SunSentinel Mention

January 15, 2021

Peter Moore, P.E., F.ASCE, ENV SP, LEED AP

President, Chen Moore and Associates

Last week: Last week was the 11th anniversary of the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti. It was an event that obviously changed the face of that country but also heavily impacted South Florida. When people don’t have jobs, much less homes, it is the responsibility of the successful neighbor to help in some way. I know that immigration is always a tricky subject, but this country was built on immigrants. Just days after Haitians celebrated their independence, they were put flat on their backs. The problems still exist today, but I’m hopeful for the future.

Looking ahead: Next week, you are going to “spend” $63 dollars that you didn’t budget for. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recently released the report “Failure to Act: Economic Impacts of Status Quo Investment Across Infrastructure Systems,” which quantifies how the persistent failure to invest in our aging infrastructure will cost the average American household $3,300 a year in disposable income over the next 20 years. Major sectors like manufacturing and health care are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of underinvestment, and these negative consequences will cascade over time. It’s high time to rebuild.

SunSentinel Mention

January 9, 2021

Peter Moore, P.E., F.ASCE, ENV SP, LEED AP

President, Chen Moore and Associates

Last week: With all the craziness going on in Washington D.C., it is impressive to think it has been nearly 30 years since term limits went into effect for state legislators. The 1992 vote actually imposed term limits on federal offices as well, but in 1995, the Supreme Court ruled that states could not impose limits on Congress. For over 20 years, Florida has seen the benefits of the rotation of ideas and leadership in creating policies that match the dynamic changes in Florida. Maybe it is time for the voters to speak again and consider applying limits in D.C.

Looking ahead: Next week is the first week of committee meetings as the Florida Legislature begins preparing for the start of session in March. Currently, the House and Senate have different rules about making visits to their offices and social distancing will be required (for anyone that has ever ridden an elevator in the Capitol, you wonder how that is even possible), so committee weeks and session will be difficult for both legislators and constituents alike. If you want to speak with your legislator, they’ll be home the following week and one more time before session starts.

SunSentinel Mention

December 27, 2020

Peter Moore, P.E., F.ASCE, ENV SP, LEED AP

President, Chen Moore and Associates

Last week: The story of 2020 may have actually just revealed itself this week when Congress passed the Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act, which removes the antitrust exemption that since 1945 has allowed health insurers to disregard the basic free-market rules of competition that operate throughout the rest of the economy. The antitrust exemption, giving insurers combined negotiating power, puts pressure on providers to cut corners on service to increase the profits the health insurers can extract. This can provide social benefits for un- and under-insured people, along with benefits to small business. Maybe 2020 was trying to redeem itself.

Looking ahead: I think the story of 2021 will be how we rebuild, figuratively and literally, from 2021. As an engineer, you may think that I talk about rebuilding in the literal sense because it is self-serving, but you’d be wrong. Some of the greatest economic times in U.S. history were during times of great infrastructure expansion. Estimates place the return on investment for infrastructure spending somewhere between four and 10, because stable infrastructure allows people and businesses to invest in the certainties that quality infrastructure provides. Hopefully, infrastructure will be the first thing that D.C. agrees on a long time.