. . . First, Professor Melman cites the Report Card for America's
Infrastructure that was issued by the American Society of Civil
Engineers. One and a third trillion dollars are estimated for the
repair of twelve categories of public works, including schools,
drinking water systems, sewage systems, airports, public transit,
bridges and roads.
. . . Adding $618 billion for repair of U.S. housing and railroads
brings the capital improvement needs to a $2.0 trillion market, he
notes.
. . . The military economy drains the civilian economy and this
trend has been accelerating into what Melman called a "huge change"
in the American economy. He writes: "This deindustrialization has
happened so quickly that America's capacity to produce anything is
seriously undermined."
[Rumsfeld promised change but the next day -- Sept. 11-- the world changed and in the
rush to fund the war on terrorism, the war on waste seems to have been forgotten.--Aleen
Sirgany, "The War on Waste,"
cbsnews.com, January 29, 2002]
[A study by the Defense Department's inspector general found that
the Pentagon couldn't properly account for more than a trillion
dollars in monies spent.--Tom Abate, "Military waste under fire: $1 trillion missing,"
San Francisco Chronicle, May 18, 2003]