Obama to Call for $50 Billion Spending for Infrastructure

yes, this is how the US got out the the Great Depression; case in point, the Hoover Dam, the TVA, etc.

 

The GOP will vote against anything Obama suggests and then show up to the blue ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the fact they they were able to create jobs and better the community for their constinuents.

This blatant hypocrisy will be pointed out and the public will ignore it since it's much easier to just follow the McCarthy er Beck/Limbaugh/Palin line of thinking.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

 

Some good stuff in the first thread, in particular. I really enjoyed talking about Eisenhower, who is underrated as a President in a lot of ways. Also some good posters in that thread who haven't been around in a while. Whatever happened to gwayneco, anyway? (he's not one of the "good posters" I was talking about) Sometimes I think I'm reading his stuff and he's using a different moniker.

 

They always sound better in theory than in actuality. They voted in an intercity rail system project in California going from San Diego to Los Angeles to San Francisco. Terribly expensive. It would probably take half the $50 billion infrastructure funds just for a Houston to Austin rail.

They approved it in 2008, still in the planning stages, construction date would be 2013, would take 8-10 more years from that point on to be built. Right now its looking like the stereotypical bridge to nowhere project, but it does have to be built at some point I think. Each passing year it it just gets more expensive.

 

<object id="otvPlayer" width="400" height="268">
<param name="movie" value="http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/static/flash/embeddedPlayer/swf/otvEmLoader.swf?version=&station=ktrk&section=&mediaId=7652566&cdnRoot=http://cdn.abclocal.go.com&webRoot=http://abclocal.go.com&site=" ></param>
<param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param>
<param name="allowNetworking" value="all"></param>
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param>
<embed id="otvPlayer" width="400" height="268" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"allowscriptaccess="always" allownetworking="all" allowfullscreen="true"src="http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/static/flash/embeddedPlayer/swf/otvEmLoader.swf?version=&station=ktrk&section=&mediaId=7652566&cdnRoot=http://cdn.abclocal.go.com&webRoot=http://abclocal.go.com&site=">
</embed>
</object>

 

Yeah, I know....

I just want them to cut defense spending it is ridiculous the amount of $$$ we spend on warfare.

DD

 

The problem is that politicians believe high speed rail is a voter friendly buzz phrase, but regular rail would be better than no rail at all.

 

Agreed with the long-term thinking logic. Most who follow politics interpret legislation with immediate results. What Obama is doing is remarkable. He's thinking long-term and globally.

He's putting things into place for the next decade, re-election or not.

The only long-term (mis)thinking that Dubya came up with was Iraq. We all know had that turned out...

 

I would love a high-speed rail so, so much.

 

This is something I can get behind. Our infrastructure is in need of repair, and having the government repair roads and bridges is one of its better functions. God, if the GOP starts going nuts over this, I'm going to scream.

 

IMO, the most important memo missed by We, the People in our nation's history.

Fun fact: At the height of the global recession, China bellied up to the plate and shelled out $587 billion (with a b) purely for infrastructure projects. This is the kind of spending that we did on our infrastructure during and after the depression. Infrastructure spending is what gave our country a competitive advantage for half a century, it is long past time for another round of such spending.

 

Their leadership has already pronounced their opposition. ... Not that I want you to scream, but just picture the Fox News cycle this week, probably with "historical" clips about the road-building schemes of Joseph Stalin.

 

I love to have better infrastrutures as much as anyone else, but this is another desperate attempt by the clueless man-child in charge before the midterm election. You Obama kool aid drinkers better enjoy these fleeting moments when you're Messiah is still at the podium, they will soon come an end!

 

you do realize that we just downsized the military big time since Obama came in to office? The raise rates for military have been at all times low. And yet at the same time, the need for reservist have been at a all time high. Kinda funny how that all worked out. Im sorry, but the military is already cutting ropes trying to make ends meet and your trying to take more money away? Unless you've experienced first hand how the military has been spending you really shouldnt be trying to take more away.

 

From what I hear the infrastructure spending we need-- as well as stimulus that we need -- is probably in the trillions, but I guess Obama should get some credit for such a timid proposal. It at least makes it look like he is trying.

 

yeah, because we all know he could easily get trillions if he asked for it.

 

You're right. I remember numbers in the trillion dollar range a year or so back when that bridge collapsed in MN.

NYT: $2.2 Trillion needed to revamp infrastructure

Education and infrastructure need to be critically addressed, and they should be our priority for long-term goals.

 

Defense spending is a huge percentage of our national spending. If we're going to cut spending, it can't be done without cuts to defense. That doesn't mean we need to cut salaries for military personnel; that's probably a very small percentage of defense spending.

Your argument that I shouldn't be proposing cuts to defense because I haven't been in the military are ludicrous. Have you been personally affected by every program that you have ever supported cutting?

 

Americans apparently are against this so I doubt the Republicans will support it

31% approve 55% disapprove

I think Americans have lost faith in the idea of the federal government spending to stimulate the economy. Debt keeps going up while the unemployment stay way to high.