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2011-08-26
Transportation Spending Is the Right Stimulus China and Brazil are surpassing us with state-of-the-art ports and roads.
By ED RENDELL And SCOTT SMITH

During this time of economic uncertainty and record federal deficits, many question why America should invest aggressively in infrastructure. The answer is simple: Whether it involves highways, railways, ports,aviation or any other sector, infrastructure is an economic driver that is essential for the long-term creation of quality American jobs.

Unfortunately,our position as the world leader in infrastructure has begun to erode after years of misdirected federal priorities. When it comes to transportation, Washington has been on autopilot for the last half-century. Instead of tackling the hard choices facing our nation and embracing innovations, federal transportation policy still largely adheres to an agenda set by President Eisenhower.

As a result, American citizens and businesses are wasting time, money and fuel. According to the Texas Transportation Institute, in 2009 Americans wasted 4.8 billion hours sitting in traffic at a cost of $115 billion and 3.9 billion wasted gallons of gas. Meanwhile, nations around the world are investing in cutting-edge infrastructure to make their transportation networks more efficient, more sustainable and more competitive than ours. These investments have put them on a cycle of economic growth that will improve their standard of living and improve their citizens' quality of life.

Building America's Future Educational Fund, a national and bipartisan coalition of state and local elected officials, of which we are members, recently issued areport on the subject, "Falling Apart and Falling Behind." It offers a sobering assessment of transportation-infrastructure investments in the U.S. as compared to the visionary investments being made by our global economic competitors.

As recently as 2005, the World Economic Forum ranked the U.S. No. 1 in infrastructure economic competitiveness. Today, the U.S. is ranked 15th. This is not a surprise considering that the U.S. spends only 1.7% of its gross domestic product on transportation infrastructure while Canada spends 4% and China spends 9%. Even as the global recession has forced cutbacks in government spending, other countries continue to invest significantly more than the U.S. to expand and update their transportation networks.

China has invested $3.3 trillion since 2000, for example, and recently announced another $105.2 billion for 23 new infrastructure projects.Brazil has invested $240 billion since 2008, with another $340 billion committed for the next three years. The result? China is now home to six of the world's 10 busiest ports—while the U.S. isn't home to one. Brazil's Açu Superport is larger than the island of Manhattan, with state-of-the-art highway, pipeline and conveyor-belt capacity to ease the transfer of raw materials onto ships heading to China.

To get our nation's economy back on track, we must develop a national infrastructure strategy for the next decade. This policy should bebased on economics, not politics. Washington must finally pass are authorized multiyear transportation bill; target federal dollars toward economically strategic freight gateways and corridors; and refocus highway investment on projects of national economic significance, such as New York's Tappan Zee Bridge across the Hudson,where capacity restraints impose real congestion and safety costs in aneconomically critical region.

It is also time we create new infrastructure financing options, including a National Infrastructure Bank. Many of these new programs, using Build America Bonds, for instance, can be paid for with a minimal impact on the federal deficit.

The government's continued neglect of infrastructure will consign ournation and our children to economic decline. Rebuilding America's future cannot be a Democratic or Republican political cause. It must bea national undertaking. And if it is, there will be no stopping us. Let's get to work.


Mr. Rendell, a Democrat, was governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011. Mr. Smith, a Republican, is the mayorof Mesa, Ariz., and vice chairman of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.Both are members of Building America's Future Educational Fund.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904140604576496430721692282.html

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2011-8-26 16:01:30
先做个沙发,好好看
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2011-8-26 19:42:56
啊,夸克之一斑竹也来这里了哈哈
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2011-8-26 22:56:53
Stimulus—百度词典[网络释义]Stimulus 1.刺激,促进因素 stimulus 1.刺激源、信号资料群 2.激励 3.复
surpassing—百度词典surpassing [sɚ'pæsɪŋ][词典释义]a. & ad. 1. 非凡的(地);卓越的(地);出众的(地)
infrastructure—百度词典infrastructure ['ɪnfrə,strʌktʃɚ][词典释义]n. 1. 公共建设(如铁路、公路、下水道等) 2. 基础建设
infrastructure 1.公共基础建设 2.基础设施;基本建设 3.基础截,基本结构 4.公司内部结构 INFRASTRUCTURE 1.基础设施 erode—erode [ɪ'rod][词典释义]vt. 1. 腐蚀;侵蚀;磨损
                     [网络释义]1.(受)腐蚀,(受)侵蚀 2.侵蚀,削弱,破坏 3.使腐蚀;使侵蚀
sustainable—百度词典sustainable [sə'stenəb!]
                     [词典释义]a. 1. 支撑得住的;能承受的 2. 能保持的;能维持的 3. 能保持在一定水平的
                     [网络释义]sustainable 1.可以支撑得起的,养得起的 2.可持续的 Sustainable 1.可持续的
bipartisan—百度词典bipartisan [baɪ'pɑrtəzn]
                     [词典释义]a. 1. 两个政党的
                     [网络释义]1.两党连立的
coalition—百度词典coalition [,koə'lɪʃən]
                     [词典释义]n. 1. 结合,联合 2. (政党、国家等)临时结成的联盟
                      [网络释义]1.联合, 联盟 2.合并
corridors—百度词典corridor ['kɔrɪdɚ]
                     [词典释义]n. 1. 走廊,回廊,通道 2. 狭长通道;空中走廊
                     [网络释义]corridor 1.走廊,通道 2.通路 3.过道 4.走道 5.室内走廊 6.区间 7.回廊 8.回转线路 CORRIDOR 1.走廊 Corridor 1.廊道;走廊 2.交通通廊






