U.s. Road Conditions

[kidrock]

I traveled through a few states this last week on my way to Virginia and back to Illinois. Many of the roads are need of repair in just about every state I traveled through. It did not matter if it was a red state or a blue state they were in need of repair. I will say it seemed to me the blue grass state of Kentucky seemed to have the best roads or at least the ones I traveled on. These are the kind of shovel ready jobs the President and congress should have focused their attention on. It would have created good paying jobs plus helped are much needed infrastructure.

[LITE-INN]

they are more worried about fixing parks and muesems and who can forget trains

[mudslinger47]

Our government, in all their wisdom, hammered the public for the last twenty some years about fuel efficiency. So the manufactures built the fuel effiecient cars and trucks and the public dutifully bought them and now the government is getting hammered cause they don't have the fuel tax money for our roads. We in sunny Ca are paying in excess of 68 cents a gallon for gas tax and in some cases, depending on location, even more then that. Once more, another "unintended" consequence, given to us by our brilliant gubbmint.....you would think that someone in the gubbmint would have foreseen this....wouldn't ya?

[Bubstr]

If your talking about the stimulus bill that was supposed to infuse money into the general economy and with these shovel ready jobs restore our infrastructure, It was only somewhat effective, if at all. I noticed at least 4 roads around my county in the north western part of the state that got some much needed attention. I don't think it was very effective at spurring the economy though. It cost every taxpayer around 3k, not including the compound interest on that 3k forever. What we need to ask is where the gas tax money went that was supposed to be earmarked for these same road improvements.

We all travel some, going from race to race. Does anyone else see that most of the major repairs where on secondary roads? It makes me wonder what they are planning to do with the interstate system. Are we about to have more toll roads, when they sell them off to private owners? Do you suppose they will lift the gas tax as they are being sold? ha ha Can you say, pay me now and pay me later. Isn't crony capitalism great?

[ss12]

In the Soviet Union, capitalism triumphed communism, In this country, capitalism triumphed over democracy.

[Bubstr]

In the Soviet Union, capitalism triumphed communism, In this country, capitalism triumphed over democracy.

If you really look at it, the so called communism and so called democracy are a lot alike. A mix of socialism and capitalism with out rules to keep balance. With out balance, unbridled capitalism wins and the people are slaves to it. Democracy took longer to tumble, because we had the rules to start with.

[ss12]

Bubstr, I totally agree and like you said we "had" rules to start with. Capitalism has removed the rules and is destroying everything.

[mudslinger47]

There were no shovel ready jobs, none.... The money was poured into federal projects that did little if any real good. We got a bridge widening, because the freeway was three lanes going into a two lane bridge...now it goes into two lanes about a block after the bridge...what good did that do? We got a new offramp and overpass of the freeway that goes basically no where.... California has undoubtly the worse roads on the planet.. Az. and Nv. have good roads and Utah isn't bad. Wy. sucks as does SD. Iowa's roads were marginal, to good. And thats all the states I've been in in the last two months.

[racin6mod]

I traveled through a few states this last week on my way to Virginia and back to Illinois. Many of the roads are need of repair in just about every state I traveled through. It did not matter if it was a red state or a blue state they were in need of repair. I will say it seemed to me the blue grass state of Kentucky seemed to have the best roads or at least the ones I traveled on. These are the kind of shovel ready jobs the President and congress should have focused their attention on. It would have created good paying jobs plus helped are much needed infrastructure.

The problem was on the state level. I know the factory were I work got million and spent most of it overseas on a machine they could have gotten here in the us.





Agency

Spent (Thousands)

In Process (Thousands)

Left to Spend (Thousands)

Total (Thousands)

Spent (%)

