Yes, the latest jobs report made for a depressing day here in the United States of America. But are there solutions to our economic and employment problems? One potential answer is the creation of a National Infrastructure Bank that would fix our crumbling roads and bridges; make it easier and faster to build a high speed rail network; and start to make a dent in getting Americans back to work.
MSNBC.com is reporting that the BUILD Act is gaining traction in Congress. It has bipartisan support amongst many Democrats and Republicans, and also has the backing of two groups usually on opposite sides of the ideological spectrum -- the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and AFL-CIO.
The dismal economic and jobs news is only one compelling reason to move forward with a dedicated source of funding for these projects.
The American Society of Civil Engineers has given American infrastructure a D grade and has said we need to spend $2 trillion over the next five years to fix our infrastructure.
And China is investing massive amounts of money into high speed rail and other major infrastructure projects. A little over a week ago the first bullet trains on the Shanghai-Beijing rail line started running. China is also committing huge amounts of money into research and development to eventually get high speed trains across the country to reach speeds of up to 300 miles per hour.
Where is America's competitive fire? Do we want to get left in the dust by Chinese high speed rail?
If you care about the future of the United States of America as much as I do, then please call your Representative and Senators and tell them how important a National Infrastructure Bank is to fixing the economy and creating jobs and demand they support the BUILD Act.
