SAMPLE OP-EDS
#1
When it Comes to Federal Highway Funding, All Options Must be on the Table
By [Author name]
Construction and maintenance of our national highway and interstate system has been
a core function of the federal government since America’s founding dating back to when
they were called “post roads.” Our Founding Fathers believed this to be so important
that they included it in the Constitution as one of the very few enumerated powers along
with national defense that Congress was responsible for contained in Article I, Sec. 8.
Congress should focus on passing a long-term highway reauthorization plan before the
current extension expires at the end of May. All options must be on the table for
consideration to find a long-term funding solution that will stabilize the federal Highway
Trust Fund, including an increase in the gas tax (which could be balanced with tax cuts
elsewhere so as to be revenue neutral for taxpayers); new revenue streams realized
through tax reform; or one-shot infusions from sources such as incentivizing American
corporations to bring their foreign profits back to the U.S.
There are those today who advocate a very different path than the one that the Framers
of the Constitution chose – even as they allegedly do so in the Founders’ names.
A concerted effort is underway to turn this federal responsibility over to the states in
what is frequently referred to as “devolution.” This is an accurate term since just as
evolution evokes forward movement and progress, then its opposite must denote going
backwards and regressing. That is the last thing our nation’s roads and highways need.
No doubt both sides of this debate believe that states should have greater flexibility
under the federal highway program to prioritize their projects and have streamlined
approval and construction processes. In fact, such reforms were a key part of the last
highway bill, MAP-21, passed in 2012.
However, devolving responsibility for the federal highway program isn’t “limited
constitutional government,” but an unfunded federal mandate on the states. If the
federal highway user fee (or gas tax as it is commonly referred to) were to be abolished
as some suggest, then states would either have to drastically curtail their transportation
projects or pass massive tax increases at the state level to make up for the lost federal
funding.
America's transportation projects and workers cannot endure another short-term
extension that leaves states unable to commit to the needed infrastructure
improvements and business unable to make responsible capital investment and
resource commitments. Our leaders in Washington must seize this critical opportunity to
improve existing programs and increase investment in the nation's roads, bridges and
transit systems essential for future growth.
#2
America Needs Long-Term Funding for Transportation Projects
By [Author name]
America's transportation infrastructure system is in bad need of repair. Instead of
addressing this pressing problem, Congress has been content to enact a series of short
highway bills that are followed by a number of even shorter extensions that make it
impossible for states to plan for the future.
It is time for Congress to develop a long-term solution for funding our highways, bridges
and public transportation systems to drive economic recovery and protect our
citizens. They need to tackle the long-term planning and investment needs before the
latest MAP-21 extension expires on May 31.
We all depend on a transportation network that is reliable, fast, safe and costeffective. Transportation is also an important economic driver by creating jobs across
construction, engineering, and manufacturing sectors. Every $1 spent on
transportation infrastructure projects generates an additional $1.80 to $2.00 of American
GDP, so spending on worthy transportation projects has great potential to boost our
economy.
Unfortunately, government has failed to make long-term investments in transportation
and a deteriorating transportation system threatens our economic growth. Any American
traveling daily by car, bus or train sees first-hand that our transportation infrastructure is
failing to keep pace with the needs of a growing population and a growing economy.
In the near term, if we are to fix our aging infrastructure and make needed
improvements, all funding options must be on the table including an increase in the gas
tax (which could be balanced with tax cuts elsewhere so as to be revenue neutral for
taxpayers); new revenue streams realized through tax reform; or one-shot infusions
from sources such as incentivizing American corporations to bring their foreign profits
back to the U.S.
Congress has to put a responsible package together, one that commits national
resources to national priorities and ensures that dollars are spent wisely. For too long,
short-term extensions have forced projects to stop and start, wasting time and money
that could be used to achieve a cohesive national transportation plan. Two states have
already announced that they are suspending numerous road projects (and the jobs that
go along with them) due to the uncertainty of the federal role in building and maintaining
our nation’s infrastructure.
