Michael Hiltzik: On the road to ruin with Trump's infrastructure plan
President Donald Trump introduced his infrastructure plan Monday with a ringing preamble: "It is time," he said, "to give Americans the working, modern infrastructure they deserve."
That raises the question: "What did we do to deserve this?"
The plan, which the White House bills as a $1.5-trillion program, provides only $100 billion in federal funds over 10 years for major federal-state projects - and those funds are mostly, at this moment, mythical. The plan bristles with incentives to allow private investors to profiteer, to expand tolls and other user fees on crucial roads and bridges, and to despoil public lands with pipelines. It aims to fast-track the most environmentally hazardous projects, the better to keep experts
