Faced with an economy that officially has been in a recession for 12 months now, President-elect Barack Obama has suggested that he’ll ask Congress for funding for a massive public works program designed to create 2.5 million jobs by 2011.
It’s a time-honored tradition for administrations to propose and implement public works programs during economic downturns. Franklin Roosevelt’s “New Deal” was the most famous, of course. John F. Kennedy’s administration had its Accelerated Public Works Act in 1962.
(Another time-honored tradition is claiming credit when it’s undeserved and it sure looks like the President-elect is positioning himself to take the credit for the inevitable results of an economic turnaround. Speaking this weekend, Obama said he would provide the leadership to see that the U.S. economy emerges leaner, meaner and more competitive.” That’s exactly what happens after almost every recession, isn’t it? Except when burdened by unusual circumstances like the auto industry’s unreasonable and onerous obligations to the United Auto Workers, companies do get leaner and more focused in tough times. President-elect Obama does deserve praise for selecting an economic team that knows its business but let’s make sure he doesn’t grab the credit that should go to business owners and employees who are already doing their part to turn things around.)
There’s no doubt we need to do address tens of billions of dollars in overdue infrastructure maintenance. Yet, like many Americans, I remain convinced that it makes more sense to fund those needs through governments that are closest to us. Why? Because sending money to Washington comes at a price. And though we’ve been getting back more than one dollar for every dollar we send to Washington, that’s true for just about every state. That means, obviously, that the federal government is spending more than it’s taking in. Just like with the federal bailout of Wall Street, taxpayers like you and me are going to have to pay the bill.
That’s why I’d like to see Iowa’s state, local and county leaders sit down together and develop a clear plan to prioritize our infrastructure needs. That doesn’t mean we should pass up our fair share of federal dollars but I’d sure like to see other states pay for their own transportation systems rather than having you and me do it. An Iowa Infrastructure Summit would do more than help us invest limited tax dollars better; it just might set a good example for other states to follow as that we take on more responsibility for ourselves – and rely a little less on the federal government for so many things.
