To be sure, some infrastructure projects might pass that cost-benefit test (perhaps electric grid modernization, or unclogging strategic rail bottlenecks).
There is more and more content and demand for bandwidth, so unclogging the pipes of the Internet is a positive for all parties involved, Ulevitch says.
People can use the experience of suffering from illness as a catalyst for transforming their lives in ways that go beyond lowering their LDL cholesterol or unclogging their arteries.
College used to be a great equalizer: No matter their parents' social status, students who came to campus tended to deal with basic life skills on their own from frying up grilled cheese sandwiches to unclogging toilets and folding laundry.