GooberMcNutly wrote:

It's also why I will never buy my child a car.

I am inclined to agree, I've not had the greatest experience with either of my children from doing that.

All that being said comparisons of '50s era public works vs. the long term maintenance of them from any country (outside of Germany) is pointless.  It's far easier to build a great system than to maintain and expand that same system without those same great works level budgets.

Last edited by Emmeran (2014-07-21 16:41:51)

phreddy wrote:

The reason our country's infrastructure is falling apart and our citizens are poor is because our economy is in the toilet.  We don't need a strongman to force Americans to give more in taxes.  We need to get the jackboot of government off the necks of our small businesses.  We need a respite from exorbitant taxes, inane regulations, punitive lawsuits, and special interest groups and government unions dictating policy.  With a little breathing room, our moribund economy could grow us out of this mess, generate enough in legitimate taxes to fund new infrastructure, and provide jobs for our youth as an alternative to gangs, drugs, and crime.

And with a little elbow room we could take our place as the Masters of.... no wait, that was the Nazis, sorry. Steaming piles always get me confused..... if you've seen one then you've seen them all.

The reason our country's infrastructure is falling apart is the failure of Congress to fund the level of maintenance necessary to keep it in reasonable condition, and one  set of reasons why our citizens are poor is partly related. Large corporations and the plutocrats that run them (the only special interest groups that really matter) have (ok, to be fair, bought and sold the legislators that) sponsored legislation that shuffled their tax burden onto the shoulders ordinary citizens who now DO pay exorbitant taxes. They championed inane regulations to punish competitors and choke off any sort of competition whatsoever, shielded themselves from punitive lawsuits, marginalized interest groups, and outlawed government unions. Now these same pols are taking time off their busy daily grind of campaign fundraising to complain bitterly that there's no more money left to fix roads and bridges.

Unfortunately for them, the same corporations that own Congress also depend on those same roads and bridges to bring in raw materials and ship products to market. These same small-p 'patriots' (who are all people with sincerely-held religious convictions now) are going to have to take some time out of their busy days of exporting jobs and profits to make sure to elect someone to repair potholes and make the trains run on time. Unfortunately for our youth, the all new jobs they have in mind involve hairnets, name tags and minimum wages. Gangs, drugs and crime might seem like a better deal to many.

phreddy wrote:

The reason our country's infrastructure is falling apart and our citizens are poor is because our economy is in the toilet.  We don't need a strongman to force Americans to give more in taxes.  We need to get the jackboot of government off the necks of our small businesses.  We need a respite from exorbitant taxes, inane regulations, punitive lawsuits, and special interest groups and government unions dictating policy.  With a little breathing room, our moribund economy could grow us out of this mess, generate enough in legitimate taxes to fund new infrastructure, and provide jobs for our youth as an alternative to gangs, drugs, and crime.

The only issue we have with taxes is that the middle class pay way too much and the uber-wealthy and major corporations don't pay enough.

Revisionist is as revisionist does, Phred. Obama's record of destruction must be truly horrifying if he's been using his evil mind control to defer maintenance since 1963.

It helps to have an independent Justice Department.