Transit Projects Would Drive Job Market
LA Business Journal- July 4, 2011
By Michael Kelly
The op-ed by Tim Cavanaugh in the June 13 issue of the Business Journal (“Villaraigosa’s 30/10 – Show Me the Money”) was dead wrong. The America Fast Forward plan (formerly 30/10) to speed up transportation funding is a legitimate solution to improve L.A.’s roads and railways, and revitalize our economy.
Right now, one-third of our country’s major roads are in poor condition and nearly 14 million Americans are jobless. Americans need jobs and America needs better transportation infrastructure. The only tangible plan to address these two pressing concerns and transform them into a mutually beneficial co-existence is America Fast Forward.
Whether you drive, bike, bus or ride the train from one location to the next, the sorry state of our transportation infrastructure affects you. And with our national unemployment rate still hovering around 9 percent as we climb our way out of the Great Recession, our aging infrastructure continues to crumble. Thankfully, we have one solution to address these twin problems. Why not begin construction now and allow our local economies to immediately reap the benefits of higher-paying jobs and completed infrastructure projects at a much lower cost? Better yet, why not do it without adding to the nation’s debt problems?