Planning and building infrastructure have been part of America’s tradition – and greatness – since the founding of the Republic. Our forebears recognized the need to invest in road networks to serve the needs of the colonies, water systems to serve growing cities, canals to facilitate trade, railroads and telegraph lines to open up the West, and dams to encourage settlement and generate power.
This year is the 200th Anniversary of the Gallatin Plan, crafted by Thomas Jefferson’s Secretary of the Treasury, Albert Gallatin, to develop the infrastructure needed by a fast-growing nation.
One hundred years later, President Theodore Roosevelt invited every state and territorial governor to join members of his Cabinet and Congress, professional organizations, and government bureaus in a National Conference at the White House to discuss infrastructure needs for the 20th century. More importantly, it laid the groundwork for many of the critical investments initiated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to jumpstart the nation’s recovery from the Great Depression.
Today, the challenges of the 21st century – global warming, dwindling oil reserves, growing insecurity in the Middle East, and an uncertain global economy – require a renewed national focus on the infrastructure that is essential to our cities, our rural communities, and our economy.
Friday March 21st, Barack Obama took Oregon by storm and I had a front row seat. Actually my front row seat started 46 hours earlier as the word of his pending visit spread. As the co-chair of the Oregon campaign and leading the efforts in the state, we were swamped by the reaction. Even with the arrival of paid Obama staff, the wave we sensed became a tsunami of Obama fever. By Friday morning, it was clear that something special was going to happen.
People had arrived early including some camping overnight. One prominent Republican told me, with a smile, that he was there "under an assumed name."
The energy, the enthusiasm, the insight and the hope in evidence in that room would characterize the entire day.
Join Earl to send a clear message to Congress in favor of the Food and Farm Bill of Rights.
America deserves a farm policy that serves all Americans, provides for a safe and healthy food supply, and sets the right priorities for the 21st century.
In Oregon, like many across the country, agriculture is a critical part of our economy. From beef to nurseries to berries, family farmers and ranchers are providing the basic needs on which Americans and millions of people around the world depend. At the same time, American farmers are facing new and increasing pressures from budget deficits, trade rules, urban sprawl, climate change, rising energy costs and shrinking water resources. If we take our responsibility seriously, Congress must not miss the opportunity presented by the 2007 Farm Bill reauthorization to craft policies that are good for farmers, the land, the environment, our economy, and, indeed, the world.
© 2008. Paid for and authorized by Blumenauer for Congress.
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2008 is an important year for Oregon. We face tough problems that require creative solutions. I've put together my ideas, and I hope you'll share yours with me. Explore my ideas for a better future for Oregon.
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