Floodwaters can be used to our advantage

Nikolas D. Skalkotos, Las Vegas

Sunday, June 22, 2008 | 2:05 a.m.

If we can borrow billions of dollars from China and other Asian countries to spend on wars of choice, we can certainly use a fraction of those monies to rebuild our national infrastructure.

The thought is inspired by all the flooding now under way in the Midwest.

Here are some solutions to annual floods and droughts:

• Build large pumping stations, either stationary or floating on rivers, strategically installed at low land points throughout the country.

• Build retaining ponds or locks, strategically located at high land points throughout the country.

• Pump and store all this excess water and use it whenever the need arises.

This would prevent flooding catastrophes and droughts. If hydroelectric plants were built to operate the pumping systems, we could lessen our dependency on foreign oil.

Infrastructure all across the country is long overdue for upgrading and rebuilding. A national program to get this done would create thousands, if not millions, of good jobs.

The above is just the beginning of things that could happen for the benefit of working Americans, and not on behalf of war mongers and greedy corporate cultures.