I read Pawlenty pulled a bunch of money out of highway funds in order to finance a tax break.
I hope we hear about that if McCain picks the Formerly Mulleted One.
bluestockton
· 1 year ago
Yeah, Pawlenty is being talked up as a good VP for McSame. I hope so. The TV ads can point out that he vetoed an infrastructure-improvements bill and 11 people died when the 35W bridge collapsed.
bluestockton
· 1 year ago
Sorry, double post.
Bush_Bites
· 1 year ago
Hagel Urges Enactment of National Infrastructure Bank At an ASCE-sponsored infrastructure forum in Washington, U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) reiterated his support for a National Infrastructure Bank, saying America risks falling behind in the global economy if it fails to invest in roads, rails and ports as aggressively as Asian and European nations. Hagel is co-sponsor with Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) of a bill to establish the bank, which would sell tax credit bonds to finance major projects that would help remedy the poor condition of the nation's infrastructure. ASCE has made establishment of the bank one of the top priorities in its Action Plan for the 110th Congress. The forum was co-sponsored by Congressional Quarterly.
How about the $1 trillion pissed away in Iraq, which in the end is estimated to cost us $3 Trillion. There is plenty of money but not for things that matter to the citizens. How about cutting out the corporate welfare like rebates to the oil companies. How about any company doing business in America having to pay taxes here. How about banning companies from maintaining headquarters in Caribbean cities to avoid taxes. How about the contractors in Iraq paying on their no bid contracts. Lots of ways to pay for things selling tax credit bonds just increases the debt and the deficit is already $15 trillion.
Bush_Bites
· 1 year ago
Congested highways, overflowing sewers and corroding bridges are constant reminders of the looming crisis that jeopardizes our nation's prosperity and our quality of life. With new grades for the first time since 2001, our nation's infrastructure has shown little to no improvement since receiving a collective D+ in 2001, with some areas sliding toward failing grades. The American Society of Civil Engineers' 2005 Report Card for America's Infrastructure assessed the same 12 infrastructure categories as in 2001, and added three new categories. Access the complete Report Card with details on each infrastructure category and state infrastructure information.
Someone poasted elsewhere that nKyle Sampson resembles the bastard hate child of Karl Rove and Karen Hughes.
I believe that is true. I also believe Kyle Sampson is the world's the first anal conception. This trues up the perception than many hold that Kyle Sampson is an ugly piece of shit.
unrepentant_expat
· 1 year ago
I see a lot of folks describing this cataclysm in the future tense when they should be using the 'present imperfect tense'.
tbhull
· 1 year ago
Hortatory subjunctive?
msskwesq
· 1 year ago
Just last week the I-80 Bridge crossing the Mississippi River in Davenport, Iowa was partially closed down (reduced to one lane in each direction) because the latest inspection found structural cracks in the bridge. This bridge is a very long, large bridge that spans a wide area of river and is very high above the river. It sees a constant flow of heavy traffic. If it were to collapse, it would be a major catastrophe. It is just unbelievable that such a major bridge is in such terrible shape. If the the I-80 Mississippi bridge is in trouble, one can only imagine the danger that lesser bridges pose to Americans.
Steve_in_CNJ
· 1 year ago
much of the blame here belongs to governors and state legislators. they habitually misappropriate revenues from fuel taxes designed to pay for transportation infrastructure. the way it works is that politicians get into office by promising income tax cuts, and when elected, they pay for them by raiding other funds like roads and pensions. in NJ christie whitman got the ball rolling with a 30% state income tax cut in 1993. 15 years later the state is still trying to deal with the crippling debts and liabilities that resulted. NJ residents are supposed to be well educated, but they bought into this free lunch plan like a bunch of chumps.
lynchie
· 1 year ago
Yeah I lived there at the time. The voters bought the whole 30% deal, unfortunately I think State tax was only 8% which ment 2% was saved. My property taxes in Sussex country tripled in as many years. Roads went to shit, snowplowing of main roads was passed to towns and counties. Yeah, another republican delivering a record deficit, but getting elected. She was the same liar that said the air in NYC was ok after the 9/11 attacks.
