Trump Just Promised To Double Down On Obama's Failed Stimulus

Investors Business Daily ^ | August 03, 2016 | Editorial

[NaturalScience]

OMG, listen to yourselves! It's OK to be against a bigger Federal National Government, no matter what your man-crush tells you. Let the local roads be fixed by local projects (and local contractors).

Here's a thought: Why don't we just use the "one-time" infrastructure stimulus money that's been in the continuing resolutions for the past 8 years??

I used to think this site was full of people with principles. I guess they're all gone.

[sphinx]

The lefty Mayor of Pittsburgh has been irking people by turning perfectly good roadways and bridges into bike paths.

Second thought, very briefly. Here's a challenge for some pleasant fall afternoon when you'd like a little exercise. Borrow a bike if you don't already have one. Pick out a downtown or near downtown residential area that you find attractive. Maybe it's a yuppie loft paradise, or a middle class bastion that's hanging on by its fingernails, or an attractive historic district with stately homes. Whatever. Throw the bike in the car, drive down there, and imagine you lived there.

Now pull out the bike and attempt some fun, "Saturday afternoon with the kids" type of destination rides. Take the bike to the ballpark, or to a museum, or a riverfront park, a favorite casual restaurant, a friend's house, etc. Do a couple of these rides and see if they are enjoyable. If they're not, and dodging traffic is the reason, ask why the quality of life of people who actually live in the city should be sacrificed to shave a few minutes off suburban commutes.

A dedicated bike lane is fine if space permits, but all you really need to make a route bikeable is a wide sidewalk. Pay particular attention to the bridges. In heavily urbanized areas dominated by cars, bicyclists have much more in common with pedestrians than with motorists. All I'm saying is that pedestrians and cyclists should be able to get around reasonably easily. A bridge without a pedestrian/bike lane (usually a sidewalk with a traffic barrier) is a barrier.

[expat_panama]

...used to think this site was full of people with principles. I guess they're all gone.

There're still a couple hundred of us left, but maybe you and I are the only noisy ones.  Either that or the 'principle du jour' is that we're all still "conservative" --defined as whatever our leader says it is.

[plain talk]

"We need much more money than (Clinton's plan) to rebuild our infrastructure," Trump told Fox...

Hell No. We need to grow the economy not government.

[Robert DeLong]

Only true if he spends the infrastructure rebuild money for political payoffs, as Obama did. Shovel ready jobs that never saw a shovel at all.

[Trump Girl Kit Cat]

Trumps plan is NOT to use tax dollars RATHER have the private sector donate to a fund to do the infastructure for the country I think this type of plan would work!!!

[expat_panama]

Trump is calling for bonds to fund infrastructure development - you know, private money? income? retirement of debt?

Let's work together on this. 

Raising money by selling T-bills is borrowing.  Now, my first wife used to say that if we're broke we can always buy stuff w/ our credit card but eventually I found out that I still had to pay the credit cards for every penny borrowed plus interest. 

<<<This is what us tax payers have been paying every year on federal interest.

The current quarter $T is every bit as high now w/ near-zero rates as it was a decade ago when T-bill rates were 6%.  President Trump will be having to come up w/ $trillions for his interest payments.

[mtrott]

“Trumps plan is NOT to use tax dollars RATHER have the private sector donate to a fund to do the infastructure for the country I think this type of plan would work!!!”

Uhh, no way am I going to donate one cent to any new government “infrastructure” fund when I believe way too much of my hard earned money is already in the hands of the government and being used inappropriately and outside of the Constitutional scope of the federal government.

Now, that being said, I do see one possible benefit of such a fund, and that is to “smoke out” the Warren Buffet type of liberals who are always saying their taxes should be higher and they “would be glad to pay more taxes”. Well, here is an opportunity for them to pay more, i.e., “their fair share” if they want to!

