I think we should try privatising infrastructure in some areas. Just as a test. I see a bright future in privatised roads and bridges.
Quote from: King pesto on May 13, 2015, 12:32:27 PMI think we should try privatising infrastructure in some areas. Just as a test. I see a bright future in privatised roads and bridges.You don't see the possibility for corruption?
You don't see the possibility for corruption?
America should have crappy infrastructure. Development costs are insane compared to other developed countries. You can have cheaper infrastructure, but only if you're willing to slim down unions, cut environmental legislation and roll-back entitlements. Also, I favour incentivising the private sector to contribute.
I can tell you don't live here.
Quote from: Naoto on May 13, 2015, 12:41:07 PMI can tell you don't live here.. . . Okay? I don't see what that has to do with anything.
Unions in this country are nearly nonexistent
Anyone saying unions need to be cut for infrastructure doesn't understand America very well, or is a fox news pundit.
Which would obviously be a bad thing...for you know the environment.
As far as entitlements conservatives are already trying to privatize Social Security and Medicare.
Don't get me started on healthcare. Compared to the rest of the modern world this is an area we lag behind in drastically.
America is hardly the land of entitlements
So really you're just listing conservative talking points that don't hold up to reality.
Suggesting we should defund all the stuff that is already practically gutted
Development costs are insane compared to other developed countries. You can have cheaper infrastructure, but only if you're willing to slim down unions, cut environmental legislation and roll-back entitlements.
America should have crappy infrastructure.
Quote from: Meta Cognition on May 13, 2015, 12:25:16 PMAmerica should have crappy infrastructure. And this kids is why idiots are dangerous Are you sure you're not American?
Quote from: Meta Cognition on May 13, 2015, 12:25:16 PMAmerica should have crappy infrastructure. And this kids is why idiots are dangerous
The country would enter an economic crisis if the infrastructure went to shit.
Quote from: Not Comms Officer on May 14, 2015, 11:22:53 PMThe country would enter an economic crisis if the infrastructure went to shit. It should have crappy infrastructure because of high construction costs. Which is why I then went on to say methods of slimming down such costs would allow for the improvement of infrastructure. I'm not making a moral statement about what the quality of US infrastructure ought to be.
Well, most of the infrastructure in terms of highways and railroads in the US has now switched to maintenance rather than construction.
Quote from: Not Comms Officer on May 15, 2015, 02:20:07 AMWell, most of the infrastructure in terms of highways and railroads in the US has now switched to maintenance rather than construction.Even so, infrastructure can only survive for so long. Plus, I think wages and unionisation among construction workers is the same for maintenance workers since a lot of the former are employed for the latter.
I'm not really sure what you want to do here. So should the US continue maintenance on highways/railroads, let them become more decrepit yet usable, or just shut them down period?
Quote from: Not Comms Officer on May 15, 2015, 02:23:59 AMI'm not really sure what you want to do here. So should the US continue maintenance on highways/railroads, let them become more decrepit yet usable, or just shut them down period?I don't have any strong opinions, to be honest. If you're willing to hamstring the labour unions of these construction workers and completely overhaul the welfare system you could probably have infrastructure on par with Hong Kong.That's what I favour, from a hypothetical point of view, but if you're looking for a realistic answer I don't have it. If the whole of the US were to become like Texas in the slimming down of unions, maybe some environmental regulations and entitlements then you could see a nationwide improvement in quality without the fairly radical policies I'd otherwise desire.