SERIOUS INFRASTRUCTURE PROBLEMS
Let’s face a few facts here. The basic infrastructure with highways, bridges, and the entire US power grid is in terrible shape. I read somewhere that nothing has really been done to up-grade much of our system in a good 40 years.
Our power grid is a nightmare from hell waiting to descend into the pit of the abyss. It is a national disaster just waiting to happen.
If we really knew how bad our bridges were, I think most of us would probably rent a rowboat to cross some major water-ways in this country.
Do we even want to look at the the thousands of over-passes in this country? Ever seen any with cracks? I have.
I don’t give a rip upgrading schools as I am beginning to favor the traditional old fashioned school building instead of the ultra modern maximum security lock-downs that are more like prisons than schools.
BUT – oh, I hate to say it, The One (elect) is right about specific upgrades that are needed in our basic infrastructure.
PLEASE UPGRADE MEDICAL RECORD-KEEPING
I hate agreeing with him about medical records, but one of the things that is adding to the high cost of medical services is their antiquated 19th Century version of record-keeping.
Take our local emergency room, please. No, seriously my mother is alive because of their quick thinking. But – every darn time she goes back for a little visit (we’re talking every 3 or 4 months or so) admission fills out all her records, again and again. They don’t bother clicking into her previous visits or information. It would save time, money, and lives. In fact, the only place I’ve seen in New Mexico (and believe me, I’ve experienced a few hospitals and emergency rooms these past 3 years) where records are electronic and updated immediately is at Mountain View Hospital in Las Cruces.
Captain Ed disagrees with the medical records. Trust me, when you live with someone who has a serious medical condition, having those records available could literally be a life-saver. And, quite frankly, I am sick and tired of the so-called medical privacy act. Once again, if you deal with someone who has a serious medical condition, it is a nightmare from hell. I’ve been there and done that.
We need th
We also need a massive re-investment in NASA, which we aren’t going to get under a liberal Democrat. For some weird reason, Democrats basically destroy the space program in favor of welfare.
Flopping Aces is among the conservatives who completely disagree with an infrastructure “upgrade”. Neither does Gateway Pundit.
As for broadband access – BRING IT ON! If you travel the way I do, it would be incredible. But – I think it should also be done privately simply because there’s a heck of a lot of money to be made on it.
CONSERVATIVE OBSTRUCTION
I don’t mind the Feds shelling out their hard-earned tax income for roads, bridges, power grids, and broadband access. That’s what they need to be doing, along with supporting our efforts to colonize and explore space.
It’s fine for conservatives to b_ _ _ h and moan about intrusive socialism, but maybe they need to remember our Interstate highway system was created by Dwight Eisenhower, who was far from being a socialist. It’s called “trickle down” – get it? Tax money goes to private corporations to provide the goods and services. They hire employees who pay taxes. They purchase goods and services from other businesses who also pay taxes on their end of things. The employees go out and buy groceries, pay bills, buy gas, send their kids to school, and pay taxes.
Get it?
More importantly, our basic transportation and electrical infrastructure is crumbling before our eyes. Within a few years we are going to be consigned to third-world status on that alone if someone doesn’t do something about it.
Oh, and what about our air traffic control system? That’s another disaster waiting to happen, and sooner or later it will and hundreds of people are going to die. It’s just one of the reasons I refuse to fly. Have you seen the John Candy movie Summer Rental? It was filmed in the 1970′s. We’re still using that antiquated air traffic control system.
That is one of the things the feds need to be doing.
If you want to take the libertarian point of view – this is an area where government can become involved. Granted, I like the idea of toll-roads, and bridges, and letting the private sector get involved, but conservative paranoia reigns supreme there, too. We’re talking paranoid obstruction, trust me.
Look, guys, it’s nice to be conservative. It’s good to be conservative, but USE YOUR HEADS. The way I read it, you think it’s okay to do something like Iraq (so do I). So you bomb a country into the stone age to defeat terror. Then – we rebuild their country with out tax dollars. That’s acceptable, right?
So why the heck isn’t it acceptable to help rebuild our infra-structure with our tax dollars?
No wonder “conservatives” are now proven losers at the polls.
We’ve had good luck in Georgia and Louisiana. Let’s continue the streak. The only we are going to do it is if conservative hacks start acting like good Republicans and put their country ahead of their idealistic theology.
PICK YOUR BATTLES
Instead of disapproving of everything The One (elect) proposes, pick your blasted battles. We need the road infrastructure. We need the power-grid upgrade. BUT – we don’t need to go Kermit the Frog Green!
We don’t need dang blasted computers in every class-room. (We do, but it is a crock). We need teachers who are smarter than their students, and who actually know what the capital of say…New Mexico is. Today’s new teacher is part of a group of the worst bunch of ignorant losers we’ve seen in ages. They are just plain stupid. (Sorry, that’s a different rant – for later this weekend).
