Road resurfacing has important benefits

Something very satisfying is occurring in my neighborhood. Almost every street in Glenoaks Canyon is being resurfaced, and I notice that work has begun on Chevy Chase Drive and other nearby streets. Yet I marvel at hearing more complaints about the noise and inconvenience this work is creating than about the benefits of well-maintained roadways. Also, how about the pleasure of seeing people in the depressed construction industry being put to work doing something beneficial for us?

To me, this kind of undertaking is the surest and best way out of our economic malaise. Infrastructure projects not only provide good paying jobs in the private sector, they promise enduring social and economic advantages.

The resurfacing of our city streets is only a modest step in the direction toward what we Americans should be doing on a large scale. Of course we would have to pay for it, but it’s a better option than encouraging more private sector spending on ephemeral economic activities such as entertainment, eating out, or the purchase of more child and adult toys. I, for one, would not resent a higher tax bill if the additional taxes went for robust infrastructure improvements. Such a strategy would not only offer the potential for getting our economy humming again, but it would promise a better future for all of us, including our children and grandchildren.

Gerry Rankin
Glendale