The Republican talking points are all about the Democrats packing gobs of unrelated pork spending unrelated to infrastructure into the American Jobs Plan, the 2 trillion plus stimulus bill proposal submitted by President Biden. Barely any actual infrastructure spending is includes according to multitudes of various right wing talking meat puppets. Roads and bridges only count as infrastructure, Republicans argue.
I get it. When Republican leaders and pundits speak they are only speaking for the Fox News, hate radio, and cable programs which the vast majority of Republicans rely on as their trusted source of their news and information, which they either presume to be true or simply repeat because it pisses off the libs. So Republicans create their own definition of infrastructure, present it as fact, and argue that it proves their lie. I know, same old same old.
But, from the American Heritage Dictionary here is a definition for what infrastructure actually means:
infrastructureĭn′frə-strŭk″chər
n. An underlying base or foundation especially for an organization or system.
n. The basic facilities, services, and installations needed for the functioning of a community or society, such as transportation and communications systems, water and power lines, and public institutions including schools, post offices, and prisons.
n. An underlying base or foundation especially for an organization or system.
Pre-dating our Constitution, the US Postal Service is arguably our earliest Federal infrastructure program. With respect to the community and societal forms of infrastructure, the First Amendment: freedom of speech and assembly, freedom of religion, and the right to petition our government, is the cornerstone of our legal and political infrastructure. Do Republicans understand that?
Why is the actual meaning of infrastructure so hard for Republicans to admit? Simple. It’s not what they want their followers to believe. In short, they are lying. It’s what they do.
So, if you are a truthful person, and you find yourself addressing the nation, or a couple million viewers or listeners, or some relatives under their spell, do the nation a favor and whip out the definition above and read it to them.
If you are a member of Congress, have the definition inserted into the beginning of the Legislation because, apparently, the Republicans can’t be bothered to look it up.
This controversy, like so many others that emanate from the conservative swamp, despite all of this controversy of what is or isn’t infrastructure, the actual meaning of the term is rarely communicated. The word “infrastructure” as Republicans argue it is defined reveals them to be either woefully ignorant and lack the vocabulary needed to score over 500 on the SAT verbal, or that they are lying. Actually, it can be both.