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Originally Posted by classicman
Absolutely Bruce, I agree 100%, but finding the bridges, for example, that need the least amount of work and can be repaired in the least amount of time is not a good plan. There are so many that need to be completely replaced and those won't be getting any of this money. Not to mention the infrastructure like the sewers and and water systems in many major cities which would disrupt too much for too long to be properly repaired or upgraded.
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So we should just let them continue to rot, so we don't inconvenience people? My god, the cost of repairs when things break every year just keeps adding up. We should just systematically start to fix/replace things, starting with the things that are in the worst shape. Remember the bridge that collapsed a couple of years ago? Or the water main busting in DC a few of months ago? Apparently, they had already fixed over 300 pipes in DC that had burst before that happened, this winter alone. In Savannah, where I live, underground pipes have blown up twice this year.
About Japan, from what I've heard from numerous economists, including Paul Krugman, the whole reason why Japan was in a recession for so long is because they didn't put enough money into it initially, so they had to keep pumping more in. That is why we need to go big, from the beginning. Doing things piecemeal, and stopping too soon, is what causes big recessions to last longer.
For crying out loud, even the Chamber of Commerce is behind the stimulus, and they are hardly a liberal organization.