Today, many Americans are thinking of new ways to stretch their paychecks. The current economic recession has many citizens concerned about the future. Gas prices are at an all-time high and current projections only see the price increasing. As more and more people across America begin to feel the pinch of these current events, they look more and more to the government for a solution.
Many government officials say that they have little control over the economy. This is true. We live in a regulated capitalistic economic system. The market system largely responds to the economic laws of supply and demand. While the government has little control over the prices of goods and services, they do have the power to regulate commerce. This right is granted to the legislative branch through the first article of the Constitution of the United States. While many are blaming the President they should, instead, be writing to their Representatives.
It is Congress that decides what regulations should be created for our nation's economy. The President does, however, play a role in this process. He has the power to veto legislation passed by the Congress. He also must execute the laws once they have been created. This is done through the various governmental departments that are overseen by the President and his cabinet. If legislation were to pass that would increase funding for transportation infrastructure the department that would be in charge of overseeing such a project would be the United States Department of Transportation.
The problem with getting such a measure passed is federalism. Our federal government brings all of our 50 states together under one central government. Our Congress is composed of individuals who represent each of these states. The problem that measures of this type run into is gaining the support of enough representatives to pass both houses of Congress. If certain states do not benefit from such a proposal, then they will most likely not support it. The way for such a measure to gain enough support to pass is through the activism of concerned citizens.
Why should individuals support such a measure? The answer is in the current state of the economy. When people think of the economy they do not often think of transportation. They think instead of interest rates and the stock market and the value of the dollar. Historically, however, periods of economic prosperity are preceded by large investments in infrastructure. If you examine the nuts and bolts of the laws of economics this makes sense.
What happens every morning after you leave the house but before you arrive at work? You are driving, sitting on a bus, sitting on a train, riding a bike, or walking between your home and your place of business. If you have cheap and efficient mass transit, you might take advantage of it with current gas prices. If you had a bike path the entire distance between your home and work, you might ride a bike or walk to work. If you had a fuel efficient car such as a hybrid or a fuel cell car, you might drive to work. Funding for roads, bike paths, and mass transit comes from the government (be it at the local, state, or federal level). Regulations on the auto industry come from the federal level of government.
Why is this important for the economy?
You, as a worker, provide two essential links in the three parts of our economic system. Both of these would be positively affected by better transportation.
Cheap and efficient mass transportation could lead to increased productivity. You won't arrive at work angry and bitter about the commute so you won't spend an hour complaining about it to your co-workers instead of working. You won't sit in a traffic jam for hours which would also decrease productivity. Imagine reading a book or the morning newspaper as you sit peacefully on a train that picks you up a few blocks from your house and drops you off a few blocks from your work. Now think about how much better of a day you might have at work when you compare it to the alternative. Sounds nice right? It is possible if you get your congressman or congresswoman on board. The economy might get better, if you were able to provide more efficient labor to the system.
Imagine not paying $50, $60, $70, or $80 to fill up your car for the week. How would you feel if you paid half of that? What if you didn't pay for gas at all? What if you filled your car up from the kitchen sink? It's possible. The technology is out there. Now imagine how much money you would have left over to spend on whatever you wanted. That sounds nice, doesn't it? It is possible if you get your congressman or congresswoman on board. The economy might improve with all of the extra consumer goods you could buy because you saved money you would have spent on gas.
There are other ways that improving transportation infrastructure can help the economy too.
If you, as an individual, are buying less gas then the price may decrease. The law of supply and demand predicts that it would. Taking thousands or even millions of cars off of the road would do such a thing. The farmers would be able to produce their crops with less expense. This would lead to decreased prices at the grocery store, which would lead to more money in your pocket yet again. It would also lead to cheaper costs of transporting those and other consumer goods from their manufacturing plant to the retail store. This would lead to cheaper consumer prices as well.
While these are just a few of the many examples of ways that improved transportation infrastructure could improve our current state of the economy, they are important. These are projects that would take some time to complete and would need to support of many people. However, these projects are just one way that the government can act to improve our situation. There are many other things that should happen that would also improve our nation's infrastructure. We are on the eve of a huge shift in the nature of our economy and the way that it is powered. With the help and activism of people like you we will be able to make sure that we don't drop the ball.
Shortly after our nation was formed, one of our founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton, spent much of his time and energy as Secretary of the Treasury for George Washington on transportation infrastructure projects. He understood even then that a vibrant economy was dependent on cheap, efficient, and effective modes of transportation among other things. He fought diligently for this cause just as we should be fighting for our government today to refocus their attention on the same thing. Our founding fathers were far-seeing individuals who looked more so to the future of their country instead of the present state of affairs. If we care about the future of our country, we should look towards solutions to our current problems that are not "quick fixes" but instead long-term solutions such as increasing funding for transportation infrastructure.