The probable accumulation of the surpluses of revenue beyond what can be applied to the payment of the public debt... merits the consideration of Congress. Shall it lie unproductive in the public vaults?... Or shall it rather be appropriated to the improvements of roads, canals, rivers, education, and other great foundations of prosperity and union Thomas Jefferson
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The probable accumulation of the surpluses of revenue beyond what can be applied to the payment of the public debt... merits the consideration of Congress. Shall it lie unproductive in the public vaults?...Or shall it rather be appropriated to the improvements of roads, canals, rivers, education, and other great foundations of prosperity and union. The United States Treasury Department's 1789 report on public debt and revenue notes that "the real and permanent improvement of our roads is a matter of such high importance both to commerce and agriculture, that it deserves the attention of government." So how is it possible that we don't even have enough money to pay for roads? Well, it's complicated. But let's break it down.

One problem is that we waste a lot of tax revenue: The Treasury Department says we may be losing between $65 and $75 billion every year because we aren't collecting enough in taxes. We also don't spend nearly enough on roads: The Transportation Department estimates we need about $50 billion more per year just to keep up with maintenance needs. The result is that our national highways are in bad shape.

There are 40,000 miles of main roads across the country that are rated as being in poor or mediocre condition. Our bridges are crumbling along with our sidewalks, which could cause injuries to children who play outside after school. And the country's air-traffic control system isn't keeping up with demand because there's not enough money to pay for new equipment every year.

Even though our political leaders seem eager to make huge cuts in programs like education and health care , they should resist calls for cuts in funding for transportation infrastructure. If you drive your car every day, you'll know what I mean if you have ever had an accident caused by poor road conditions or if you have ever been late because of delays on a highway or bridge.

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More Quotes By Thomas Jefferson
  1. I had rather be shut up in a very modest cottage with my books, my family and a few old friends, dining on simple bacon, and letting the world roll on as it liked, than to occupy the most splendid post, which any human power...
  2. Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of Liberty.
  3. Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time, who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done, if we are always doing.
  4. The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.
  5. There is nothing more unequal than the equal treatment of unequal people.
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