Progress


Smithsonian $23,906 $1,094 $- $25,000 95.62%
Social Security Administration $13,719,451 $18,723 $720,426 $14,458,600 94.89%
National Endowment for the Arts $46,041 $3,959 $- $50,000 92.08%
Railroad Retirement Board $141,537 $- $14,863 $156,400 90.50% #VALUE!
Department of Labor $62,581,220 $3,942,088 $4,276,692 $70,800,000 88.39%
Department of the Treasury* $7,694,498 $3,533,044 -$1,910,542 $9,317,000 82.59%
Veterans Affairs $1,041,193 $782,479 -$415,472 $1,408,200 73.94%
Corporation for National and Community Service $147,360 $44,566 $9,073 $201,000 73.31%
NASA $717,340 $329,930 -$45,270 $1,002,000 71.59%
Small Business Administration $519,260 $135,446 $75,293 $730,000 71.13%
Department of Education $63,649,011 $33,615,913 $973,077 $98,238,000 64.79%
Department of Agriculture $17,536,616 $5,344,893 $5,144,430 $28,025,940 62.57%
Health and Human Services $89,371,861 $27,356,580 $28,971,559 $145,700,000 61.34%
US Agency for International Development $22,138 $15,854 $8 $38,000 58.26%
Environmental Protection Agency $4,139,772 $2,982,276 $97,951 $7,220,000 57.34%
Department of Justice $2,136,391 $1,862,212 -$63,603 $3,935,000 54.29%
Army Corps of Engineers $2,428,517 $2,273,936 -$102,453 $4,600,000 52.79%
Housing and Urban Development $6,563,704 $6,988,037 $58,259 $13,610,000 48.23%
Department of Defense $3,297,404 $3,253,415 $884,180 $7,435,000 44.35%
Department of the Interior $1,307,027 $1,882,060 -$199,088 $2,990,000 43.71%
Department of Transportation $20,819,040 $18,835,973 $8,464,987 $48,120,000 43.26%
Department of State $185,137 $212,413 $166,450 $564,000 32.83%
Department of Energy $8,662,066 $24,548,457 -$470,524 $32,739,999 26.46%
General Services Administration $1,312,345 $4,785,611 -$240,957 $5,857,000 22.41%
Department of Commerce $1,671,582 $5,150,646 $1,093,772 $7,916,000 21.12%
National Science Foundation $598,511 $2,401,195 $2,294 $3,002,000 19.94%
Department of Homeland Security $534,096 $1,640,067 $585,836 $2,760,000 19.35%

TOTALS $310,867,025 $151,940,872 $48,091,242 $510,899,139 60.85%

[Bubstr]

There were no shovel ready jobs, none.... The money was poured into federal projects that did little if any real good. We got a bridge widening, because the freeway was three lanes going into a two lane bridge...now it goes into two lanes about a block after the bridge...what good did that do? We got a new offramp and overpass of the freeway that goes basically no where.... California has undoubtly the worse roads on the planet.. Az. and Nv. have good roads and Utah isn't bad. Wy. sucks as does SD. Iowa's roads were marginal, to good. And thats all the states I've been in in the last two months.

You got that right. The intent of stimulus was to infuse money into the economy. To kick start it by creating a consumer. In the true tradition of partisan politics, the republicans where against just giving it to poorer people that had no choice but to spend it and gave it to people with jobs and businesses, who had the ability to save it. If your from CA. you still have one of those shovel ready jobs in progress. The Golden Gate Bridge and the contractor is China based. The money won't even see our economy. But the republican party is ok with it. The money wasn't wasted and the lack of stimulus effectiveness can be blamed on the democrats. And the democrats don't care. They got to spend the money with their contributors. We know Keynesian economics work. It is working well with Wall St. and QE stimulus. What happened to Main St.?

[Clayton_Wetter]

If your talking about the stimulus bill that was supposed to infuse money into the general economy and with these shovel ready jobs restore our infrastructure, It was only somewhat effective, if at all. I noticed at least 4 roads around my county in the north western part of the state that got some much needed attention. I don't think it was very effective at spurring the economy though. It cost every taxpayer around 3k, not including the compound interest on that 3k forever. What we need to ask is where the gas tax money went that was supposed to be earmarked for these same road improvements.

We all travel some, going from race to race. Does anyone else see that most of the major repairs where on secondary roads? It makes me wonder what they are planning to do with the interstate system. Are we about to have more toll roads, when they sell them off to private owners? Do you suppose they will lift the gas tax as they are being sold? ha ha Can you say, pay me now and pay me later. Isn't crony capitalism great?

No doubt money is being diverted elsewhere, The stimulus was to. The Obummer CRONY capitalism is not great. We don't need the crony part.

[LITE-INN]

hey clayton is indiana 57 or is that 56 a windy sob

[mudeater18]

No doubt money is being diverted elsewhere, The stimulus was to. The Obummer CRONY capitalism to not great. We don't need the crony part.

Here's how it works.........

[kidrock]

Here's how it works.........

Ha ha ha ha, Obama would fit in with a lot racers. Those who like to cheat to win. Win at any cost. lol

[Clayton_Wetter]

Here's how it works.........

Now were getting to the meat and potatoes of this topic!!!