How about a New Year's resolution to repair our nation's infrastructure?

Cumberland, Maryland, like thousands of other cities & towns across America, has some serious infrastructure issues. Here are some photos I took yesterday, all within a 200 foot area. Have you seen similar infrastructure problems in cities & towns near you?

Above: If you're in a tunnel, with thousands of tons rolling above you, you probably want the tunnel to be nice and firm, right?

Above: Parts of the tunnel are literally crumbling away...hopefully not onto cars below, but gravity does tend to pull things in one direction.

Above: A crack near one of the main tunnel supports.

Above: The sidewalk under the tunnel is faring no better. Watch your step!...it might be your last...

Above: A sidewalk, just up the street from the tunnel. Did you know that the WPA created or repaired thousands of sidewalks between 1935 and 1943?

Above: A curb near the sidewalk. Did you know that the WPA created or repaired thousands of curbs between 1935 and 1943?

Above: Alligator cracking on a road across the street from the crumbling sidewalk and curb. Did you know that the WPA created or repaired 650,000 miles of roadway between 1935 and 1943? That's enough roadwork to go around the planet 26 times.

Above: Two nice-sized potholes to blow your tire out, on the same street with the alligator cracking.

In 2013, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave American infrastructure a "D+" letter grade. Earlier this year, Republican national strategist Matthew Dowd wrote, "we need to have a well-paying jobs program tied to infrastructure improvements administered locally by cities, counties and states where people still trust government to get the job done. And this should be funded by tax policies at the federal level which put a much bigger burden on the wealthy in this country."

What do you think? Will the new Republican Congress push for heavy infrastructure investment? Or, will they push for more tax cuts for the super-wealthy, despite the fact that the super-wealthy have already accumulated more wealth than ever before?

Hints:

See, "Senate GOP blocks $60B Obama infrastructure plan," USA Today, November 3, 2011.

...and see, "Paul Ryan's Budget Plan: More Big Tax Cuts for the Rich," Forbes, March 23, 2012.

...and see, "Ryan Proposes An Even Bigger Tax Cut For The Richest Americans," ThinkProgress, March 12, 2013.

...and see, "Another Ryan Budget Gives Millionaires Average Tax Cut of At Least $200,000," Citizens for Tax Justice, April 2, 2014.

So, while a New Year's resolution to repair our nation's infrastructure would be really nice....I think we can see what's going to happen instead.