A candidate for Congress from northern Kentucky says the U.S. should use a massive infrastructure rebuilding program to help the economy recover.
In a press release from her campaign, Shannon Fabert, who is running for the Democratic nomination to face Rep. Thomas Massie in the fall, said this:
“Three generations ago, America faced a time of unprecedented joblessness and destitution. Now, we face a period of unemployment that far exceeds even those circumstances. After the pandemic finally fades, we will be attempting to restart an economy where MILLIONS have lost their jobs. Congress must be agile and needs representatives with experience in real business solutions. I have spent most of my career as a business consultant focusing on ways to make organizations better. We need these types of innovative solutions that consider the needs and circumstances of all stakeholders, the entire American public. We need a sense of urgency in planning for this now.”
Her proposal notes numerous areas of our nation’s infrastructure that have been neglected and must be addressed:
- Roadways and waterways
- The energy grid
- Broadband internet access for all, including rural communities
- Water systems to provide clean water
Fabert compares this work to the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Tennessee Valley Authority, then goes on to say:
“Don’t get me wrong, this won’t be easy. We will need to embrace the training programs and apprenticeships like those found among our labor unions to retrain workers for a new economy. John F Kennedy said ‘We do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard.’ Leaders in Congress need to accept that an unprecedented crisis requires an unprecedented response. Time and time again, we have seen political outrage at the loss of a market, but we rarely see a concerted effort by those same politicians to give displaced workers an option for economic empowerment.”
Fabert’s campaign site is Fabert2020.org.
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