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China's president says infrastructure development key to recovery

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Objective Voice

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Just came across this article today at YahooNews and wondered, "if China can do it, why can't America?" since we are the greatest, richest, most modern country in the world! Why is it so damned hard for us to get our act together and start doing some nation building at home to boost our economy?

To strengthen infrastructure development is key to promoting recovery and achieving sustained and stable growth.

Governments should play an important role in infrastructure building and step up financial support for infrastructure development.
Click to expand...

If I hadn't read the article, I'd swear those words were spoken by President Obama. But there weren't. They were spoken by Chinese President Hu Jintao at the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

China's president says infrastructure development key to recovery - Yahoo! News

C'mon, America! Get your act together!!
 
If the government mainly did what government is supposed to do, and wasn't mostly a clearinghouse for the redistribution of wealth, think of how much infrastructure renewal there could be.

WhereOurTaxDollarsGo-f1_rev9-6-12.jpg
 
Agreed, but this thread isn't about bashing social safety nets. It's about getting this country moving again through job creation and the best way forward IS by doing some nation building here at home. So, again I ask if China can do it, why can we?
 
Objective Voice said:
Just came across this article today at YahooNews and wondered, "if China can do it, why can't America?" since we are the greatest, richest, most modern country in the world! Why is it so damned hard for us to get our act together and start doing some nation building at home to boost our economy?



If I hadn't read the article, I'd swear those words were spoken by President Obama. But there weren't. They were spoken by Chinese President Hu Jintao at the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

China's president says infrastructure development key to recovery - Yahoo! News

C'mon, America! Get your act together!!
Click to expand...
Infrastructure helps a place like China because China is still a developing country. Many places are not connected by quality roads, bridges, electricity, dams, sewers, etc. Infrastructure spending in China actually improves and facilitates commerce and economic activity. The US is a developed country where infrastructure spending only repairs what is already there and does nothing to facilitate economic activity. So what works for them wont do much for us.
 
Objective Voice said:
Agreed, but this thread isn't about bashing social safety nets. It's about getting this country moving again through job creation and the best way forward IS by doing some nation building here at home. So, again I ask if China can do it, why can we?
Click to expand...

My post is part of the answer to that question.
 
Objective Voice said:
Agreed, but this thread isn't about bashing social safety nets. It's about getting this country moving again through job creation and the best way forward IS by doing some nation building here at home. So, again I ask if China can do it, why can we?
Click to expand...

BECAUSE, as Harshaw pointed out, we have a government that is more interested in wealth redistribution than actually accomplising anything worthwhile.
 
Objective Voice said:
Just came across this article today at YahooNews and wondered, "if China can do it, why can't America?" since we are the greatest, richest, most modern country in the world! Why is it so damned hard for us to get our act together and start doing some nation building at home to boost our economy?



If I hadn't read the article, I'd swear those words were spoken by President Obama. But there weren't. They were spoken by Chinese President Hu Jintao at the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

China's president says infrastructure development key to recovery - Yahoo! News

C'mon, America! Get your act together!!
Click to expand...
Funds for infastructue were appropriated in the first stimulus. Have you forgotten all the hoopla over "shovel ready jobs"? Vice President Biden was given the job of ensuring that the money was properly spent. Two years later Obama laughed when he said shovel ready jobs were not as shovel ready as we had expected". Where did the money go? If it wasn't used for infrastruture it should still be there. But of course it's gone. Where to? The answer to you question is corruption.
 
Objective Voice said:
Just came across this article today at YahooNews and wondered, "if China can do it, why can't America?" since we are the greatest, richest, most modern country in the world! Why is it so damned hard for us to get our act together and start doing some nation building at home to boost our economy?



If I hadn't read the article, I'd swear those words were spoken by President Obama. But there weren't. They were spoken by Chinese President Hu Jintao at the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

China's president says infrastructure development key to recovery - Yahoo! News

C'mon, America! Get your act together!!
Click to expand...

Except if China does it then that's the perfect reason why we shouldn't do it.

DUH!!!

You see, the Chinese are godless commies whose souls have been seduced by Satan to be godless commies.

But that's not America. No.

The country of America had it's Constitution handed to George Washington by the Jesus Christ the Son of God Himself as the perfect way to live on this Earth since America is One Nation Under God.

So if a godless commie Chinaman is telling an American to do something, it's because he's using the powers of temptation of Lucifer to get that American to do it.

And if Lucifer wants an American to do something that means, as a proper Christian that all Americans are, we should do the opposite.

Which means the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost wants us to tear up the highways, railways, and subways.

Why? I don't know. After all, God works in mysterious ways.

But all I know is that what we shouldn't do is what Satan is counting on us to do.

So I would say that that Chinaman president can go to HELL!!! But, being a godless commie and all, that's pretty self-evident anyways.

