Power in America

Here in Washington, we tend to think of power in terms of political, economic and military. Over the past three weeks, much of our nation's heartland has been powerless in the electrical sense.  As of this morning, nearly 6,000 customers were still without power in the Missouri boot heel following a winter ice storm on January 26.

In Dr. Hamre's foreword to the CSIS Smart Power report, he states the following:

America is a country of big ideas and common sense. A big idea was saying that we would put a man on the moon. Common sense was knowing which complex tasks would achieve that goal and putting in place a structure to accomplish them. We have been fortunate as a nation that when the chips have been down, we have found leaders who possess the vision to see what the world could be and the good sense to know what it will take to get there.

For those without electricity these last few weeks, the chips have been down, and yes, local leaders have stepped forward with a vision to make things better. For example, the young men of Malden Boy Scout Troop 76 went to the local school and helped prepare hot lunches and deliver food to those without electricity in the area.

But these types of challenges are a symptom of a larger problem. Our nation's infrastructure is crumbling. Today’s leaders on the national stage need to make long-term investments in our water systems, our power grid, and our bridges to protect the fate of future generations and help maximize the position of the United States in a rapidly changing world.