Until Congress does the following, we are going to keep slipping.1- Cut subsidies to companies making billions in profits.2- Cut tax benefits to companies who operate businesses overseas. 3- Raise the import tax on imports made by American companies overseas to encourage them to make and sell within our borders as the free trade agreements were originally meant to be practiced.4- Start an aggressive program to repair the followingA- Our one in four substandard bridges.B- Our at risk electrical grid. The FBI mentioned the grid as a potential target of the “Syrian Electronic Army”C- Pipelines, levees, and other industrial sites being run by companies who, over the last few years, have seen massive explosions, leakages, and other crisis due to under inspection and insufficient penalties- criminal and financial.5- Create a national water pipeline to pump water from flooding rivers to drought prone areas and desalination plants for when more fresh water is needed in drought afflicted or fire afflicted areas. This last is an idea I came up with a LONG time ago, and it seems more and more necessary every year.There are other necessary things the gov’t can do, and require business operating in the US to do that would increase hiring and improve quality of life.This said,There must be an auditing of our gov’t. The incredible amount of waste, fraud, duplication of effort is well into the billions. In order to protect our most vulnerable, and to be able to invest in education and the many things that make our nation the envy of the world, we must stop wasting money.This is a very incomplete list, but the biggest threat to our people and our nation is the tribal thinking, cannibalistic, partisan oligarchy that allows self serving people to serve decades longer than any president and rewards themselves generously for their failures in service to the American people as they move to the jobs their donors and patrons have waiting for them in reward for “jobs well done.”Respectfully,C.
This is the media’s love affair with Barry and his blackness.If you criticize him, you must be a racist and that is a typical liberal reporters worst nightmare.So they just keep telling us how much better things are getting, when in reality the 1 in 6 Americans in poverty and living off food stamps would disagree.
That would be counter to my suggestion, ME9,In a park near Williamsburg, Va, there is a lake where large towers rise up from the water. When rains flood the lake, the water pours into the towers and is directed to the James River. Similar towers could be placed in rivers all over the country where flooding regularly causes billions of dollars of damage and redirect it to “central water lines” where pumping stations could filter it of fish, clean it for purity, and direct it where it needs to go. It would seem relatively easy to get easements alongside of railroad lines, and interstate systems, and- with care- river beds where towers would need be placed anyway. Taking water from the Great Lakes, the Ogallala Aquifer, and other important regional water sources would not be necessary. A hurricane that tracks through the Blue Ridge Mountain could provide millions of gallons of water to be directed to drought stricken portions of the SW as well as to keep lakes filled when forest fires require water dumps. One might even imagine having a “sprinkler system” connected to the pipes that could be of great aid in making fire breaks and providing on site water supplies for firefighters to use in emergencies.You are right to be concerned because humans will be involved in the construction of these things and human beings do not always act with integrity. But if done with intelligence and long term goals in mind, such a pipeline could bring down insurance costs, reduce crop losses, reduce losses to business who depend on guest visiting their lakes, and benefit our citizens in perpetuity.Thank you for your reply, and I hope you find my response useful. If you wish to talk about this in greater detail, I continue these debates with folks out of GC at sanesaint@hotmail.comRespectfullyC.@ Onguard & Deerflattener – I had some hopes that you wanted to be part of a discussion Onguard, but neither you or DF have a suggestion to improve things. Has ANYONE in this forum ever seen either of you offer an objective idea to help our nation? You stand like bystanders at a fire telling those in the bucket line what they’re doing wrong without lending a hand. Sometimes, your words make it harder to put water on the fire, or worse, you slip some gas into the buckets to make matters worse. Your words are rarely civil or respectful and this will be my last reply to either of you until you decide to be part of the solution instead of one of the problems. You are way too much like the Westboro Baptists and you make my spirit hurt.Goodbye.C.
Remember the movie, The Fifth Element, Ahab?Remember how the threat to earth was a fiery globe with no mercy or pity for the people of Earth? Remember how the only thing that could stop it was Love?Sometimes, people just need a hug. Otherwise, they might just roll over anybody with which they disagree.Not Bruce’s best movie, but I liked it.take care neighbor.C.(One of my conservative friends has yanked my chain so much, I had some pieces left. Am I being bad? Feel free to let me know.) I may still delete this one, but it felt so… right.
“A single lane 100 year old concrete structure on a rural road which sees 2 vehicles a day is more than adequate.”If it’s maintained & repaired on a regular basis. The idea that local or even state governments should pay for all their infrastructure is appealing to people yearning for a simpler time.Bridges in rural areas almost always serve people beyond the immediate vicinity. People pass through on their way to another state, trucks moving supplies & crops need to use that bridge. We could put profit making companies in charge of all our roads, but face it: no one supports the idea of universal toll roads.Most of the ‘problem’ bridges were designed to have a lifespan of 50 years, but are well past that expiration date. The bridges in NYC are in serviceable shape. Most are over 100 years old, but were deliberately over-engineered. Just keeping them open isn’t enough though. The region needs more conduits than it has. Meanwhile conservatives like Chris Christie cancel projects to add badly needed transportation projects like the tunnel under the Hudson.You rail against imaginary socialists like the Joe Mccarthy of GoComics. We understand the virtues of capitalism, but know totally unregulated capitalism is not a good thing. We also understand the idea of sharing.
