As calls for renewed efforts to address the state of the nation’s infrastructure grow across both partisan and ideological lines, they raise pointed questions regarding the nature of such efforts. For example, how do we pay for needed infrastructure? How do we set priorities among the many and varied needs across the nation? Most critically, should the national government play the central role in such an effort or is this task more appropriately left to the states? With Netzer’s article in mind, we examine the core factors that a national infrastructure policy in the 21st century should consider. We illustrate these factors through the use of two exemplar cases: traditional wastewater infrastructure, and the infrastructure required to conduct free, safe, and fair elections. Contrary to Netzer, we contend that there are many advantages to employing a national policy in these areas.

随着人们要求跨党派和意识形态领域采取新的努力以解决国家基础设施状况的呼声越来越高，它们就这种努力的性质提出了尖锐的问题。例如，我们如何为所需的基础设施付费？我们如何在全国众多需求中确定优先事项？最关键的是，中央政府应在这种努力中发挥中心作用，还是将这项任务更适当地留给各州？考虑到Netzer的文章，我们研究了21世纪国家基础设施政策应考虑的核心因素。我们通过使用两个示例来说明这些因素：传统的废水基础设施以及进行自由，安全和公平选举所需的基础设施。与Netzer相反，