American Society of Civil Engineers: $1.1 trillion more needed next five years

[FayeforCure]

Why don’t we build anything anymore?

Infrastructure spending in the U.S. stands at 2 percent of the country's gross domestic product_ half what it was in 1960 â€" compared with approximately 9 percent in China and 5 percent for Europe, according to the government report.

So are we proud of our Regressive nature yet?

Want more Regressives making decisions? It's like shooting yourself in the foot!

In its latest report card, the engineering society gave the nation's public works a "D" grade.

"Somehow we believe if we ignore it, it will go away," said Blaine Leonard, the society's president. "And it won't. We have to stop hitting the snooze button on this problem."

He said now is a good time to spend money on infrastructure because construction companies in this weak economy are hungry for work and the costs are relatively low as a result.

America's Short-sighted (ie Tea Party backwardness) knows no end:

Other countries are spending heavily on job-creating infrastructure. Projects include Algeria's $11.2 billion east-west highway; a planned $10 billion bridge linking the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra; and China's $60 billion Yangtze River diversion project.

Australia plans to spend $38 billion to relieve traffic congestion in Melbourne, while Britain is preparing for a $45 billion high-speed rail link between London and the West Midlands. Japan is building a $70 billion highway from Tokyo to Osaka, scheduled for completion in 2020.

In the U.S., it often takes a catastrophe to give infrastructure improvements more urgency. The Minneapolis bridge collapse in 2007 that killed 13 people prompted reviews of aging bridges around the country.

"Unfortunately, our attention span is short," Leonard said. "You would think the Minneapolis bridge collapse would have sent repercussions throughout the system that would have resulted in a transportation funding bill, but it didn't. Even bridge funding bills didn't get through Congress."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_will_to_build

[NotNow]

Um, Democrats have held the purse strings since 2007 and have had a super majority since 2009.  Who is responsible again?

[FayeforCure]

Hmmm......

as few as 41 senators can make a filibuster happen.

A filibuster (also known as talking out a bill[1]) is a type of parliamentary procedure. Specifically, it is a form of obstruction in a legislature or other decision-making body whereby a lone member can elect to delay or entirely prevent a vote on a proposal.

The term "filibuster" was first used in 1851. It was derived from the Spanish filibustero, which translates as "pirate" or "freebooter." This term had evolved from the French word flibustier, which itself evolved from the Dutch vrijbuiter (freebooter).

So do the Democrats really control the purse strings? Not so fast:

Filibuster abuse undermines the democratic process
by George Kohl October 6, 2010


The approaching end of the 111th Congress is an appropriate moment to look back on a dramatic change that has taken place in the way decisions are made in our democracy.

A determined bloc of senators, wielding the filibuster as a weapon, appears to have wrought a troubling transformation of the basic decision-making principles of our democracy.

Modern filibuster abuse is not a Republican or a Democratic problem, but an issue that should concern every citizen who wants a functioning democracy. No matter their political affiliation, voters across the country agree that once all senators have had a chance to express their views on a bill or nomination, they should vote yes or no -- but not block themselves from voting.

In recent years, abuse of the filibuster has become the expectation rather than the exception in the U.S. Senate, creating huge inefficiencies while derailing the democratic process. Though the Senate averaged approximately one filibuster per year until 1970, senators in the past two sessions have used this tactic roughly 70 times per year.

Today, filibusters affect every bill and nomination because all players know that nothing can get an up or down vote without 60 votes for cloture.

Senators no longer even limit their filibusters and holds to bills and nominations they oppose. Too often, the goal is simply to create delay and "run out the clock" so that other nominations or legislation cannot come to a vote. For example, Barbara Keenan's nomination to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals was delayed five months before she was confirmed, 99-0.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/10/06/kohl/

Hence the "Party of NO"!!

One more time on the obstructionism of the REGRESSIVES:

Filibusters have prevented Democrats from addressing urgent national priorities
Opinion
By Alex Apple

Staff Writer

Published: Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Updated: Wednesday, October 6, 2010 21:10


sxc.hu

The U.S. Senate has been working about as well as a car without gasoline lately.

U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin recently wrote in The Nation, "Despite record-high persistent unemployment, Republicans have repeatedly used the filibuster to kill attempts to extend benefits to the long-term jobless…filibusters have prevented Democrats from addressing urgent national priorities ranging from climate change to immigration reform to energy transformation."

In the Senate, a filibuster is a procedure where only 41 of the 100 senators are needed to block a bill, Harkin wrote. The filibuster was formerly a tool used only in rare circumstances.

According to Harkin's article, the filibuster was not used at all by the Senate in 1939. Since January 2009, there have been more than 100 filibusters.

According to The Nation, political scientist Norman Ornstein wrote, "The expanded use of petty rules on Capitol Hill is unprecedented and bringing government to its knees."

The U.S. has become a representative democracy with no majority rule. Senators who do not support the party in power can bring government to a screeching halt, according to The Nation.

