The United States’ infrastructure has been crumbling for decades. And partly due to globalization, such deterioration has only been accelerating due to jobs leaving America and going overseas. Partly and not completely because the other part of why our infrastructure has been so neglected despite our massive federal budget is once again the fault of the Republican and Democrat duopoly which is more focused on using corrupt mechanisms in order to stay in power rather than actually getting stuff done. Infrastructure is one of the most vital cores of a healthy economy. Because of this, the Stair Party will always advocate for infrastructure reform as long as it remains in the confines of fiscal responsibility. Our party has a plan to properly revive our infrastructure and to revitalize what was once the industrial heartland of the nation: the Rust Belt.

 

Infrastructure is a broad term and doesn’t just apply to roads and bridges. Affordable universal broadband, efficient and clean energy creation, proper public transit nationwide, and actually bringing jobs back to America are a few of the areas that the Stair Party wants to tackle. $1.2 trillion isn’t enough to do that. Our infrastructure has been disintegrating for decades across the nation which requires an infrastructure reform project of an enormous scale. To pay for it, our tax reform policy under Respect Our Dollar as well as our plan for a massive domestication project explained in this section of the platform will leave us with more than enough capital to pay for these investments in our nation. A major centerpiece of the Stair Party’s reforms and policies is the main priority of most, if not all of them, is to create even more wealth in the country so we can invest that newly created wealth into more wealth-creating projects, reforms, and policies.

 

The difference between this domestication project compared to others is there will be no tariff wars, trade bans, or protection of United States companies against competition. We plan to fully revive the manufacturing sector of the economy and therefore revive the Rust Belt without any restrictions. We also plan to fully revive the steel industry that collapsed in the 1980’s without heavy pollution issues. Finally, the Stair Party plans to move any and all production of goods that involve the United States military back to the United States.

 

Starting with fully reviving the manufacturing sector, the main way we plan to take on this project is by leaning further into automation. The reason the manufacturing sector was outsourced in the first place was due to lower cost production overseas. However, if a majority of workers in the factory are robots, then a majority of workers have no wage whatsoever and therefore production costs are lower against their East Asian counterparts. While this does mean the manufacturing industry coming back to the country will provide less jobs than they originally provided, the jobs that will be coming back will be of high quality and will be in the computer science field and management field. And, jobs are better than no jobs. Most importantly, manufacturing goods domestically helps us close our massive trade deficit. To give a number, in 2020 our trade deficit was $676.7 billion. Not only does bringing manufacturing back through automation reduce our imports, but it also boosts our exports making sure for every $1 we bring back, we produce $2 of wealth for the nation. The process of bringing manufacturing back to the United States would also be a process carried out carefully as we want to make sure that these factories brought back are in the hands of small businesses and not massive conglomerates. The way to incentivize this process is explained further through A New American Dream.

 

Onto the steel industry, the Stair Party wants to bring back the steel industry through high quality green steel meaning steel production that emits much less carbon dioxide by being hydrogen-based. The resources are present for a new green steel industry to be born in the United States and it’s imperative we take action by investing and incentivizing a revival of the steel industry in our nation. Any industry present in our nation means we have more control over its carbon dioxide emissions as well as keeping our nation's wealth in our citizens’ hands rather than exported across the globe for others to take. Additionally, any industry brought back to the United States also means closing our previously mentioned trade deficit.

 

Finally, touching on the plan to make the United States military using only products produced in the United States. The military is designed to protect our country and our people from any adversary which means any production of goods produced outside of the nation for our military is a possible weakness. The economic benefits are self explanatory as this reform to our military industrial complex will bring even more jobs back to America. The solution in order to carry this reform out is simple: only award contracts to companies that produce their products 100% in the United States. Like any other requirements needing to be fulfilled for companies to compete for a government contract, this want for a fully American made military would be simply solved by adding another requirement onto those contracts.

 

Despite the hurdles that might come with such a domestication project, the Stair Party is determined to carry it out in its entirety in order to secure a prosperous America that continues to remain the #1 global power throughout the 21st century. This domestication project combined with the Stair Party’s tax reform plans will allow for the infrastructure reform this country needs. From the smallest bridge to a nationwide high speed railway system, our infrastructure program is what Americans deserve and will be fit for the wealthiest nation in the world. $1 trillion will be dedicated to infrastructure projects every year until the United States possesses a modern infrastructure network that completely outshines global competition.

 

Starting with energy production, the Stair Party is dedicated to creating an electric grid completely independent from fossil fuels. To replace them, nuclear power will be at the forefront of this endeavor along with investing into thorium power due to both being land efficient, extremely low in carbon emissions, sustainable, non-situational (such as solar, wind, etc.), and cost efficient. Our plan is for the United States to move completely away from fossil fuel energy production by 2050 and switch to being reliant on 25% nuclear power, 25% thorium power, and 50% renewable energy (such as solar, wind, geothermal, etc.) for our energy production.

 

For roads, bridges, and railways, the Stair Party wants to ensure the United States possesses the highest quality of all of these infrastructure types. A major example of this is our adovation for a nationwide high speed railway network to connect our nation even further together. It’s time to bring our infrastructure into the 21st century — a high speed railway system is crucial to that. For roads and bridges, we plan to create a road system similar or of higher quality than the roads the United Arab Emirates possess which are determined to be the highest quality roads in the world. With that, the Stair Party would ensure that, when possible, we produce these new roads out of recycled plastics in order to fight against the plastic pollution crisis we see in America. 

 

Another issue with our nation’s infrastructure is our horrible public transit systems. The Stair Party is dedicated to not only improving the quality of life for an automobile driver, but also drastically improving the quality of life for a public transit user as users of public transit are helping fight against climate change. More accessible and higher quality public transit in cities is a crucial part of our infrastructure reform.

 

Despite our reliance on the internet, 22.5% of households in the United States don’t have access to home internet and resort to using public Wi-Fi to stay connected. A quarter million houses still use dial-up internet. It’s time to give the American citizens the internet service they deserve which means giving Americans affordable universal broadband in order to make sure everyone in this nation is connected as the job market and our everyday living becomes ever more reliant on being online.

 

The United States also needs a general reform to public buildings such as public schools, ports, airports, etc. such public buildings should be centerpieces of communities and therefore look like a centerpiece rather than what they are now in the majority of the nation: mediocre.

 

While our infrastructure reform policy shares similarities to the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package passed in congress, ours expands upon it to the point where it actually tackles the infrastructure deterioration we see nationwide. Like said before, $1.2 trillion isn’t going to cut it for the issue at hand. If anything, it’s a bandage. The Stair Party’s infrastructure plan is a solution, not a bandage. Not to mention it’s also a fiscally responsible and sustainable solution which is not present in the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package. And, along with our domestication project, the Rust Belt and as a whole our nation will truly be revived, revitalized, and ready for what the 21st century has in store for us.