Why America's infrastructure is crumbling.. (in one easy lesson)

[SoCalDem]

Infrastructure , aka boring, unsexy, dirty, mostly unseen repair work to things we already have.

Americans like New..shiny..glitzy..sparkly..bigger..fancier... new-and-improved..

It's the same reason many people do not maintain their vehicles, or re-roof their houses, or service their appliances. The money "saved" can be used for new toys, gadgets & gizmos.

In the US, we wait until something breaks, then we throw it away and buy a new one.

The problem with that mentality, is that the BIG things like bridges , roads, sewer lines, power grids and the like, is that when those things fail, people sometimes die.

Republicans have convinced a LOT of people that the money supply is finite, and it's a "waste" of money to use it for things that are not instantly apparent, and worthy of a video at YouTube.


Republican "leadership" for decades (Clinton was a dem, but he was neutralized for most of his tenure) has convinced a great many people that money belongs in the hands of rich people who will then convert it into ways to entertain and amuse us, and "OUR" money should be used by us to buy trinkets from the same rich people.

They have infantalized us and convinced us to "let the grownups handle things"..but this group of grownups are very much like the ones who fill a house with expensive electronic components & fancy furniture, drive a new car, and yet, do not repair the frayed wiring in the house.. The adults manage to escape the burning house, and the "children" are often asleep in their beds, perishing in the smoke-filled rooms upstairs. The "parents" wail & flail for the TV cameras, but take no responsibility for the sad condition of the "home's" infrastructure they should have fixed...

[Ron Green]

1. Being a Citizen is hard. Being a Consumer is easy. Most people do "easy."

That's about the size of it.

[SoCalDem]

9. They like easy....until something breaks..and then they start pointing fingers

never realize that those "no" votes they have been casting have a price tag.

[trof]

2. "It's your money." taxcutstaxcutstaxcutstaxcuts

[BlueJazz]

3. I read a Long Article about 15? Years ago that warned...

explicitly that unless large amounts of money are allocated to the repair of America's
infrastructure, there will be Hell to pay.

I knew (along with many other Dem's) that the article was falling on deaf ears....

[SoCalDem]

5. I did too.. This whole issue is why so many "private" companies

have been "invited" to the table.. Politicians think they put one over on them by selling them the infrastructure.. The problem is that "private" companies are in it for the money..they reap the financial benefits and when things start to wear down, they are very likely to just sell the whole project to another sucker..

Infrastructure should ALWAYS be owned, maintained & operated by the people who USE it every day.. They are the ones who stand to lose or gain the most. Infrastructure should not just be another commodity to be bartered by unseen , greedy business moguls.

[TahitiNut]

6. The warning bells have been ringing since Reagan/Bush.

That's when we cut back most on maintenance and repair ... just as the need began to peak. Once upon a time, all state and local governments employed legions of maintenance and repair people ... for roads, water, sewer, buildings, parks, equipment, etc. Then an orgasm of 'out-sourcing' (privateering) with an anti-union flavor flared up in the country during Reagan/Bush. Appalling.

I'm old enough to remember when I was growing up in post-WW2 suburbia that the state and cities provided LOTS of jobs for carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and such repair trades. The fat cats didn't like that. It changed.

[SoCalDem]

7. "Kick it down the road" and cross your fingers that it breaks

on somebody else's watch.. That's how republican politicians think.

[KoKo]

11. And...maybe I'm confused...but didn't Clinton Build up Surplus to be used at home?

We would have HAD that money if Chimperor hadn't SQUANDERED IT ...but then...RW would say: "We Were ATTACKED and it's all CLINTOON'S FAULT AND so WE NEED TO SPEND THAT MONEY ON DEFENSE!

[TahitiNut]

12. There was never a net surplus ... only a fiscal year surplus.

The goal has been to reduce the federal debt - and the INTEREST PAYMENTS on that debt - in order to put a larger and larger share of our tax dollars to work in actually paying for current services.

[SoCalDem]

13. The Carter years are looking better all the time, aren't they? n/t

[KoKo]

14. I know that, Tahiti...but we are being asked to vote for ANOTHER CLINTON!

IOWD's...Clinton was "Smoke and Mirrors." Bush used it for WAR...But, Clinton LIED!

[TahitiNut]

18. Clinton's FISCAL policies were about the only thing I agreed with.

The gulf between the rich and the poor widened. "Don't Ask; Don't Tell" was and is an abomination. The failure of HillaryCare pushed Universal Health Care at least two decades further into the future. The Telecommunications Act was an abomination. NAFTA/WTO was and is an atrocity.

And Monica was skanky. :evilgrin:

[KoKo]

22. Ohh...you didn't understand....and I wasn't clear... I WAS a DLC Dem....

I believed all that crap that the Clinton's parsed out. I lost 5 friends (Close ones) defending Clinton over Monica...I defended against Monica because I read "Salon" and kept up with Conason/Lyon's Reports about the Mellon-Scaife going after Clinton.

