Mayors ask Congress to help fix U.S. infrastructure »
Posted by: engineer 2 months, 2 weeks agoMayors say they need federal help to maintain road, water and rail systems They blame much of the decay on shortsighted thinking by officials American Society of Engineers estimates $1.6 trillion and five years of work needed Senators pushing for a bill to create a National Infrastructure Bank
Read Full Story at cnn.com
Join the Discussion 
+ Add Comment
Comments So Far: 36
-
-
0%
slate2 months, 2 weeks ago
well it took only two posts to point at only the Republicans!
No der ain't no Dems in the Guvment of the US O A! Just dem nasty ole Rs that in 8 years have ruined every road and rail in the country man O man under Dems everything was peachy and nothing ever even got older,,, well cept a certian Dyke in a certain town. But somehow even that's the Rs fault huh?
Maybe you can ask O to not send the Billions of dollas that he wants to send to the UN if elected to fix a few thangs, IF Elected.
Reply -
-
0%
PainGoddess2 months, 2 weeks ago
Evil to the public elected officials that have to deal with it....lol
Reply
-
-
-
-
0%
saintetienne2 months, 2 weeks ago
Then there's Barack Obama:
"Hey if I give this money to you guys, where am I going to get the money I need to pay for bigger government, more social welfare, more homeless shelters, universal health care, more affirmative action, aid to Africa, aid and benefits to illegal aliens, and more rights for criminals and terrorists? Oh yeah, I almost forgot - I'm going to tax and punish the wealthy, place more restrictions and higher taxes on businesses, and initiate government tariffs on goods and services."
Reply-
0%
wtagg2 months, 2 weeks ago
So, for the umpteen time, how does comparing one bad scenario to another bad scenario reflect well on yours?
"bigger government"
How has the admin and the congresses of 2001/2007 not gone in this direction in the last 7 years?
"aid and benefits to illegal aliens"
Are not the admin and the congresses of 2001/2007 providing this currently?
"tax and punish the wealthy, place more restrictions and higher taxes on businesses"
How is the current system not doing this already? A consumption tax would eliminate the much of the need for corporate tax legal departments and accounting. If the wealthy invest, I say do not tax that money.
You pine for the status quo. How is that currently working out for our economy, energy policies (which reflect upon national security), fiscal well-being of the government, etc...?
We need to stop following and start leading, which will demand something besides a *stay the course, no matter how long and how much* philosophy.
Reply
-
-
-
0%
canadianrancher572 months, 2 weeks ago
This problem is something that affects not just big cities or major highways but the smallest of centers and even rural roads. Part of the problem was that alot of people were short sighted the other part of the problem is the ever increasing demands by public that government on all levels help pay for many other things as well. I don't know if it is the same down there but up here government is asked for money for nearly every community project and then when the project is complete they also have to continue to contribute to keep them going, afew examples are libraries, sports facilities, community halls, art centers, recreation areas and the list goes on and on. All of these things take away from there revenue and it seems that the things that suffer are the things that we need but really don't get any enjoyment out of. The repairing of the main infrastructure in your country will have to start someday, the sooner the better.
Reply -
0%
Charlson2 months, 2 weeks ago
We are already starting to see the effects of our deteriorating infrastructure. Huge sink holes in our highways, collapsed bridges, roads hazardous to your auto and on and on. But we keep deferring the repairs and new construction so future generations will be burdened and not us. Same as our debt, social security and other government entitlement programs. We keep deferring, because we don't have the will or interest to tackle the problems ourselves, yet.
Reply-
0%
PainGoddess2 months, 2 weeks ago
It is all falling apart like our government, health care, trust in public officials...... LOL
Reply
-
-
0%
kboy2 months, 2 weeks ago
The tendency for politicians to divert funds to pet projects is overwhelming. Now is the time for action. Stop diverting the liquid fuel taxes that were intended for road and bridge repair. The railroads are NOT a local problem. Public transportation is. Stop using it for patronage jobs. The water system should fund itself. Raise prices if it is not and turn off deadbeats. Do the same with all public utilities. Show some leadership and spend taxpayer dollars with care.
Reply -
lovermanComment removed: User banned.
-
0%
vor2 months, 2 weeks ago
The money is in Iraq. Whatever happened to that bill to pay for our assistance from their oil revenues? Then we could deal with our OWN issues with our own borrowed dollars! How could such a bill not get through Congress? It didn't. Was anything ever been more foolish than the recent tax rebates. All of it borrowed dollars and the net effect on the US economy basically zilch.
