Roads, airports, hospitals, schools, trains, the electrical grid, oil and gas pipelines, water supplies, sewers, phone lines, cellphone and internet access all provide the foundation for society -- and the quality of them plays a huge role in the quality of our lives. Simply stated, the difference between First World countries and Third World countries is the quality of the infrastructure.
It is not a coincidence that many Third World countries have lousy infrastructure and are run by oligarchs. Oligarchs don’t want to fund infrastructure that supports the greater good of the general populace. They want to collect taxes from the general populace.
So it shouldn’t be a surprise that the last 40 years of tax breaks for the wealthy has also meant the degradation of our infrastructure. Not only is the investment of infrastructure badly needed for the greater good, it is fitting that the wealthy and corporations should be the ones to pay for it.
John Hallinan, Stoughton
Follow along as Phil Hands shows you how he draws his recent Mendota Marsh comic strip.
