Fake News Supports the Lack of An Infrastructure Plan
The White House has recently announced its plans for rebuilding Americas infrastructure. It involves shifting the responsibility to States and private business. There is no detailed, organized plan for shifting this responsibility, only the concept.
Fake News
The first and second articles I came across in my research made a great effort to explain how our infrastructure “is not” crumbling, and what a brilliant idea this concept is. The writers of these articles go on provide glowing examples of how well privatizing something like a freeway works, and how safe the airports are. This is an example of fake news. They have created a mixture of truth and fiction to support Republican goals.
The Roads
This is the overview statement of the 2017 Infrastructure Report Card, which gave America’s infrastructure a D+.
“America’s roads are often crowded, frequently in poor condition, chronically underfunded, and are becoming more dangerous. More than two out of every five miles of America’s urban interstates are congested and traffic delays cost the country $160 billion in wasted time and fuel in 2014. One out of every five miles of highway pavement is in poor condition and our roads have a significant and increasing backlog of rehabilitation needs. After years of decline, traffic fatalities increased by 7% from 2014 to 2015, with 35,092 people dying on America’s roads.”
Our Airports
The Airports Council International-North America predicts U.S. airports will need $75 billion for infrastructure investment through the year 2019. This will be necessary to accommodate the growth in passengers and cargo activity, support aircraft innovation, and rehabilitate existing facilities.
Our Electrical Grid
The electrical grid is an aging infrastructure, and many parts need to be replaced “before” they break down (that is called good maintenance. This would cost roughly $5 trillion. If we are going to replace aging equipment, we should be intelligent about it and upgrade it (saving money in the long run) with “smart” technology and significant security and back up systems.
Be Cautious of News that Sounds Wrong!
Be careful of fake news. Anything causing you to raise your eyebrows in doubt, may be fake news. The question becomes, are Republican leaders responsible for it, or is it a voluntary, misguided effort at supporting their positions. And consider sources. Clearly, some “news” websites, supporting fake news, should not be trusted.
