Washington Notebook: Union says Romney-Ryan ticket neglects infrastructure

   Unions are backing President Obama in the November election.
   The AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department put out the following statement regarding Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s selection of Rep. Paul Ryan, a deficit hawk who has proposed drastic cuts to government spending to deal with the nation’s debt problem, as his vice presidential running mate:
   “The selection of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) as Gov. Mitt Romney’s running mate confirms what we have known all along: a Romney administration would be a disaster for the nation’s already deteriorating transportation system and infrastructure.
   “The Romney-Ryan vision for our transportation system and its workers is about making all the wrong choices: billions in cuts to transportation investments; forced privatization and outsourcing; a roll-back of safety regulations; repeal of worker protections including collective bargaining rights, and the loss of 500,000 transportation jobs just in the first years under the Romney-endorsed Ryan budget.
   “In contrast, President Obama has called for the largest investment in our transportation system in modern history and has made rebuilding the middle-class and investing in real job creation the centerpiece of his economic agenda.
   “Clearly Romney and Ryan fail to understand the vital importance of transportation to job creation and our nation’s competitiveness in the global economy. Their vision that we can cut our way to prosperity is dangerous for America.
   “Worst of all, the cuts called for in the Romney-Ryan vision for America to vital national interests such as transportation, public health, retirement security and education are used, yet again, to pay for tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires.
   “In the weeks ahead we will be sure our members understand exactly what is at stake this fall and just how damaging a Romney presidency would be to transportation jobs, the economy and our dwindling middle-class.” – Eric Kulisch