Opinion: It’s the Message That Matters
By Bill Graves
President and CEO
American Trucking Associations
This Opinion piece appears in the Oct. 5 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.
As someone who spent many years campaigning with a political “R” after his name, you might think what I’m about to say seems a little strange: There is a lot to like about President Obama.
The list of those things reads like a nomination for someone “most likely to succeed”: his energy and forward-looking approach to governing, his communication skills and willingness to regularly talk to the American people, his commitment to develop and deliver significant change in the policies that will shape our nation’s future and his willingness to allow moments of simply being a “regular” guy. He’s made a career of being easy to like.
But as we all know, it takes a lot more than that to be an effective leader. On the campaign trail, President Obama made it a point to emphasize the importance of words — perhaps because he was, by far, the most accomplished speaker in the field. In doing so, he lashed out at Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) with the biting reminder, “Words mean something.”
He was right — not necessarily about the Palin remark, but that words do mean something. Regardless of how early and often you communicate, or the eloquence of your delivery when you do, it’s the message that matters.
The administration has done its best to push legislation to the finish line at a record pace — at times reminiscent of an “I Love Lucy” storyline — with James Hoffa sitting in the Blue Room of the White House patiently waiting for President Obama to finish publicly denouncing the influence of special interests in his administration.
The American public is wise to be suspicious. Rome wasn’t built in one day, and important issues such as the economy, card check, climate change and health care shouldn’t be debated and passed in one either. The simple fact is that the message being developed isn’t a good one. And a lot of the energy that makes this president so very likeable is being wasted on an agenda detrimental to the economic vitality of the country.
That’s not to say all is lost. There is a growing chorus of voters urging the decision makers in Washington to slow down, listen and make decisions that reflect something greater than a bandage mentality — admitting, in part, that yes, they bought the neatly packaged ideals of “change” and “hope” (which were being sold by both sides) without stopping to fully consider their price tags. But that was before the “Great Recession” — and before unemployment figures mirrored those of the Great Depression. Things are different now, and price tags do matter. It’s time for government, like the rest of us, to reprioritize and get back to the basics.
The administration recognizes that America’s long-term competitiveness depends on the stability of our critical infrastructure. It’s a point we enthusiastically agree upon.
Over the past three years, the members of ATA have devoted a tremendous amount of time developing a policy agenda that promotes the trucking industry and the vitality of the U.S. economy, while simultaneously supporting the diverse agendas associated with sound environmental, safety and national security policies.
We have taken great strides to demonstrate the essentiality of the trucking industry, while embracing more sustainable and safe methods of operation. As a part of that initiative, we have clearly identified solutions to help alleviate highway congestion, which robs us of precious driver time, forces us to burn fuel unnecessarily, minimizes the return on investment in what has become increasingly expensive equipment and causes us to miss critical delivery schedules our business partners expect and rely on us to meet. We have made a case for an emphasis on freight in the next bill and have been well-received.
That is the basis of the proposals we take to Capitol Hill to advocate for a new federal program to maintain, repair and build the roads and bridges critical to linking this nation and allowing for the delivery of freight.
According to a report released by the American Society of Civil Engineers earlier this year, an estimated $930 billion is needed over the next five years to fix our nation’s crumbling highway infrastructure. Of that $930 billion, only an estimated $351.5 billion will be spent. That’s a shortfall of $549.5 billion (when you take into account the $29 billion included in the 2009 economic stimulus package).
To put it in perspective, the shortfall alone exceeds the annual budget of 200 countries around the world.
The figures are staggering. What they represent is even more so — especially given the current economic climate. It’s a message that matters, and it demands our full and immediate attention.
Bill Graves is a former two-term governor of Kansas. ATA is a national trade federation for the trucking industry with headquarters in Arlington, Va., and affiliated associations in every state. ATA owns Transport Topics Publishing Group.
