Why so long to get things done?
On "Morning Joe" on MSNBC, Tom Friedman of The New York Times was one of the guests. The discussion came around to how China has been moving forward aggressively on infrastructure projects, while the U.S. seems to be stuck in protracted discussions that never seems to conclude.
His observation is that the politicians are stuck in a "Spend, borrow, and repair" mode rather then looking to the future and getting infrastructure things done. Planning does not seem to be a high priority.
We can bring this down to the local, and state level, as well. The Manchester/Wesley bridge, 10 years in the making, Northside flooding issues, 10 years in the making, and the bridge over the Union Pacific tracks at the DuPage County Fairgrounds, 10 years in the making. Get the trend?
The elected officials and staffs can easily argue that these projects are complicated and take time. The company that I spent a career with would not be in business today if it took 10 years to bring a product to market. Is it any wonder why today's elected officials receive little confidence from their constituents on being able to get things done?
Bob Christensen
Wheaton