Michael Savage, just a few weeks ago, discussed ‘socialized projects’, and why, despite the ‘free market’ talk of conservatives, fulfill a need where the project is just too damned big for private interests. He cited all the vast works from the 1930’s initiated by FDR. Everyday people drive through tunnels, across bridges, and use electricity generated from those projects. The thing that is different today is the extreme graft and corruption of government. Oh corruption has always existed, but today it’s so brazen that you could never build a new Golden Gate Bridge, under-budget, and ahead of schedule. No way, jose.
Given the size of corporations today, there is almost no project so big that it requires being ‘socialized’. Even roads are only socialized because of their heritage from common-law ‘right of way’. And socialized projects should belong to states.
I wonder how anything ever got built before FDR? Last I heard, economists have demonstrated that his policies are what kept the great depression going for so long.
Maybe all those big projects were "paid for" by loss of economic activity elsewhere.
I note the Soviets built a lot of big projects too.