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COVID-2019 in America, effect on politics and economy

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  • ^^^

    So what impact will this have on infrastructure upgrades...which are badly needed.

    The first step is to raise the federal gasoline tax which is currently at $018.4 per gallon....and has been that way for 27 years.

    Federal deficit spending for infrastructure improvement actually is a net investment and the income generated increases revenues from income taxes.

    But there is little doubt in the wake of COVID coupled with the neglect of the last 30 years we are badly in need of some upgrades...earthen dams alone scare the shit out of me!
    “Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”
    Mark Twain

    Comment


    • Originally posted by Albany Rifles View Post
      But there is little doubt in the wake of COVID coupled with the neglect of the last 30 years we are badly in need of some upgrades...earthen dams alone scare the shit out of me!
      Damns themselves scare the shit out of me. Here's a well known engineering fact. ALL DAMNS WILL FAIL. Just a question of when.
      Chimo

      Comment


      • US has earthen dam? Earthen dams were probably built when our ancestors were walking naked. Oh, also beavers build them with logs and leaves and mud etc all the time.
        Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

        Comment


        • Originally posted by WABs_OOE View Post
          Damns themselves scare the shit out of me. Here's a well known engineering fact. ALL DAMNS WILL FAIL. Just a question of when.
          Another fact. If you build a dam to save a city X from floodwater, the city gets saved for the time being, but the downstream village gets massively flooded.
          Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

          Comment


          • Originally posted by Albany Rifles View Post
            ^^^

            So what impact will this have on infrastructure upgrades...which are badly needed.

            The first step is to raise the federal gasoline tax which is currently at $018.4 per gallon....and has been that way for 27 years.

            Federal deficit spending for infrastructure improvement actually is a net investment and the income generated increases revenues from income taxes.

            But there is little doubt in the wake of COVID coupled with the neglect of the last 30 years we are badly in need of some upgrades...earthen dams alone scare the shit out of me!
            The gas tax only directly hits every voting group, except the blind. So, no go on that.

            The infrastructure investment idea was the single most brilliant one for blasting our way out of The Great North Atlantic Financial and Economic Depression. But, if a Democrat might get a taste of the credit, it’s D.O.A. Hugely useful at historically low interest rates, but Dead On Arrival.
            Trust me?
            I'm an economist!

            Comment


            • Originally posted by Oracle View Post
              US has earthen dam? Earthen dams were probably built when our ancestors were walking naked. Oh, also beavers build them with logs and leaves and mud etc all the time.
              Thousands.

              Virginia, my state, has hundreds of ponds and lakes....and only one is natural. All the rest are man made by impounding streams and/or rivers, some for water sources, power, and use by rural fire units.

              And the majority of earthen dams are on private property and are privately owned with little oversight.
              “Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”
              Mark Twain

              Comment


              • Originally posted by DOR View Post
                The gas tax only directly hits every voting group, except the blind. So, no go on that.

                The infrastructure investment idea was the single most brilliant one for blasting our way out of The Great North Atlantic Financial and Economic Depression. But, if a Democrat might get a taste of the credit, it’s D.O.A. Hugely useful at historically low interest rates, but Dead On Arrival.
                Sorry DOR but if you use the roads you have to pay for them. Call it regressive but it is fair...the other option is an annual user fee.

                The gas tax was always intended as a way for federal road maintenance.
                “Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”
                Mark Twain

                Comment


                • Originally posted by Albany Rifles View Post
                  Sorry DOR but if you use the roads you have to pay for them. Call it regressive but it is fair...the other option is an annual user fee.

                  The gas tax was always intended as a way for federal road maintenance.
                  My mistake.
                  I thought the subject was things that could get passed by congress, not what might be nice in a fantasy world.
                  Mea Culpa.
                  Trust me?
                  I'm an economist!

                  Comment


                  • Unemployment Rates, by ages

                    _ _ _ _ 16-19 yrs _ 20-24 yrs _ 25-54 yrs _ 55+ yrs
                    1950s _ _ _11.3 _ _ _ _ 7.1 _ _ _ _3.7_ _ _ _ 3.8
                    1960s _ _ _14.4 _ _ _ _ 7.4 _ _ _ _3.6_ _ _ _ 3.4
                    1970s _ _ _16.8 _ _ _ _10.0 _ _ _ 4.4_ _ _ _ 3.5
                    1980s _ _ _18.6 _ _ _ _11.3 _ _ _ 5.9_ _ _ _ 3.9
                    1990s _ _ _17.0 _ _ _ _ 9.4 _ _ _ _4.7_ _ _ _ 3.6
                    2000s _ _ _16.9 _ _ _ _ 9.5 _ _ _ _4.6_ _ _ _ 3.7
                    2010s _ _ _18.8 _ _ _ _10.6 _ _ _ 5.4_ _ _ _ 4.6
                    2020 _ _ _ 20.1 _ _ _ _15.4 _ _ _ 7.6_ _ _ _ 7.6

                    2020 vs 1948-2019 average
                    _ _ _ _ _ +4 pts _ _ _+6.1 pts _ +3.1 pts _ +3.8 pts
                    Trust me?
                    I'm an economist!

