300 Levees In Need Of Urgent Repair

Millions of Americans are at risk of having their homes flooded, as a result of our deteriorating infrastructure.According to an investigation by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, more than 300 levees covering more than 2,000 miles around the country are in need of "urgent repair", and risk failing. And this problem could be much worse, as only 40% of the nearly 2,500 structures, which protect 10 million people from floods, have been reviewed so far. In New Orleans in 2005, we saw the horrific consequences of what happens when levees fail. And these deteriorating levees are part of a bigger problem – a deteriorating infrastructure. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers – our infrastructure requires $1.6 trillion in repairs – and if nothing is done by the end of the decade, that number will grow to nearly $3 trillion. Decaying infrastructure is estimated to cost our economy 3.5 million jobs over the next decade. Of course, there's a simple solution to all of this: Invest government money into rebuilding and modernizing our nation's infrastructure. Unfortunately, since such a thing will put tens of millions of Americans back to work, improve our economy, and prove that the government can indeed be a force for economic good – Republicans in Congress are blocking this much needed infrastructure stimulus. So, you know who to call next time the levees break – John Boehner and Eric Cantor.