Where's the Beef?

Anybody remember the Wendy's commercial that had the little old lady (Clara Peller) look at a tiny hamburger on a "big fluffy bun," then holler "Where's the Beef?" Now we need to look at "Where's the Stimulus?"

The City of Jackson, Mississippi, spent the first part of 2010 in the deepest, coldest freeze since 1940. Anybody care to guess what that exposed? It showed us some $300 Million in repairs to the water and sewer system that need to be addressed. Approximately 150 breaks developed in the water mains across the city, and the city was without drinkable water or enough water pressure for toilets and building sprinklers for a week. Much of the city, including hotels, restaurants, and any building with a sprinkler system, was shut down for a week.

What broke? Pipes that are as much as a hundred years old or more, including cast iron pipes, did not stand up to the icy weather. City crews, along with crews from neighboring communities and state crews, worked night and day to dig up pipes, patch them, and close up the holes. Some streets in Jackson now appear to have been bombed out, because there was no time to pave over the patchwork.

Now, what does this have to do with ARRA? It brings up questions about where the money went or is going. In my opinion, this is the sort of project that ARRA should be funding. Cities around the country have old infrastructure, like Jackson's pipes, that they cannot afford to replace. There's no glamour or flash in replacing a sewer pipe; building things that are buried underground does not leave something a politician can show off as something he or she did. This is where a major need lies, but it is unlikely that Congress will spend more money on a new round of ARRA projects when this money runs out. ARRA may stimulate the economy, but we will still be left with gaping needs that have been unaddressed.