Infrastructure Improvements and Winston Churchill

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has their infrastructure report card that most U.S. citizens have never heard of.  Our crumbling infrastructure is up against many things, but the most important is a quote from Sir Winston - “the best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”  Our inability to make rational decisions regarding critical issues such as infrastructure improvements raises awkward questions about concepts central to democratic theory, including consent, representation, public opinion, electoral mandates and officials’ accountability.  This is very important to civil engineers that work, either directly or entirely, in the public sectors.  Our profession is one of hope - we pray that voters will do the correct things to advance civilization.

Consider your next public meeting regarding an infrastructure project.  If you randomly selected 100 people to attend the meeting, this is what you are up against:

• 20 will think the sun evolves around the earth.
• 70 will be unaware of the enactment of the prescription drug entitlement in 2003, the largest expansion of Medicare since 1965.
• 48 will not be able to name the three branches of the federal government.
• Over 50 will not be able to locate New York State on a map.
• 70 will not be able to name both their federal senators.
• Most of the 100 will spend more time investigating the purchase of an automobile than researching a candidate.

The central problem that ASCE and others miss is that our infrastructure crisis is a function of our ignorance - namely political ignorance.  Increasing funding for bridge repairs and improvements is mostly a political process.  It requires a knowledgeable citizenry with some basic understanding of public affairs.

The Tom Friedman column in the New York Times today illustrates how our collective disinterest in public affairs has allowed us to blow a perfectly good opportunity for renewal, long-term growth, and change:

"For instance, on the debt/spending issue, Congress should be borrowing money at these unusually low rates to invest in a 10-year upgrade of our crumbling infrastructure (roads, bridges, telecom, ports, airports and rail lines) and in a huge funding increase for our national laboratories, research universities and institutes of health, which are the gardens for so many start-ups. Together, such an investment would stimulate sustained employment, innovation and the wealth creation to pay for it.
      

But this near-term investment should be paired with long-term entitlement reductions, defense cuts and tax reform that would be phased in gradually as the economy improves, so we do not add to the already heavy fiscal burden on our children, deprive them of future investment resources or leave our economy vulnerable to unforeseen shocks, future recessions or the stresses that are sure to come when all the baby boomers retire. President Obama has favored such a hybrid, but it was shot down by the Tea Party wing, before we could see if he could really sell it to his base."