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Republicans Rejoice as They Spread the South’s Third World Status To Entire Nation (Rant-licious)
PoliticusUSA - Real Liberal Politics ^ | May 18, 2014 | Rmuse

Posted on 05/18/2014 7:24:54 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

Many Americans really have no comprehension of the importance of basic physical and organizational structures and facilities such as buildings, roads, and power supplies needed for the operation of an advanced society or enterprise. A great number of Americans mesmerized by Republicans’ anti-tax agenda may get exercised and complain when their power goes out or their teeth are shaken loose driving over pothole-ridden roads, but they are most likely the first to vehemently oppose any tax increase to repair America’s crumbling infrastructure. Apparently, Republicans and their supporters are proud that America’s infrastructure compares unfavorably with most advanced and even some developing nations because in their minds spreading the South’s third world status to the entire nation is a worthy goal.

Last year, the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report for 2012-2013 exposed America’s quality and availability of roads, railroads, ports, air transport, electricity, and telephones ranks 25th, behind nations such as Oman and Barbados, and only one spot ahead of Qatar. On Tuesday, the Obama Administration warned that failure to head off bankruptcy of the federal Highway Trust Fund (HTF) before summer will mean delaying over 112,000 roadway and 5,600 transit projects and cost the economy over 700,000 construction jobs within a year. No doubt bankrupting the highway fund, keeping over a hundred-thousand roads in disrepair, and killing nearly three-quarters-of-a-million jobs is appealing to Republicans who have no intent in funding infrastructure improvements.

The highway trust fund is the main funding source for state road and highway projects, and most of them will cease if it runs out of money that is looking likely because the federal gas tax which funds the HTF has not been raised in twenty years (1994). Currently, federal gas tax is 18.4 cents per gallon, but if it kept pace with inflation it would be about 26 cents per gallon and if it were indexed to increasing gas prices, it would be about 35.4 cents. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) warned that to keep Highway Trust Fund solvent, Congress will either have to raise the gas tax by 10 to 15 cents per gallon or find between $13 billion and $18 billion a year from other sources and knowing Republicans it will come out of social safety nets. President Obama has proposed infrastructure spending in the past, and once again proposed a $150 billion four-year plan to replenish the Highway Trust Fund, but Republicans refuse to fund anything the President requests.

One solution from the President is allowing states to charge a toll on Interstate highways as a last resort, but Republicans are as likely to go along with that idea as they are raising the gas tax or approving the President’s infrastructure spending plan. On Thursday, a bipartisan group of Senators approved a bill to keep funding at current levels, but as was revealed this past week, Senate Republicans are enamored with obstructing bipartisan plans they support unless they can add an amendment or two forcing the President to approve the KeystoneXL pipeline or eliminating some clean energy standards for the Koch brothers; there is little to no chance the funding bill will pass the Senate. Even if Senate Republicans go along with the bipartisan funding proposal, House Republicans will not support anything the President proposes.

America’s infrastructure already rates a grade of “D” according to the Society of Civil Engineers, and the nation would need to spend $3.6 trillion within 6 years just to upgrade the nation’s bridges, roads, and waterways to keep pace, and be competitive, with the rest of the developed world. According to Standard & Poors, there are long term as well as immediate benefits to the economy by investing as little as $1.3 billion over the next year including adding at least 29,000 jobs, boosting economic growth by $2 billion, reduce the deficit by at least $200 million, and many more benefits over the long term. However, Republicans are not going to invest in infrastructure because they already cut federal spending on infrastructure by $60 billion that is at World War II levels.

To get an idea of the typical Republican opposition to spending even a penny on improving infrastructure when they can give the money to the rich and corporations, a good example is the proposed California High Speed Rail project. The project will be the greatest Earth-moving project in California history, create millions of construction and related jobs immediately and long into the future, improve air quality, and save California motorists fuel costs. The California Republican who is chairman of the House subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials said he has no intention of expediting federal funding for the project that will benefit his constituents or the state’s economy. He told supporters last fall he will continue blocking federal funding for the project because he claims the money is better spent on the rich because they “know how to create jobs.” The congressman, Jeff Denham, is firmly ensconced in the pocket of the Koch brothers and the oil industry and they will not allow any project to even start that creates millions of jobs, improves air quality, or reduces fuel usage.

