So where is “infrastructure” enumerated in the US Constitution? In case you are wondering:
US Constitution, Article 1, Section 8 (Powers of Congress)
The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;To borrow money on the credit of the United States;
To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;
To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;
To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;
To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;
To establish Post Offices and Post Roads;
That is the only place where the Federal Government has the enumberated Power to do “infrastructure” other than for roads that would connect the Post Offices that were also authorized as a Power of the Federal Government. The only place. The only two things. Now, contrast that with this (reformatted, emphasis mine):
Trump, Democratic leaders agree to spend $2T on U.S. infrastructure
April 30 (UPI) — President Donald Trump and the top two Democrats in Congress met Tuesday, and said they agreed that efforts to repair and maintain U.S. infrastructure will cost about $2 trillion.
Remember, for comparison purposes, the entire Federal budget is only (sheesh, really Skip? “Only”?) $4.1 Trillion a year. With almost $1 Trillion of that deficit spending each year. And a $22 Trillion national debt already.
While Democrats and Republicans have disagreed on many issues, rebuilding aging bridges and roads in the United States is one issue that’s received bipartisan support. Trump has promised “the biggest and boldest infrastructure investment in American history” but hasn’t delivered it, yet. Tuesday’s meeting, though, could signal the start of that and present a rare chance for cooperation.
So let me get this straight – Congress is going to authorize an amount equal to half the current budget on stuff that isn’t authorized by the US Constitution. And didn’t we just spend $1 Trillion for “infrastructure” a few years ago that was supposed make everything bright and shiny again then? So, other than a few unneeded street signs out in my rural neighborhood paid by that fund, what did we get for our tax monies?
