The Health of America

There are two very different topics that I'm discussing when talking about the health of America but they are both very similar.

When Democrats talk about health care reform and controlling costs we often refer to the savings that comes from routine check ups. People without insurance don't do the routine maintenance and typically only see a doctor when things are dire. In the end it is much more expensive to wait until your system is failing than to just maintain your health.

This is also true of our nation. Republicans would like to start steeling money from our infrastructure fund to help pay for other programs that are not funded thanks to a huge drop in revenue brought on by the Bush tax cuts. The problem with this is that putting off the routine maintenance now will cost us more money down the road. Fixing small issues with a bridge before it collapses is much cheaper than waiting for it to collapse. Upgrading our railroad tracks before a train derails is much cheaper than letting the system fail. Providing the maintenance and reinforcement necessary before a levee fails, killing hundreds, is much cheaper than waiting.

If the foundation of your house was failing would you wait for your house to collapse and start all over or would you spend a little money now to fix the minor issue, saving hundreds of thousands later? Our infrastructure is the base which our capitalist system rests on. Failing to maintain it now, is increasing our deficit later. If you truly care about future deficits then maintenance spending now is the best investment you can make.