Wednesday, I drove from Maplewood to Hibbing to attend a debate between the 3 major party candidates for State Representative in Legislative District 5b. The road conditions on Interstate 35 were appallingly bad. It appeared that every seam in the concrete had separated and degraded into crevasses measuring four to six inches across. Of course, this being the heart of winter, there were also numerous potholes ranging in size from divots to open pit mines. If my driveway looked that bad, the City of Maplewood would be justified in issuing me a citation for an unsightly and unsafe driveway.
The Democrats argue that the infrastructure projects needed to improve these roads create jobs. The Democrats go on to explain that more people on a payroll will lead to more spending which will lead to greater economic activity. Then the Republicans respond with their arguments that real job growth needs to come from business. They go on to explain how burdensome taxes are keeping our business community from expanding and hiring more people. We end up in a traditional disagreement between government spending and lower taxes. But spending and taxes are not the point of the original argument.
And that IS the point of this article. Partisan posturing by the two other major parties often causes us to lose sight of the real issues. Regardless of your stand on government spending and tax policy, the fact remains that our roads and bridges are falling apart and they need to be repaired or replaced sooner than later.
Because infrastructure projects are being bid at amazingly low prices, and because today’s investments in infrastructure will benefit the comfort and commerce of at least the next two generations, and because we still have a highly skilled construction workforce, we should support strong bonding measures to finance these critical infrastructure improvement projects.
