Senator Warren on infrastructure

She uses this topic to reiterate the value that we are all in this socioeconomic endeavor together. And part of that is the upkeep and upgrade of our infrastructure, from roads and bridges to the internet and shifting to a sustainable energy infrastructure. And all this creates jobs to boot. The below is from her email blast asking us to join her in petitioning Congress to create jobs by investing in our infrastructure:

"Nobody got rich on their own. Nobody. Sure, people who built great businesses worked hard. Most successful entrepreneurs worked their tails off. But those businesses need good soil to grow – and that meant they need roads and bridges to get their goods to market, dependable and affordable power grids, access to clean water and safe sewers, up-to-date communications – the kind of basic infrastructure that we build together.

Coming out of the Great Depression, we built those roads and bridges and power grids that helped businesses grow right here in America. We plowed money into our future, and as those businesses grew, they created great jobs here at home. But by the 1980s, our country sharply cut back on making those investments in our future, and now we’re getting left behind. Today China spends 9% of its GDP on infrastructure. Europe spends about 5% of its GDP on infrastructure. They are building a future for their businesses – and better jobs for their people. But the United States is investing only 2.4% and looking for more ways to make cuts. Today, the American Society of Civil Engineers says we have about $3.6 trillion worth of deferred maintenance, repairs and upgrading – and every day we’re falling behind.

That’s why my colleagues and I are calling on Congress to make improving our infrastructure a top priority this year. Will you join us?
Focus for a minute on just one piece of this: highways and mass transit. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials says a highway bill would create 8 million jobs over the next four years. A highway bill could put people to work in good jobs right now and fix crumbling roads and bridges that will support future businesses and future jobs – right here in America.

We know how to create the basic building blocks for a strong economy and a strong middle class. We celebrated success, but we always paid ahead, making sure that the basic conditions would be right so the next generation could do even better. We did it before, and we can do it again.

Join me in calling on Congress to invest in American infrastructure in 2015. Sign our petition now.

Thank you for being a part of this,

Elizabeth"