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the U.S. does not think long term any more Can you give specific evidence of this? On the one hand there is evidence of bridge failures, for example. But that
by CWuestefeld 17y ago
the U.S. does not think long term any more
Can you give specific evidence of this?
On the one hand there is evidence of bridge failures, for example. But that's probably a result of poor initial design (i.e., many years ago) or incorrect monitoring and testing, rather than a failure to think long term.
On the other hand, I offer the insanely large (and continually growing) investment in education. That's a long-term view, although a poorly formed one.
- yardie 17y agoBridges are designed with a lifetime. The wear and tear of weatherization, vibrations, and entropy. The vast majority have no initial design problems. Bridges get old and need to be replaced. A lot were built in the 50s along with the interstate system. Many are coming up to or are past their expiration date. And for a long time American corporations and people really didn't think in the longterm. Now that we've found out what the real cost of short term gains are there has been a resurgence in thinking local. For example, the locavore movement, popularity of hybrid and electric vehicles, and the healthcare debate can all be considered long term strategies.
- CWuestefeld 17y agoI know this is the popular perception. I'm trying to challenge what appears to be an unsupported assumption. Can you provide specific examples where we know that short-term goals prevailed over those of the long term? In particular, it should address the difference between making mistakes in expectations that resulted in poor long-term performance, as opposed to explicitly choosing to optimize for the short term, or explicitly choosing to ignore the long-term.