AEM head pens op-ed piece

Association of Equipment Manufacturers President Dennis Slater wrote an interesting article last month in the Argus Leader newspaper of Sioux Falls, S.D. It's worth checking out and even passing along to others. Slater does a good job of putting infrastructure spending, specifically for roads and bridges in South Dakota, into perspective. He points out that South Dakota's roads and bridges are deficient – as TRIP, a national transportation research group, reported – and must be improved to enhance the economic health and quality of life in the state. (There is a similar TRIP report about Idaho's roads, highways and bridges.) The federal stimulus package will provide a boost to improving roads and bridges in South Dakota, Slater writes, but it's not the end-all solution. Therefore, every funding option must be considered, and South Dakotans should recognize the benefits of paying for these projects. "You get what you pay for," Slater writes. -- Brian Richesson