4 ms·

I generally am a fan of strongtowns, but I found the analysis from Yglesias more satisfying: https://www.slowboring.com/p/roads-and-bridges https://www.slowbori

I generally am a fan of strongtowns, but I found the analysis from Yglesias more satisfying: https://www.slowboring.com/p/roads-and-bridges https://www.slowboring.com/p/roads-and-bridges The gist is: the rescue plan includes some pork, but throws a lot of money at problems that are tractable by throwing money at them. He also shows that our roads and bridges aren’t that bad: and luckily more money is going into electric vehicles ($147B vs $115B). Yeah, a lot of this money will end up in the hands of entrenched players and there’s no transit/road use reforms, but there’s some good stuff in there beyond the evocative “roads and bridges” soundbyte.

justinzollars 6y ago
> plan includes some pork I can't find any infrastructure in the plan. It looks like we will spend trillions and have absolutely nothing to show for it when it's over.
- wolfram74 6y ago
  Do you not consider repairs/upgrades to existing/outdated infrastructure to be infrastructure spending? Getting lead out of service pipes and wider access to broad band sounds like something tangible to me.
  - justinzollars 6y ago
    No, They messed this up. This is a political gift bag to well connected friends. Not the 21st century infrastructure we need.
- dragonwriter 6y ago
  > I can't find any infrastructure in the plan. You didn’t look too hard. The plan includes all of: (Transport infrastructure) Highways, bridges, airports, (water infrastructure) water service line (communications infrastructure) fiber (electrical infrastructure) transmission lines (health care infrastructure) hospital modernization (educational infrastructure) school facility modernization
  - justinzollars 6y ago
    This is a list of political infrastructure. China has constructed 16,000 miles of fully connected high speed rail, and the Democrats are paying off political friends with "[interest group] infrastructure". China looks like a better bet for the future. And you forgot to include the real pork (list not exhaustive): * $10 billion establishing a Civilian Climate Corps * $100 billion on public schools * $12 billion on community colleges * $25 billion on child care * $400 billion on care for the aging and people with disabilities * $15 billion eliminating racial and gender inequities * $40 billion on job training * $48 billion on workforce development and worker protection
    - seoaeu 6y ago
      > * $100 billion on public schools You consider that pork spending? Education is one area that pretty much everyone agrees that the government should be spending money on.
      - justinzollars 6y ago
        This is a transportation bill, not an education bill. The context is we are sacrificing 21st century infrastructure - things like high speed rail in exchange to payments to various special interests. China owns the future with respect to infrastructure. The high speed rail system they created is absolutely amazing, I had the personal privilege to ride the Shanghai to Beijing route speeding in luxury at 300mph. In 10 years, the same time span the United States created 30 miles of High speed rail, they created 16,000 miles. The Biden plan is a huge loser, and solidifies the United States role as a corrupt country with a depleted infrastructure - arguing about political language rather than building anything at all.
        dragonwriter 6y ago
        > This is a transportation bill No, its an infrastructure bill. Infrastructure is more than transportation.

justinzollars 6y ago

> plan includes some pork I can't find any infrastructure in the plan. It looks like we will spend trillions and have absolutely nothing to show for it when it's over.

wolfram74 6y ago
Do you not consider repairs/upgrades to existing/outdated infrastructure to be infrastructure spending? Getting lead out of service pipes and wider access to broad band sounds like something tangible to me.
- justinzollars 6y ago
  No, They messed this up. This is a political gift bag to well connected friends. Not the 21st century infrastructure we need.
dragonwriter 6y ago
> I can't find any infrastructure in the plan. You didn’t look too hard. The plan includes all of: (Transport infrastructure) Highways, bridges, airports, (water infrastructure) water service line (communications infrastructure) fiber (electrical infrastructure) transmission lines (health care infrastructure) hospital modernization (educational infrastructure) school facility modernization
- justinzollars 6y ago
  This is a list of political infrastructure. China has constructed 16,000 miles of fully connected high speed rail, and the Democrats are paying off political friends with "[interest group] infrastructure". China looks like a better bet for the future. And you forgot to include the real pork (list not exhaustive): * $10 billion establishing a Civilian Climate Corps * $100 billion on public schools * $12 billion on community colleges * $25 billion on child care * $400 billion on care for the aging and people with disabilities * $15 billion eliminating racial and gender inequities * $40 billion on job training * $48 billion on workforce development and worker protection
  - seoaeu 6y ago
    > * $100 billion on public schools You consider that pork spending? Education is one area that pretty much everyone agrees that the government should be spending money on.
    - justinzollars 6y ago
      This is a transportation bill, not an education bill. The context is we are sacrificing 21st century infrastructure - things like high speed rail in exchange to payments to various special interests. China owns the future with respect to infrastructure. The high speed rail system they created is absolutely amazing, I had the personal privilege to ride the Shanghai to Beijing route speeding in luxury at 300mph. In 10 years, the same time span the United States created 30 miles of High speed rail, they created 16,000 miles. The Biden plan is a huge loser, and solidifies the United States role as a corrupt country with a depleted infrastructure - arguing about political language rather than building anything at all.
      - dragonwriter 6y ago
        > This is a transportation bill No, its an infrastructure bill. Infrastructure is more than transportation.