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Infrastructure

Infrastructure ... importance and who should contribute and be responsible.

  • No one ... it is not important to a country to have strong infrastructure

    Votes: 2 20.0%

  • Mixed economy with a unified body of governmental agency and private and this should be a priority

    Votes: 7 70.0%

  • Completely corporate and private like walmart

    Votes: 1 10.0%

  • Religious leaders and churches could do it

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Leave it crumbling as it is and nation build and invest in other countries via military strikes

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Slash taxes for the wealthiest and trickle down will take care of it

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    10
T

Turin

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Washington Gridlock: Obama Must Rebuild Trust -- and Infrastructure | TIME.com

In the long run, you cannot have robust growth without strong infrastructure. The U.S. has historically been world class in this regard. Only a decade ago we were ranked fifth in overall infrastructure by the World Economic Forum; today we have dropped to 25th. The American Society of Civil Engineers calculates that we have a $2 trillion backlog of repairs that must be done over the next five years to stay competitive
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Read more: http://swampland.time.com/2012/11/07/how-to-rebuild-trust-and-infrastructure/#ixzz2BfpJ0kGa



Poll on infrastructure ... add thoughts. Poll fields limited so please just select choice closest to for opinion and add the detail you believe is relevant.
 
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Here is a link on Dwight Eisenhower and his public acts on infrastructure.

Eisenhower Interstate Highway System - History

The Interstate System has been called the Greatest Public Works Project in History. From the day President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, the Interstate System has been a part of our culture—as construction projects, as transportation in our daily lives, and as an integral part of the American way of life. Every citizen has been touched by it, if not directly as motorists, then indirectly because every item we buy has been on the Interstate System at some point. President Eisenhower considered it one of the most important achievements of his two terms in office, and historians agree.
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This was a unified government body with private bids as well and funded as an investment in our country. Was he a socialist to want to invest in our country?
 
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I would strongly support an infrastructure bank. The Treasury Department could just cut them a check every year for however much money Congress authorized, and then the infrastructure bank would determine for themselves which projects were the highest priorities. Shifting power from pork-hungry, gridlock-loving legislators and into the hands of technocrats is a step in the right direction IMO.
 
Dion said:
Here is a link on Dwight Eisenhower and his public acts on infrastructure.

Eisenhower Interstate Highway System - History



This was a unified government body with private bids as well and funded as an investment in our country. Was he a socialist to want to invest in our country?
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This is one major reason why Ike is now rated as one of the nations Top Ten Presidents. We need more thinking like that today.
 
Infrastructure is basically the circulatory system of our country. It's worth investing in. It allows us to deliver products and goods to any number of places. But infrastructure needs to be update, more than just maintained, IMO.

That's right, I'm talking about flying cars baby.
 
it should be a public / private partnership, but the public should take the lead, especially in areas where there is no short term profit potential.
 
I do know when countries go to war they disable the enemies infrastructure. It seems we are our the enemy within to let our infrastructure crumble and yet nation build and preemptive strike other nations.

I hope the republicans do not make good on their promise to fight against investing in the United States of America.
 
WI Crippler said:
Infrastructure is basically the circulatory system of our country. It's worth investing in. It allows us to deliver products and goods to any number of places. But infrastructure needs to be update, more than just maintained, IMO.

That's right, I'm talking about flying cars baby.
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flying cars, aka crashing airplanes.....
we have too many idiots on the roads and you want to put them in the air?
 
Is there a special tactic that might help bring Republicans along? Well, in his gracious speech on Wednesday morning after his re-election, Obama noted that he hoped to talk to Romney about ways they might work together. Why not ask Romney if he would be willing to spearhead this project? It would be an act of bipartisanship in the service of a national interest — and it might just begin to change the tenor of Washington for the next four years.
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Read more: Washington Gridlock: Obama Must Rebuild Trust -- and Infrastructure | TIME.com

I liked the proposal of a National Bank for infrastructure investment.
 
UtahBill said:
flying cars, aka crashing airplanes.....
we have too many idiots on the roads and you want to put them in the air?
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Less strain on the healthcare system if they are dead, instead of just maimed.
 
