Time To Rebuild

In an impressive show of bipartisan policymaking, Govs. Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania and Arnold Schwarzenegger of California have joined a chorus of other public officials to urge both parties to address our decaying infrastructure.

It is a particular problem for Americans, perhaps. We easily get psyched for glamorous brand-new projects – a new highway, a new university, a space station – yet we pay very little attention to maintenance and replacement. But everything wears out eventually.

America’s infrastructure is in worse shape than that of many other developed nations and we must start addressing its needs today.

Let’s begin by agreeing on two facts, Republicans and Democrats alike. First, this is government work. Bridges and water mains are built by governments and fixed by governments. It’s fashionable to belittle government planning these days. But since the dawn of our republic, that’s how the bulk of this work has been done.

Secondly, fixing our infrastructure must involve taxation, at least in part. The only alternative is to borrow the money, from the Chinese or from our own grandchildren. That’s not a responsible approach. It is right to pay out money for an important public return.