It's in the Bible, after all, which the best work on government I've ever read.
 
^What the hell is that all aobut?
 
samsmart said:
Except if China does it then that's the perfect reason why we shouldn't do it.

DUH!!!

You see, the Chinese are godless commies whose souls have been seduced by Satan to be godless commies.

But that's not America. No.

The country of America had it's Constitution handed to George Washington by the Jesus Christ the Son of God Himself as the perfect way to live on this Earth since America is One Nation Under God.

So if a godless commie Chinaman is telling an American to do something, it's because he's using the powers of temptation of Lucifer to get that American to do it.

And if Lucifer wants an American to do something that means, as a proper Christian that all Americans are, we should do the opposite.

Which means the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost wants us to tear up the highways, railways, and subways.

Why? I don't know. After all, God works in mysterious ways.

But all I know is that what we shouldn't do is what Satan is counting on us to do.

So I would say that that Chinaman president can go to HELL!!! But, being a godless commie and all, that's pretty self-evident anyways.

It's in the Bible, after all, which the best work on government I've ever read.
Click to expand...

I can just hear the roars in the stadiums ;P. More in one than the other.
 
apdst said:
BECAUSE, as Harshaw pointed out, we have a government that is more interested in wealth redistribution than actually accomplising anything worthwhile.
Click to expand...

Obama proposed $140 billion in spending on infrastructure about a year ago. It was Paul Ryan and his budget plans that attempted to halt this action. But continue to drone on about how Obama wants to redistribute wealth and such. In fact, why don't you just copy paste that quote to every thread? Save yourself the time of typing, you're going to sound like a broken record no matter how you decide to spice it up.
 
Objective Voice said:
Just came across this article today at YahooNews and wondered, "if China can do it, why can't America?" since we are the greatest, richest, most modern country in the world! Why is it so damned hard for us to get our act together and start doing some nation building at home to boost our economy?



If I hadn't read the article, I'd swear those words were spoken by President Obama. But there weren't. They were spoken by Chinese President Hu Jintao at the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

China's president says infrastructure development key to recovery - Yahoo! News

C'mon, America! Get your act together!!
Click to expand...

Obama had a Jobs Package to build the infrastructure but this was blocked by the Republicans.
 
Objective Voice said:
Agreed, but this thread isn't about bashing social safety nets. It's about getting this country moving again through job creation and the best way forward IS by doing some nation building here at home. So, again I ask if China can do it, why can we?
Click to expand...

But the social safety nets are the reason the country isn't moving. That's the point. They all need to be reformed. Then we can talk about the rest of the stuff you mentioned. Citizens want to have their cake and eat it too. Which is it? Do you want the current SS, Medicare, and the ACA or do you want better infrastructure? With the current standards, its one or the other.
 
Fletch said:
Infrastructure helps a place like China because China is still a developing country. Many places are not connected by quality roads, bridges, electricity, dams, sewers, etc. Infrastructure spending in China actually improves and facilitates commerce and economic activity. The US is a developed country where infrastructure spending only repairs what is already there and does nothing to facilitate economic activity. So what works for them wont do much for us.
Click to expand...
Sure it would. Things get old and decay and if the US doesn't spend on fixing and replacing infrastructure then it will fall into decay and then China will be brand new and the US will be crumbling and falling apart from within.

It's the construction industry that needs the boost because that is where most of the jobs were before the economy tanked. So it kinda makes sense to fund infrastructure projects to create jobs since it invovles construction.
 
frogloe said:
Obama proposed $140 billion in spending on infrastructure about a year ago. It was Paul Ryan and his budget plans that attempted to halt this action. But continue to drone on about how Obama wants to redistribute wealth and such. In fact, why don't you just copy paste that quote to every thread? Save yourself the time of typing, you're going to sound like a broken record no matter how you decide to spice it up.
Click to expand...

RDS said:
Obama had a Jobs Package to build the infrastructure but this was blocked by the Republicans.
Click to expand...

Oh, you mean the one that would have allowed the creation of the "National Infrastructure Bank". So, we would have the FDIC, the Federal Reserve, and now this, to filter money through for Federal spending. Yep, that's what we need. More regulations. More centralized control of our tax payer dollars. More gov't employees having GSA type conferences in Las Vegas complete with fancy hotels and room service. Do you guys even read these bills or what? Not to mention that he proposed paying for part of it by using the payroll tax. Last time I checked, Social Security was already going bankrupt. Now, with this plan, it would go bankrupt even faster because President Obama is doing what every POTUS since President Reagan has done. Use the payroll tax as a gov't grab bag. A couple of other notes on this.
1) The GOP also presented a Jobs Act in the House to much less fanfare.
2) The Dems didn't even support his Jobs Act.
 
Moot said:
Sure it would. Things get old and decay and if the US doesn't spend on fixing and replacing infrastructure then it will fall into decay and then China will be brand new and the US will be crumbling and falling apart from within.

