Quote(Obama) is increasingly arguing that spending money to rebuild the nation’s roads, rails, ports, power grids and even broadband networks will be necessary if America is to be able to compete in the global economy. And he is expected to repeat his call for creating a National Infrastructure Bank, which would choose public works projects by their merits.
“The question is, how do you know you’re going to get a return on your investment?†said David Burwell, the director of the Energy and Climate Program at the Carnegie Endowment, explaining the importance of careful project selection. “It’s a question of, how do you give us some confidence that you’re investing to grow the economy?â€
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/us/politics/25build.html
Hmmmm, I wonder who raised the question on return on investment when Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act into law......
QuoteOn June 29, Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, guaranteeing full, dedicated funding for the project. The National Highway Defense System (NHDS), as it was initially known, has been referred to as one of the 'Seven Wonders of the United States,' among other such notable structures as the Golden Gate Bridge, the Hoover Dam and the Panama Canal.
VISION is what lacks Republicans today:
Quote'More than any single action by the government since the end of the war, this one would change the face of America,' Eisenhower wrote in 1963. 'Its impact on the American economy â€" the jobs it would produce in manufacturing and construction, the rural areas it would open up â€" was beyond calculation.'
The clarity of his vision and the resiliency of his words are inarguable. The Eisenhower Interstate System has grown to be valuable beyond its original intent and is a lasting tribute to American ingenuity, ability and strength of purpose.
http://www.historynet.com/president-dwight-eisenhower-and-americas-interstate-highway-system.htm