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WHAT IT COULD BE WORTH.
>> Reporter: LAGUARDIA AIRPORT
HANDLED 27 MILLION PASSENGERS
LAST YEAR AND ANY ONE OF THEM
WOULD HAVE, COULD HAVE, SHOULD
HAVE COMPLAINED, ACCORDING TO
THE VICE PRESIDENT.
>> IF I TOOK YOU BLINDFOLDED AND
TOOK YOU TO THE AIRPORT IN NEW
YORK, YOU MUST THINK I'M IN SOME
THIRD WORLD COUNTRY.
AND I'M NOT JOKING.
>> SOME WERE LAUGHING.
>> AS A PROUD NEW YORKER, I
DIDN'T LIKE THAT COMMENT AND I
THINK IT WAS NOT THE RIGHT WAY
TO TALK ABOUT IT.
>> ON TOP OF WHICH THE VICE
PRESIDENT'S CLAIM IS NOT
PRECISELY TRUE.
ON ST. MAARTEN LOOK AT PLANES
FLY LOW TO LAND.
AND YOU WILL WON'T THIS IN ST.
PETERSBURG, RUSSIA, THERE IS
BARE ASPHALT UNDER THE CHAIRS.
>> HE WAS RIGHT IN THE CORNER,
RIGHT THERE.
>> YES, AMERICAN AIRPORTS HAVE
THEIR PROBLEMS LIKE THE
ALLIGATOR FOUND WANDERING
THROUGH CHICAGO'S O'HARE.
YES, THE AMERICAN'S SOCIETY OF
CIVIL ENGINEERS GIVES THE
AIRPORT INFRASTRUCTURE A "D" FOR
BEING IN ILL-REPAIR.
STILL, EVEN WITH THE
MULTIBILLION DOLLAR MAKEOVER ON
THE WAY, LAGUARDIA WILL REMAIN
FAR FROM THE BEST.
THAT HONOR GOES TO THIS JAM
SINGAPORE WHERE TRAVELERS CAN
ENJOY AL SWIMMING POOL A. GIANT
SLIDE, MOVIES, AND EVEN A
BUTTERFLY GARDEN.
NOW, THAT'S THE WAY TO TAKE OFF.
>> VERY FANCY.
TOM IS HERE WITH US.
WE'RE MIDLAND WHEN IT COMES TO
AIRPORTS BUT HOW ARE WE WITH
HIGHWAYS AND BRIDGES?
OBVIOUSLY SOME ENGINEERS ARE
CONCERNED.
>> AS OPPOSED TO MIDLAND, THE
TRUTH IS, WE HAVE A LOT OF
PROBLEMS OUT THERE.
THEY HAVE LOOKED AT THIS
NUMEROUS TIMES TO COME OUT WITH
A REPORT CARD AND IT CONTINUES
TO BE VERY, VERY BAD.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU TALK ABOUT
DAMS IN THIS COUNTRY, THERE ARE
84,000 DAMS.
THE AVERAGE AGE IS 52 YEARS OLD.
>> 52 YEARS OLD?
>> 4,000 OF THEM ARE CONSIDERED
TO BE IN REALLY SUFFICIENTLY --
A VERY DEFICIENT STATE RIGHT
NOW, PRESENTING MAJOR HAZARDS
OUT THERE AND TO FIX THEM WOULD
BE $21 BILLION.
>> OKAY.
BUT WHY AREN'T FEDERAL, STATE,
AND LOCAL GOEMPB GOVERNMENTS
PONYING UP AND TRYING TO PAY FOR
THESE INFRASTRUCTURES?
THERE WOULD BE JOBS, TOO.
>> IT'S THE NUMBERS I CITED.
EVERYBODY IS HURTING FOR MONEY.
EVERYBODY IS URT HADDINHURTING .
HERE'S THE THING, WHEN YOU SPEND
THIS KIND OF MONEY, YOU'RE GOING
TO HAVE TO DEMAND MONEY FROM