It's the construction industry that needs the boost because that is where most of the jobs were before the economy tanked. So it kinda makes sense to fund infrastructure projects to create jobs since it invovles construction.
Click to expand...

With what money?
 
MarineTpartier said:
With what money?
Click to expand...
With the money we save on defense spending and raising the capital gains tax on the wealthy and closing the loopholes so corporations have to pay taxes, too.
 
Objective Voice said:
Just came across this article today at YahooNews and wondered, "if China can do it, why can't America?" since we are the greatest, richest, most modern country in the world! Why is it so damned hard for us to get our act together and start doing some nation building at home to boost our economy?

If I hadn't read the article, I'd swear those words were spoken by President Obama. But there weren't. They were spoken by Chinese President Hu Jintao at the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

China's president says infrastructure development key to recovery - Yahoo! News

C'mon, America! Get your act together!!
Click to expand...

:doh


China is currently sitting on an infrastructure bubble that makes our housing bubble look relatively piddling by comparison. You know how we had empty housing developments? China has empty cities.


Hu is in trouble. We shouldn't be worried about China passing us by as the worlds' replacement superpower, we should be worried about what happens when they realize that they won't.
 
Moot said:
With the money we save on defense spending and raising the capital gains tax on the wealthy and closing the loopholes so corporations have to pay taxes, too.
Click to expand...

:lol:


1. Defense spending is currently at a historical low, and has already been slashed to levels that the Presidents' own administration has labled "dangerous".
2. Raising tax rates won't increase revenue.
 
Moot said:
Sure it would. Things get old and decay and if the US doesn't spend on fixing and replacing infrastructure then it will fall into decay and then China will be brand new and the US will be crumbling and falling apart from within.

It's the construction industry that needs the boost because that is where most of the jobs were before the economy tanked. So it kinda makes sense to fund infrastructure projects to create jobs since it invovles construction.
Click to expand...
But that wasnt my point though. Building a road or a bridge between two communities where one does not now exist facilitates commerce between those two communities--it stimulates economic activity beyond the mere hiring of men for the project. Repaving an existing road employs men for the short term but provides no long term economic benefit. Things that 'worked' in the 1930's wont work the same today. There are no new dams to build, no new interstates, just repair of the old ones.

Plus, as MarineTpartier points out, we have to borrow money and add to our debt to finance such things, China does not. Raising taxes as you suggest, only takes money from the left hand and puts it in the right hand.
 
Fletch said:
But that wasnt my point though. Building a road or a bridge between two communities where one does not now exist facilitates commerce between those two communities--it stimulates economic activity beyond the mere hiring of men for the project
Click to expand...

yes.... and no. building a 6 lane highway between empty cities and goat villages (as China is looking at) doesn't really net stimulate economic activity.
 
cpwill said:
:lol:


1. Defense spending is currently at a historical low, and has already been slashed to levels that the Presidents' own administration has labled "dangerous".
2. Raising tax rates won't increase revenue.
Click to expand...
Revenue comes from taxes. So any increase in taxes on the wealthy is going to increase revenue. Thats just basic logic and arithmetic.
 
Moot said:
Revenue comes from taxes. So any increase in taxes on the wealthy is going to increase revenue. Thats just basic logic and arithmetic.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately that is not correct.


tax_rates_graph_ranson.jpg



Marginal rates actually have a small effect on revenue. What does have large direct impact is GDP growth and the relative size of government. Because government does not tax itself the same way that it taxes corporations and workers, the larger the share of GDP government takes, the less is available for tax-farming.

runaway-spending-tax-revenue-680.jpg



If you want to increase revenues, therefore, you need strong pro-Growth policies that at the same time reduce the Federal Government relative to GDP.
 
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Fletch said:
But that wasnt my point though. Building a road or a bridge between two communities where one does not now exist facilitates commerce between those two communities--it stimulates economic activity beyond the mere hiring of men for the project. Repaving an existing road employs men for the short term but provides no long term economic benefit. Things that 'worked' in the 1930's wont work the same today. There are no new dams to build, no new interstates, just repair of the old ones.

Plus, as MarineTpartier points out, we have to borrow money and add to our debt to finance such things, China does not. Raising taxes as you suggest, only takes money from the left hand and puts it in the right hand.
Click to expand...
Yes, I see your point now. However, communitees in decay don't stimulate economic activity, either. Money has to spent to upgrade, modernize and maintain so the businesses that do exist can continue to exist. And too, there are projects that can take decades such as upgrading the electrical grid and preparing for global warming and investing in clean energy and cleaning up all the environmental damage.

Spending is stimulating to the economy no matter where it comes from and if private business is unable or unwilling to invest, then the government has to or the economy will back into a recession. Then what?
 
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