Just another symptom of the toll this administration has taken on this country.
Reply -
0%
texangelwings2 months, 2 weeks ago
Too bad so many good paying jobs have disappeared, because it was the good paying jobs that once provided the tax revenue for cities expenses! These mayors and the chamber of commerce all wanted free trade! Guess the mayors all need to speak to their free trade buddies, for more revenue, they have our jobs!
Growing up, I was always told that nothing is free!
Thanks engineer!
Reply-
-
0%
texangelwings2 months, 2 weeks ago
I believe that NAFTA was signed by Clinton, and I do believe that I didn't say anything about either party! Both parties are to blame!
Mayors, Chamber of Commerce and Governors alike are pushing free trade!
Reply
-
-
-
0%
nikkibabe2 months, 2 weeks ago
Quote:
"Then there's Barack Obama:".
He already has said that he will withdraw troops out of Iraq and pay for the infrastructure improvements through $14 billion per month that he will save.
Reply -
0%
chevydog2 months, 2 weeks ago
Sometimes one wonders. After all, none of the stuff we build will last forever. And it takes a certain amount of care and feeding.
All this being the case, I suspect that if a certain percentage of federal money were designated for maintenance only more than a few of these local officials would be trying to find a rationale under which capital projects could be considered maintenance. New stuff is just sexier than maintenance.
Doesn't help either that most government accounting, from federal on down, falls short in highlighting needs for care of physical facilities.
Reply -
0%
CRYMTYPHON2 months, 2 weeks ago
We talk about a 'global economy' till it becomes an empty buzzword. But think:
Once, even the most ruthless robber-barons invested in their communities, and linked their prosperity with the towns and cities and country they lived in.
It was to their benefit that the communities with their factories had the best roads and schools and hospitals.
No longer.
Give someone a million dollar tax cut, and he can sit down at a computer and buy shares in a sweat-shop in southern china or northern Mexico. His prosperity is not linked to his geography.
And the more money he makes, the less he needs what the locals need. Transportation, health, education, security;
these have a private track when you want quality and can pay.
Investors no longer need a bright shiny America that is first in all things. It is no longer cost-efficient.
Their attitude: let it rust.
Reply-
0%
VMan2 months, 2 weeks ago
CRYMTYPHON: Thank you very much for that (your post, not your user name, which perplexes me). I can't for the life of me figure out why good people, Republicans though they may be, who are getting royally screwed, fervently believe that rich people, if they are helped to get richer, will somehow make things better for the rest of us. Hasn't trickle down economics been thoroughly debunked, and demonstrably so? Allocating tax dollars to infrastructure improvements benefits us all in more ways than one. (Check out Robert Reich's blog entry from May 20, 2008 http://www.robertreich.blogspot.com/)
Reply
-
-
0%
NoWayMan2 months, 2 weeks ago
facts are facts. it was the Bush admin along with the GOP-led congress that took that huge surplus they inherited and instead of fixing our own house and creating lots of jobs in the process, they decided to go destroy iraq and then shell out big bucks to "fix" it, even though they still can't get electricity up and running for some reason.
Reply -
0%
nikkibabe2 months, 2 weeks ago
Yes, for 4100 US military deaths, thousands Iraqis dead, over 2 million displaced and an estimated 3 million who have fled to Syria, Iran & Jordan as refugees and over $800 billion of taxpayer money wasted,
Bush and his bunch of crooks are passing on this tragedy to the next President.
That money could have fixed lot of bridges, roads, highways, schools and offered health care to children of poorest of poor in the country.
However, it is amazing that John "hypocrite" McCain fully supports it and wants to continue and also wants to take credit for "progress" in Iraq after destroying it.
What a country that has balls to blame Iran as a threat to Middle East.
Reply
Submitted By:
engineer
Hi My background is Biomedical engineering with an MBA As you know from all my comments where I almost stand politically. I have loads of ...
Also submitted:
- 1.0 - Obamas Speech Lures Some Fence-Sitters as Others Await McCain
- 4.9 - Merrill, Wachovia Hit With Record Refinancing Bill
- 5.0 - Mortgage fraud still soaring
- 5.0 - The Only Way to Fix Social Security
Related Articles:
Why not submit a story?
Also Propping This Article
TimALoftis
capn_caveman
MidnightPrism
Helixbuilder
ciera-marie
berkeley- rebner
Eagle_Eye
dandt1612
engineer
Groups Watching This
No groups are watching this story. Why not share it with your group?
