We can somewhat let the broader American public off the hook. It’s not their job to manage our infrastructure; they don’t have the spreadsheets of the cash flow, a tally of the cost of maintenance, the present condition of these systems, and all the other blinking red lights on the dashboard of America’s cities. Polls have shown that Americans want infrastructure maintained more than they want these systems expanded.7 What should baffle us, however, is how professionals and decision-makers are so possessed by faith in infrastructure spending. Cities with a mind-boggling backlog of unfunded
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