Eisenhower built more infrastructure than Trump ever will

[endicom]

Market Watch
Rex Nutting
July 25, 2017

President Donald Trump seems to have given up on the most promising promise he made in last year’s presidential election: Rebuilding America’s infrastructure.

Since his election,Trump has given some lip service to the idea of investing more in roads, bridges, ports, tunnels, airports, water and sewer systems, the electrical grid, and other infrastructure that help make the American economy run more efficiently.

Every once in a while, Trump remembers to tweet about infrastructure, but the issue has clearly fallen down the to-do list, as the New York Times reported.

The Hill reported that Republican lawmakers believe the infrastructure push will have to wait until Congress finishes with dismantling health care and cutting taxes.

More... http://www.marketwatch.com/story/eisenhower-built-more-infrastructure-than-trump-ever-will-2017-07-25

[endicom]

The Interstate Highway System had the consequence of changing our culture and not always for the better.

[jmyrlefuller]

The Interstate Highway System had the consequence of changing our culture and not always for the better.

Indeed, there have been many rural areas that hit the skids the moment a "job-creating" interstate ran through them.

Just as an example, it used to be that if driving a rural road, you stopped to eat at a local diner. Homogenizing the freeways means now that, if they need to stop, they'll run to a McDonald's or Burger King along the route because they're familiar with the product. Would that have happened without the interstates? Maybe, but it's no coincidence those chain franchises propped up at the same time.

It is no coincidence that many of the things that were meant to make it easier to communicate and work together have instead made it easier for big business to do business in fewer places, farther away from people—which I would argue is one of the biggest problems we as a nation face today.

[endicom]

Indeed, there have been many rural areas that hit the skids the moment a "job-creating" interstate ran through them.

Just as an example, it used to be that if driving a rural road, you stopped to eat at a local diner. Homogenizing the freeways means now that, if they need to stop, they'll run to a McDonald's or Burger King along the route because they're familiar with the product. Would that have happened without the interstates? Maybe, but it's no coincidence those chain franchises propped up at the same time.

It is no coincidence that many of the things that were meant to make it easier to communicate and work together have instead made it easier for big business to do business in fewer places, farther away from people—which I would argue is one of the biggest problems we as a nation face today.

Good points.

I was thinking in free rider/ tragedy of the commons terms. Too many people, IMO, have formed the mentality that they should be able to go any damned place they please, whenever they damned well please, at no significant cost to themselves. As spelled out in the Bible and Constitution, I guess.

[dfwgator]

The Interstate Highway system was built to easily facilitate moving troops and tanks in the case of invasion.  It was based on what Hitler had done with the Autobahn in Germany.

[dfwgator]

Indeed, there have been many rural areas that hit the skids the moment a "job-creating" interstate ran through them.

Just as an example, it used to be that if driving a rural road, you stopped to eat at a local diner. Homogenizing the freeways means now that, if they need to stop, they'll run to a McDonald's or Burger King along the route because they're familiar with the product. Would that have happened without the interstates? Maybe, but it's no coincidence those chain franchises propped up at the same time.

It is no coincidence that many of the things that were meant to make it easier to communicate and work together have instead made it easier for big business to do business in fewer places, farther away from people—which I would argue is one of the biggest problems we as a nation face today.

It also enabled "White Flight", which has left our cities a mess.  Instead of trying to stay and fight to make the cities better, it was just easier to flee, and leave them as "Chocolate Cities."

[Cripplecreek]

Good points.

I was thinking in free rider/ tragedy of the commons terms. Too many people, IMO, have formed the mentality that they should be able to go any damned place they please, whenever they damned well please, at no significant cost to themselves. As spelled out in the Bible and Constitution, I guess.

The core of my many arguments with Willie Green formerly of TOS.

Willie wanted to strip funding from the roads and build railroads. The railroads would take us where we needed to go whether we liked it or not and if the railroads didn't go where we wanted to go, we probably shouldn't be there anyway.

The interstate highway system was a good and valid federal project that has been mismanaged and funds misappropriated almost from the beginning. Restrict the funding to interstate highways and bridges and it will by wildly overfunded.

[Free Vulcan]

Indeed, there have been many rural areas that hit the skids the moment a "job-creating" interstate ran through them.

Just as an example, it used to be that if driving a rural road, you stopped to eat at a local diner. Homogenizing the freeways means now that, if they need to stop, they'll run to a McDonald's or Burger King along the route because they're familiar with the product. Would that have happened without the interstates? Maybe, but it's no coincidence those chain franchises propped up at the same time.

It is no coincidence that many of the things that were meant to make it easier to communicate and work together have instead made it easier for big business to do business in fewer places, farther away from people—which I would argue is one of the biggest problems we as a nation face today.

Shopping as well. 4-lanes have cut travel time dramatically and people will trek a decent distance to the metros to take advantage of the variety of big and small stores in one place.

[driftdiver]

It also enabled "White Flight", which has left our cities a mess.  Instead of trying to stay and fight to make the cities better, it was just easier to flee, and leave them as "Chocolate Cities."

