Posted on 12/03/2015 8:18:45 PM PST by Olog-hai
After years of stymied efforts to address the nation's aging and congested highways and transit systems, Congress found the sweet spot for passage on Thursday -- a 5-year, $305-billion bill laden with enough industry favors, parochial projects, safety improvements and union demands to gain overwhelming support.
The bill was approved 359 to 65 in the House, and 83 to 16 in the Senate. The bill now goes to the White House for President Barack Obama's signature.
The bill boosts highway and transit spending and assures states that federal help will be available for major projects. It doesn't include as much money or last quite as long as many lawmakers and the Obama administration would have liked. Nor does it resolve how to pay for transportation programs in the long term. ...
(Excerpt) Read more at bigstory.ap.org ...
We are totally broke. Where do they get the money? our grand children? Screw these scumbags.
Is this on top of the billions that Slick Willie’s wife says she is going to spend on “orange barrels” if the low info get her “elected”?
Obama will threaten to veto until he gets his cut...
You can book on it...
Is not that just lovely? Call for the Trumpinator!
——We are totally broke. Where do they get the money? ——
Don’t be silly, we have printing presses and lots of green ink.../ s
That, sir, is a rather rash statement. Maybe you should take another look at the vote totals.
Anybody know what’s in the fine print?
What else is in this tome?
You think Obama cares about vote totals ?
He has a bill coming to his desk...with the power of the veto pen, he can make Congress bend over at will...
He has their number and will extract his tribute...(Jizya)
What’s in the fine print?, billions for light rail, millions for roads.
Average cost of light rail, $100,000,000 per mile.
And it usually takes up the space where hundreds of thousands can travel each day and gives it to thousands instead.
After years of stymied efforts to address the nation’s aging and congested highways and transit systems, Congress found the sweet spot for passage on Thursday — a 5-year, $305-billion bill laden with enough industry favors, parochial projects, safety improvements and union demands to gain overwhelming support.
...
Even the AP gets it. This is a massive, if you let me steal, I’ll let you steal agreement.
How could anyone know until it was passed? /Pelosi
Of course he doesn’t care about the vote numbers, but it is extremely veto-proof. That veto pen just ain’t that powerful.
A good estimate is that new track constuction for mainline heavy freight railroad with a minimal amount of excavation (cut and fill work), is about $225 per track foot. That's with all new 7" Grade wood crossties, double shoulder tie plates, spiked construction, new 136 RE rail, compacted road base, AREMA #4 traprock ballast, and rail anchors. $1.2M/mile... 2 orders of magnitude below your $100M Light Rail number.
I thought the Stimulus package of 2008 was supposed to go toward fixing the nation’s infrastructure. More money being handed out with no oversight no doubt.
tens of millions out of work
deficit spending is raging
our national debt is approaching 20 trillion
other than that, this is a great time to spend like there’s no tomorrow
if Obama is lucky, there won’t be for us...
Gee....how much more are these weasels going ‘approve’, of OUR tax $$, to line their freaking pockets?
I don’t doubt your numbers.
BUT, those tracks are built by private industry, whose primary function is to generate revenue, and most importantly, a profit.
Light rail is primarily designed to transfer money from taxpayers to crony capitalists, during pre-construction, construction, and especially post-construction.
High cost, long construction schedules, cost overruns, and other public-works only extravaganzas, is a prerequisite for making such a scheme work properly.
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