Combat the pro-global warming do-do that is looming over us like the garbled voice of idiotic doom. We’re entering into a phase of global cooling caused by the complete lack of sunspots and solar activity. It has NOTHING to do with CO2, pollution, or Al Gore. It is called NATURE. There are now theories that the basic work that has been done to combat global warming is actually going to help the onset of global cooling.
Pick your blasted battles, conservatives. We need the roads. We need a power-grid that can withstand a massive solar flare. We do need wind power. We need active and passive solar. We need tax breaks for anyone who either retro-fits their homes or builds these systems into their new homes.
FYI – the parents are planning to build a new house. Their contractor (a Democrat, but more conservative than I am) and I are making sure that they build passive and active solar into it. They’re going to set up several “personal” wind-powered generators. They will build in their own generating system for emergencies. This isn’t “green”, it’s just plain smart. Give ‘em a tax break.
THE REAL PROBLEM
I’m going through a phase where I’m not the most compassionate person in the world. I’m all tapped out when it comes to feeling the pain of the unemployed, especially when they complain that there are no jobs. Who cares, get over it. This is not the Great Depression where my 7 year old father went door to door selling papers flowers two for a nickle just so he could earn enough money so his family could have some kerosene to use for cooking. Get out there and mow grass, do personal shopping for people. Create a service where people will pay you. Use your head for something other than providing a place to hold the earbuds of your iPod.
I come from a long line of people who don’t believe in working for others, but in generating one’s own business or livelihood so you won’t be dependent on the whims of others. When bad times come around, there are fortunes to be made. But – you need to want to be willing to do something other than sit at a desk and be told what to do.
It’s called “self-starter.”
The real problem is the people who are currently unemployed are not going to want to get their precious little hands dirty working on the infrastructure projects that might generate additional jobs. Working on a highway is hot and dirty. Sure, the job pays well, but you gotta be able to pee in a cup and not have it come back loaded with the residual of certain substances.
Don’t make the jobs union.
That’s another place where conservatives need to pick their battles, and this is a major battle. The One (elect) is owned by the unions. He is going to want to unionize everything. Fight him, there. Make sure these new jobs are right to work.
Do you really think the chronically unemployed are going to want to work on these jobs? If you do, I know of a bridge in Brooklyn I can sell you, cheap, 50% off and free shipping.
REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP NEEDED
What we need is for someone in either the House or Senate to stand up and figure out how to work with The One (elect) and how to force him to compromise to Our demands.
Unfortunately this is not going to happen for several reasons.
First, if someone in either the House or Senate were to have the courage to do this, conservative talk radio would brand him a traitor and treat him as badly as they do Lindsey Graham.
We don’t need stupid conservative obstruction, we need real Republican leadership.
Trust me, there’s a difference.
You can tell when a Republican is truly starting to lead, because conservatives turn on him the way they are doing Michael Medved this week.
A real Republican leader knows how to work with Democrats, liberals, moderates, and tries to work with the far, far right (out of control) conservatives. The problem is talk radio, trust me. If talk radio hosts like Rush were honest, they would find a way to work with the GOP …. oh heck, what’s the use – it ain’t a gonna happen.
If a Republican leader in either the House or the Senate were to emerge, they would vastly help the GOP. The problem – we’re not going to see anyone emerge from the Gutless GOP Wonders in the House. When someone like Lindsey steps up to the leadership plate, they will be crucified for it.
You differentiate why the GOP is different from The One (elect)’s plans. You work with The One (elect) and highlight why we are against chronic unionization, Kermit the Frog Green, Al Gore, and certain projects. You work with The One (elect) on projects that are in the best interest of the nation, guiding the Brainless and Opinion-less one into the True Light of rational thought and action. The problem, though will be conservative obstruction.
Today’s conservatives who are “trying to rebuild the party” are more like a bunch of two year olds. The only word they know is “no”. You can see them sitting in their high-chairs, slamming their little spoons in the tray, shouting, “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!”
Conservative leadership isn’t needed.
Republican leadership is.
This is one of those golden political moments when a real, strong leader with viable ideas who knows how to work with both the House and Senate needs to step forward and – well, lead.
If the Republican Party can keep the momentum going from the past week of special elections and turn it into something, we have a very real chance of making some deep inroads into the House and Senate in 2 years. The only way we are going to do this is if Conservatives grow up, shut up, and learn how to work well and play with others.
Michael Medved is right. You can’t rebuild a political party excluding anyone who doesn’t agree with you. Ronald Reagan always said anyone who agreed with him 80% of the time was his friend.
Get it?
Eighty Percent!
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December 7th, 2008 on 6:00 pm
[...] Public Works, Bailouts, Infrastructure & Obama-Rama Public Works, Bailouts, Infrastructure & Obama-Rama SERIOUS INFRASTRUCTURE PROBLEMS Let’s face a few facts here. The basic infrastructure with highways, bridges, and the entire US power grid is in terrible shape. I read somewhere that nothing has really been done to up-grade much of our system in a good 40 years. Our power grid is a nightmare from hell waiting to descend into [...] & December 07, 2008 | SJ Reidhead [...]