to the editor: re <u+201c> trump-size idea for a new president: build stuff ,<u+201d> by james b. stewart (common sense column, front page, nov. 18): i thought this article was extremely interesting and relevant, although one essential example was missing: a new power grid for the country. with modern renewable power sources dependent on intermittent conditions (sunshine for solar, wind for turbines), an imaginative new grid would be able to store energy for limited intervals, to be available whenever and wherever needed. this is a challenge we are capable of meeting with america<u+2019>s technical ingenuity. perhaps an immigrant like nikola tesla will help solve it. francis ford coppola rutherford, calif. the writer is the film director, screenwriter and producer. to the editor: let<u+2019>s hope donald trump doesn<u+2019>t read james b. stewart<u+2019>s suggestion to <u+201c>build something awe-inspiring.<u+201d> do we really have to appeal to his sense of grandiosity in order to stimulate action? the result may well be a mega-golf course and resort in the center of yellowstone park, complete with the trump logo. repairing and improving the country<u+2019>s roads, bridges, federal buildings, national parks, energy and computer systems may not be glamorous, but such projects will generate well-paying employment instead of minimum-wage service jobs, and would leave a real (not a real-estate) and lasting legacy. donna bergen tom madden skokie, ill. to the editor: i<u+2019>d like to add an item to the list of infrastructure projects suggested in the article: a coast-to-coast project to put all power and telephone lines underground. such a project could employ more medium and low-skilled people than the construction of the interstate highway system did during the eisenhower administration. it could be financed, at least partly, through the military budget as a national security measure that secures our power distribution systems against attack. and it would save untold millions of dollars year-in and year-out by avoiding the cost of power outages every time a storm hits. the current generation would thank president donald trump for the jobs and the boost to the economy, and generations to come would thank him for his foresight. quite a legacy. marc h. rosenbaum southampton, n.y. a version of this letter appears in print on november 26, 2016, on page a20 of the new york edition with the headline: what president trump should build. today's paper | subscribe
what president trump should build
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