The Effects of Neglect

The decay of the infrastructure in America has directly affected the country much more than ever imagined by the United States Government. When the Reagan office took power in the 1980s, One of the cabinet's biggest policies was ending government spending on infrastructure. Reagan's quote, “America should be worried about arms control not potholes”(1), shows how little the government knew about the effects of neglecting the infrastructure in out great country. The cities in out country are falling apart as well as the interstate highway system and rails. The city of Detroit is a great example of a once great city nearly becoming a wasteland because of the effects of the neglect of infrastructure. The city suffers from lack of transportation for its citizens as well as an ever growing negative population growth because of the general “unhappiness” of the population. Our cities can be reclaimed, but only by throwing away our old mentality and replacing it with one of emphasis on infrastructure.

There are many options that we have that could potentially fix the plight of the cities in our country beginning with a more modern and innovative public transportation system. As can be seen in many countries in Europe, innovation in transportation can lead to population growth and economic stability. The country of Spain who is widely considered the leader in public transportation technology, has become much more efficient and welcoming because of its reliance and emphasis on infrastructure and public travel. The first obstacle standing in the United States' way from becoming a leader in public transportation is an admit to bad policies and a promise to use the Europeans countries as a starting point to create our own mass transportation system and infrastructure in cities ultimately stimulating our economy to what it once was.

It is easy to write about change in government but there are usually not as easy as they seem. As seen in the video, The Next American System, many government leaders would love to help change our policies on infrastructure but the red tape and general rigors of amending polices has stagnated their plans. The changes that need to be made will more than likely take many years to fully implement, but will ultimately positively impact the United States for a very long time. Another obstacle which stands in the way of the United States is the largeness of our country. The Europeans have created many gains in their infrastructure and public transportation but implementing those changes to the entire United States would take a very very long time. While some may argue that it is impossible, you only have to look at the Interstate Highway System as proof that with strong initiative and policies that we can create and country-wide transportation system. While many lambast at the Interstate Highway, it stilled helped our country to create more interstate commerce and travel in our country. We must look into ways such as light rails and bullet trains which will make traveling around the country much more efficient and maybe even cheaper for America and it's citizens.

References:

1 "The Next American System ~ [VIDEO] Beyond the Motor City | Blueprint America | PBS."PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 20 Sept. 2011. .