From the Chair’s Desk: MODERN investments for a MODERN economy

This week, I had the opportunity to testify in front of the Maryland legislature about the need to invest in a 21st Century infrastructure for a modern economy. Marylanders have the largest average daily commute in America – longer than New York or California. And if we keep trying to solve our transportation problems with a solution crafted twenty years ago – the last time Maryland made a commitment to change its infrastructure fundamentally – we can expect an infrastructure that is twenty years out of date.
Progress is a choice, but inaction has a cost. Roads do not upgrade or maintain themselves.  Bridges do not repair themselves or rebuild themselves. Our transportation infrastructure here in Maryland does not grow broader or stronger with age. It’s not just here in Maryland – Democratic governors across the country are stepping up to make the investments we need to make this modern economy ours.
The moral and economic imperative is clear – time we spend in traffic is time we could be spending with our families, or getting a head start on tomorrow’s work. It is added time we are spending polluting our environment.
My proposal to get Maryland to invest in a 21st Century infrastructure would put 7,500 people back to work – mostly in our construction industry, which has been very hard hit by the Great Recession. It asks all of us to make tough choices, but a modern economy requires modern investments – and we can’t kick the can down the road.
Jobs. Opportunity. Now.

Gov. Martin O’Malley