The Republicans have luxury cars and live in gated communities, sending only their housekeepers and chauffeurs out into the real world?
They’re sure not driving anyplace I go – there are fairly major streets in L.A. that have been in need of resurfacing for several years, and they’re only getting worse. The freeways need repairs, but that isn’t happening either. (The biggest project I know currently ongoing is one adding an offramp that will serve, primarily, Disney/ABC in Glendale. And I’d bet that Disney/ABC is not funding it.)

The Highway Trust Fund has increased decreased exponentially.

There, Kay, fixed it for ya.

The Highway Trust Fund has increased exponentially.

Exponents can be negative. This one certainly was, as you point out with the later quote.

As far back as the 80s, it was shameful to fly into Logan in Boston coming from Europe and then drive on the highways. Since then? Well, you start to wonder who’s fooling whom.

Macy’s cutting 7000 jobs, 4% of workforce.

Will the balloon parade survive?

There is a bridge in Minnesota that helped elect Al Franken she might want to consider.

http://www.preserveraptorjobs.com/

These relics of the cold war are competing for the infrastructure dollars.

Welfare Aid Isn’t Growing as Economy Drops Off…lowest in 40 years!
“And now that the chips are down, and unemployment is going up, most states are not doing enough to help families get back on the rolls.”…NYT

I’m wondsering if there is room in the stimulus bill for a remedial reading programme for Republicans.

The rethugs have a never ending supply of delusion pills. It is obvious that Kay Bailey Hutchinson is not behind in taking her meds.

Republicans still claim credit for job growth during the Bush years even though it was awful before the recession hit and went downhill from there. Democrats should be running on nationalization and stimulus. They should point out that the Republicans are advocating the same policies that got us in this mess and that these are the same policies that drove the country into depression in the 1930s.

Our problem is that Obama’s policies aren’t going to work. At best, they will delay a slide into depression by 18 months. The Republicans want to start the depression now.

And a failed levy in NOLA…

Let them eat urinal cakes. The top 400 elite will let the wealth trickle down to us in our time of need. St. Ronnie says so.

-G

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you the most likely future governor of the State of Texas, Kay Bailey Cheerleader.

I’m wondsering if there is room in the stimulus bill for a remedial reading programme for Republicans.

They need a remedial “Critical Thinking” course for Rethugs!

Of the 15 areas the engineers looked at, three got worse and only one got better. The three that worsened were all transportation oriented: aviation dropped from a D+ to a D; so did public transit; and America’s intricate roadway system potholed from a D to a D-. Only the energy system improved, from a D to a D+.

In 2005, the engineers said it would cost what would be $1.7 trillion in current dollars to fix what’s broken. Now the pricetag is up to $2.2 trillion.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories…..S._4758836

My Bold if you are going to lie Kay please try and do a better job you embarrass liars with such bad lies.
Hmmm 1.7 trillion is less than 2.2 trillion so its reasonable to assume then that the costs to fix the infrastructure will only go up if nothing is done now?
Its reasonable to assume that by not voting to fix the infrastructure now that the GOP and Blue Dogs are actually voting to raise our taxes later?

Dugg.

Thanks BT.

Hey how much of this infrastructure spending Kay said Bush spent was to *cough* fix New Orleans?

They should point out that the Republicans are advocating the same policies that got us in this mess and that these are the same policies that drove the country into depression in the 1930s.

Bullseye. Thank you.

The non defense discretionary part of the federal government is fairly small and can not spend all the money needed in a large stimulus. But we have:

state governments
city governments
public universities
K-12 schools
and even some private corporations that are willing to undertake specific projects.

Sorry but that part of the brain atrophied a long time ago.

Is it to much to ask Congress to Read a Book?

http://oxdown.firedoglake.com/diary/2469

And here’s the scary part: she’ll be a vast improvement.

i’m pretty sure kerry is only half right – the under investment in infrastructure has been going on for longer than 8 years (i seem to remember stiglitz saying that it was part of the balance the budget plan during the clinton years – that once the budge was balanced investment in infrastructure could resume/catch up). that plan didn’t take into account bushco.

I wonder if we compare GOP and Blue Dog ideas to fix the economy to Herbert Hoover’s ideas just how many points of similarity would we find?

BT,

Thanks for this post.

The Rethugs, before their 4 day romp, went on the air and said the stimulus bill did not have enough spending on infrastructure; thus, the bill would not bring enough improvement to the economy. This infrastructure statement was made in conjunction with the request for more tax cuts.

Now they are trying to state, “We spent enough during the last 8 years on infrastructure so lets just focus on more tax cuts in the stim bill.”