unrepentant_expat
· 1 year ago
I don't know which is the more creaky: the bridges or 'Remember the Maine' McCain?
jr
· 1 year ago
"you'll get raptured before your car lands in the water"-repubs
bluestockton
· 1 year ago
Gov. Pawlenty of Minnesota seems to be emerging as the front-runner for McSame's VP. Good, let's run lots of ads pointing out that it was he who vetoed an infrastructure-improvements bill months before the 35W bridge collapsed.
Forty2
· 1 year ago
The Longfellow bridge over the Charles in Boston is so decrepit that the T has to slow down to about 5mph when crossing it. "Oh it's just a precaution, the bridge is safe." Um, okay, how about all those rusticles and piles of rusted steel?
Emily68
· 1 year ago
" infrastructure doesn't just happen if you click your heals and hope for the best"
To give this solution a try, you need to click your heels, then maybe the infrastructure will heal.
lilybart
· 1 year ago
The good news is, when we stop the drain on the treasury from the war debacle, we can fix the roads and bridges and provide tens of thousands of good jobs.
Obama will do this, McCain, not so much.
LORISNJ
· 1 year ago
Unfortunately Lily, just ending the war debacle will not add money to our treasury - all the funding for this war has been deficit spending in Supplimentals and not part of the budget. When the war ends we won't be borrowing to support the war but we won't have more money available to spend.
But I agree with you that Obama will work to improve the infrastructure (roads, bridges, and the electric grid which hasn't been updated since the '50s). McCain would only make matters worse.
surakmn
· 1 year ago
35W through Minneapolis is where the bridge collapsed. As fate would have it, this last weekend on 35E through St. Paul, 1200 pounds of concrete fell off an overpass bridge onto the freeway - two cars were damaged but amazingly nobody was injured. But hey, the roads and bridges are safe, spending is more than adequate to meet the infrastructure needs, and there was no reason to approve a 2 cent a gallon increase in a gas tax that hasn't been raised for decades.
bigtimepatriot
· 1 year ago
I am just not going to stand for some gratuitous U.S. bashing on this issue. I seem to recall a pretty run down stadium in downtown Rome (the colliseum I believe its called), a tower in Pisa that has been leaning for sometime and there are some viaducts in Europe that no longer hold water.
Not that infrastructure is not an issue, just that it is not only an American issue.
All Comments
I hope we hear about that if McCain picks the Formerly Mulleted One.
At an ASCE-sponsored infrastructure forum in Washington, U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) reiterated his support for a National Infrastructure Bank, saying America risks falling behind in the global economy if it fails to invest in roads, rails and ports as aggressively as Asian and European nations. Hagel is co-sponsor with Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) of a bill to establish the bank, which would sell tax credit bonds to finance major projects that would help remedy the poor condition of the nation's infrastructure. ASCE has made establishment of the bank one of the top priorities in its Action Plan for the 110th Congress. The forum was co-sponsored by Congressional Quarterly.
http://www.asce.org/asce.cfm
http://www.asce.org/reportcard/2005/index2005.cfm
http://www.asce.org/reportcard/2005/page.cfm?id...
Someone poasted elsewhere that nKyle Sampson resembles the bastard hate child of Karl Rove and Karen Hughes.
I believe that is true. I also believe Kyle Sampson is the world's the first anal conception. This trues up the perception than many hold that Kyle Sampson is an ugly piece of shit.
To give this solution a try, you need to click your heels, then maybe the infrastructure will heal.
Obama will do this, McCain, not so much.
But I agree with you that Obama will work to improve the infrastructure (roads, bridges, and the electric grid which hasn't been updated since the '50s). McCain would only make matters worse.
Not that infrastructure is not an issue, just that it is not only an American issue.