Council on Foreign Relations: James M. Lindsay- Rob Quartel: 'Funding U.S. Infrastructure Improvements'

Source:Council on Foreign Relations- Rob Quartel from NTELX.

"Rob Quartel, Chairman and CEO of NTELX, discusses the need for  investment in renewing U.S. infrastructure with CFR's James M. Lindsay.  "We really have to focus on alternative means for paying for  infrastructure," argues Quartel." 

From the Council on Foreign Relations

There are so many things that America needs to do to rebuild its economy, get strong economic growth going again which would lead to job growth and then we can finally bring down our high unemployment rate of 9.1% or so. Which hopefully will be lower after the October jobs report, but of course thats no guarantee. 

We've been at 9% or higher in unemployment because of lack of economic growth for over a year now. And rebuilding our infrastructure, manufacturing industry, and creating a national energy policy are all things we need to do again, so we start building things in America again, made by Americans, sold in America as well as abroad. 

Foreign trade is also a key component to this so we can sell American products to as many customers as possible. We have right now in America what we need to rebuild our economy. We have things in America that we can sell here as well as abroad, that would create more American jobs. And the three trade agreements that Congress just passed and President Obama just signed, will be a big help for our manufacturing as well as auto industry. Infrastructure investment would also benefit our economy and manufacturing industry. 

A national energy policy would also benefit our economy and manufacturing industry. The good thing about tall of these things, even though it's a lot of work, but thats also a good thing, it means a lot of work, meaning the need to hire a lot of people to do all of this new work, the American auto industry is recovering. Meaning that will be a boost to our manufacturing industry, because of all the parts that would be needed to build the new autos. More people driving meaning more of the need for a national energy policy. 

And we have all the energy that we need in America to be developed and sold in America that we just need to produce and sell ourselves, again which means more jobs. And more energy industries being created to go along with oil and gas, nuclear power, and electric power. 

What also would help our economy is more infrastructure investment, which again would be a boost to our manufacturing industry, because again of all the new parts that would be needed to rebuild and build new infrastructure. 

So we have right now what we need in our country to rebuild our economy, the question is whether we are going to do it or not. Can the House and Senate come together and pass what we need to get to rebuild our economy, that the President would sign into law. 

Three great things we can do for our economy right now and again they all relate to each other. Infrastructure investment with a National Infrastructure Bank to finance our infrastructure investment. A national energy policy that would move America to energy independence, but developing our own natural resources. And foreign trade that Congress and the President have just passed and signed into law. The only question is will we do what we need to do or not.