Republicans have abused the filibuster, and Democrats around the country ought to be furious. The GOP has become the "party of no."

http://www.tcudailyskiff.com/filibusters-have-prevented-democrats-from-addressing-urgent-national-priorities-1.2357127

[CS Foltz]

Ms Faye..........all ready know about that aspect kid! A change of Roberts Rules would take care of that but no one will step up to the line! Get rid of all incumbents and start over! That the people can do without changing much of anything other than their voting habits!

[NotNow]

Faye,

The Dem's had a filibuster proof majority until the unfortunate death of Ted Kennedy.  So yes, they controlled the purse strings.

[NotNow]

Not that I am defending Rep's.  I have almost as much disdain for that party as the Dem's.  There is no savior.  Only WE, the people can save this country now.

[spuwho]

The increase in filibusters is more a function (or should I say dysfunction) of the later Congress'es inability to work collectively instead of today where it falls strictly within their party lines.

When Congress begins to think as representation with a best effort and compromise instead of the all or nothing approach, then infrastructure will begin to get its due and the filibusters will decline.

Also the components of the GDP have changed dramatically since 1960. While it's easy to draw a direct compare across time, GDP in 1960 had a huge farm based component to it compared to today where GDP has a significant transactions and services piece.

It almost like we need Congress to go back to school and be re-educated on how and what representation really means. The art of compromise and negotiation would be well served as part of that education.

It would be interesting to see what ASCE determines that 1.1 Trillion should go to, new initiatives (like the examples mentioned) or to rebuild existing to current standards.

[NotNow]

The Dem's have had a majority for 42 months, and a super majority for 18 months. 

But your missing my point.  Faye and you have misplaced your faith in the Democrat party.  These people have been just as greedy, self serving, and condescending as the greedy, self serving, condescending Republicans that they replaced.  Partisan bickering will not solve our problem.  Faith in these Bozo's will not solve our problem.  We MUST reduce the role of the Federal government in our lives and limit that government to its proper role. 

Yelling "It's your fault!" at each other accomplishes nothing.

[BridgeTroll]

Faye and many others keep pointing to the fault of the "regressives" and the need for uni health, infrastructure, debt reduction, etc... yet yet the dems certainly aren't attempting to make the case and raise the money to do these things.

Just where were those filibustered bills?  Why aren't dems running on a platform telling people that massive tax increases are needed to do these things?  Obama, Pelosi, and Ried should be pounding the dais explaining why we simply do not pay enough local, sales, state, and federal taxes.  I certainly dont hear it.

Put a real price tag on it... and explain why we need it... then convince me to contribute a large increase in taxes to accomplish the goal.  Should be pretty simple eh?

[buckethead]

I trust you!^

These people are engineers. They are the ones who know what we need.

I say we give the $1.1T to them and let them handle it however they see fit.

I only believe in science.

Simply restoring the tax structure that Ronald Reagan had in place would replace 12 trillion dollars into the economy.

Huh???

[ChriswUfGator]

Um, Democrats have held the purse strings since 2007 and have had a super majority since 2009.  Who is responsible again?

Yes, I know people are really upset that in a couple short years, and in the middle of a recession caused by Republican laissez-faire policies and the Republican repeal of Glass-Steagall, and in the middle of a giant Republican military campaign we lied about having any business being in, that the Dems haven't been able to completely erase all the damage done during the prior decade. I know what a disappointment that must be. But the fact remains that it took awhile for the Republicans to wreck everything, be patient, fixing it is likely to take more than 2 or 3 years.

[buckethead]

A fair argument. However... the dems "fix" is a continuation/escalation of corporatist policy.

They have handed power right back to the Rs.

[buckethead]

You mean like Google and Jorge Soorosisimo?

[9a is my backyard]

Faye and many others keep pointing to the fault of the "regressives" and the need for uni health, infrastructure, debt reduction, etc... yet yet the dems certainly aren't attempting to make the case and raise the money to do these things.

Just where were those filibustered bills?  Why aren't dems running on a platform telling people that massive tax increases are needed to do these things?  Obama, Pelosi, and Ried should be pounding the dais explaining why we simply do not pay enough local, sales, state, and federal taxes.  I certainly dont hear it.

Put a real price tag on it... and explain why we need it... then convince me to contribute a large increase in taxes to accomplish the goal.  Should be pretty simple eh?

You mean you actually want politicians to be honest?   It's just like the decision to extend the Bush tax cuts.  D's want them only for the 'middle class' and R's want them for everyone.  The D plan costs something like $3 trillion, the R plan costs something like $4 trillion but you never hear those numbers.

But on to the actual topic of this thread, I'd much prefer to see money spent on infrastructure (as long as it is well planned out) than other things because after the money is spent, you have something that should last 40-50+ years.  What are we getting for all the money we spend on those wars?

[BridgeTroll]

I agree 9a... tired of the incessant finger pointing when the fingers should be pointed right square on themselves.  I could even support tax increases... provided of course that the price we are asked to pay is actually used for the expressed purpose.  Of course all of the above requires that we trust our government...