January 15, 2021
Peter Moore, P.E., F.ASCE, ENV SP, LEED AP
President, Chen Moore and Associates
Last week: Last week was the 11th anniversary of the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti. It was an event that obviously changed the face of that country but also heavily impacted South Florida. When people don’t have jobs, much less homes, it is the responsibility of the successful neighbor to help in some way. I know that immigration is always a tricky subject, but this country was built on immigrants. Just days after Haitians celebrated their independence, they were put flat on their backs. The problems still exist today, but I’m hopeful for the future.
Looking ahead: Next week, you are going to “spend” $63 dollars that you didn’t budget for. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recently released the report “Failure to Act: Economic Impacts of Status Quo Investment Across Infrastructure Systems,” which quantifies how the persistent failure to invest in our aging infrastructure will cost the average American household $3,300 a year in disposable income over the next 20 years. Major sectors like manufacturing and health care are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of under investment, and these negative consequences will cascade over time. It’s high time to rebuild.