I was DLC ALL THE WAY! Being a PeaceNik McGovern over Vietnam ...I drank the Kool-Aid that Dems weren't "Pro-Business" enough...weren't "Pro-War Enough" and I said...YES...to Counter the Reagan Revolution ..WE DEMS NEED TO BE TOUGHER AND STRONGER AND BEAT THEM AT THEIR GAME!

ENTER ..RUBIN ...who REMADE FINANCIALS to FIT WITH THE NEW WORLD ECONOMY! GLOBAL TRADE...EVERY THING IS GOLDEN!

CHINESE IMPORTS KILLING US...long slow death and going at our children...Infrastructure DEAD since the 50's and Corruption, Crime..MAFIA BIG CRIME and the REST!

Sing me a Song..that I can believe again in some CLINTON STUFF! :puke: on him!

If Gore doesn't run...then forget it...but then...who would care what folks "like me" think about anything. WE really don't count.

[iamahaingttta]

15. They didn't squander it, they stole it!

Besides, they want to kill us all off, so they don't mind when bridges collapse...

[SoCalDem]

26. Clinton's surplus was what drove junior into office. they HAD to have that money

didn't take long to grab it all either

[TahitiNut]

4. Build infrastructure - save/invest - consume. Various cultures choose differently.

Prior to WW2, we were in the "build infrastructure" mode - and before that we invested/saved. Now we consume, in the post-WW2 mode. China is in the "build infrastructure" mode. Japan, despite its consumerism, is in the invest/save mode.

[KoKo]

8. A K&R...SoCal! Good CALL!

[Deja Q]

10. Don't forget offshoring... is it all about money?

:tinfoilhat:

[KoKo]

16. If you really LOOK all America Exports is GUNS & AMMUNITION & WAR PLANES...War is Big Business!

Thanks to folks like the Neo-Cons...Dough Feith and his crowd and the Numerous Think Tanks populated by those who Saw WAR over Vaudeville as the NEXT RUNG UP THE LADDER!

WE HAVE BEEN SCAMMED...but we were OH SO WILLING TO BE SCAMMED!

[blues90]

17. You're right .

I know this is what people do , I see it all the time .

I for one have never tossed out anything , I kept things in good working order and they lasted for years . My car is a 1973 and it is my only source of transport and it is not a huge gas sucker .

I taught myself and took the time to repair things ,I felt the time I spent was my labor and a hell of alot cheaper than hiring someone else or replacing something .

However now days they ahve managed to build things that are glued together of plastic and you cannot get parts so they force you to toss it out as landfill , I now do without many things and I find it is not all that difficult .

I could care less about new and shiny , this is temporary . People also get bored , they must have the latest and greatest and newest .

Certainly some new products are more energy efficient but fail to be if they are not maintained .

[SoCalDem]

19. Our across-the-street neighbors' roof is terrible, but they bought a new car

the car they replaced was 10 yrs NEWER than my husband's truck..

and the people down the street put down a sodded lawn, but they have two broken windows in the front (held together with duct tape)

[KoKo]

23. Ha! In my generation it was called: "Keeping Up with the Jones's

How many of those Backyard Creations of "Jungle Jims" with the House on top, slide and Bars are EVEN USED!

We used to MAKE OUR OWN Forts and Hideaways when we were kids. If PARENTS BUY AND MAKE the "Hideaway's" for their Kids...the KIDS DON'T WANT THEM!

They would rather be on "My Space" and e-mailing buddies. I WOULD, TOO!

[SoCalDem]

24. In our house, cardboard boxes & blankets were "forts"

we were the original El Cheapos:)

[NashVegas]

20. The Grover Norquist Factor - Privatization

Remember the goal to shrink the federal government to the point where it could be strangled in a bathtub?

Infrustructure is one of the items that's budget has continually shrunk under the Bush junta.

Privateers have been losing the battle left and right, but they've also been biding their time for things like Minneapolis to happen.

[SoCalDem]

21. They Muddy Mississippi.. Grover Norquists latest bathtub of strangulation

:(

[KoKo]

25. Like the UNDEAD...Grover Norquist and Frank Gaffney and Newt...LIVE!

They walk amongst us...forever waiting for THEIR DAY and a to find a REPUG who WILL NOT BETRAY THEIR MESSAGE! Until we drive a stake through their hearts ...they will REMAIN...THE UNDEAD...left with their disciples to LIVE AS WALKERS AMONGST US...SHREDDING OUR CONSTITUTION and ALWAYS RELIVING THEIR DREAM of AMERICA IN THE BATHTUB...with the WATER GOING DOWN THE DRAIN!

:puke: