Page 26 - Provoke Magazine Vol2

“Waiting for Promises and
the Decline of American
Infrastructure”
Wilder Carnes
In 2017, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the United States a D+ rating for its infrastructure. Budget- ing for our roads, bridges, transit systems, and energy and waste-water systems was 2.4% of the total GDP, as compared to other needs like our 3.6% military spending. In 2016, po- litical candidates on both sides of the aisle promised better infrastructure. The question is, have things gotten any bet- ter?
The ASCE argues that there is a major spending deficit for infrastructure. In a report, they have found that if the invest- ment gap in physical infrastructure is not met by 2020, we are expected to have losses of more than $3.1 trillion GDP and $1.1 trillion in total trade due to missing business sales, a decline of 3.5 million jobs and other infrastructure related necessities that help drive the economy.
Infrastructure is a key part of our economy. It includes everything from the roads we transport goods on with our trucks to the ports and bays essential to shipping interna- tionally. When an infrastructure system falls apart, so does an economy and ultimately a country.
During his campaign, President Trump proposed a half-tril- lion-dollar plan to help rebuild American infrastructure. Since his election the proposal has yet to come to fruition and 18 months since that initial promise, we have yet to see much action at all on it. Part of President Trump’s plan was trick- le-down economics style infrastructure investment. Private investors would invest in major projects and collect tolls or other taxes from those project’s public usage.
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