It also added massive economic benefits.  Travel times are greatly reduced enabling people to be much more mobile.

Kinda weird how something so beneficial to our country is seen as a bad thing.

[truth_seeker]

The Interstate Highway system was built to easily facilitate moving troops and tanks in the case of invasion.  It was based on what Hitler had done with the Autobahn in Germany.

And  Eisenhower recalled that during WWI, moving material to the West coast involved traveling some dirt and gravel roadways.

[Oceander]

And  Eisenhower recalled that during WWI, moving material to the West coast involved traveling some dirt and gravel roadways.

And took several weeks. 

[Cripplecreek]

And took several weeks.

Nowdays you can probably drive it in little more than 48 hours if you push it.

I drove from Jackson Michigan to Dallas Texas in right around 12 hours.

[Oceander]

Nowdays you can probably drive it in little more than 48 hours if you push it.

I drove from Jackson Michigan to Dallas Texas in right around 12 hours.

Back in the day I did Portland, OR to D.C. in 2-1/2 days. 

[endicom]

It also enabled "White Flight", which has left our cities a mess.  Instead of trying to stay and fight to make the cities better, it was just easier to flee, and leave them as "Chocolate Cities."

I was going to bring that up later if discussion allowed.

The interstate system either spawned or encouraged more local highway building that was, IMO, pandering to electorates.

White Flight? In NYC, I believe that people fled their own white ethnic groups as much as anything. The ethnic neighborhoods were succoring to the first generation of immigrants but became increasingly stifling to succeeding generations. Freedom from that lay some twenty miles away and came with a white picket fence.

[truth_seeker]

Real estate oriented people know that the one thing which cannot be easily changed with roads and buildings, is the people.

Hence South Central Lost Angeles remains what it is; an ethnic sh!te hole. "You can't make chicken salad out of chicken sh!te"

Maxine Waters lives in a rich zip code, in a $4 million plus home, outside her district BTW. She don't wanna liv wiff em.

And Jesse Jackson don't wanna be walkin down da street wiff em, either.

So called "flight" was and remains common sense; a salf-defense measure. Blacks commit murder, seven times the rate of whites. Fed.Crime statistics. e.g. Approimately 50% of murders, by 12.3% of people (blacks).

Rational whites don't want to stay and debate the reasons. They just want to be more safe, so they get out.

[Frank Cannon]

Indeed, there have been many rural areas that hit the skids the moment a "job-creating" interstate ran through them.

Just as an example, it used to be that if driving a rural road, you stopped to eat at a local diner. Homogenizing the freeways means now that, if they need to stop, they'll run to a McDonald's or Burger King along the route because they're familiar with the product. Would that have happened without the interstates? Maybe, but it's no coincidence those chain franchises propped up at the same time.

It is no coincidence that many of the things that were meant to make it easier to communicate and work together have instead made it easier for big business to do business in fewer places, farther away from people—which I would argue is one of the biggest problems we as a nation face today.

So it would be better to still have nauseating greasy spoons than to be able to conviently move products and people around the large country. Right.

[Frank Cannon]

Back in the day I did Portland, OR to D.C. in 2-1/2 days.

Portland to DC? We're you being punished?

[Wingnut]

So. Without Ike we never would have had HoJo's and Stuckey's pecan log roll outlets every 20 miles?. 
Man that would have been cruel.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

It is no coincidence that many of the things that were meant to make it easier to communicate and work together have instead made it easier for big business to do business in fewer places, farther away from people—which I would argue is one of the biggest problems we as a nation face today.

Ridiculous post. So only big business benefits from interstate highways and the internet?

We should tear up the highways to improve the economy? Good grief.

[Wingnut]

Portland to DC? We're you being punished?

Just tuck your hair up under your hat and hope you don't have to tip your hat to a lady ...son.

[Oceander]

Just tuck your hair up under your hat and hope you don't have to tip your hat to a lady ...son.

That was on my way back from a more leisurely trip out West. 

[Cripplecreek]

Ridiculous post. So only big business benefits from interstate highways and the internet?

We should tear up the highways to improve the economy? Good grief.

I'm glad I don't have to spend 5 or 6 hours waiting for a ferry to to get across the straits.

[Wingnut]

That was on my way back from a more leisurely trip out West.

L.A. via Omaha!  ;)

[rodamala]

Not to don my Willie Green hat, but taxation of private enterprise is was what funded all of this federal spending on interstate highways and airports.  It put the final nail in the coffin for passenger rail travel... which was a private concern... once upon a time.

[dfwgator]

I was going to bring that up later if discussion allowed.

The interstate system either spawned or encouraged more local highway building that was, IMO, pandering to electorates.

White Flight? In NYC, I believe that people fled their own white ethnic groups as much as anything. The ethnic neighborhoods were succoring to the first generation of immigrants but became increasingly stifling to succeeding generations. Freedom from that lay some twenty miles away and came with a white picket fence.

True.  But in general, eventually most of those immigrants eventually left.    In the cities today there is a permanent underclass that doesn't leave and move on, they stay there for generations.