There is a consensus that the US should substantially raise its level of infrastructure investment. Economists and politicians of all persuasions recognise that this can create quality jobs and provide economic stimulus without posing the risks of easy-money policies in the short run. They also see that such investment can expand the economy’s capacity in the medium term and mitigate the huge maintenance burden we would otherwise pass on to the next generation.
目前存在一个共识，美国应大举扩大基础设施投资。各种意识形态的经济学家和政治人士都承认，这可以在短期内不构成宽松货币政策风险的情况下，创造高质量的就业并提供经济刺激。他们还认为，此类投资可以扩大美国经济的中期产能，并缓解我们传给下一代的巨大维修负担。
The case for infrastructure investment has been strong for a long time, but it gets stronger with each passing year, as government borrowing costs decline and ongoing neglect raises the return on incremental spending increases. As it becomes clearer that growth will not return to pre-financial-crisis levels on its own, the urgency of policy action rises. Just as the infrastructure failure at Chernobyl was a sign of malaise in the Soviet Union’s last years, profound questions about America’s future are raised by collapsing bridges, children losing IQ points because of lead in water and an air traffic control system that does not use GPS technology.
长期以来，基础设施投资的理由一直充分，但年复一年，这种理由变得越来越充分，因为政府借款成本下滑，同时持续的忽视提高了增量支出增加的回报率。随着情况变得更加明朗：经济增长不会靠自己重返金融危机前的水平，采取政策行动的紧迫性加大了。就像切尔诺贝利核电站的基础设施失效突显苏联在最后几年的衰败一样，垮塌的桥梁、儿童智商因自来水含铅而下降，以及至今尚未采用全球定位系统(GPS)的空中交通管制系统，引发了有关美国未来的深远问题。