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LOUISA VIRGINIA
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Home| About Us| Background | Related Links | Issues | Events | |
LOUISA VIRGINIA
The Problem:
Two major national problems are addressed in this subplan. Upgrading and improving our long delayed infrastructure is of primary concern. Doing so provides good quality jobs to help address the national unemployment problem. Specific areas that need attention include our highways and bridges, our local transit systems, our high speed intra-city rail systems, our airport/air-travel systems, our water systems, our liquid and solid waste disposal systems and our broadband data and communication systems. A badly needed high-tech electrical grid will be addressed in the Energy Plan.
The Solution:
We know what to do to upgrade our basic infrastructure. The Department of Transportation the Environmental Protection Agency have many of these projects in the early planning phases. The problem has been the lack of political will and financial resources. There is no better way to deal with our long-term national resource issues and to provide short-term economic stimulus and jobs, jobs, jobs than by moving out vigorously on Infrastructure upgrades.
Significant financing can be obtained by moderate transportation taxes (fuel and user system fees). Additional financing can be realized from the general revenues without increasing the national debt after major reform has been enacted. (For example in the National Security Plan I propose we combine the Defense Department, Home Land Security and the Intelligence Agencies into one major department and fund it at a level ¾ of their current combined allocations. Part of these savings could be directed to Infrastructure Improvements and part of them to reducing the national debt.) Estimate current combined allocations at $2 Trillion, which would be reduced to $1.5 Trillion, with ¼ Trillion going to Infrastructure Improvements and the remaining ¼ Trillion going to national debt reduction.