Everybody likes to think that individual enterprises built this country. But that confuses a piece of the story with the whole thing.
In fact, the federal and state governments played a large part in building this country, and the Constitution was written with that very intention. As far back as the eighteenth century, this country’s founders were planning roads and canals to open the country up. Jefferson built what was called the National Road. New York built the Erie Canal. Alexander Hamilton helped establish the banking system to smooth commerce by providing both national and individual credit.
Later Lincoln funded the national railroad system and set up what have been called the “land grant colleges” – the foundation of the great state colleges all over the country. Roosevelt extended the federal system of roads to virtually every town in the country. And that regulatory system that so many love to hate is actually part of what has made America such an attractive country to do business with for people all over the world because it provides a level playing field. And many international agreements designate American courts to resolve disputes because they are trusted all over the world.
You wouldn’t know it for the advertising, but the major developments in electronics and health come from federal research and funding – some are the result of the space program, some are the result of military expenditures – but there is very little that you do that isn’t connected to federal science and research.
Now think of our current problems. Water is getting scarce. We are trying to lead a worldwide shift in the production of food and power because we can’t live with more carbon in the air. Farmers have used wind power for decades and are beginning to use solar power. Modern technologies, economies of scale and government assistance can do it much more efficiently while protecting agricultural productivity.
We face new and massive challenges to our health from pandemics and the spread of infection in a warmer climate. Competition from abroad is challenging our competitive advantages. We’re losing good jobs to foreign countries. We’re being challenged militarily. And our older infrastructure is crumbling. We have to get off our rockers and rumble.
Getting the economy back on track is crucial to everything we need to do internationally, domestically and for providing good jobs for Americans.
Fundamental to dealing with all of those problems and opportunities, we have to be willing to invest. There is no progress without investment.
We have to be willing to build. Every project provides jobs. The building process is temporary but the benefits may be permanent – in the skills developed, the industry or other work enabled, the health and welfare of the public. There are lots of goals and lots of benefits.
And we have to be willing to support the educational system at every level. Schools are crucial whether you work with your hands or your head or just try to avoid getting ripped off. And science is crucial to just about everything we build and grow so we are all beneficiaries whether we are scientists or not.
Science requires education, which requires appropriate schools. Communities will be able to build on whatever their students learn. Grade school and much of higher education has been government funded because we don’t know which people, industries or communities will benefit, just that it will be helpful overall. But science has been crucial for farmers, industries and just about everything.
Democrats were on the right track with Biden’s infrastructure bills. Congress has the power to put us back on the right track – building the country up instead of tearing it down.
Steve Gottlieb’s latest book is Unfit for Democracy: The Roberts Court and The Breakdown of American Politics. He is the Jay and Ruth Caplan Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Albany Law School, served on the New York Civil Liberties Union board, on the New York Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, and as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in Iran.
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