Comments on: Does America Underinvest in Infrastructure? http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/08/does_america_un.html The Law, the Universe, and Everything Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:22:46 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.3 hourly 1 By: Theda http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/08/does_america_un.html/comment-page-1#comment-52930 Theda Fri, 03 Aug 2007 22:40:17 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2007/08/does-america-underinvest-in-infrastructure.html#comment-52930 Why of course we under invest. Hey, the wealthy can afford their health care and their children's education. Besides, most of them get into their private helicopters to fly to the airport where they park their private jets, so as long as they can keep pouring huge amounts of money into the GOP coffers they will have the tax structure that benefits them in spades. The poor don't need looking after and once they completely dismantle the middle-class, they'll have us just where they want us. Welcome to third-world nationhood folks. Just keep sucking down that GOP kool-aid and one day you won't have to worry about the condition of your roads, bridges, or anything else. They'll be in such lousy condition you wouldn't be able to travel on them. Much of our infrastructure is being sold to foreign nations which means whatever profit is being made will now go overseas instead of being recycled back into our economy. Between toll roads and the high cost of gas, and decent paying jobs being shipped overseas, who cares? You won't have a job anyway to pay for anything so don't worry, just be happy that the corporate conservatives are in charge. Hey, if you can't afford it, you don't deserve it. Right? Why of course we under invest. Hey, the wealthy can afford their health care and their children’s education. Besides, most of them get into their private helicopters to fly to the airport where they park their private jets, so as long as they can keep pouring huge amounts of money into the GOP coffers they will have the tax structure that benefits them in spades. The poor don’t need looking after and once they completely dismantle the middle-class, they’ll have us just where they want us. Welcome to third-world nationhood folks. Just keep sucking down that GOP kool-aid and one day you won’t have to worry about the condition of your roads, bridges, or anything else. They’ll be in such lousy condition you wouldn’t be able to travel on them. Much of our infrastructure is being sold to foreign nations which means whatever profit is being made will now go overseas instead of being recycled back into our economy. Between toll roads and the high cost of gas, and decent paying jobs being shipped overseas, who cares? You won’t have a job anyway to pay for anything so don’t worry, just be happy that the corporate conservatives are in charge. Hey, if you can’t afford it, you don’t deserve it. Right?

]]> By: Theda http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/08/does_america_un.html/comment-page-1#comment-52929 Theda Fri, 03 Aug 2007 22:39:15 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2007/08/does-america-underinvest-in-infrastructure.html#comment-52929 Why of course we under invest. Hey, the wealthy can afford their health care and their children's education. Besides, most of them get into their private helicopters to fly to the airport where they park their private jets, so as long as they can keep pouring huge amounts of money into the GOP coffers they will have the tax structure that benefits them in spades. The poor don't need looking after and once they completely dismantle the middle-class, they'll have us just where they want us. Welcome to third-world nationhood folks. Just keep sucking down that GOP kool-aid and one day you won't have to worry about the condition of your roads, bridges, or anything else. They'll be in such lousy condition you wouldn't be able to travel on them. Much of our infrastructure is being sold to foreign nations which means whatever profit is being made will now go overseas instead of being recycled back into our economy. Between toll roads and the high cost of gas, and decent paying jobs being shipped overseas, who cares? You won't have a job anyway to pay for anything so don't worry, just be happy that the corporate conservatives are in charge. Hey, if you can't afford it, you don't deserve it. Right? Why of course we under invest. Hey, the wealthy can afford their health care and their children’s education. Besides, most of them get into their private helicopters to fly to the airport where they park their private jets, so as long as they can keep pouring huge amounts of money into the GOP coffers they will have the tax structure that benefits them in spades. The poor don’t need looking after and once they completely dismantle the middle-class, they’ll have us just where they want us. Welcome to third-world nationhood folks. Just keep sucking down that GOP kool-aid and one day you won’t have to worry about the condition of your roads, bridges, or anything else. They’ll be in such lousy condition you wouldn’t be able to travel on them. Much of our infrastructure is being sold to foreign nations which means whatever profit is being made will now go overseas instead of being recycled back into our economy. Between toll roads and the high cost of gas, and decent paying jobs being shipped overseas, who cares? You won’t have a job anyway to pay for anything so don’t worry, just be happy that the corporate conservatives are in charge. Hey, if you can’t afford it, you don’t deserve it. Right?

]]> By: Mark McKenna http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/08/does_america_un.html/comment-page-1#comment-52928 Mark McKenna Fri, 03 Aug 2007 18:45:37 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2007/08/does-america-underinvest-in-infrastructure.html#comment-52928 And perhaps the single biggest example of underinvestment in what could be thought of as infrastructure: public schools. I'm witnessing that right now in the town where I live. Despite astounding increases in achievement (for example, going from 2.4 percent of third graders scoring at an advanced level in math in 2004 to 34.2 last year), we're facing significant opposition to a proposed tax levy that amounts to less than $6 a month for virtually every homeowner in the district. The consequences of failure would be a $1 million shortfall in a $13 million budget. Since 80% of the budget goes to teachers' salaries and benefits, that amount of money can only be made up by reducing the number of teachers and significantly increasing class size. I'm struggling to see any rational explanation for opposing this, particularly in a district where 53% of kids qualify for free or reduced lunch and need, more than just about anything else, a high-quality school system. And perhaps the single biggest example of underinvestment in what could be thought of as infrastructure: public schools. I’m witnessing that right now in the town where I live. Despite astounding increases in achievement (for example, going from 2.4 percent of third graders scoring at an advanced level in math in 2004 to 34.2 last year), we’re facing significant opposition to a proposed tax levy that amounts to less than $6 a month for virtually every homeowner in the district.

The consequences of failure would be a $1 million shortfall in a $13 million budget. Since 80% of the budget goes to teachers’ salaries and benefits, that amount of money can only be made up by reducing the number of teachers and significantly increasing class size. I’m struggling to see any rational explanation for opposing this, particularly in a district where 53% of kids qualify for free or reduced lunch and need, more than just about anything else, a high-quality school system.

]]> By: Daniel Goldberg http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/08/does_america_un.html/comment-page-1#comment-52927 Daniel Goldberg Fri, 03 Aug 2007 17:54:50 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2007/08/does-america-underinvest-in-infrastructure.html#comment-52927 We damn well underinvest in public health infrastructure. We damn well underinvest in public health infrastructure.

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