WI Crippler said:
Less strain on the healthcare system if they are dead, instead of just maimed.
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and if they fall on a house, more people dead....?
don't forget that flying cars consume a LOT of fuel.....where you gonna get it?
 
Dion said:
Here is a link on funding of the Interstate system signed into office by Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Interstate System - Design - FHWA

Historians and President Eisenhower himself considered it one of his most important achievements of his two terms in office.

I am curious if investments in rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure is viewed as unpatriotic or not worthy.

Obama Unveils Budget That Includes Billions To Rebuild Nation's Infrastructure, Create Jobs | ThinkProgress
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Typically a lot of corruption also on who get's the contracts, and a lot of added expense to taxpayers. We need true free market competition on the contracts.
 
UtahBill said:
and if they fall on a house, more people dead....?
don't forget that flying cars consume a LOT of fuel.....where you gonna get it?
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Don't ask me, these are all Obama's responsibilities.
 
Another thing, why not utilize like the 4 million people in prison for free labor on some of this infrastructure, like roads. I am not talking chain gangs but treat them with respect like regular employees in the free workforce and give them dignity. Most prisoners would love to work instead of sitting in their cells all day. The unions will hate it but taxpayers and prisoners both would like it. It also frees up the labor that would be working on the infrastructure to create other wealth, growing the pie, increasing government revenue, lowering deficits.
 
How about we stop taking gas taxes and dumping them in wasteful mass transit programs.
That would be a good start, rather than creating a whole new fund to fund something that already had revenue, but was diverted.
 
Infrastructure is vital. But my question is what happened to all those road dollars the feds handed out awhile back. did they all go to where they were suppose to or end up like the cigarette money, everywhich way.

I am not sure how to balance our current issues with the maintenance of the infrastructure. Tough question.
 
wolfman24 said:
Infrastructure is vital. But my question is what happened to all those road dollars the feds handed out awhile back. did they all go to where they were suppose to or end up like the cigarette money, everywhich way.

I am not sure how to balance our current issues with the maintenance of the infrastructure. Tough question.
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Some guy comes up with a good idea, let's make an infrastructure tax, infrastructure bank....yada yada yada.
The money never 100% goes for it's intended purpose.

Ideas are great, the problem is people stink.
 
1. Did you know that the original Interstate Highway legislation required that one of every so many contiguous miles of highway had to be built straight and sufficiently level to be able to be converted into runway in the event of an invasion of the US so that we could stage aircraft anywhere there is highway? Mountainous states were granted waivers because of the cost.

2. We need to stop building highways until we have electrical, water, sewer, and gas upgrades, we can maintain the highways/bridges we have, and there is a nationwide fiberoptic network.
 
Harry Guerrilla said:
Some guy comes up with a good idea, let's make an infrastructure tax, infrastructure bank....yada yada yada.
The money never 100% goes for it's intended purpose.

Ideas are great, the problem is people stink.
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Absolutely no argument there.
 
Fisher said:
1. Did you know that the original Interstate Highway legislation required that one of every so many contiguous miles of highway had to be built straight and sufficiently level to be able to be converted into runway in the event of an invasion of the US so that we could stage aircraft anywhere there is highway? Mountainous states were granted waivers because of the cost.

2. We need to stop building highways until we have electrical, water, sewer, and gas upgrades, we can maintain the highways/bridges we have, and there is a nationwide fiberoptic network.
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I used to think that as well (regarding straight way strips for emergency landings) yet when researching this I found this page of myths about the Interstate system.

Eisenhower Interstate Highway System - Interstate Myths
 
Hard to think of a stupider set of response choices given in this poll
 
Fisher said:
Darn you. When I sit on Santa's lap this year I am going to tell him to bring you coal and switches for ruining my belief in a myth. That'll teach ya :doh
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I know ... I loved that lore as well and was disappointed when I saw this myth link. I almost did not link it. yet ... Pilots still land on the straight a-ways!
 
i voted 'No one ... it is not important to a country to have strong infrastructure' because i want america to be weak and crumble as the asian economies rise to global dominance. :shock:

in anycase, infrastructure is essential. we should all be chipping in, and yes, that means you rich people with your $31,000,000,000,000 in tax havens, too!
 
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