President Barack Obama Monday called for the country to invest more in the nation's infrastructure.
Obama, speaking before a conference of building and construction workers, said that the construction industry has been particularly hard hit during the economic downturn.
"Since the housing bubble burst, millions of your brothers and sisters have had to look for work. Even more have had to struggle to keep the work coming in," Obama said. "And that makes absolutely no sense at a time when there is so much work to be done."
He added, "I don't have to tell you we've got bridges and roads all over this country in desperate need of repair. Our highways are clogged with traffic. … All of this costs families and businesses billions of dollars a year. That drags down our entire economy."
Thinking of the great infrastructure projects of the past like the Hoover Dam and the interstate highway system, Obama said that Americans had a tradition of building in difficult times.
"That kind of unbridled, can-do spirit -- that's what made America an economic superpower," he said. "And now, it's up to us to continue that tradition, to give our businesses access to the best roads and airports and high-speed rail and Internet networks."
He added, "It's up to us to make sure our kids are learning in state-of-the-art schools. It's our turn to do big things."
Other countries, notably in Europe and China, invest far more in infrastructure projects as a share of the economy than does the United States, Obama said.
"Are we going to sit back and let other countries build the newest airports and the fastest railroads and the most modern schools, at a time when we've got private construction companies … all over the country and millions of workers who are ready and willing to do that work right here in the United States of America," he asked.
He added, "It is time we take some of the money that we spend on wars, use half of it to pay down our debt, and then use the rest of it to do some nation-building right here at home."
But to enact projects of the scale that is needed, Obama said, will require action from Congress.
"Again and again, I've said now is the time do this; interest rates are low, construction workers are out of work. Contractors are begging for work, and the work needs to be done," he said. "And time after time, the Republicans have gotten together and they've said no."
He added, "Used to be the … easiest bill to pass in Washington used to be getting roads and bridges built, because it's not like only Democrats are allowed to use these things. Everybody is permitted. Everybody needs them."
Obama, reiterating his joke that Ronald Reagan probably wouldn't be able to survive this year's GOP presidential nomination contest, quoted the former President as saying that infrastructure investments are just common sense.
"The folks up on Capitol Hill right now, they seem to have exactly the opposite view," he said. "They voted to cut spending on transportation infrastructure by almost 30 percent."
He added, "That means instead of putting more construction workers back on the job, they want to lay more off. Instead of breaking ground on new projects, they want to let existing projects grind to a halt."
Obama pledged that he would continue to believe in the workers of America and would work every day in office to do anything he could to make their lives at least a little better.
"I'm still thinking about you, and I still believe in you," he said. "And if you join me, we'll remind the world just why it is that America is the greatest nation on Earth."
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