Three weeks ago, the Long Island Railroad experienced a near total shutdown because of the failure of a critical piece of electrical equipment built and installed in 1913.
See:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/24/ny...hutdown&st=cse
The $50 billion the President has proposed for infrastructure is only about a third of what would constitute a reasonable start. It has been 35 years since the Feds made any major effort to address these problems.
I realize, given he fact that the silly season is upon us, that this takes on political overtones, but it should not. The infrastructure needs repair and upgrades and people in the construction trades, where unemployment exceeds 17%, about twice the national average, need jobs.
America, once the envy of the world in terms of its highways, roads, rail system, airports, bridges, and electrical system, is fast becoming a second-rate power because of a lack of public investment.
I'll stop there out of respect for the rules of this Forum.
Bullseye