Mr. Appelbaum is a member of the editorial board.
In June 1982, President Ronald Reagan delivered a fire-eating speech before the British House of Commons that is best remembered for his prediction that democratic nations would triumph and communism would end up on âthe ash heap of history.â
The speech also helped to popularize a relatively new English word: infrastructure.
Mr. Reagan didnât predict victory by default. He said the United States would pursue the end of communism by investing in âthe infrastructure of democracy.â
Almost four decades later, the word is on everyoneâs lips, at least here in Washington, but no one seems quite sure what it means. President Biden has proposed a $2 trillion infrastructure plan that includes money for âcommunity college infrastructure,â for care programs for older and disabled Americans and for electric-car charging stations.