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Demand for new infrastructure competes with maintenance of old infrastructure, so decades of overbuilding will eventually exhaust the supply of construction ser

Demand for new infrastructure competes with maintenance of old infrastructure, so decades of overbuilding will eventually exhaust the supply of construction services.* *who are willing to deal with government red tape

bilbo0s 7y ago
Around here, it's not inaccurate to state that the construction services are the ones who created the red tape. Politicians and construction firms around here concert to keep a steady stream of money flowing to only designated buckets. So not only are they willing to deal with it, but they would very much protest if it weren't there. I try to keep in mind that it might be for the purposes of creating BS jobs for economic purposes. But here in Wisconsin, and everywhere else too probably, there is definitely a very large element of skimming tax revenue by funneling it to your buddies.
- secabeen 7y ago
  Yeah, bureaucratic red tape often becomes part of the economic moat protecting the incumbent providers from competition.
- heymijo 7y ago
  I wish everyone had the knowledge of The Power Broker by Robert Caro in their heads. It's a mammoth book, mainly talks about early 20th century NYC development, but my god is it enlightening into how infrastructure got built.
gamblor956 7y ago
Demand for new infrastructure competes with maintenance of old infrastructure, so decades of overbuilding will eventually exhaust the supply of construction services. I know your statement is hyperbole, but this is a completely wrong understanding of how public-financed construction projects work, and the market for them, and other people are taking it for face value. For starters, demand for new infrastructure at the public level generally requires replacing existing/old infrastructure. This is frequently because decades-old infrastructure was built to older/weaker standards and would need to be upgraded to newer standards, and the upgrade would cost as much or more than simply demolishing and rebuilding brand new. Also, there is no such thing as a shortage of construction contractors willing to deal with government red tape. The government is the best client: it always pays on time, and it usually pays more than the face value of the original contract.

bilbo0s 7y ago

Around here, it's not inaccurate to state that the construction services are the ones who created the red tape. Politicians and construction firms around here concert to keep a steady stream of money flowing to only designated buckets. So not only are they willing to deal with it, but they would very much protest if it weren't there. I try to keep in mind that it might be for the purposes of creating BS jobs for economic purposes. But here in Wisconsin, and everywhere else too probably, there is definitely a very large element of skimming tax revenue by funneling it to your buddies.

secabeen 7y ago
Yeah, bureaucratic red tape often becomes part of the economic moat protecting the incumbent providers from competition.
heymijo 7y ago
I wish everyone had the knowledge of The Power Broker by Robert Caro in their heads. It's a mammoth book, mainly talks about early 20th century NYC development, but my god is it enlightening into how infrastructure got built.

gamblor956 7y ago

Demand for new infrastructure competes with maintenance of old infrastructure, so decades of overbuilding will eventually exhaust the supply of construction services. I know your statement is hyperbole, but this is a completely wrong understanding of how public-financed construction projects work, and the market for them, and other people are taking it for face value. For starters, demand for new infrastructure at the public level generally requires replacing existing/old infrastructure. This is frequently because decades-old infrastructure was built to older/weaker standards and would need to be upgraded to newer standards, and the upgrade would cost as much or more than simply demolishing and rebuilding brand new. Also, there is no such thing as a shortage of construction contractors willing to deal with government red tape. The government is the best client: it always pays on time, and it usually pays more than the face value of the original contract.