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Author Topic:   Social Unrest?
jar
Member (Idle past 423 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 77 of 109 (588004)
10-21-2010 9:40 PM


Slight change in direction.
Some recent news stories have looked at spending on infrastructure, stuff like road, rail, dams, bridges, communications.
The US current budgets (and often does not fund) about 2% of our GDP on an infrastructure that has been basically ignored for almost a half century now.
Other nations, China, India, much of the EU seems to actually fund 5% to 10% of their GDP annually on infrastructure improvements and replacement.
How long can we continue to simply allow our infrastructure to remain at a deteriorated half century old standard?
Edited by jar, : appalin spallin

Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!

Replies to this message:
 Message 88 by Phat, posted 10-24-2011 9:37 AM jar has replied

  
jar
Member (Idle past 423 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 89 of 109 (638622)
10-24-2011 9:43 AM
Reply to: Message 88 by Phat
10-24-2011 9:37 AM


Re: Infrastructural Integrity?
Phat writes:
Seems that we had enough to fund two wars. Investing in ourselves seems like a wise move.
It would have been but unfortunately, we decided not to do that and instead spend the money on two wars in Iraq (that never has attacked the US) and in Afghanistan (that also never has attacked the US).
That money is gone.
Phat writes:
Is there a way to fix the infrastructure by training and hiring people...putting them to work fixing the roads and bridges rather than cutting these services?
Sure, as long as we raise taxes to get the money to pay those workers and the repairs.

Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!

This message is a reply to:
 Message 88 by Phat, posted 10-24-2011 9:37 AM Phat has seen this message but not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 90 by crashfrog, posted 10-24-2011 10:27 AM jar has replied

  
jar
Member (Idle past 423 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 91 of 109 (638627)
10-24-2011 10:36 AM
Reply to: Message 90 by crashfrog
10-24-2011 10:27 AM


Re: Infrastructural Integrity?
Because eventually the debt will get paid.

Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!

This message is a reply to:
 Message 90 by crashfrog, posted 10-24-2011 10:27 AM crashfrog has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 92 by crashfrog, posted 10-24-2011 10:40 AM jar has replied
 Message 99 by Phat, posted 10-24-2011 5:06 PM jar has replied

  
jar
Member (Idle past 423 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 93 of 109 (638631)
10-24-2011 11:07 AM
Reply to: Message 92 by crashfrog
10-24-2011 10:40 AM


Re: Infrastructural Integrity?
That would be true had we not squandered so many resources already.
There is a limit to how much we can borrow.
Nor is there any assurance that it will continue to be a negative real interest rate.
Sooner or later we will have to address paying back the debt already accumulated.
I agree that it is manageable, but only if there is some long term (25-50 year) program put in place to develop some reasonable monetary policy and I see no evidence of such plans or progress.

Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!

This message is a reply to:
 Message 92 by crashfrog, posted 10-24-2011 10:40 AM crashfrog has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 94 by crashfrog, posted 10-24-2011 12:38 PM jar has seen this message but not replied

  
jar
Member (Idle past 423 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 98 of 109 (638660)
10-24-2011 4:43 PM
Reply to: Message 96 by Rahvin
10-24-2011 2:35 PM


Re: Infrastructural Integrity?
Remember that the US has traditionally failed to fulfill obligations when ever those obligations seemed onerous, particularly Treaty obligations which form part of the supreme law of the land in theory.

Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!

This message is a reply to:
 Message 96 by Rahvin, posted 10-24-2011 2:35 PM Rahvin has not replied

  
jar
Member (Idle past 423 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 100 of 109 (638662)
10-24-2011 5:15 PM
Reply to: Message 99 by Phat
10-24-2011 5:06 PM


Re: Solutions?
There are no good fast solutions. What is needed is a 25-50 year commitment to fix what we broke and begin establishing a reasonable economy. Hopefully over the next 100 years or so the US could rationalize it's behavior.

Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!

This message is a reply to:
 Message 99 by Phat, posted 10-24-2011 5:06 PM Phat has not replied

  
jar
Member (Idle past 423 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


(1)
Message 105 of 109 (638688)
10-24-2011 8:45 PM
Reply to: Message 104 by Taq
10-24-2011 8:39 PM


Re: The sobering reality
Exactly.
The key is not debt itself, but rather why the debt was incurred.
Unfortunately we incurred a bunch of debt buying bragging rights instead of gasoline for the tractor.

Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!

This message is a reply to:
 Message 104 by Taq, posted 10-24-2011 8:39 PM Taq has not replied

  
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