[Vince Ferrer]

I was watching CNN at the airport this Christmas, and some guys were breathlessly, and I mean breathlessly, hyping the idea that the federal government needs to get into more infrastructure investment. This article may be a coordinated talking points push for more infrastructure spending.

But we don't need more spending.

1. A mere three years ago we passed a $600 billion stimulus package for "shovel ready" jobs. Now we need another stimulus for infrastructure? Where did the other money go?

2. The real estate bubble itself, 2003-2007, was a stimulus in real estate, including property taxes gushing into cities and states, which spent the money on things like Taj Mahal schools.

3. There aren't any cities that I know of in the US which do not have a serious pension underfunding problem, so that any rational city council would need to spend on getting pension funds funded, not buying gigantic metal "trees."

Of course Asian infrastructure is more modern, they have been building the most dazzling parts of it for only the last ten years. The Empire State building is 80 years old now. Most of the infrastructure we need, we already have.

[4Runner]

Underfunded pensions?????? Gaaak!!!!!! You’re being sarcastic.....right? The taxes you refer to gushing into cities and states and going “missing” paid for CONTRACTS with PUBLIC SERVICE EMPLOYEE UNIONS which specified RETIREMENT PACKAGES pegged at FULL ANNUAL WAGE LEVELS in perpetuity for every single union retiree. It is what has sunk ALL of the cities in California, DETROIT in Michigan, AND the U.S. Postal Service.