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Dallas IH 345 study RFQ

Started by MaxConcrete, December 14, 2017, 09:31:42 PM

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Bobby5280

No one expects something like a new subway line to be built for cheap. On the other hand it is nothing but flat out ridiculous for the rampant cost inflation on all sorts of infrastructure projects, such as subways, to continue going on completely unchecked. This kind of nonsense is going to lead to serious consequences for our nation unless some major changes happen. Few other nations pay as much as we do for building new roads, bridges and rail lines. China intends to become the center of all forms of world commerce. And they're building all kinds of major infrastructure projects for a fraction of what we pay to build the same thing.


Plutonic Panda

Well something has to give, because if we just keep sitting here and not doing anything, then we will be passed up and before we know it we could easily end up like previous empires. Not trying to be an alarmist here, but no one will ever believe it will happen until it does. We need to tread carefully.

The cities ans states just need to make sure this stuff gets built somehow and someway regardless of the costs because complaining about the costs and not doing anything but waiting to see if there is a way to bring them down is not a good strategy. They find the money and build the damn infrastructure. Meanwhile at the same time find ways to reduce costs for building such infrastructure in the future.

I always hear people complain about high costs but no one really ever seems to come forward with plans. The plans that do ever come forward never seem to go anywhere and don't get much attention.

I feel the same way about the gas tax in California. I get why people are so mad about the gas tax because Caltrans probably does waste money and I have read about the scandals, so there's not a lot of trust and it's understandable why some would be against it. But until I see a plan put forward to actually address the issue and not the symptoms, I will support the gas tax because people need a wake up call here. When it comes to hitting people's pockets, then they start to listen, unless the infrastructure starts crumbling beneath us which if people think it's bad now it will only get worse until we start doing something about it.

Bobby5280

The "something" that's going to end up giving is the nation going broke, the economy imploding and our national security put into a very weak situation. I'm very worried about what could happen over the next 10-20 years. Just making sure stuff gets built and what not regardless of cost is how we're getting into this sitation. It's blatant denial of basic financial math.

The price gouging trends in infrastructure spending have risen way beyond the trend of average income growth. Over the long term that creates an obviously unsustainable situation. The stuff gets paid with taxpayer dollars. If income growth is happening very slowly (and politicians are handing out lots of tax cut candy to pander to voters) that very easily means the won't be enough money for these big projects. The tax base is not growing in proportion to these price increases. It means adding more and more red ink to budget deficits. Taxpayers are being taken for a price gouging ride in other sectors, like higher education and health care. Adding more to the squeeze: private industry price gouging on the basics, like housing, child care, etc.

Basically there's a bunch of pigs eating the nation's seed corn for future crops. They're gouging away as much money as possible for themselves for short term gain at the expense of a sustainable future. Our nation's GDP in 2016 was $18.57 trillion. Our national debt has surpassed annual GDP; for FY 2018 it hit $21 trillion. If we want to keep going along with this insanity, just letting the pigs eat as much as they want, our national debt will be double the size of our GDP in less than 20 years. We'll see a crash in population growth due to the outrageous costs of having children. Over time that will lead to a hard fall in real estate values (more customers dying off than new ones being created) and a serious labor shortage for things such as our military.

The price excesses going on with things like subways, bridges and what not are a symptom of a much bigger, fundamental problem. It's going to take some tough regulation and other hard choices to get these price gouging trends under control. Right now lawmakers and business people are proceeding as if no problem exists. They're cashing in right now and living in denial. Some American financial experts almost jokingly look at the hopeless financial chaos going on in countries like Venezuela; like people rubber-necking at a car accident. 'Murica is not immune from winding up in the same hopeless mess.



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