Adding more in infrastructure $$$ was where Voinovich and a few other Repugs might have partnered with Dems on the bill.

This is simple a “move” away from a spot where bipartisan agreements could be made to get the stimulus bill through the Senate. A few of us wrote about partnering on the idea of more infrastructure $$$ to the bill as a “meeting point” for some consensus, in FDL posts on Friday.

Funny how that is being attacked in the press now. Which means, more infrastructure $$$ to the bill is exactly where a few Repugs will come over on the bill and we need to continue to push the point of more infrastructure $$$ added to the bill. FedEx Ceo would agree with this idea as would Google CEO.

I will write again, “Mr Obama, I would invite Voinovich and Levin to a meeting and ask them to jointly submit additional infrastructure to the stimulus bill.” Especially, since the two of them were left to hang after all their work on an auto manufacturing stimulus package.

CALTRANS central coast office can’t do R&R on our highways…no money. Same with the County spring maintenance will not happen.
The people tha have had income to drove the economy are layed off…how will thwe stimulus put money back in their pocket if infrastructue is funded and those workers won’t be building infrastructure?

The Highway Trust Fund has increased exponentially.

Straight out lie the fund is broke because its funded by the gas tax and consumers have cut back so much on gas spending that Congress is talking about giving it more money.
Kay you have to lie better.

Kerry didn’t do a good job of rebutting this nonsense.

Barney Frank, on the other hand, kicked DeMint’s ass all over the place.

That is a pretty low bar when the two immediate predecessors are Shrub and Gov Goodhair.

I was trying to get those figures and the figures for the bridge too. As well as the costs to infrastructure repairs from all hurricanes and floods during the last eight years.

I think some would have also gone into ATC/TAA upgrades at airports.

My guess is that most dollars were repairs, not upgrade investment.

And this recent bit of information from China is nothing to sneeze at:

http://seekingalpha.com/articl…..hina-knows

not completely OT: news from davos. looks like there has been some coordination and some dissent on “solution” to crisis (my bold):

Leading economists challenged the effectiveness of Gordon Brown’s plan to ring-fence distressed loan assets in British banks through a system of government guarantees that may also be adopted by President Obama.

Mr Obama is poised to announce a package this week to clean up US banks that is likely to include creating a “bad bank” to take over and hold the toxic assets clogging the American financial system.

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, is working on plans for a rescue based around a bad bank approach in Europe’s biggest economy.

Professor Stiglitz said that the costs of operating a bad bank, which is expected to have an initial purchasing power of up to $1 trillion (£691 billion) in the United States, could escalate. “If we do not do it right, we are talking about a national debt that is hard to manage.”

However, the bad bank proposals being hatched in Washington and Berlin, and expected by some to follow in Britain, were defended by Alan Blinder, former vice-chairman of the US Federal Reserve and a Princeton economics professor. “What is the alternative? Leave the banks that are under water to drown?” he said.

Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, said that bad bank schemes were the least worst option. The absence of viable alternatives meant that there was no choice.

great (as in not). this sounds like thatcher’s “there is no alternative”:

There is no alternative (shortened as TINA) was a slogan of which Margaret Thatcher, the right wing British Prime Minister was fond. In economics, politics, and political economy, it has come to mean that despite capitalism’s problems, “there is no alternative” to the status quo of their economic system and neoliberalism.[1][2] This is the central slogan of neoliberalism, arguing that free markets, free trade, and capitalist globalization are the only way in which modern societies can go, as any deviation from their doctrine is certain to lead to disaster.

Zackly.

That would make a great Diary

You’re right. Infrastructure has been under spent on for decades. What Kerry doesn’t bring up though is that the telecoms received over the years some $200 billion to build a high speed broadband network. They took the money but didn’t build the system.

http://www.niemanwatchdog.org/…..thisid=186

This has come up enough times that I broke down and saved the link. I would point out too that Niemanwatch is not a tinfoil cap kind of place. Froomkin is involved in it.

i recorded meet the press on sunday, just haven’t had the heart to actually watch it. thanks for the report, so i don’t have to.

Yes, it is abundantly clear that Kerry is not quickest on his feet thinker, unfortunately, but we knew that from the 04 campaign, now didn’t we.

Hey Barack Obama, did you read that? China’s spending more than six times your pittance of 10 billion on their own rail. And a billion in China goes a lot farther than it does in the US. Even better, China is building all four types of Rail. Heavy Rail for goods. Commuter Rail for workers. Light Rail for mobility. And then High Speed Rail.

http://seekingalpha.com/articl…..hina-knows

Goodness, I hope tax dollars for broadband were not under-the-table payments for FISA services rendered.

