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Sava and Sloww... don't get into it again, or you are both gone.
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Keep on Civin'
RIP rah, Tony Bogey & Baron O -
We spend an awful lot of money on most of our infrastructure. There might be soft spots, but I am as skeptical as Oerdin on the overall "grade". It doesn't seem credible. If you want, I can go into detail on each portion of the infrastructure.
Does anybody remember about the thousands of bridges that were in danger of collapse about 10 years ago?
I came upon a barroom full of bad Salon pictures in which men with hats on the backs of their heads were wolfing food from a counter. It was the institution of the "free lunch" I had struck. You paid for a drink and got as much as you wanted to eat. For something less than a rupee a day a man can feed himself sumptuously in San Francisco, even though he be a bankrupt. Remember this if ever you are stranded in these parts. ~ Rudyard Kipling, 1891Comment
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The Bay Bridge was one.-30-Comment
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Re: Re: U.S. Gets D+ in Infrastructure
Why would the American Society of Civil Engineers look at those other countries?Originally posted by SlowwHand
What did Cuba get?
How about China?
North Korea? Hell. North Korea can't even build a single road.
And would you kindly not insult me. While I do try to refrain from insulting others, it becomes more difficult when insulted.Christianity: The belief that a cosmic Jewish Zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree...Comment
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Originally posted by DanS
If you want, I can go into detail on each portion of the infrastructure.
While I'm sure others would find that somnorific, I'd actually be interested in seeing that. Lord only knows why I find interesting the things that I do.
Does anybody remember about the thousands of bridges that were in danger of collapse about 10 years ago?
And haven't they been doing a lot of bridgework since then?Christianity: The belief that a cosmic Jewish Zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree...Comment
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Well, if we're still only getting a D+, then wouldn't you think we need a different group of engineers?And haven't they been doing a lot of bridgework since then?
I came upon a barroom full of bad Salon pictures in which men with hats on the backs of their heads were wolfing food from a counter. It was the institution of the "free lunch" I had struck. You paid for a drink and got as much as you wanted to eat. For something less than a rupee a day a man can feed himself sumptuously in San Francisco, even though he be a bankrupt. Remember this if ever you are stranded in these parts. ~ Rudyard Kipling, 1891Comment
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Re: Re: Re: U.S. Gets D+ in Infrastructure
Jesus Christ! Read my frigging post will you? I just said they are an interested party so you should take what they're saying with a grain of salt. That doesn't mean they don't know what they're talking about but they may just be playing things a little worse then they truly are. Is this so hard to understand?Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly
You're right; it's absurd to have our infrastructure evaluated by a bunch of unqualified, self-serving hacks like civil engineers. Like you, I eagerly await the more informed input of Republican politicians, Corporate CEO's, and the staff of Fox News, and I look forward to being told that everything is Just Fine.Try http://wordforge.net/index.php for discussion and debate.Comment
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I actually agree with Oerdin on this point. They are an interested party who stand to directly benefit from a massaive infrastructure overhaul program. On the other hand, they are also the only people other than say, the Army Corp of Engineers, to be able to evaluate the condition of our infrastructure, so we're kinda stuck.Originally posted by Oerdin
I just said they are an interested party so you should take what they're saying with a grain of salt.Christianity: The belief that a cosmic Jewish Zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree...Comment
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For example, in one area of infrastructure spending--freeways--we spend about $30 billion a year at the federal level (.3% of the economy). The federal tax for this fund is matched at about 2/3rd the federal level by the states. Leaving aside city streets, I guess we're spending over $50 billion a year on roads.
I can't help but suggest that our road system over the last 20 or 30 years has improved dramatically. Cars now run a couple hundred thousand miles. Of course, part of this increase is because of higher quality cars. The roads are still improving in the area of Ohio where I grew up.
On roads, I would give us at least a B+.I came upon a barroom full of bad Salon pictures in which men with hats on the backs of their heads were wolfing food from a counter. It was the institution of the "free lunch" I had struck. You paid for a drink and got as much as you wanted to eat. For something less than a rupee a day a man can feed himself sumptuously in San Francisco, even though he be a bankrupt. Remember this if ever you are stranded in these parts. ~ Rudyard Kipling, 1891Comment
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Personally, I'm with Bob Graham (D. Fla) who thinks an investment in public works and infrastructure programs will help spur the economy like such programs after the Great Depression. And coincidentally, it looks like our infrastructure needs work.To us, it is the BEAST.Comment
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It really depends, I think, on which roads. I just drove the Chicago and back, and there are some pretty crappy roads out there. Most of the construction is on the interstate system, but it is done in a rather shoddy manner, such that they have to be redone constantly. You'd think they'd bit the bullet and build thicker roads. Some municipalities, such as Atlanta, are doing this. Hell, Roman roads are still being used today, by motor traffic (though nothing so great as what a typical American expressway experiences). I'd give them a C- (which is what the report gave the transportation system, BTW, now that I go back and check).Originally posted by DanS
On roads, I would give us at least a B+.Christianity: The belief that a cosmic Jewish Zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree...Comment
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American roads take a pounding from the semi trailor truck traffic. No other country torturers it's roads like we do. Yeah... maybe they should build them thicker/sturdier... but they are still going to get torn up by the constant abuse of trucks. Add in the wear and tear of winter in the northern states via salt and snow plows, and the roads are going to need to be fixed on a regular basis no matter what.Keep on Civin'
RIP rah, Tony Bogey & Baron OComment
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I see a problem with our current road construction and highway building programs. I suspect that contractors use substandard materials in order to save costs, but also because the bureaucracies in government have set budgets for such things and if they don't spend a certain amount of money in a year, they will get less of a budget the next year. I also think there are connections between unions, private non-union contractors. and bureaucracies that guarantee such projects regardless of what is really needed.
In the Chicago area, for instance, perfectly good roads are torn up and resurfaced for no reason. The new surfaces are usually substandard blacktop instead of the reliable and long-lasting concrete that more permanent surfaces are made with.To us, it is the BEAST.Comment
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We are building new road infrastructure too, so we're doing better than just keeping up the pace. Boston's Big Dig is wrapping up. In Virginia, the Mixing Bowl is being fixed. In my home town, there's a federally-funded bypass going in that's not strictly necessary but that will help the local economy.
For maintenance, in Alexandria, a new drawbridge is being built on the Potomac for the Beltway.
I'm sure that there are many other local big ticket roads projects with which I am not familiar.Last edited by DanS; September 5, 2003, 12:48.I came upon a barroom full of bad Salon pictures in which men with hats on the backs of their heads were wolfing food from a counter. It was the institution of the "free lunch" I had struck. You paid for a drink and got as much as you wanted to eat. For something less than a rupee a day a man can feed himself sumptuously in San Francisco, even though he be a bankrupt. Remember this if ever you are stranded in these parts. ~ Rudyard Kipling, 1891Comment
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In the Chicago area, it looks like we are going to need another North-South Interstate along the outer edge of the Western Suburbs. I-290 is under heavy construction and widening, but the suburbs are expanding far west of the Ike (290). For those of you familiar with the area, it's my opinion that Route 59 should be made into an Interstate. There are plans to extend I-355 South to I-80... I wonder if another interstate is in the plans? It will probably not even be a consideration until after the economy picks up... it might not even be possible for a decade. Also, they are extending commuter train lines from East Aurora all the way to O'Hare.
As for infrastructure improvements as a whole, they create jobs, and help increase the strength of our economy by reducing commuter travel times and increasing the shipping capability for goods.To us, it is the BEAST.Comment
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