When questions come up regarding borrowing money to fix the infrastructure to jump start the economy the gop screams "We SHOULD NOT borrow our grand children and future generations into debt." For the vast number of members of the gop their minds immediately shut off after voicing that statement rather than taking the time to think the problem through. Take a second to think about the questions I am going to pose and see it the quote above makes any sense.
1) If we do nothing to improve our infrastructure can we expect that infrastructure to be better, worse, or the same 10, 20, or 30 years down line?
The answer should be obvious. There is little chance of the infrastructure staying the same or getting better over time. Over time our infrastructure becomes worse due to aging and the increased pressure put on it by population growth. The bottom line here is that if we do not pay to fix the infrastructure now it will only become worse as time passes.
2) If we do nothing to fix the infrastructure now will it cost more, less, or about the same to fix the infrastructure in the future? Again the answer should be obvious. History has shown us that as time passes the cost of living increases. I recall a gallon of gas costing $1.25 in the past. Now that gallon of gas can cost 3, 4, or even 5 times as much today and it will probably be even more than that in the future. The first McDonald's hamburgers originally cost $0.15 each. If you purchase that burger from the Value Menu today you will pay over 6 times more than you paid in the past. The bottom line here is that if we pay to fix the infrastructure now it would probably cost substantially less than if we delay that repair for the future.
So, here is the final question.
3) Who is really passing major debts on to our future generations, those who want to tackle the problem now or those who want to pass the problem along to future Americans? Would it be those who want to start the repairs today at today's costs or would it be those who want to wait until the future when the problems have become worst and repair costs higher? The bottom line here is do we want to give future Americans a modern America with an up to date infrastructure or do we want to give future Americans an America that is literally falling apart and which would require massive spending to fix. Doesn't it make sense to fix the problems now while they are still relatively small and cost less than if we have to fix major problems in the future at a much, much higher cost?
I think I know the gop answer to all those questions but does their choice to pass along the problems to future generations make a bit of sense? I don't think so and I suspect those on this board who have a brain will agree with me.
1) If we do nothing to improve our infrastructure can we expect that infrastructure to be better, worse, or the same 10, 20, or 30 years down line?
The answer should be obvious. There is little chance of the infrastructure staying the same or getting better over time. Over time our infrastructure becomes worse due to aging and the increased pressure put on it by population growth. The bottom line here is that if we do not pay to fix the infrastructure now it will only become worse as time passes.
2) If we do nothing to fix the infrastructure now will it cost more, less, or about the same to fix the infrastructure in the future? Again the answer should be obvious. History has shown us that as time passes the cost of living increases. I recall a gallon of gas costing $1.25 in the past. Now that gallon of gas can cost 3, 4, or even 5 times as much today and it will probably be even more than that in the future. The first McDonald's hamburgers originally cost $0.15 each. If you purchase that burger from the Value Menu today you will pay over 6 times more than you paid in the past. The bottom line here is that if we pay to fix the infrastructure now it would probably cost substantially less than if we delay that repair for the future.
So, here is the final question.
3) Who is really passing major debts on to our future generations, those who want to tackle the problem now or those who want to pass the problem along to future Americans? Would it be those who want to start the repairs today at today's costs or would it be those who want to wait until the future when the problems have become worst and repair costs higher? The bottom line here is do we want to give future Americans a modern America with an up to date infrastructure or do we want to give future Americans an America that is literally falling apart and which would require massive spending to fix. Doesn't it make sense to fix the problems now while they are still relatively small and cost less than if we have to fix major problems in the future at a much, much higher cost?
I think I know the gop answer to all those questions but does their choice to pass along the problems to future generations make a bit of sense? I don't think so and I suspect those on this board who have a brain will agree with me.
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