chazandru over 10 years ago
Until Congress does the following, we are going to keep slipping.1- Cut subsidies to companies making billions in profits.2- Cut tax benefits to companies who operate businesses overseas. 3- Raise the import tax on imports made by American companies overseas to encourage them to make and sell within our borders as the free trade agreements were originally meant to be practiced.4- Start an aggressive program to repair the followingA- Our one in four substandard bridges.B- Our at risk electrical grid. The FBI mentioned the grid as a potential target of the “Syrian Electronic Army”C- Pipelines, levees, and other industrial sites being run by companies who, over the last few years, have seen massive explosions, leakages, and other crisis due to under inspection and insufficient penalties- criminal and financial.5- Create a national water pipeline to pump water from flooding rivers to drought prone areas and desalination plants for when more fresh water is needed in drought afflicted or fire afflicted areas. This last is an idea I came up with a LONG time ago, and it seems more and more necessary every year.There are other necessary things the gov’t can do, and require business operating in the US to do that would increase hiring and improve quality of life.This said,There must be an auditing of our gov’t. The incredible amount of waste, fraud, duplication of effort is well into the billions. In order to protect our most vulnerable, and to be able to invest in education and the many things that make our nation the envy of the world, we must stop wasting money.This is a very incomplete list, but the biggest threat to our people and our nation is the tribal thinking, cannibalistic, partisan oligarchy that allows self serving people to serve decades longer than any president and rewards themselves generously for their failures in service to the American people as they move to the jobs their donors and patrons have waiting for them in reward for “jobs well done.”Respectfully,C.
Jason Allen over 10 years ago
I agree with what you say but to do it we would have to get rid of NAFTA which I was against then too.The WTO
Jason Allen over 10 years ago
I agree with what you say but to do it we would have to get rid of NAFTA which I was against then too.And pull out of the WTO.
Enoki over 10 years ago
I guess we should be thankful that Obama hasn’t proposed a new “green” initiative to make Soylent…
ConserveGov over 10 years ago
This is the media’s love affair with Barry and his blackness.If you criticize him, you must be a racist and that is a typical liberal reporters worst nightmare.So they just keep telling us how much better things are getting, when in reality the 1 in 6 Americans in poverty and living off food stamps would disagree.
chazandru over 10 years ago
That would be counter to my suggestion, ME9,In a park near Williamsburg, Va, there is a lake where large towers rise up from the water. When rains flood the lake, the water pours into the towers and is directed to the James River. Similar towers could be placed in rivers all over the country where flooding regularly causes billions of dollars of damage and redirect it to “central water lines” where pumping stations could filter it of fish, clean it for purity, and direct it where it needs to go. It would seem relatively easy to get easements alongside of railroad lines, and interstate systems, and- with care- river beds where towers would need be placed anyway. Taking water from the Great Lakes, the Ogallala Aquifer, and other important regional water sources would not be necessary. A hurricane that tracks through the Blue Ridge Mountain could provide millions of gallons of water to be directed to drought stricken portions of the SW as well as to keep lakes filled when forest fires require water dumps. One might even imagine having a “sprinkler system” connected to the pipes that could be of great aid in making fire breaks and providing on site water supplies for firefighters to use in emergencies.You are right to be concerned because humans will be involved in the construction of these things and human beings do not always act with integrity. But if done with intelligence and long term goals in mind, such a pipeline could bring down insurance costs, reduce crop losses, reduce losses to business who depend on guest visiting their lakes, and benefit our citizens in perpetuity.Thank you for your reply, and I hope you find my response useful. If you wish to talk about this in greater detail, I continue these debates with folks out of GC at sanesaint@hotmail.comRespectfullyC.@ Onguard & Deerflattener – I had some hopes that you wanted to be part of a discussion Onguard, but neither you or DF have a suggestion to improve things. Has ANYONE in this forum ever seen either of you offer an objective idea to help our nation? You stand like bystanders at a fire telling those in the bucket line what they’re doing wrong without lending a hand. Sometimes, your words make it harder to put water on the fire, or worse, you slip some gas into the buckets to make matters worse. Your words are rarely civil or respectful and this will be my last reply to either of you until you decide to be part of the solution instead of one of the problems. You are way too much like the Westboro Baptists and you make my spirit hurt.Goodbye.C.
dzw3030 over 10 years ago
Uh, apples and pineapples comparison there. The Erie Canal moved a lot more than water.
Justice22 over 10 years ago
onguard will never read your link, He will just keep on spewing his hatred.
chazandru over 10 years ago
Remember the movie, The Fifth Element, Ahab?Remember how the threat to earth was a fiery globe with no mercy or pity for the people of Earth? Remember how the only thing that could stop it was Love?Sometimes, people just need a hug. Otherwise, they might just roll over anybody with which they disagree.Not Bruce’s best movie, but I liked it.take care neighbor.C.(One of my conservative friends has yanked my chain so much, I had some pieces left. Am I being bad? Feel free to let me know.) I may still delete this one, but it felt so… right.
Uncle Joe Premium Member over 10 years ago
“A single lane 100 year old concrete structure on a rural road which sees 2 vehicles a day is more than adequate.”If it’s maintained & repaired on a regular basis. The idea that local or even state governments should pay for all their infrastructure is appealing to people yearning for a simpler time.Bridges in rural areas almost always serve people beyond the immediate vicinity. People pass through on their way to another state, trucks moving supplies & crops need to use that bridge. We could put profit making companies in charge of all our roads, but face it: no one supports the idea of universal toll roads.Most of the ‘problem’ bridges were designed to have a lifespan of 50 years, but are well past that expiration date. The bridges in NYC are in serviceable shape. Most are over 100 years old, but were deliberately over-engineered. Just keeping them open isn’t enough though. The region needs more conduits than it has. Meanwhile conservatives like Chris Christie cancel projects to add badly needed transportation projects like the tunnel under the Hudson.You rail against imaginary socialists like the Joe Mccarthy of GoComics. We understand the virtues of capitalism, but know totally unregulated capitalism is not a good thing. We also understand the idea of sharing.