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Every year our infrastructure falls further and further into disrepair. I'm not going to pick the report into pieces, you can do that for yourselves but we are headed into dire territory. Our water supply lines are close to 100 years old, many our dams which were built as low hazard are considered high hazard due population growth.....with an average age of 52 years, nearly 5% of our 84,000 dams are considered deficient.
Sorry. Too bad. Our money now goes to pay for services and support for the illegal immigrants flooding our southern border.
This. Other nations are able to efficiently deliver on social programs, education, and universal healthcare yet in America it seems even the simplest programs become boondoggles.
The U.S. can't afford what other countries have because our federal government depends far too much on too small of a tax base that earns less than 1/5 of the total income.
"I'm looking for answers" The fed certainly is NOT the answer.
It is up to EACH state to take care of their own infrastructure.
Answer, VOTE in your OWN state to get rid of the crooked politicians.
You're kidding right? As long as we allow lobbyists to buy up our representatives and until we install term limits and institute serious campaign reforms there won't be such a thing as an honest politician. Those guys are too worried about re-election to put their necks out for such a costly project.
I'm betting you're either Tea party or Libertarian based on your disdain for the fed. Do you honestly believe that your party will front a candidate in your state that's ready to take on the status quo?
Where do you suggest that the states find this money?
I have trouble believing in our "crumbling infrastructure". Back in the Bush years, a law was passed providing hundreds of billions in funds for infrastructure projects. Obama's administration spent nearly $1 trillion on "shovel ready" infrastructure projects. I have to believe that money was spent responsibly and that our infrastructure was fixed, as politicians from both parties promised it would be.
I mean....politicians wouldn't lie and government wouldn't just waste that money now, would they?
Oh, never.
People like the liberal here always argue there's fantastic reasons to give politicians EVER more money to spend, and insist it HAS to be spent "right".
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Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
What you say is largely true, aside from some of the water works that are taken care of by the Corps of Engineers, many of our infrastructure problems are a state's or private concern. So how do we get the states to upgrade their infrastructure and why is it universally collapsing around the country?
It isn't.
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Take the electrical grid. There are over 500 different players involved in the national grid (except for Texas) how do we get them all to cooperate and spend the small fortune that's needed to update to a "smart grid" system?
If an idea makes sense, it will be done. Just because liberals have fantasies about these things, doesn't mean they're great ideas or workable.
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I'm looking for answers, not condemnations of the government. It seems like any infrastructure project that involves government whether it be state or federal is prone to abuse so is privatization the answer? if so, how do we turn over the reins?
No, you're not. You're trying to find justification to give the government more power and influence.
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.....and when it comes to a NYC sewer failure that's "not your problem", you may want to think again. If you live within 500 miles of a major city and part of it's infrastructure fails, you will feel repercussions. The failing infrastructure should be a national concern. If you think that your state (which ever that is) will remain an oasis because they have been diligent (and none of them have been) while all around, everything else slides into ruin, You better be ready to roll out the state militia to guard your borders.
That's why the security of any free state depends on the right of the people to keep and bear arms. Those who make stupid decisions (look who gets elected in every big city) need to suffer the consequences of said decisions, and be forced to correct them. Lessons will be learned, and mistakes corrected. But not if consequences are suffered by those who make the mistakes.
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At that point we might as well balkanize the entire country....................then again, that may be the only way that the US will survive into the next century anyway.
Nonsense.
Liberals have struggled for years to tear us into numerous incompatible cultures. They've made some headway, but they've not succeeded yet, thank God.
That's part of the problem. When we talk about infrastructure, most people think about our highway system. It's much larger than that. It includes our waterways, our solid waste disposal, water, sewer, the power grid (of which there is only 5 in the US BTW, and one is dedicated to Texas.) Rail, aviation, dams, parks and rec and schools all of which are failing at a faster rate than they're being rebuilt/repaired. Can you imagine what a sewer failure that affected even a 1/4 of NYC would be like?