We’ve increasing–increased spending on military, certainly the war on terror has had a lot of infrastructure and buying of equipment for the war on terror.

Good thing i wasn’t watching. I’d have wet my pants laughing.

damn. i keep forgetting that one. thanks for the reminder… and fwiw, i agree re niemanwatch.

THAT was my “nothing to sneeze at!” of the link… You got it quick!

BTW, you’re not mentioning Kay’s other good one, that tax cuts got the economy going in 2002 and 2003.

re kerry. he’s my senator. it’s been no secret here. otoh, we could do a lot worse (i moved to ma from tx).

I great deal of the spending was to rebuild Iraq’s infrastructure but that has been “Mission Abysmal!”

Kerry never does a good job of rebutting nonsense.

Where are the aggressive articulate nickel word speakers for progressive policies and values?

Do novo, my arse.

Should read , “A great deal of spending…”

While I would love to be invited to Davos for the high life and scenery, as an economic forum it is a joke. Back in the high flying days this did not matter. Today it’s main function is as a barometer for how out of touch world leaders are in dealing with the financial meltdown. As in they are clueless and continue to propose half-ass patches that don’t come close to what is needed.

It is just dishonest to say there are no alternatives. Nationalization is an alternate and unlike the manure being shoveled at Davos will actually work.

Great Thatcher quote. This shows how bad policy can be justified by the construction of strawmen: This was better than nothing. There are no alternatives, etc., etc., etc.

re: job growth

His job-creation record won’t look much better. The Bush administration created about three million jobs (net) over its eight years, a fraction of the 23 million jobs created under President Bill Clinton’s administration and only slightly better than President George H.W. Bush did in his four years in office.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..62818.html

http://www.acppubs.com/article/CA6624146.html

This refutes the republican claim of the fund being out of money.

What do the Chinese know anyway. Let us not forget that Condi Rice was lecturing the Chinese about how a mature contry is supposed to behave.

-G

Do you mean that the Democratic Party brought you to by AT & T [stupid Salon won’t let me link to Glenn’s post] would do something like this? I’m shocked, I tell you, shocked.

Genius! Perhaps the GOP can put people to work building their strawman!

-G

Ok the MSM never holds Kay and the GOP accountable for their lies.
The MSM lets them repeat their lies nonstop. So what we have here is the value of repeating Propaganda vs the Value of repeating the claims of known liars.
As more and more people see the GOP as liars the lies the GOP tells should have the opposite effect.
But how do we measure this?

Let’s just say that “he said, she said” forums are not Sen. Kerry’s forte; there are a bunch of other Senators who just stay away from such fora, such as my Senator Barb; someone needs to tell Kerry to do the same.

He’s already ran for President, let him just be Senator.

It had a very good point I thought everybody should read. Sometimes people are to rushed to look at all the links.

LOL I think they are riffing off my scandals list:

298. Bush job creation. Looking at Bureau of Labor Statistics seasonally adjusted numbers for nonfarm jobs (defined as those not involving farm work, general government, private households, or nonprofit organizations serving individuals), in its 8 years (from January 2001 to December 2008 (est.)), the Bush Administration created 3,020,000 jobs or 31,458/month. 150,000 to 200,000 per month would be expected to accompany an economic expansion (or 14.4 million to 19.2 million over the course of his Presidency). During this same period, the economy lost 5,867,000 manufacturing jobs. These are the jobs that traditionally have had good wages and benefits and now account for only about 12.98 million of the nation’s 135.5 million nonfarm jobs (or 9.6% of them). As of now Bush has lost almost twice as many manufacturing jobs during his time in office as he has created jobs of all other kinds. In all, the US has lost 34.3% of its manufacturing jobs under Bush.
By contrast in the 8 years of the Clinton Administration (from January 1993 to December 2000), 22,760,000 nonfarm jobs were created or ~237,000/month (7.5 times the Bush rate). At the same time, manufacturing jobs showed a modest increase of 387,000. Even at the high point of his Presidency in terms of job growth December 2007, Bush had created only 5,609,000 or a quarter of those created by Clinton. In 2008, as the Bush recession fueled first by the bursting of the housing bubble and then the financial meltdown, the economy shed 2,589,000 jobs (1,531,000 in the last 4 months of 2008 alone).
Despite his protestations to the contrary, these numbers paint a truly dismal picture of job growth during the Bush years.

By the number of people who will eventually take to the streets.

re davos – exactly. for me it’s like watching most congressional hearings or all the sunday morning bobble heads shows: it’s provides a glimpse of what the elite are thinking (or probably more accurately not thinking).

new and improved strawmen – “better than nothing” is apparently this era’s version of TINA.