                    Comment


                    • Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota in August linked to more than 250,000 coronavirus cases, study finds

                      The 10-day Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota in August, which drew more than 400,000 people, has now been linked to more than 250,000 coronavirus cases, according to a study by the IZA Institute of Labor Economics.

                      Using anonymized cellphone data from the rally, researchers in Germany found the bikers, who were filmed and photographed in crowded bars, restaurants and outdoor venues mostly without face masks, allowed for many of the “worst-case scenarios” for “superspreading.”

                      The event “was prolonged, included individuals packed closely together, involved a large out-of-town population, and had low compliance with recommended infection countermeasures such as the use of masks,” the researchers wrote.

                      The event will cost an estimated $12.2 billion in health-care costs, they wrote.

                      The cellphone data showed foot traffic at restaurants, bars, hotels and shops in census block groups where the events took place rose by up to 90% during the event. At the same time, stay-at-home behavior declined among residents of Meade County with an up to 10.9% decline in median hours spent at home. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found cases spread both locally and in the home counties of those who attended and then traveled home.

                      Last week, the Washington Post reported the first COVID-19 death from the event, a Minnesota biker in his 60s.
                      __________

                      250,000 new cases...jfc
                      “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

                      Comment


                      • Originally posted by TopHatter View Post
                        250,000 new cases...jfc
                        Can't be helped. Cabin Fever is taking its toll. This was inevitable.

                        Chimo

                        Comment


                        • Originally posted by WABs_OOE View Post
                          Can't be helped. Cabin Fever is taking its toll. This was inevitable.
                          Sir, it could have been avoided if there had been a more centralized planning and execution from the start.

                          Had dinner with a friend the other night and we both agreed that this kind of behavior was inevitable, not because of of cabin fever, but the false attitude of "freedom" not having responsibility tied to it.

                          Not surprising as this is a country which doesn't understand the meaning of the word queueing.
                          “Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”
                          Mark Twain

                          Comment


                          • Originally posted by WABs_OOE View Post
                            Can't be helped. Cabin Fever is taking its toll. This was inevitable.
                            Sir I just can't agree with that assessment. Fighting cabin fever is going out to your favorite bar or restaurant (extremely risky behaviors in any case these days)

                            It was blindly obvious that this was going to be a super spreader event before the first Softail rolled into town: 400,000 people packed into a small (6 square miles) town of normally 6200 people. Most of them openly and proudly disdaining masks and social distancing, the easiest and most basic precautions one can personally take (besides not attending a super spreader event).

                            These 400,000 sensible people then promptly scattered to the four corners of the United States and and likely beyond.

                            This was an exercise in selfishly fucking over your fellow man. And woman. And children. And not giving a shit about it.
                            “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

                            Comment


                            • Originally posted by Albany Rifles View Post
                              Sir, it could have been avoided if there had been a more centralized planning and execution from the start.

                              Had dinner with a friend the other night and we both agreed that this kind of behavior was inevitable, not because of of cabin fever, but the false attitude of "freedom" not having responsibility tied to it.

                              Not surprising as this is a country which doesn't understand the meaning of the word queueing.
                              It's also playing the numbers. You have 0.006% chance of being infected and 0.0003% of dying from COVID-19. It's a case of lies, damned lies, and statistics. For a person who was cooped up for so long, being presented with these numbers (with zero context) is a free-for-all, The only way to prevent this specific outing is to cancel it.

                              However, I don't believe that this is restricted to the US. The Chinese themselves went crazy after Beijing lifted the Wuhan quarrantine. Restaurants were packed and the malls were filled. City nightlife gave this rally a run for the money and more than just once.

                              Originally posted by TopHatter View Post
                              Sir I just can't agree with that assessment. Fighting cabin fever is going out to your favorite bar or restaurant (extremely risky behaviors in any case these days)

                              It was blindly obvious that this was going to be a super spreader event before the first Softail rolled into town: 400,000 people packed into a small (6 square miles) town of normally 6200 people. Most of them openly and proudly disdaining masks and social distancing, the easiest and most basic precautions one can personally take (besides not attending a super spreader event).

                              These 400,000 sensible people then promptly scattered to the four corners of the United States and and likely beyond.

                              This was an exercise in selfishly fucking over your fellow man. And woman. And children. And not giving a shit about it.
                              Cabin Fever is a mental disease. Rational thinking doesn't come into it. If it did, you stay in the Cabin.
                              Last edited by Officer of Engineers; 09 Sep 20,, 19:32.
                              Chimo

                              Comment


                              • I don't even think it has anything to do with cabin fever. Frankly, bikers as a group, are people you can't tell what to do, will then ignore whatever you have to say, and then go their own way which is exactly what they did.

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