It's clear, after yesterday, that Joseph Robinette Biden, would like to be known as the “Infrastructure” President. The person who built out many of the country's most needed work projects and vital links between cities and peoples. The roads, public works, and projects that connect communities.
And this isn't an unusual ambition, Franklin Roosevelt had the Work Project Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps. Responsible for many of the public buildings and projects that exist today. President Hoover was, famous of course for the Hoover Dam. President Eisenhower for the Interstate Highway System.
For Biden, this will be a plan that will focus on rebuilding the nation's aging roads, bridges utilities, and broadband communication. In its initial phase, signed into law yesterday over $1 trillion dollars will be earmarked for this effort.
To give you an idea of how large this project is: One Trillion dollars is equivalent to 20% of our workforce or 8 million workers working for an entire year, dedicating their entire income to nothing but this project. Think of that: 8 million working for nothing other than infrastructure.
And, according to the White House “Fact Sheet,” this trillion-dollar bill signed yesterday, represents a little over half the total obligation of two trillion to be funded by the end of the decade.
And of course, none of these factors in the interest that will need to be allocated for the debt incurred for these projects. Interest alone will raise the real cost of the Biden Infrastructure Plan by 4 or 5 times.
It's clear that the President has obligated this country to a massive public works program, by far the largest in the nation's history.
Yesterday was, by all measures a historic beginning on a monumental effort.
And that's what makes all this so puzzling. Clearly, Biden is making his mark. Building his legacy. And, just as clearly it would follow that this legacy's cornerstone will be infrastructure.
Why then has he spent the first months of his Presidency canceling all the pre-existing infrastructure programs that were just underway as he sat down at the Resolute Desk?
Remember that first day when he canceled the Keystone Pipeline. A giant public works project that was employing an estimated 50K workers, and would have brought over 800K barrels of oil per day to this country. The oil that would be sorely needed this winter as heating costs are skyrocketing.
Energy and jobs, something that the Biden Infrastructure Bill promises to provide. That the Keystone Pipeline project was already well underway to producing. Why did the Infrastructure President cancel the Keystone Pipeline?
Or take the Southern Border Wall. Another major public works project employing thousands. This one seemed to be a “no brainer:” the funds were already allocated. Supplies were already purchased. And, in fact, many of those wall components are laying out in the open desert now. The completion of the southern border wall would seem to have fit right into the Biden Portfolio as the Infrastructure President.
It would have provided a sense of peace and safety. Especially needed right now as thousands of un-vetted, unknown invaders march to that borders right now. Due to arrive any day.
Why did our Infrastructure President cancel the Southern Border Wall?
And finally, why is President Biden threatening to cancel the Embridge Line 5. Embridge line 5 is an oil pipeline originating in Canada, which supplies people in the upper peninsula of Michigan with 2/3rds of the heating needs. And the rest of Michigan with over half of their propane. And yet now, as a very cold, and expensive winter nears Biden threatens to close the Embridge, which has operated for over 65 years without an accident.
It's inexplicable.
And it gets to the core of this man who has only been our President for less than 10 months. Do we really have in this man, a leader dedicated to providing the best for our country? Building out the public works and projects that will help supply our energy needs, national safety, and jobs as promised.
OR do we have an opportunistic politician, bent on making headlines when the chance arises, and then canceling much-needed projects that are no longer “politically correct?”
It's a question that will determine the real legacy of President 46.
