By Ira Nirenberg

As to Obama’s next chore—upgrading our failing infrastructure (and Wicker’s comment on infrastructure in the first paragraph)—here is a quote from that “fake” news source Time Magazine.

In the article dated April 30, 2014, http://time.com/83073/barack-obama-transportation-republicans/“…they’re [Republicans] not going to accept any infrastructure proposals that come from President Barack Obama. They opposed his $50 billion “roads, rails and runways” proposal in 2010, and then again when it was expanded and incorporated into his American Jobs Act in 2011. They’ve blocked Obama’s plans for an infrastructure bank and a national high-speed rail network. They’ve also blocked Obama’s proposals for corporate tax reform, which is relevant, because the new Grow America Act depends on tax reform for much of its financing.”

And then there’s this from Overview on November 04, 2011, (http://www.overdriveonline.com/senate-republicans-block-transportation-jobs-plan/) “The day before the votes, Obama had delivered remarks in front of Washington, D.C.’s Key Bridge urging Congress to pass the transportation piece of the American Jobs Act. –‘Together, these initiatives would put hundreds of thousands of construction workers back on the job rebuilding roads, rails and runways,” Obama said. “Construction workers have been among the Americans hit hardest over the past few years. That makes no sense when there’s so much of America that needs rebuilding.’”

Guess what? Zero Republican support ensured that it didn’t pass.

So here’s my point: If the Trump administration can successfully rebuild America’s failing infrastructure and put more Americans to work while doing it, I say that’s great. But Mr. Wicker’s attempted political pandering by disseminating disinformation is at best counterproductive. Floating the implication that Obama had flatly failed to establish a workable infrastructure program without giving an honest appraisal of what the 2009 stimulus package was actually meant to address, and continued Republican obstruction to any future infrastructure program Obama presented, is a slanted, self-serving strategy, meant only to foster an already polarized electorate.

And lastly: For anyone wishing to “squander” their time by reading news outlets other than Fox and Breitbart, they can find more information on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Grow America Act on their websites:

https://www.transportation.gov/grow-america

https://www.transportation.gov/grow-america/fact-sheets/financing

Furthermore, information on corporate tax reparations and job creation can be found in a Forbes article. Yes, it applies today as well. So you may wish to read not only how tax reparations work, but how well President Trump’s plans for it are expected to work.

Forbes Magazine September 12, 2011

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2011/09/12/bringing-overseas-corporate-profits-back-to-us-not-necessarily-a-job-booster/#254548295b35