US must build its way out of debt

MSMoney by Jim Kubiak
"US must build its way out of debt
We're behind in the global competition to improve infrastructure. Spending to catch up is the best way for the US to overcome its debt and save Americans' standard of living...

Not investing will cost more Why is investing in infrastructure so important?
First, because not investing in infrastructure raises costs and makes an economy less efficient.
Sometimes that's easy to see, as in the recent debacle where the need to inspect the wiring bundles on older planes produced massive groundings and delays for travelers on Delta Air Lines (DAL, news, msgs) and AMR Corp.'s (AMR, news, msgs) American Airlines..."

Sometimes the impact is more subtle -- but even larger. For example, in 2005 (the most recent estimate available), traffic congestion in U.S. cities cost the economy $4.2 billion in lost hours and 2.9 billion gallons in wasted fuel. ..."