Congress should focus on passing a long-term reauthorization plan before the current
extension expires. America's transportation projects and workers cannot endure another
short-term extension that leaves states unable to commit to the needed infrastructure
improvements and business unable to make responsible capital investment and
resource commitments. Our leaders in Washington must seize this critical opportunity to
improve existing programs and increase investment in the nation's roads, bridges and
transit systems essential for future growth.
#3
American Business Needs Infrastructure Investment
By [Author name]
As gas prices fall to levels we have not seen in years, traffic on our roadways
undoubtedly will spike making them even more congested. Any American traveling by
car, bus, or train can see firsthand that our transportation infrastructure is failing to keep
pace with the demands of a growing population and the 21st Century economy.
As a member of the business community, I see daily how our transportation system is
aging and increasingly inadequate to support America’s needs. Between increasing
congestion, pot holes, crumbling bridges, and malfunctioning transit systems,
businesses all over the country are contending with more complex supply chains and
ever-lengthening travel times for their goods, employees and customers, not to mention
increasing safety concerns and environmental pollution.
For [INSERT BUSINESS NAME], the frustrations are particularly acute. [INSERT
LANGUAGE DETAILING BUSINESS ISSUES]. But [INSERT BUSINESS NAME] is not
alone in facing these issues. The need for appropriate transportation legislation remains
one of our nation’s most persistent challenges.
So what can be done?
We need to start by making transportation needs a national priority. Until all Americans
demand better results and increased investment from their state, local and federal
governments, our nation’s transportation network will continue to crumble. In the
meantime, the list of roads and bridges needing major repairs will grow and become
more expensive to address while businesses of all kinds are forced to contend with
growing challenges to their mobility, which threatens economic growth, global
competitiveness and job creation.
At the federal level, Congress has a great opportunity to move forward. This May, the
nation’s core surface transportation law, which currently provides for roughly half of
states’ highway and transit investments, is up for reauthorization. All funding options
must be on the table including an increase in the gas tax (which could be balanced with
tax cuts elsewhere so as to be revenue neutral for taxpayers); new revenue streams
realized through tax reform; or one-shot infusions from sources such as incentivizing
American corporations to bring their foreign profits back to the U.S.
We call on our leaders in Washington to seize this opportunity to improve existing
programs, increase investment, focus national resources on our greatest needs, and
ensure that transportation dollars are spent wisely.
#4
Certainty Is Needed For American Business To Thrive
By [Author name]
If there is one thing that businesses need in order to be successful, it is certainty. They
need to know what their tax rates and health care costs will be so they can plan ahead
and make informed decisions on growing their companies and hiring new employees.
Unfortunately, there is more uncertainty today than ever before in those areas.
There is one other major uncertainty that companies face every single day that
increasingly is being discussed – will the goods and services that they rely upon to do
business make it through our increasingly congested transportation system to them in
time? And, will they be able to transport their goods to market?
Companies’ “Just In Time” business models that save time and money for both stores
and consumers depend on a transportation network that provides reliable, fast, safe and
cost-effective performance. Meanwhile, our transportation infrastructure is failing to
keep pace with the demands of our growing population and the 21st century economy,
threatening this innovative delivery system that business has come to rely upon.
In the near term, if we are to fix our aging infrastructure and make needed
improvements, all funding options must be on the table, including an increase in the gas
tax (which could be balanced with tax cuts elsewhere so as to be revenue neutral for
taxpayers); new revenue streams realized through tax reform; or one-shot infusions
from sources such as repatriation of foreign profits. Congress must put a responsible
package together, one that commits national resources to national priorities and
ensures that dollars are spent wisely, and do so before the current extension of the
highway law expires at the end of May.
Government has for too long failed to make long-term investments in transportation
leading to a crumbling transportation system that disadvantages our economy now and
in the future. Until all Americans demand better results and increased investment from
their state, local and federal governments, transportation issues will continue to be left
on the back burner. In the meantime, the list of needs will grow and become more
expensive to address while businesses of all kinds are forced to contend with growing
challenges to their mobility, which in turn threatens economic growth and job creation.
If we want American businesses to thrive, we need to ensure that they have the
certainty they need to plan ahead. That includes a reliable transportation system upon
which they can depend.