Obama seeks private dollars to repair public infrastructure

Pioneer Press(NY Times) ^ | 7-17-14 | Michael D. Shear

[TurboZamboni]

WASHINGTON -- How can a president fix more roads and bridges without any new money to spend?

President Barack Obama's answer Thursday was to announce new initiatives to encourage private-sector investment in the nation's infrastructure, including the creation of a "one-stop shop" at the Department of Transportation to forge partnerships between state and local governments, and public and private developers and investors.

Stymied by Republican lawmakers who refuse to go along with Obama's call for vast new spending on the nation's infrastructure, the president is spending the week trying to demonstrate that he can still find ways to stop big things from crumbling.

The executive actions the president announced aim to "turbocharge private investment in our roads, rails, highways and bridges," said Jeffrey Zients, the director of his National Economic Council. "If we don't act, we could lose our competitive edge in infrastructure. It's a no-brainer -- we need to make these investments."

[Opinionated Blowhard]

So someday when you wonder why the new expressway in your town dead-ends in some mall parking lot...

That usually is the work of the EPA. We have one of those near me and it was because, after the highway was halfway built, the EPA came in and declared the path was going through some protected river-side zone. The stub of a highway stands as a monument to liberal, regulatory government.

[GOPJ]

A few billion for illegals and we're going to have a bake sale to raise money for infrastructure?

VOTE DEMOCRATS OUT OF OFFICE.... they're nuts.

[TurboZamboni]

At a Comcast kiosk or GM recall station.

[TurboZamboni]

NO gubbamint project is ever a failure or scam...it’s just ‘underfunded’.

[TurboZamboni]

They’re presstitutes, not journalists.

[Clinging Bitterly]

$800 billion or close to it IIRC. Well, here in SE NM we have a fugly million dollar welcome sign at the state line on 62/180 that looks half finished. While it was being built there was one of those stimulus signs next to it (with the tiger or whatever it was) proudly displaying what the thing cost. Richardson was proud of getting stimulus pork for his welcome signs - and other than that they didn't do jack down this way.

A lot of places down here the roads buckle in the heat, and in four years I have been here nothing has been done about any of the bone jarring ridges in the pavement (not to mention the ever present and unsightly litter). When you come across from Texas there is no need for a sign - it is obvious you have entered a different world, and enchanting it isn't.