Keeping the Highway Trust Fund out of money, and America’s infrastructure at levels below every developed country on Earth, really serves a variety of Republican goals. Whether it is killing 700,000 jobs, keeping America from competing with the rest of the world, retarding economic growth, or just letting the nation fall farther into disrepair, they have no incentive to fund infrastructure improvements. About four months ago a conservative economist Republicans revere argued that President Obama should propose, and Congress should immediately approve at least $1.3 trillion in infrastructure improvements to strengthen the economy, create millions of jobs, and bring the nation closer to some developing countries’infrastructure. Needless to say, the conservative economist is no longer held in any esteem by Republicans.

President Obama warned that not adequately funding the Highway Trust Fund will bankrupt it, and it was probably succor to Republicans who have tried desperately to bankrupt the federal government and sell it off to the highest bidders. There is no telling how far Republicans will deliberately let this country slide into third world status to prove their racial hatred for this President, but if the Republican former Confederacy is any indication, they will not stop until America ranks below Yemen and Afghanistan’s infrastructure where bridges are non-existent and dirt roads are the norm.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government
KEYWORDS: gop; infrastructure; obama; taxes
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To: Cringing Negativism Network
The good news is that parts of the U.S. are expected to become lower manufacturing costs than coastal China sometime in the next few years. The bad news is that these manufacturing processes tend to be heavily automated and don't employ nearly as many people as they used to.

The other point to remember is that $300 billion in net imports from China does not necessarily translate into a loss of manufacturing. There are probably very few products manufactured in China that would be purchased in the same quantities by U.S. consumers if they were produced here in the U.S.

21 posted on 05/18/2014 7:45:47 PM PDT by Alberta's Child ("What in the wide, wide world of sports is goin' on here?")
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Currently, federal gas tax is 18.4 cents per gallon, but if it kept pace with inflation

why does the federal gas tax need to keep pace with inflation at all? What is the Highway Fund spent on besides highways? What state funds are spent on highways from state gasoline taxes? What about those who have electric cars? Do they get to skip out on gasoline taxes? What are the backoffice costs (administrative/pension/etc) of the Highway Fund? How are frequent budget overruns handled? If gas tax is collected every minute of every hour of every day, both on the federal and state sides, how can the Fund possibly 'run out of money'?

22 posted on 05/18/2014 7:48:56 PM PDT by blueplum
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
I don’t like his WHITE Commie half

Gotta be your white priviledge wacis mind going in to overdrive......

You must be from Wisconsin.

:-)

23 posted on 05/18/2014 7:48:58 PM PDT by Lakeshark
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To: ifinnegan; GeronL; 2ndDivisionVet
:)

Great Minds think alike.

So they wouldn't Lump in the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, but they will Taiwan. A complete separate (for all intense and purposes) country?

Progressive Twit.

24 posted on 05/18/2014 7:50:06 PM PDT by KC_Lion (Build the America you want to live in at your address, and keep looking up.- Sarah Palin)
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To: KC_Lion

Lol. Hong Kong really is China too.

Maybe they should have tried to make S Korea part of N Korea lol


25 posted on 05/18/2014 7:56:11 PM PDT by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans!)
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To: Lakeshark

One of the few who PROUDLY did NOT vote for him! :)


26 posted on 05/18/2014 7:58:30 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set...)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

It is pretty easy to have a high ranking infrastructure quality when you either have a dinky little country with limited infrastructure or a big country with limited infrastructure to maintain. Unlike most countries on the list, the US has both a large and dense infrastructure. Also the US infrastructure is older than most.


27 posted on 05/18/2014 8:05:26 PM PDT by Kirkwood (Zombie Hunter)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
You must be much more of a moderate than I am.

I proudly can't understand how he ever got on the ballot, not to mention I hope that Godzilla tears him apart limb by limb slower than the slowest instant replay ever....

Yes, it's been a bad day....

:-(

28 posted on 05/18/2014 8:16:11 PM PDT by Lakeshark
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

The North started electing Dems... the folks who used to run the South... and they wonder why they have corruption and failing infrastructure.


29 posted on 05/18/2014 8:29:31 PM PDT by Bogey78O (We had a good run. Coulda been great still.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
To get an idea of the typical Republican opposition to spending even a penny on improving infrastructure when they can give the money to the rich and corporations, a good example is the proposed California High Speed Rail project. The project will be the greatest Earth-moving project in California history, create millions of construction and related jobs immediately and long into the future, improve air quality, and save California motorists fuel costs.

