Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What kind of public works projects could we implement now that would provide jobs presently, and pay the largest future dividends for the country going forward?
the only thing that will work is to shift away from the focus of "globalization" and help small businesses be the economic engine of growth that they are capable of being.
less US regulation, less US government involvement, and NO government picking winners and losers in the economy.
1) drastically simplify the tax code - no more than two paragraphs to define gross revenues, and a flat 20% tax rate on gross revenues, covering regular government revevues, social security and health care, no deductions, no credits, no exemptions, one half-page tax return, no complicated calculations, no references to other forms, all IRS efforts focused on complete and accurate reporting of gross revenues and collection;
2) tort reform, put an end to the sue-you lottery game;
3) zoning reform, allowing for development of energy and space-efficient urban centers, an optimal mix between residential and every-day commercial activity (e.g. I want to walk to buy fresh bread, not energize a two-ton vehicle; I want townhouses in a real town, not somewhere in an isolated sub-section of a suburb; I want train stations that I can walk into and out of into someplace useful, not drive to and walk out of needing a car again, and I want to be able to do that in other than just two or three major, overpriced US cities).
The government would have more money than it could know what to do with, and it would unleash the creative potential of a good portion of the population in a truly productive way.
On the above premises, then, to answer the question, electricity-based transportation systems.
I would like to see technology put to work to alleviate the traffic situation.
By using computers to control traffic lights, we could save massive amounts of time and fuel.
We also need more in the way of subsidies to increase energy efficiency of homes and businesses.
The former and current programs, are often designed to not make it cost effective to do the things that would make people more energy independent.
I think public transit projects would provide the best value, it would create tons of jobs and provide significant advantages for society as a whole (increased productivity, reduced dependence on oil, etc).
There is also a ton of infrastructure repair that needs to be done as well.
Water infrastructure - the current state of many systems is falling apart with 100+ year old pipes. In addition, the dams and flood management systems are eroding to failure. Include bridge refurbishment and/or replacement and you've got a lot of jobs that absolutely need to be done.
It is not a matter of "if", it is simply a matter of when we have to address those issues. Before you run out of water and the bridge fails, or after.
Our political culture doesn't do a very good job (I'm being kind here) of addressing real issues. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
the only thing that will work is to shift away from the focus of "globalization" and help small businesses be the economic engine of growth that they are capable of being.
less US regulation, less US government involvement, and NO government picking winners and losers in the economy.
and of course, we are going in the WRONG direction, as evidenced by this article:
Under President Obama, while the economy is struggling to grow and create jobs, the federal regulatory business is booming.
Regulatory agencies have seen their combined budgets grow a healthy 16% since 2008, topping $54 billion, according to the annual "Regulator's Budget," compiled by George Washington University and Washington University in St. Louis.
That's at a time when the overall economy grew a paltry 5%.
Meanwhile, employment at these agencies has climbed 13% since Obama took office to more than 281,000, while private-sector jobs shrank by 5.6%.
Michael Mandel, chief economic strategist at the Progressive Policy Institute, found that between March 2010 and March 2011 federal regulatory jobs climbed faster than either private jobs or overall government jobs. (See chart.)
Regulatory production is way up, too, if you measure that by the number of rules federal agencies churn out.
The Obama administration imposed 75 new major rules in its first 26 months, costing the private sector more than $40 billion, according to a Heritage Foundation study. "No other president has imposed as high a number or cost in a comparable time period," noted the study's author, James Gattuso.
come on, we all instinctively know that small businesses are going to be the job creators IF we are going to have any kind of improvement.
it looks like we are looking at a clamp down instead of growth, which also will contribute to the negative long-term employment picture.
get out of the way if you can't lead and create jobs.
come on, we all instinctively know that small businesses are going to be the job creators IF we are going to have any kind of improvement.
it looks like we are looking at a clamp down instead of growth, which also will contribute to the negative long-term employment picture.
get out of the way if you can't lead and create jobs.
If I'm not mistaken, a lot of that growth in regulatory agencies was in places like the SEC. You know, to try to prevent what happened in 2008 from happening again. But I guess according to folks like you, there was just too much regulation, and that's why the banks sold everyone up the river without a paddle.
If I'm not mistaken, a lot of that growth in regulatory agencies was in places like the SEC. You know, to try to prevent what happened in 2008 from happening again. But I guess according to folks like you, there was just too much regulation, and that's why the banks sold everyone up the river without a paddle.
i hope you aren't defending the SEC? when you have an agency that refuses to do its job (because it has been captured) you DON'T expand it. that is worse than useless.
we not only have to pay for them but pay MORE for their incompetence.
sort of like our "pay czar", or DCF, or ICE, or the TSA (i never asked to get groped or x-rayed when i fly, never wanted it-am more than willing to "take my chances" with profiling).......
for the record, the banks did not sell us up the river-THE GOVERNMENT DID.
(remember iceland, who stood up to their GOVERNMENT and the GOVERNMENT backed down?)
the government could have and SHOULD HAVE let the bad banks fail, and let more efficient prudent banks take their place-but that isn't what the government did. that is how free market is supposed to work, but that isn't what the government did. THEY SOCIALIZED THE BANK LOSSES ON THE BACKS OF AMERICAN CITIZENS. americans did not want socialism, yet the government did it anyway AGAINST THE WILL OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
BLAME THE GOVERNMENT-the banks did not have (and still DO NOT HAVE) the authority to do that for themselves.
Last edited by floridasandy; 08-17-2011 at 03:53 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
