As I reflected upon potential topics to write about, I thought about issues that are on the minds of people in my hometown of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Over the past few years back home, the opioid crisis has been growing at an alarming rate much like other parts of the country. This is an issue that really hits home for me as two people from my high school graduating class have overdosed and passed away within the past two and a half years. Measures like informing younger generations about the dangers of drugs and a bill passed by Congress dedicating funding to treatment centers has already been done with little to no effect while the issue at hand continues to grow. Upon looking into the subject area closer, I came across articles where experts in the area agree that both the current addicts as well as potential addicts in the future need to be accounted for in order to combat the problem. Attempting to fix one without the other will only partially fix the problem and the results will not last. Everyone seems to know someone affected by substance abuse and a solution needs to be pursued.
Another issue I have particular interest in is the question of whether or not college athletes should be paid. This is a very relevant topic as we are a class of college students and some of us routinely have classes with athletes. I personally think that they should not be paid because they are students first and foremost (although some act as if it is the other way around). However, I do understand the players’ standpoint that university’s should not be profiting millions of dollars from the work of its students. There are several ideas floating around about how to come to a solution for this issue. One proposed solution I have found to be the fairest, in my opinion, is that the money the student-athletes earn (however much it may be) goes into a savings account that they only get access to once they have graduated. This way they are getting paid as well as receiving incentive to finish their schooling.
The third topic that it relevant to the public and to myself personally is the crumbling infrastructure in the United States. Currently, I am in my second co-op rotation at FedEx Ground and the importance of quality roads and bridges to the company is crucial. In 2017, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the United States overall infrastructure a D+ which, in my opinion, is unacceptable for our country. Everyone who lives or works in around the Pittsburgh region knows how poor the road conditions are in this area. In fact, some people deem there only being two seasons in our neck of the woods: winter and construction. The ironic part is that Pennsylvanians’ pay the highest gasoline tax in the country and this tax is mainly supposed to go towards road maintenance and improvement. Clearly what is being done is not working and changes need to be made.
Although all of these topics are relevant and important, the declining infrastructure of the United States is the most relevant and impactful to me. There is a clear problem and it is a problem that people can get behind and be a part of the push for change.
Good job working through each potential issue you might find interesting to work on this term. It’s very systematic, and I mean that in a good way.
If you want to go with infrastructure, think more about the specific goal you’d be after. You could focus on Pennsylvania or could try something broader. In either case, what do you want to do? Educate the public on the poor state of infrastructure and the consequences thereof? Advocate for actions to be taken to change policy? Focusing on the flaws in and alternatives to the gas tax you mention as a way to fund infrastructural updates? Who might your audience be? People like yourself who know the problem? People who don’t know anything about it? Commuters? All folks? Do you want to focus on safety issues? On economic ones? A mix somehow? Many possibilities! What else?
Looking forward to seeing where you go with it!
It’s very interesting to hear your take on three very different issues and how they relate to your personal experience, from events at your high school to co-op. Regarding college athletes, would you consider academic scholarships a form of payment? Another thing to consider might be determining how much student-athletes should paid, since some sports such as basketball and football generate more income for the school compared to others such as track and field. You could argue that athletes in more popular sports should be paid more since they are more profitable, or that they should all be paid the same for putting in the same amount of work.
The issue of infrastructure is definitely important to address, as any driver can attest to. I have noticed that Pennsylvania had relatively high gas prices, but I never put two and two together since I was not aware the gasoline tax is intended to fund road maintenance and improvement. In that case, what does the gasoline tax go towards? I’d like to learn about the different sides from which you can address this issue: Is this mostly a budget allocation problem from a government and policy point of view, or is there something you can do as (I’m assuming) a civil engineer?
As a civil engineer, I definitely take interest in the desperate state of infrastructure across the country, as well. I think this is a great topic to go with. As you allude to in your blog post, one of the biggest problems with improving our infrastructure is lack of funding (in most cases, from the government). Interestingly enough, however, the need to improve infrastructure is pretty much a bipartisan issue with widespread support. Why is it that even though we all agree on the need for it, we can’t make it happen?
In their annual report card, ASCE typically considers a “B” grade to be “acceptable.” How much more of an investment (compared to current funding levels) do we need to make in order to bring our infrastructure up to an acceptable level? I’m pretty sure the number is in the trillions, but I don’t remember it offhand. As you mentioned, a lot of that money typically comes from the gas tax; why is that not working effectively? What other sources of revenue could be used?
On the other side of things, it would be interesting (and fair) if you looked at ASCE’s estimates and grades, but acknowledge that there is a potential for bias there. In other words, ASCE is lobbying for, let’s say, $4 trillion–but would it REALLY cost that much? Obviously it is in their best interest as an organization to garner as much funding for projects as possible to create more jobs for civil engineers.
Also, I’m a big sports fan, college sports included, but I must say I’m not too much of an expert on the nuances of the paying athletes argument. If you do end up writing about that at all, I’m looking forward to reading your thoughts! Sorry for rambling on a bit here.