The Leveraged Buyout of America

By Ellen Brown, Web of Debt Aug 26, 2013 Giant bank holding companies now own airports, toll roads, and ports; control power plants; and store and hoard vast quantities of commodities of all sorts. They are systematically buying up or gaining control of the essential lifelines of the economy. How did they pull this off, and where did they get the money? Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

Crumbling Infrastructure

Steve Sack, Cagle Cartoons, The Minneapolis Star Tribune Jun 23, 2013 Dig deeper

Eight Things I Miss About the Cold War

By Jon Wiener, TomDispatch Jan 16, 2013 It couldn’t be a sadder thing to admit, given what happened during the Cold War, but -- given what’s happened in recent years -- who can doubt that the America of the 1950s and 1960s was, in some ways, simply a better place than the one we live in now? Dig deeper ( 12 Min. Read )

The Problem With ‘Public-Private Partnerships’

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jan 6, 2013 When a plan to construct the first modern privatized highway in the United States did little to ease congestion, blocked residents from making further improvements and cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, Californians had the opportunity to learn a lesson about the folly of privatizing transportation projects. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Let’s Get Ready to Crumble

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Aug 18, 2012 The American Society of Civil Engineers has awarded America’s roadways a grade of D-, rated one in four bridges as “structurally deficient or functionally obsolete” and warned that thousands of American dams are on the verge of failure. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

How Not to Reconstruct Iraq, Afghanistan — or America

By Peter Van Buren, TomDispatch Aug 18, 2012 Why has the United States spent so much money and time so disastrously trying to rebuild occupied nations abroad, while allowing its own infrastructure to crumble untended? Why do we even think of that as “policy”? Dig deeper ( 9 Min. Read )

Job by Job

Bill Boyarsky / Truthdig Jul 11, 2012 The effort to reduce unemployment is a grueling plant-by-plant, job-by-job process conducted by those seeking work, business people and local officials operating far from the media spotlight and simplistic rhetoric of the political campaign.The effort to reduce unemployment is a grueling plant-by-plant, job-by-job process conducted by people operating far from the simplistic rhetoric of the political campaign. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Russia’s Answer to Broken Roads

Ivo Mijnssen / Truthdig Jun 13, 2012 Like the United States, Russia struggles with crumbling infrastructure, but Moscow has devised a novel solution: lower standards. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

A Major Bump in the Road

Staff / Truthdig Nov 16, 2011 Much rides on America’s highways, vital arteries in the movement of people and goods. The problem is, the roads are crumbling at a time when money to fix them is hard to come by. (more) Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Vermont Feels Irene’s Wrath

Staff / Truthdig Aug 29, 2011 While New York City escaped the worst of Tropical Storm Irene, much of Vermont did not. The state saw bridges washed away, roads battered and power lines downed in the midst of what officials say is the worst flooding in more than 80 years. (more) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

A Generation of Termites

Joe Conason / Truthdig Oct 14, 2010 The best recent estimates by civil engineers and government experts indicate that we would have to spend well over $2 trillion during the next five years on roads, bridges, airports, railways, transit, sewers, waterways, ports, dams, parks and schools simply to maintain them in decent condition. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Builder Barack Wants a Mini Stimulus (Update)

Staff / Truthdig Sep 6, 2010 With unemployment still rising and the American infrastructure getting no less crumbly, President Obama is set to announce a six-year plan to build roads and create jobs, starting with a $50 billion investment. That's assuming Congress gets on board the recovery train. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )