In response to the Presidential Budget Overview/Infrastructure Fact Sheet, it is my opinion that we are continuing a legacy of 'robbing Peter to pay Paul.' It can be debated whether infrastructure upgrades and various other 'investments' (i.e. spending) will stimulate true economic recovery, but I’m not willing to bet the farm that these proposals will have the desired outcomes. As with any document from the White House, political statements are expected but we can always hope for some sprinkling of facts to bolster their political arguments. For example, under ‘Invest in High Speed Rail’, we can find this comment: “This proposal will connect communities, reduce travel times and congestion, and create skilled manufacturing jobs that can't be outsourced.” I agree that high speed raid will connect communities and cause individuals to stop driving their personal vehicles on a day-to-day basis, but to assert that these jobs cannot be outsourced is false. Any position, especially manufacturing, can be outsourced. This “investment” could help to bolster our manufacturing arm of the U.S. economy, but other factors need to be considered such as environmental regulations, management/labor negotiations, and providing a sufficient labor force are all vital keys to this proposals initial and future success, but they are not discussed. The greatest question of all is whether this ‘investment’ is wise at this time, or whether this can wait until we are more fiscally able to bear such a large investment of capital?

Anyone who takes a look at our Federal government realizes that we have suffered from a spending problem for many years, and I feel this budget does not address this key issue. I am disappointed that this budget does not address the 800-pound gorilla in the room, namely entitlement programs that continue to inflate costs to State and Local governments. I understand the political ramifications of undertaking the awesome responsibility of reforming or, in some cases, removing these programs, but something needs to be done. You can continue to spend money in hopes that streams of currency will eventually lead to the guise of security, but I would rather suffer and sacrifice to ensure the United States is free from the bonds of unnecessary debt and on a true path to prosperity. If we do not tackle our addiction to deficit spending and keep spending more than we take in, future generations will only suffer greater economic losses, higher taxes, and increased government control as a result.

In addition, I am taken back at the assertion at the top of the 2012 Overview document: "Having emerged from the worst recession in generations…" Economists may state that the recession was over 1.5 years ago, but State and Local governments know otherwise. I believe optimism is a key to success in government, but such a statement is outright ludicrous. We are far from true economic recovery, as municipalities throughout the United States are suffering from steadily declining revenue streams and hosts of unfunded mandates from the Federal government.