RadioFreeLiberal.com

Glen, I want a real infrastructure plan. That means, actual spending on infrastructure. We both agree this country's bridges, roads, tunnels, train tracks, etc. are in a bad way and need reinvestment.

I just want an actual plan that spends actual money on repairing, restoring, fixing, and upgrading that stuff. I don't care which party proposes it, that's not the issue.

However, what Trump proposed really puts most of the onus on a) already strapped states and b) private corporations, with privatization of previously public structures, which means we're going to see (as consumers/users) a lot of new tolls and fees.

Plus, I imagine once people dig into it, it will probably benefit directly Trump's properties and businesses somehow -- this just seems inevitable from Trumpco.

I don't give a shit who proposes it and it's not a matter of what party benefits from it. It's what this country needs.

As a Keynesian, I also think the secondary benefit of building a lot of that stimulus spending on infrastructure will also be that the government puts more people back to work, and really does what really does prime the economic pump. Unemployment might be low, and the lowest it's ever been for some minority groups, but despite Trump touting that, it's still higher for Blacks, Hispanics, and Native people (as three groups in particular) than it should be.

BTW, as an environmentalist, I also want an infrastructure plan that doesn't roll back environmental regulations and hurt the environment. In fact, we could get a win/win by investing in Green energy infrastructure, like solar, or conservation. But Trump isn't in to that. His version of economic development seems stuck in 1955 - more polluting factories, more coal. Oh, and working people = suburban white males.

It's almost funny that the grifter confederate administration thinks it's a good idea to replace food stamps with government rations they're calling the new Blue Apron.



Yes, I'm certain the government is going to be sending free range grass-fed pasture raised hand-crafted Niman Ranch beef (Blue Apron bought out NR) and fresh artisan local organic produce in spiffy little boxes to the hood, the barrio, the trailer park, and exurbia.

Almost funny. Almost.

There is more to it than that. Special people, need special government deals. Read this article, FEMA Contract Called for 30 Million Meals for Puerto Ricans. 50,000 Were Delivered and think about what the hell was going on below the fold about that. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/06/us/f ... -rico.html It connects the dots.

Yeah I saw that, and I think you're right.

Something similar happened with the contractor hired to rebuild the power grid. (Which I just read yesterday, crashed and burned, literally, in northern PR - not sure if it was these clowns.)

Puerto Rico just hired 2 contractors with little experience to fix its broken power grid - Vox

Classic, textbook-case grifting.

Hey, occasionally a congressperson actually does their constitutionally mandated job. And occasionally there are corporatist Dems who vote for stuff I don’t support. You don’t see that out of Republicans except for chickenshits that aren’t running again because they know either

a) they would get their asses kicked by the Democrat
b) they would get primaried by their own party

A handful of Republicans found spines when the6 hand nothing more to gain and much to lose.

Helluva party to support.

It's almost funny that the grifter confederate administration thinks it's a good idea to replace food stamps with government rations they're calling the new Blue Apron.

IF the infrastructure is going to be privatized does this mean a company is going to buy that infrastructure or is the government going to give it to them for free?

Water can be water and wastewater. There are thousands and thousands of miles of buried water mains, wastewater sewers and stormwater sewers. There are always water mains breaking. There are corrosion issues in water and wastewater as well as infiltration of groundwater into sewer systems that increase the burden on treatment plants. Many cities end up under EPA consent decrees requiring rehabilitation of sewers, manholes, wet wells on into the treatment plants. This is business I work in.

Well, to me that is just an extension of how Fla. and many other states are increasingly dictating to poor people how to use their food stamps. Now don't get me wrong. I agree you probably shouldn't be allowed to use them to buy licquor and beer or cigarettes. I get that. I also understand encouraging people to buy healthy and nutritious fresh food instead of junk food.

But, the rules here can be ridiculously strict. Can't buy a birthday cake. Ever! Not even on your kid's birthday!

So, to me, this 'plan' to make food stamps more like blue apron is just an extension of that conservative paternalism toward the poor philosophy. But now, we won't even tell you what to do with your food stamps. Nah, let's remove all choice from you. We decide what you eat, you can't be trusted to do it for yourself and your family. (Because conservatives don't like government in your life ... unless you're poor.) Instead, now, you'll get prepackaged meals, pre-delivered. And yeah, some private contractor (if not Blue Apron themselves) will be making out like bandits from this newest form of corporate welfare.