The states have been using gasoline taxes to fund infrastructure projects for years. It’s supplemented by Federal funding. This time of year those projects make it hard to travel anywhere in this country.
Obama tried to do infrastructure and found in his words “there are no shovel ready projects in this country”. Why? Every one is met with a lawsuit by an environmental group and they tie them up in court for years.
Eisenhower completed most of the interstate highway system in his time in office. Americans needed jobs and projects got quick approval and building highways was non-union and costs were reasonable. A few years ago most of the big highway contractors were in minimum security prisons for bid rigging.
But, just for a minute think of a near perfect world like Eisenhower had and then apply $2 trillion in infrastructure projects to this country. Ignore the fact that the $2 trillion is false branding with only $600 billion of it being infrastructure matched by subsidies for electric trucks. Ignore that contractors can’t gear up for that amount of work, that equipment is not available, that materials don’t exist, and the graft and corruption that would ensue. Just assume it happens.
Every highway in this country would be under some form of construction. It would be national gridlock with economic havoc ensuing.
Selling climate change under the label of infrastructure is probably less damaging to the economy than true infrastructure at that level.
Spot on. In my recent long driving experience, equipment sits idle not being used by anybody but the roads are all narrowed down to one lane.
They give you miles and miles of warning that a lane is going to disappear, and the “it’s all about me” folks stay in the lane that is going to disappear and roar up to the front of the line then demand to be let in.
Last three days we were on the road, traffic snarls from things like this caused us 2+hours delay every day.
And this was with the existing level of “funding”.
Nopw. You’re just as impatient and “boomer-ish” as Bill is.
As of this week, a real infrastructure deal has been crafted in a bipartisan way…something that Trump didn’t even attempt.
It was always “Infrastructure Week” (and it never came).
“A new health care plan” was always 2 weeks away (and it never came).
People like you are a stain on our democracy. Do us a favor and stop taking any critical meds.