Earlier this year, as our once-booming economy began to slow down and families began to face the challenges of high energy costs and the possibility of foreclosure, layoffs, and diminished investments, Congress responded quickly by passing a $150 billion economic stimulus bill that put $600 into the pockets of most Americans.

While we all like a quick infusion of cash in our bank accounts, this legislation was fundamentally flawed. A good economic stimulus package should not only provide adequate support to our economy in the short term, but it should also promote long-term economic growth by creating jobs that grow our economy. Like many Idahoans, I did not believe that the stimulus package adequately addressed the specific issues facing our economy. It was, in effect, simply a Band-Aid, not a fix.

As Congress considers a possible second economic stimulus package this week, I am concerned that this bill will be no different. We should consider extending unemployment benefits for those who have recently been laid off, but, more importantly, we should strongly consider investments that provide jobs, not just benefits. The old adage about teaching a man to fish applies here: if we are going to pay tens—or even hundreds—of billions in taxpayer dollars to bolster our economy, we should use that money to ensure that hard-working Americans have jobs to go to every day.

One significant way to create American jobs would be to put that money into transportation and infrastructure construction projects. Some naysayers have tried to say that it would take too long to get that money on the ground, but transportation groups in Idaho have assured me that they have millions of dollars in construction projects that are ready to go, sitting on the shelf just waiting for funding. If we would infuse our transportation system with $50 billion, we would jumpstart our economy in a way that puts a regular paycheck, not a one-time stimulus check, into the pockets of Idaho families.

What is more, investing that kind of money into our transportation system would help us begin to address the critical infrastructure needs that are facing our nation in the 21st century. For centuries, our transportation system has been the backbone of our economy, and we are indebted to the visionaries, like Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Dwight Eisenhower, who recognized the importance of a national transportation plan and had the courage to put that plan into action. Our ability to move goods and people safely and efficiently from place to place has made our economy the greatest in world history. But today that system is aging, reaching the end of its life in many cases or being stretched beyond what was originally intended. We must act now to meet the infrastructure needs of our cities, states, and nation in the future.

A stimulus package that simply throws money at the problem could add tens of billions of dollars to our country’s mounting debt, forcing our children and grandchildren to pick up the tab. But a package dedicated to worthwhile transportation projects creates jobs in the short term and supports our economy in the long term, leaving our nation a better place for those who come after us. A safe, working system of roads, trains, waterways, and bridges allows farmers and manufacturers to get their goods to market and into American homes. To me, that seems like a worthwhile investment.