This retard is either entirely delusional or an outright liar, and I'm going to go with him being an outright liar.
30 posted on 05/18/2014 8:31:02 PM PDT by Pox (Good Night. I expect more respect tomorrow.)
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To: DManA

Yup. Pennsylvania is a textbook case of this bait and switch. We have the crappiest roads in the nation and one of the highest gas taxes. When Penndot gets around to fixing a pot hole, there are at least four people standing around for everyone actually working; all making a union wage for doing what most states which employ non-union labor do for roughly double the minimum wage without the standing around.


31 posted on 05/18/2014 8:48:24 PM PDT by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

The South’s third world status? Is he talking about all those “third world” southern towns that are run by democrats? There are lot of them.


32 posted on 05/18/2014 9:05:50 PM PDT by VerySadAmerican
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Apparently the lackwit who wrote this screed doesn't remember that we borrowed $800 billion plus in 2009 for infrastructure projects. Barry the Boob promised us the money was to be directed solely to "shovel-ready" projects.

Was Barry lying? Why did the ignoramus responsible for this article fail to account for the $850 billion allegedly spent on infrastructure in 2009? And why won't either of these doofuses explain what actually happened to the $850 billion?

It's almost like both of them have forgotten about all the money we borrowed at Barry the Boob's request in 2009.
33 posted on 05/18/2014 9:07:22 PM PDT by Milton Miteybad (I am Jim Thompson. {Really.})
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“The South’s third world status”?? Ummm...take a look at how you advanced sophisticated types are keeping your ghettos these days..


34 posted on 05/18/2014 9:12:44 PM PDT by jughandle ( "We have the right to debate and disagree with any administration!" -HRC)
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To: blueplum

“why does the federal gas tax need to keep pace with inflation at all? What is the Highway Fund spent on besides highways? What state funds are spent on highways from state gasoline taxes? What about those who have electric cars? Do they get to skip out on gasoline taxes? What are the backoffice costs (administrative/pension/etc) of the Highway Fund? How are frequent budget overruns handled? If gas tax is collected every minute of every hour of every day, both on the federal and state sides, how can the Fund possibly ‘run out of money’? “

And, more fundamentally, two questions:

1. why don’t progressives stop wasting taxpayer money on social engineering schemes and spend it on roads? Colorado recently tossed $200,000,000 down the toilet on a crappy Obamacare exchange. After failing all their goals, the employees of the exchange are getting big raises and bonuses. Multiply that by 200 different corrupt agencies and that fills a lot of potholes and builds a lot of bridges.

2. Build the bridges and fill the potholes with non-union labor. It will cost a whole lot less.


35 posted on 05/18/2014 9:21:20 PM PDT by ModelBreaker
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Forgot to include that he is as stupid as the day is long


36 posted on 05/18/2014 9:42:07 PM PDT by Nifster
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I would say “You got to be kidding me”, but I have listened to this crap for 6 years. So the president runs the place into the ground for 6 years and its the fault of others who point out his failure....because they are racist? At what point does this stop? Or does it never stop?


37 posted on 05/18/2014 9:55:01 PM PDT by KC_Conspirator
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Ask long haulers which states have the best and which have the worst roads.

The minute you drive over the state lines of state like Penn., Calif, Ill, etc - you can tell by the rotten roads - ie., states that have been run by democrats for decades. Where all the taxes for roads goes is anyones guess - but it doesn’t go on the road - lotta heavy pockets

conversely, Pubbie run states are pretty much guaranteed o have good roads.


38 posted on 05/18/2014 9:58:21 PM PDT by maine-iac7 (Christian is as Christian does - by their fruits)
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To: maine-iac7
The minute you drive over the state lines of state like Penn., Calif, Ill, etc - you can tell by the rotten roads - ie., states that have been run by democrats for decades.

I recall a noticeable improvement going east from California into Arizona.

39 posted on 05/18/2014 10:08:39 PM PDT by thecodont
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To: KC_Lion

Leftists don’t acknowledge the existence of Taiwan because the believe it should be Communist.


40 posted on 05/18/2014 10:19:35 PM PDT by kaehurowing (FIGHT BULLYING, UNINSTALL FIREFOX)
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