Dear Sen. Lamar Alexander,
The nation’s infrastructure contains many opportunities for improvement. Following the Minneapolis collapse, we are all familiar with the state of the nation’s roads and bridges. Additionally, many aging cities are desperately in need of updated and/or new public water systems, and the current power grid, across most of the country, is at capacity. Many of the nation’s K-12 schools and public parks are in disarray or overcrowded, mass transit and rail networks necessitate expansions and repairs, and aging baby boomers are threatening to exhaust current healthcare networks.
With no shortage of work to be done, spending on the infrastructure would also boost the economy. Common estimates believe 25,000-40,000 jobs would be created per billion spent. So if a $136 billion infrastructure stimulus was passed, approximately 3.4-5.4 million jobs would be created. Many of those jobs would be long-term, high-paying positions, thus shrinking unemployment rates.
However, a stimulus for infrastructure spending has the potential to boost the economy even further with one small, but important condition. Require and enforce all federal and state entities receiving stimulus money to buy products and services “made in the USA.” This ensures the money will remain in the US economy and circulate back through the cities, counties, and states through taxes, while aiding US companies. By including this one small caveat, the stimulus’ impact will be multiplied by keeping the money in the US economy from start to finish.
I urge you to support the win-win of an infrastructure stimulus package. The stimulus will help restore our nation’s crumbling infrastructure, create much needed jobs, and by requiring the products be made in the U.S., ensure the stimulus money remains in the U.S. economy.
David S. Ware Sr.
President/CEO
Tennessee Galvanizing
Jasper, Tn.