Articles by: americansystemnow
American Dialogue: The Founders and Us, by Joseph J. Ellis. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2018. 283 pp. Reviewed by Edward Spannaus , November 29, 2018 This is both an ambitious and a provocative book. Joseph Ellis, who taught college-level American history for decades, takes the major debates among the […]
By Alphecca Muttardy, Macroeconomist Last Updated 11/27/18 This Brief makes the case that National Infrastructure Banks (NIBs) have historically proven to be superior to Public-Private Partnerships in building American infrastructure. There have been four major National Infrastructure Banks/Systems in our nation’s history,[1] starting with the First Bank of the United […]
See how America can rebuild its collapsing infrastructure, on the vast scale required, founded upon historic precedents, and the bank will not create new debt!
Nov. 15, 2018–The slide show delivered by macro-economist Alphecca Muttardy on Nov. 13 in Washington,D.C. is now available here as a PDF. Although many of the slides are self-explanatory, you may find it useful to review them alongside our news report, which is available here. As the weekly disruptions of […]
Nov. 14, 2018—U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), who was re-elected on Nov. 6, has put himself on record calling for the creation of a national infrastructure bank. According to an Oct. 19 report on WJLS News, a Beckley radio station, Manchin raised the issue during a candidates’ forum with his […]
Nov. 14, 2018—Delegate Sam Rasoul, who represents the 11th District in the Virginia House of Delegates, penned an oped in the Roanoke Times Nov. 11, in which he sought to direct attention to one of the fundamental economic crises facing the state, and implicitly the nation. Under the title “The […]
Nov. 9, 2018—Speaking to CNBC on Nov. 8, former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood laid out his current thinking on the prospects for a bipartisan Federal infrastructure plan. LaHood, a former Transportation Secretary and long-time proponent of major federal infrastructive spending, pinned his hopes on President Trump supporting an increase […]
By Andrew Spannaus Nov. 8, 2018–The Italian government of Giuseppe Conte, whose EU-critical policies are driven by the leaders of the two coalition partners, and Deputy Prime Ministers, Luigi Di Maio of the Five Star Movement (M5S) and Matteo Salvini of the League, has decided to openly challenge EU budget […]
By Alphecca Muttardy, Macroeconomist Last updated 10/25/2018 Summary: At present, the State of Virginia spends about 10% of its total public spending (or 1.7% of the state’s GDP) on public infrastructure projects.[1] Of that total, the Virginia state budget pays for highway construction and improvements at four-year universities; local governments […]
Nov. 15, 2018–The slide show delivered by macro-economist Alphecca Muttardy on Nov. 13 in Washington,D.C. is now available here as a PDF. Although many of the slides are self-explanatory, you may find it useful to review them alongside our news report, which is available here. As the weekly disruptions of […]
By Nancy Spannaus Nov. 14, 2018—A group of approximately 25 citizen-leaders gathered in a Washington, D.C. library last night to discuss how to address the question of the nation’s collapsing infrastructure. The lively, almost-unstoppable discussion centered around a slide show presentation on a National Infrastructure Bank (NIB) proposal, given by […]
Frequently Asked Questions on the National Infrastructure Bank
By Alphecca Muttardy, macroeconomist Last Updated: Nov 27, 2018 Q: Why is a National Infrastructure Bank (NIB) needed? A: Our nation’s spending on infrastructure has fallen to its lowest level in 70 years: to 2.5% of our nation’s GDP. That’s half the comparable level in Europe, and 1/3 the level […]