My water system is the well and pumping system I paid to put in. My sewer is the septic system I put in. My road is the private road that I put in, plow, grade and maintain. (more than willing to pay for county/state roads). Now...water and sewer systems are the responsibility of the individual or municipality that installs/maintains them. Pretty basic. I agree that many municipalities are not living up to their responsibility and instead throw taxpayer money at their largest donors-public employees unions. That does need to change and city managers need to do their jobs. Why in the heck does anyone thing the federal taxpayer should have to pay for NYC to have sewers? That is the responsibility of NYC residents. If the system needs improvement, residents need to man the heck up and pay for them.
If an idea makes sense, it will be done. Just because liberals have fantasies about these things, doesn't mean they're great ideas or workable.
No, you're not. You're trying to find justification to give the government more power and influence.
That's why the security of any free state depends on the right of the people to keep and bear arms. Those who make stupid decisions (look who gets elected in every big city) need to suffer the consequences of said decisions, and be forced to correct them. Lessons will be learned, and mistakes corrected. But not if consequences are suffered by those who make the mistakes.
Nonsense.
Liberals have struggled for years to tear us into numerous incompatible cultures. They've made some headway, but they've not succeeded yet, thank God.
All I can say is: Are you on drugs? You've added absolutely nothing to this thread except to to claim that our infrastructure isn't failing. I can't believe that anybody, regardless of political affiliations, honestly believes that we aren't coming apart at the seams.... Back that up.
That's what the thread is about: Infrastructure. Not liberals or conservatives nor is it about the second amendment....or any other of your scratched record gobbledygook. This should be a concern for ALL Americans because if or when the sh*t hits the fan, ain't NOBODY gonna care what your politics are.
You're kidding right? As long as we allow lobbyists to buy up our representatives and until we install term limits and institute serious campaign reforms there won't be such a thing as an honest politician. Those guys are too worried about re-election to put their necks out for such a costly project.
I'm betting you're either Tea party or Libertarian based on your disdain for the fed. Do you honestly believe that your party will front a candidate in your state that's ready to take on the status quo?
Where do you suggest that the states find this money?
"If you think YOUR representative is taking "bribes", AKA lobbyist, money and you don't like it, join a group to vote him out.
I AM for term limits.
I am AGAINST "campaign reform".
In a FREE country we are able to give to whomever and how much we want.
I AM for ALL donations to be posted within 24 hours of receiving it. That way we KNOW who is giving to whom.
"I'm betting you're either Tea party or Libertarian" You lose, pay up. It isn't a good idea to bet on things you know NOTHING about.
What party do you support? I would be willing to bet someone you voted for gets lobbying money.
"Where do you suggest that the states find this money?" IMO, a very ignorant question.
The first thing to do, is find out where ALL the money states have collected for "infrastructure" be audited.
They collect plenty of money and much is wasted through insisting that ONLY unions get the work, kickbacks, ridiculous unnecessary items in the contracts that cost extra and are NOT needed, paying for things that are NOT part of the "infrastructure, (bike paths, gazebos etc.
If a state builds a road or a bridge there FIRST responsibility is to maintain it. Do NOT build another road or bridge when you can't maintian what you already have.
IF you need more TAX THOSE IN THAT STATE.
Like I said, why should the rest of the country have to pay for another states malfeasance?
Get YOUR OWN house in order.
Last edited by Quick Enough; 07-19-2014 at 01:49 PM..
All I can say is: Are you on drugs? You've added absolutely nothing to this thread except to to claim that our infrastructure isn't failing. I can't believe that anybody, regardless of political affiliations, honestly believes that we aren't coming apart at the seams.... Back that up.
That's what the thread is about: Infrastructure. Not liberals or conservatives nor is it about the second amendment....or any other of your scratched record gobbledygook. This should be a concern for ALL Americans because if or when the sh*t hits the fan, ain't NOBODY gonna care what your politics are.
"Are you on drugs?' I think it is YOU who is on drugs.
NO ONE HAS CLAIMED that there aren't infrastructure problems.
What YOU WON'T accept is that those items ARE the RESPONSIBILITY of LOCAL jurisdictions.
YOU want the fed, other tax payers, to bail out local crooked politicians who have squandered the tax money they have already collected.
And why aren't I NOT surprised that when someone disagrees with YOUR opinion YOU start throwing out juvenile insults.
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