Order and prosperity in societies depend upon more than just national security and an effective legal system. While both of those are vital to the longevity of a society, they are not enough to stimulate the productivity and achievement of society alone. A vibrant, healthy society requires an infrastructure that facilitates movement of goods and ideas and resources necessary for a higher standard of living. It is an infrastructure that meets the needs of the citizenry in a cost-effective, safe, and forward thinking manner using the principals of common sense and public service. Infrastructure should, if constructed properly, be almost invisible in its ubiquity, for it encompasses all of the elements of modern culture that we use and take for granted every day. The roads we drive on, the power and water coming into our homes and businesses, the parks and schools and hospitals and communication networks are all a part of the infrastructure of our daily lives. But who is responsible for providing these necessities? Who is responsible for their maintenance? Is it the job of the government or the corporation or the citizen or a combination of the three? In our current system, the framework is getting a little shaky, and the question about who does what for whom and for how much gets murkier

One problem with infrastructure is that it is usually created to serve an immediate need without looking ahead towards future needs or improvements. Of course, no one can predict what future technologies will develop, but common sense should at least acknowledge that advancements will be forthcoming and to construct or administer infrastructure in such a way as to allow for inexpensive future conversions, additions, or replacements Unfortunately, our current system of corporate control and governmental “regulation” of most of our infrastructure tends toward increasing corporate profit through fraud during construction and delivery and shortsightedness from political leaders who craft the regulation. Indeed, the concept of citizen benefit falls a distant third when it comes to these matters.

Hand in hand with the development of infrastructure is the need for sane ecological regulations that encourage the smart use of resources and the well being of the earth itself. Politicians are constantly decrying the need to make the world a better place for our children and grandchildren yet they continue to destroy the very world in which these kids will live. To be fair, it is not only the politicians and the corporations who embrace this inanity. We are each responsible, individually and collectively, for the continued erosion of our planet and its resources. If government policy subtly encourages this practice, it is we who allow it to thrive.

The resources of this country are supposed to be held in trust for the people by our government, to be developed at the peoples expense for the people’s profit or use. Sadly, only part of that statement is followed in actual practice. The people do pay for most of the infrastructure through their tax dollars, but the benefit to the citizens does not come in the form of cheap energy and water or less congested roadways or well maintained schools and parks or cleaner water, air and land. The benefit ends up in the pockets of the businesses contracted to deliver, process, or construct these things. From fraudulent billing to faulty construction to manipulation of the resources themselves, business has managed to wrest control of our resources and our funds, leaving the average citizen with higher costs and worse service.

We’ve all had to deal with the disintegration of our infrastructure in one way or another; agonizingly long commutes, overcrowded classrooms, energy blackouts, polluted beaches- the list could go on and on. I feel the same frustration that you do as we wonder how to break the cycle of paying taxes to governments that hand them over to corporate benefactors who then provide an inferior service or product for an exorbitant fee. And though I also grant that in some areas of the country, infrastructure meltdown is affected by problems of crime and illegal immigration, I’ve made some suggestions in previous essays, which could reduce or eliminate their impact by reducing or eliminating their prevalence. So how do we change the current system into one that benefits us all, private citizen and business alike? That is a question I will explore in the next several essays.

In contemplating infrastructure reform and policy, it becomes important not only to differentiate between resources (water, oil, minerals), delivery (roads, transmission routes, air and sea ways), and public works (clean-up, buildings, parks) but to also evaluate how each aspect conforms to the concept of preserving our planet and its economic feasibility over the long term. We must also consider how much power we want to give to the government to regulate these matters and insist upon accountability with our tax dollars.

The good news is that we have the power to end the cycle of nonsense. As citizens of a democracy, we control our government, and by proxy, its policies. If we don’t agree with the direction that our government is taking, we can change the people who guide those policies with a simple vote.