THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

Both Hillary Clinton and The Great Orange Fungus have made promises to rebuild the nation's infrastructure which has been allowed to crumble under 30 years of Republican neglect. Hillary's plan actually includes a means to pay for it but requires the elimination of Republican control of Congress. The Great Orange Fungus has a yuuger plan than Hillary with no real means of paying for it, but that is OK because if he is elected he has no intention of following through.

Mrs. Clinton has said that if she is elected president, her administration would seek to spend $250 billion over five years on repairing and improving the nation’s infrastructure — not just ports but roads, bridges, energy systems and high-speed broadband — and would put an additional $25 billion toward a national infrastructure bank to spur related business investments. Mr. Trump said he wanted to go even bigger, saying his administration would spend at least twice as much as Mrs. Clinton.

Mr. Trump, taking a page from liberal economists, said he would fund his plan by borrowing several hundred billion dollars, but has offered no specifics. Mrs. Clinton’s more detailed proposal, by contrast, would be paid for by a business tax overhaul aimed at collecting additional revenue from companies that have parked assets abroad.

These are only plans, of course. Either would have to get through Congress and the inevitable acrimony over any proposal to raise taxes or add to the national debt.

“The next administration will be in prime position to deliver on a comprehensive infrastructure plan,” said Tom Jensen, vice president for transportation policy at UPS.

Infrastructure spending, unlike many other forms of government outlays, holds the power to give the economy a sustained lift for decades down the line.

First comes the addition of jobs — particularly the kinds of higher-wage blue-collar jobs that have been lost in recent years — and spending on products like concrete and steel to build new roads and repair worn-out bridges. After that initial jolt, the economy would continue to reap the important but harder-to-measure benefits of fewer delays, faster internet connections and more reliable power.

All of which would reduce the feelings and attitudes that Trump needs to sustain him in office. So if you have a route to work that does not go over or under any bridges, go ahead vote for Trump.