Great Thatcher quote. This shows how bad policy can be justified by the construction of strawmen: This was better than nothing. There are no alternatives, etc., etc., etc.

There are no alternatives because the Conservatives have no ideas:)

He’s already ran for President, let him just be Senator.

i don’t think that’s his vision of himself – more like a sober gov version of thomas freidman.

LOL

Here’s a CBO report from 2006 on infrastructure.

Most data tables are through 2004. Katrina and the bridge happened after 2004.

http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=8517

Enjoy.

Ah but how many is my question if we could measure the number of people who are turned off lizard brain response to the GOP’s repeated lying we would know that number:)

I (a Texan) was sick of KBH long ago and stopped listening/watching her when I saw a photo of her as a young person on the news team on Bush I’s campaign airplane. Her responses to my e-mails cured me of communicating with her at all. She is just Bush in a skirt.

She has announced that she will run for Gov in 2010. I hate the very thought of that. Sure wish we could elect a Dem for both Gov and to fill her senate seat…..dreaming again.

Thanks for posting it. Sometimes, I don’t have enough time to decide which “gems” to pull as nuggets of linkage intrigue (multitasking with little people around)! So, thank you.

i don’t think that’s his vision of himself – more like a sober gov version of thomas freidman.

And that’s exactly the problem……

We’ve increasing–increased spending on military, certainly the war on terror has had a lot of infrastructure and buying of equipment for the war on terror.

The torture infrastructure has had much increased spending and the torture gap has been closed. We now have torture as cruel as any country. The neo-con websites have also profited by being paid by Total Information Awareness to support the Oil Wars and Clash of Civilizations. Lobbyists, both D and R have also improved the war infrastructure, by their increased war propaganda. The Washington Post has improved the neo-con infrastructure with its numerous neo-con writers.

Certainly the domestic spying on socialistic Americans has now become a self sustaining industry. Militarism itself has never been so well funded. Heck of a job Kay.

A lizard brain response you feel sick watching her. I feel the same way about Fox News our numbers are growing.
Our minds cannot handle the lies anymore.

Good catch BT!

Even after 8 years of the Bush era, I’m still amazed at Republicans’ willingness to go on national television and say up is down.

It’s as if many think it’s quite sufficient to perform the equivalent of changing little details in a child’s story book, to make it more pleasant reading and avoid having to answer discomforting questions.

I’ve had it with them. They should either do their jobs like sentient adults, or they should resign. Congress should not be a welfare program for lousy, lazy legislators who seek only personal fortune and ego massaging while the rest of the world goes to $&*#.

an inarticulate Thomas Friedman, IMO.

How many 70%ers have decided to blame the GOP and have stopped listening to them? If there are riots that old saying about how no man out lives his word of honor will become very very true.
How do we measure how much the numbers of us are growing? With the economic collapse causing hard times and us blaming the GOP.
The GOP’s constant lying is like pouring salt in a wound or pouring more and more Mentos into a coke bottle.
This can’t continue either the economy gets better which would be like taking Mentos out of the coke bottle or the bottle will explode.
I read way to much Hari Seldon Psycho History

Bailouts for Bunglers Obama sides with big capital fuck the taxpayers as they pat for the whole stimulus package
1. Bad Banks that take the shitpile Wall Street wants to dump on us
2. The Bank bailout itself
3. The Recovery/Reinvestment Act economy stimulus package

My guess is $4 Trillion your kids will owe. Krugman is on this like a shinng light. Where is Obama’s transparency in hios weekly address?
Krugman says it might just be show. His expertise is in selling the sizzle.

Our minds cannot handle the lies anymore.

Oh, I don’t know about that. Hand me that shovel over there. You wanna grab the broom? Shall we bag or toss to the curb? Recycling’s out. Been there, one that.

You’ve got to admit, though, it’s a pretty low bar…

with a d dangit, “done” *sigh*

Looks like.

transparency?

KBH was telling the truth when she spoke of “exponentially increasing” spending on infrastructure. The problem is the exponent is less than one.

As long as the corporate media gives these Republican gasbags a platform and their bubbleheaded on air faces refuse to challenge the veracity of their comments the country will continue to slide into Depression.

I’m glad Kay Bailey straightened us out on this. I was pretty sure that the levees in New Orleans and that bridge falling down in Minnesota might qualify as deterioration. I stand corrected.

I’m wondering if there is room in the stimulus bill for a remedial reading programme for Republicans.

ROFLMAO 707

Give ‘em large print editions of “My Pet Goat”.