[major-pelham]

You are missing the point entirely. Not t bills. Not government debt. Bonds bought by private investors. Proceeds to finance infrastructure capex. With user fees like tolls. With payments. With liens on the revenues. On a massive scale like $2 trillion.

Watch this. http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/5069657208001/would-trumps-infrastructure-plan-work/?playlist_id=933116618001#sp=show-clips

it’s genius and im buying the bonds when i get the chance

[expat_panama]

Not government debt. Bonds bought by private investors.

Some how we're saying that bonds bought by private investors are not government debt.  We're not together on this.

With user fees like tolls.

We're paying up front w/ borrowed money to rebuild infrastructure that was originally paid by gas taxes and we're now adding user fees on top of the gas taxes --needed to pay back part of the debt plus part of the interest on the new rebuilding.   The reason we can't expect it to pay all the debt and all the interest is because if it could then it would be a profitable enterprise that the private sector could handle w/o any need for the federal government in the first place.

[i_robot73]

>
While we both agree that there’s really no more federal money
>

Correct. There is no ‘federal $$’, ever. period.

>
for Airport lounges and roadside rest stops, we might want to consider that a national need for interstate transportation is still necessary.
>

NONE of what was listed requires Federal over-sight, let alone a ‘national need’ that requires the bloat\inefficiency of Fedzilla to over-step A1S8. As it (illegally) stands, the Fed sucks the $$, takes their ‘cut’ and doles back to the favored (broken window fallacy) at inflated costs and time-tables. Little better at the State level...but not by much.

Leave it up to the State(s) to determine the need\logistics. They can lobby back-n-forth for the ‘other side’ to pony up the taxpayer $$ that might coincide with their own ‘needs’.

>
That said, some day tho we might want to consider a constitutional amendment ending the USPS —unless it’s a Dem president and then he can just order it shut down....
>

Already for it. But we all know the cash cow that leaves that relic monstrosity alive.

Govt has always done that which it is not authorized, and refuses to do that which it is.

[expat_panama]

have the private sector donate to a fund

You mean like my social security 'contributions' that I either pay or I go to jail?

[expat_panama]

...just like the Romans, Andy Jackson went into road building big-time to fight Indians.  The state highway system (ala 'Route 66') came in right after WWI and after the second WW the U.S. interstate highways began --along wigh a design criteria of 80 mph w/ bridge clearances for fast moving nuke missiles.

NONE of what was listed requires Federal over-sight,

Personally, when it comes to nuke missiles I kind of think a bit of "Federal over-sight" just might be in order...

[i_robot73]

>
Personally, when it comes to nuke missiles I kind of think a bit of “Federal over-sight” just might be in order...
>

You mean like the sell-out of the same to N.K. and recently to Iran? Maybe the Russian uranium ‘deal’ instead? /*tongue in cheek*’ish

Might have to remind me of what Fedzilla, as it is *authorized* to do, does WELL. I’m drawing a blank here (outside of taxing and spending [as authorized]).

[Pollard]

Just look to the Skating Rink in NYC to see how Trump would handle it differently than typical government. He may have to revamp how the whole government expenditure system works but that’s what we need.

[Twinkie]

TRUTH is, TRUMP was courteous to the Kahns.

[Sam Gamgee]

Here in Canada, the term “infrastructure” very loosely. Upgrades on sport domes, building cultural centers, are considered “infrastructure” by the left here.

[Trump Girl Kit Cat]

NO like the very wealthy of the country sponsoring projects for the infastructure of the country, companies picking areas to be responsible for and doing it with the public sector they will pick the contractors, pay the contractors, watch over the projects and I believe they would receive tax deductions for doing the work Mr. Trump is very wise when it comes to construction costs!!!!

[Trump Girl Kit Cat]

TSA will also be done by private companies!!!

[9YearLurker]

I do a fair amount of business travel, and I have to agree: the US airports that Trump regularly refers to as antiquated and falling down are in sum in better condition than I’ve seen them in the last 30+ years.

No need for more federal dollars there.