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2011-8-26 23:01:39
懂了八成吧。今晚就不在研究了。
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2011-8-26 23:02:16

在当前经济不稳定以及联邦ZF存在赤字时期,出现了很多问题譬如美国为什么应该积极投资基础设施。其实答案很简单:无论是投资于公路、铁路、港口、航空还是其他任何领域,基础设施建设都是一种经济驱动力,是长期有效促进就业增长的基础。

不幸的是,联邦ZF的政策重点多年以来被错误的引导,美国作为全球基础设施建设领域的领先者地位开始动摇。对于交通设施建设,美国ZF过去半个世纪以来一直不闻不问。联邦ZF的交通设施政策没有去主动支持革新、去解决美国所面临的艰难抉择,而是基本上还在延续艾森豪威尔总统制定的时间表。

结果,美国人和企业家正在浪费时间、金钱和能源。根据美国德克萨斯州交通研究院的数据,2009年美国人由于堵车而在路上浪费了48亿个小时,成本高达1,150亿美元,汽油达39亿加仑。与此同时,世界各国正在投资修建使用尖端技术的基础设施,以便使他们的交通网络比美国的效率更高、更耐用、也更具竞争力。这些投资已帮助那些国家的经济进入增长周期、改善了当地的生活标准、并提高了当地居民的生活质量。

建设美国未来教育基金会(Building America's Future Educational Fund)近来就此话题发布了一份题为《分裂与落后》(Falling Apart and Falling Behind)的研究报告。这份报告对于美国的交通设施投资现状以及美国经济竞争对手国的投资状况进行了冷静的分析。建设美国未来教育基金会是一个全国性的两党联合组织,由各州和地方选举出来的官员组成,本文两位作者均是该基金会成员。
就在2005年,世界经济论坛将美国的基础设施经济竞争力列为全球第一位。而今,美国的排名是第十五位。鉴于目前美国交通设施投资占其国内生产总值(GDP)的比重只有区区1.7%,而加拿大和中国的比重分别是4%和9%,排名的迅速后退便也不足为奇。即便是在全球经济衰退促使各国ZF大幅消减开支之时,其他国家用于拓展和升级交通网络的投资也仍比美国要多得多。

举例来说,自2000年以来,中国的交通设施投资是3.3万亿美元,而最近中国又宣布要再为23个新项目投入1,052亿美元。巴西自2008年以来的交通投入是2,400亿美元,该国还承诺未来三年要再投资3,400亿美元。结果呢?目前全球十大最繁忙港口中,中国拥有六个,而美国一个也没有。巴西的阿苏超级港(Acu Superport)面积比曼哈顿还要大,那里有一流的高速公路、石油管道和传送带,能够将巴西的原材料轻松运上开往中国的货船。

为让美国经济重回增长轨道,未来十年美国必须建立一个全国性的基础设施战略。这一政策应该是以经济、而非政治为基础的。联邦ZF必须通过一项重新批准、囊括多年规划的交通议案,将ZF支出用于建设有经济战略意义的货运网络,并投资具有全国性经济意义的公路项目,比如重建纽约横跨哈德逊河的Tappan Zee桥,这座桥的承运能力有限,在纽约这样一个经济地位极其重要的区域造成了拥堵,并带来安全问题。

此外,现在是时候推出新手段来为基础设施建设融资了,比如设立一家全国基础设施银行(National Infrastructure Bank)。许多这类新项目,比如说可以使用美国建设债券(Build America Bonds),都能在给联邦ZF财政赤字造成最小影响的情况下得以偿付。
美国ZF如果继续忽视基础设施建设,将会把经济衰落的烂摊子留给这个国家和下一代美国人。重建美国的未来不应该仅仅是民主党或是共和党的政治诉求,这必须是所有人共同的努力方向。一旦如此,美国将势如破竹不可阻挡。从现在开始行动起来吧。

Rendell是民主党人,2003-2011年任宾夕法尼亚州州长。Smith是共和党人,现任亚利桑那州Mesa市市长、美国市长协会副主席。两人都是建设美国未来教育基金会的成员。



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