By Nancy Spannaus Aug. 7, 2019—On August 7, 1789 Congress approved legislation for the first public infrastructure project in the just-born United States—our lighthouses! The legislation created the U.S. Light House Establishment, and it mandated that state lighthouses be turned over to the Federal government, which was charged with managing […]
By Nancy Spannaus July 24, 2019—Conditions are overripe, so to speak, for the adoption of a $4 trillion dollar National Infrastructure Bank, whose updated text I reprint below. Indeed, any delay will only worsen the consequences of an inevitable collapse of an aspect of our crumbling basic infrastructure, our bloated-to-bursting […]
July 6, 2019—As of July 1, 12 states raised their gasoline taxes, in a concerted effort to get the revenue to deal with their collapsing bridges and highways. The actions follow a pattern from recent years, over which time the Federal share of contributions to building and maintaining the nation’s […]
By Alphecca Muttardy, macro-economist March 31, 2019–In his written and spoken testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee on March 6, Rep. Peter DeFazio, Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, correctly described what would happen to our economy if our nation’s critical infrastructure needs are not addressed. Citing the […]
By Nancy Spannaus March 18, 2019—Recent announcements by the Trump Administration on critical infrastructure projects, amount to nothing less than sabotage. Without effective Congressional action to ensure Federal government funding of major capital investments in infrastructure like that now under threat, there is no hope for a sustainable economic recovery […]
By Nancy Spannaus March 9, 2019—The March 6 House Ways and Means Committee hearing on transportation infrastructure put the crucial problem which is blocking vitally-needed action on this topic, squarely on the table: the lack of understanding of the Hamiltonian principle of credit. From Representative Peter DeFazio, Chairman of the […]
By Nancy Spannaus March 1, 2019—The latest report on the U.S. infrastructure disaster by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is a straightforward call for Congress and the President to act now. The “Build to Win” document begins by stating that “in an alarming state of disrepair and in urgent […]
By Angela Vullo Feb. 7, 2019–How is it possible that, with 71% of the earth’s surface covered with water, we have a shortage of fresh drinking water on the planet? Might one of the reasons be that, in addition to criminal underdevelopment of the developing nations, some U.S. water infrastructure […]
Feb. 2, 2019—Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Or), Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, will convene his first hearing on the nation’s infrastructure needs on Thursday, Feb. 7. According to the announcement on the Committee’s site, the hearing is entitled “The Cost of Doing Nothing: Why Investing in Our Nation’s […]
Aug. 13, 2019—A group of citizens representing an ad hoc coalition for a National Infrastructure Bank went to Capitol Hill during the last week of August, to lobby for the enactment of a National Infrastructure Bank (NIB). The more than a dozen citizens included activists from Ohio, South Carolina, Virginia, […]
“A thoughtful, well-written argument for Alexander Hamilton’s financial system as a guard against tyranny.” — Kirkus Reviews by Nancy Spannaus Aug. 8, 2019–The opening quote is the conclusion of the Kirkus review of Hamilton Versus Wall Street, which was released this evening, and is now posted on their website. Kirkus […]
Infrastructure Bank Means 25 Million Jobs
How Many New Jobs Would the National Infrastructure Bank Create, and What Would They Pay? by Alphecca Muttardy The following article was written in response to questions about the functioning of a proposed National Infrastructure Bank (NIB), which is being discussed on Capitol Hill and in political circles around the […]