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Infrastructure discussions

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  • Dutch
    04-30-2019 02:34:20 PM
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    Afbeelding kan het volgende bevatten: lucht, boom, plant en buiten

    Herewith some pictures what they do in Valencia ( Spain):

    Afbeelding kan het volgende bevatten: lucht en buiten
  • jaredsxtn
    04-30-2019 05:41:48 PM
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    When I think of infrastructure projects I think of bridges, roads, dams, and other public projects, not opera houses.

    The sheer scale of critically needed infrastructure projects in America is mind boggling and is only getting worse with every passing day. Take the city of Portland. There are 12 bridges connecting the east and west sides of the city and all but one (a brand new pedestrian and mass-tran only bridge) are in various stages of disrepair. Current estimates suggest it would cost $10 billion to repair/rebuild all the bridges in this city alone. And that's just our bridges. Don't even get me started on my opinions of the city planners who built the highway system feeding into and out of the city.

    Zoom out and pick any other major city and you're going to see the same exact issues to varying degrees. We need a moonshot type program to rebuild our nations infrastructure for the 21st Century, but right now we're so stuck in our political crisis that it's basically impossible to get anything done at the national level.

    Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, and Donald just agreed to investing $2 trillion in critical infrastructure projects, which is great, but, and it's a pretty big but, the two sides are in different universes when it comes to where that $2 trillion is going to come from. That pesky little detail all but guarantees that absolutely nothing is going to get done anytime soon.
  • Dutch
    05-01-2019 09:10:41 AM
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    Yes Jared; sorry but they do infrastructure things in Europe all the time. Here the "time" stood still; where is the TGV (high speed rail) here? Already in use in Europe for at least 30 years. Here none. Talking about bridges, yes you are right; all over the place they are in bad shape; how about all the pothole roads? Even the airports are no longer up to date. Ever been in Dubai?

    Anyway forget infrastructure here on this island; who is going to invest in it if there is no return on the investment? I guess the only thing is to add this to the deficit; that will help. The thing is; nothing in this country is maintained as is done in other countries; if they maintain something then again it is done half ass; so it still will still rot away. If it is not part of the "tax" structure then it won't work. If you add it as an fuel tax; then the oil companies object and people may buy more electric cars so the revenues will erode. Thus as you said, 2 trillion is "fantasy" land to get it; especially with Trump in charge.

    He will likely suggest; cut all the "social" services and government services etc.
  • lonely bird
    05-01-2019 09:56:09 PM
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    Since my career deals with infrastructure I have a bit of an interest in this. There are multiple thousands of miles of sewer lines and water mains. There are lines multiple decades old. There are combines sewer systems that result in cities/authorities treating not just sewage but storm water as well. There are manholes that need rehabilitation. The list goes on and on. Many cities and authorities have not raised rates which means they lack monies for maintenance or they have to issue bonds taking on debt. Infrastructure is a social concern. The private sector not only won’t deal with it, they can’t deal with it.
  • Carlitos
    05-02-2019 10:04:03 PM
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    First, don’t ask where the $ will come from for any Congressional spending.

    They all come from keystrokes on computers at the US Treasury that send instructions to computers at the Federal Reserve to mark up accounts in the banking system.

    The real question is where will the resources come from to be deployed by that spending.
  • Dutch
    05-03-2019 09:16:44 AM
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    Carlitos, don't worry, the whole thing will never get from the ground. Lots of talk no results. Until 2020 there will only be "word" fighting and torturing little kids at the border as well that the GOP "gang" can continue to fill their pockets and Trump can visit his resort every weekend costing "nothing" at all for the taxpayer, let alone his stupid "rally's to release his inbred anger.

    Of course he wants to built his "wall" first; so no time for "infrastructure" But yeah he loves to get "infrastructure " done, because he can then pocket even more then from the "wall" from the "deals" he made with the "contractors"' he appoints.

    Sorry but this country had its "time" in history. Rome went the same way.
  • Dockadams
    05-03-2019 03:21:46 PM
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    Kickbacks for infrastructure projects is nothing new, and the beneficiaries of such projects is also sometimes secretive, as we who live near the Chicago area have seen in the past and probably the present.

    But don't expect passage of a $2T spending package for an infrastructure project/s because as we've seen in the past w/trump, he'll lay out some bait with strings attached, and when democrat leaders bite at it, he'll reel it in like an empty line and sinker. He uses democrat leadership like bait. I'd take anything he want's to do good for America with a grain of salt, there's not much to it, because he is a habitual liar.
  • Schmidt
    05-03-2019 06:15:27 PM
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    I'm not sure that Trump understands what it takes to get any kind of infrastructure package passed through Congress, especially with the Republicans in the majority in the Senate. It is all for show again...an illusion of progress, but nothing of substance will happen. Perhaps a few token projects with "first shovel" ceremonies and lots of speeches for photo ops. But then back to doing nothing...or whatever the meager gas tax can fund.
  • Dutch
    05-04-2019 09:12:40 AM
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    Schmidt Wrote: I'm not sure that Trump understands what it takes to get any kind of infrastructure package passed through Congress, especially with the Republicans in the majority in the Senate. It is all for show again...an illusion of progress, but nothing of substance will happen. Perhaps a few token projects with "first shovel" ceremonies and lots of speeches for photo ops. But then back to doing nothing...or whatever the meager gas tax can fund.
    You may be right; my bet is that until 2020 nothing gets done except the "in-fighting"as is done now. My point stays as it is; as long as this country does not make proper laws for Presidents and their limits and an mandatory "law" to produce "tax returns, BEFORE being elected, as well making sure an President is suited for the job via an stringent detailed "vetting" process, then this "circus" will continue forever in this country until it becomes like Venezuela. Amen
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