniversary, the American Highway Users Alliance reported: “the Interstate Highway System is an engine that has driven 40 years of unprecedented prosperity and positioned the United States to remain the world’s pre-eminent power into the 21st Century”.

THE BEST INVESTMENT A NATION EVER MADE

American Highway Users Alliance

On January 20, 1961, John Fitzgerald Kennedy became President and ushered in a feeling of optimism especially among the young. Nothing was impossible and on May 25, 1961, before a joint session of Congress, he announced the goal of sending an American to the moon and returning him safely back to earth before the end of the decade. The challenge was achieved on July 20, 1969 with the success of the Apollo 11 mission. A joyful world celebrated this great achievement for the good of mankind. Historians have compared the Apollo program to the building of the Panama Canal as the greatest peacetime achievements of the 20th Century. Nevertheless, as the American Century came to a close, cracks started to develop that questioned America’s can-do spirit and their government’s role in future events.

The presidency of Ronald Reagan became the turning point on how Americans viewed their government. Preaching “Government is not the solution to our problem but Government is the problem”, Reagan would do long term damage to American’s trust and confidence in their own government. In addition, he and his conservative cohorts attempted to hollow out and shrink the government by lowering taxes, cutting budgets and reducing regulations. The result was huge federal budget deficits and the beginning of decades of Republican disinvestment in infrastructure. The “Reagan Revolution” became the myth that future Republicans would religiously follow while planting the seeds of division and inequality. It would also be the catalyst in eliminating the concept of bipartisanship.

America’s infrastructure is in critical conditions due to years of neglect and under investment. In what has become an invisible infrastructure tax, American businesses are being squeezed and no longer competitive. Internationally, the consensus in many world capitals is an America that no longer thinks “BIG”. China is now the visionary through their Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure strategy which started in 2017 to invest in seventy countries and international organizations throughout the world. They plan to reach about 60 percent of the world’s population representing about 35 percent of the world’s economy. The Chinese together with the local governments will build roads, port, airports, railroads, buildings, etc. The goal is a Chinese economic super highway that strengthens their trade competitiveness while extending their political influence. China has taken a page out of America’s 20th Century playbook.

The challenge is before us. President Biden has presented a bold visionary plan to the American people to build the infrastructure of the future. History has proven Americans are at their best when challenged. Is this still the case or are we so worn down from the constant pounding of lies and division that we no longer have the confidence in our ability to do great things? Infrastructure not only impacts our economy but has national security implications in a constantly changing world that has traditionally looked to the United States for leadership and security. This is the time to act and do something for the good of the country and future generations. On September 12, 1962, President Kennedy stated: “We chose to go to the moon in this decade and do other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.”

Can America still do big things and things that are hard?

#infrastructure #Biden #2021challenges #rebuildingAmerica #futureofAmerica