密歇根新闻广播 密歇根的道路问题日益严重

 

Macomb County Public Works Commissioner¹ Candice Miller² almost always calls it as she sees it. She's deeply conservative, but mostly doesn't let ideology³ get in the way of common sense.

So I wasn't surprised yesterday by how she summed up the $175 million road funding bill just passed by both houses of the state Legislature.

The bill, she said, is "just a drop in the pothole⁴."

She was, as usual, absolutely right. Michigan's roads, like the rest of our infrastructure⁵, are falling apart. The governor's 21st Century Infrastructure Commission concluded 15 months ago that we need to throw an additional $2.2 billion a year that we aren't spending now into our roads, every year, for the foreseeable future.

Michigan, in other words, is falling apart, thanks to decades of neglect. The nation is too, by the way. We've been ignoring our infrastructure needs far too long. The Great Recession and, in this state, the declining automotive economy are part of the reason why.

Term limits and pure selfishness may be even more to blame. Why, if you are a politician, should you cause voters short-term pain for long-term gain if you won't even be around when the benefits kick in? Less than two years ago, Governor Rick Snyder proposed depositing $165 million a year into a new state infrastructure fund.

That amount is, of course, laughably inadequate⁶; the governor's infrastructure commission estimated the state needs to spend an additional $4 billion a year to deal with everything from roads to bridges to broadband. But all the legislature would set aside was a paltry⁷ $5 million, which would maybe pay for fixing one mile of a four-lane highway.

Now, especially with this hard and snowy winter and yesterday's freak storm, things are getting really bad. Some voters told legislators they'd rather they put money into the roads than the silly tax cut enacted⁸ last month, a cut virtually meaningless to anyone not a multi-millionaire. The lawmakers, many of them supported by those millionaires, weren't listening.

Instead, they decided⁹ to use $175 million of the $280 million surplus the state is expected to run this year. Democrats¹⁰, however, wanted to supplement that with another $275 million from the state's rainy day fund, which Snyder has built up to almost $900 million.

But Republicans refused. I can see both sides of this argument. Having a cash reserve against the next inevitable¹² recession makes sense. But if this isn't an emergency, I don't know what counts as one. The problem seems especially bad in Macomb County.

The private news service MIRS noted¹³ that State Senator Steve Bieda of Warren read a letter signed by both Republican Candice Miller and Democrat¹¹ Mark Hackel, the county executive, saying that, "An eminent¹⁴ danger to life and property exists in Macomb and much of Southeast Michigan due to the condition of the roads."

Republicans dismissed this, saying that the $1.2 billion road package they passed in 2015 would soon kick in. But not only is that not nearly enough money, it does so by taking $600 million a year out of the already crippled general fund, which pays for education.

If we are ever to prosper¹⁵ again, we need a government run by grownups. We don't have that now, and our cars are among the first to feel the result.

Jack¹⁶ Lessenberry is Michigan Radio's Senior Political Analyst¹⁷. Views expressed in his essays are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Michigan Radio, its management or the station licensee, The University of Michigan.

1 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

2 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

3 ideology   

n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识

参考例句：

• The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。
• The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。

4 pothole   

n.坑，穴

参考例句：

• As the car sped over a pothole she lurched forward.车子飞驶过一个坑洼时，她身子猛地向前一倾。
• The young teacher knows every pothole in the 10-minute ride to school.这位年轻的老师熟悉这条往学校的10分钟路上的每一个坑洞。

5 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

6 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

7 paltry   

adj.无价值的，微不足道的

参考例句：

• The parents had little interest in paltry domestic concerns.那些家长对家里鸡毛蒜皮的小事没什么兴趣。
• I'm getting angry;and if you don't command that paltry spirit of yours.我要生气了，如果你不能振作你那点元气。

8 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

12 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

13 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

14 eminent   

adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的

参考例句：

• We are expecting the arrival of an eminent scientist.我们正期待一位著名科学家的来访。
• He is an eminent citizen of China.他是一个杰出的中国公民。

15 prosper   

v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣

参考例句：

• With her at the wheel,the company began to prosper.有了她当主管，公司开始兴旺起来。
• It is my earnest wish that this company will continue to prosper.我真诚希望这家公司会继续兴旺发达。

16 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

17 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。