by Wayne McLaughlin
There is no such thing as ‘shovel ready’ sitting on someone’s shelf waiting to go. With Trump’s construction background, he knows that and after exposure of Obama’s empty ‘shovel ready’ shelf, the Democrats know that. Repairing a creaky infrastructure requires substantial engineering for development of documents that the shovel wielders can bid on which will take a minimum of two to three years to even be bid-ready.
These are never done ahead of time because, (a) they are expensive and available money has digging with lane closures etc. as a priority and, (b) why do it for an indefinite future project when the requirements will probably change.
And so, we have Kabuki politics with elaborate costumes and stylized choreography as Trump and Schumer take the measure of one another while going through the appointment and approval process. Talk of agreement on public works and how to pay for it, as-a-way to get the economy moving, is completely specious.
Ground breaking on anything substantial and expensive is at least three years away and if the economy can’t support if financially by then, Trump can get ready for an early retirement.
Economic nourishment will come in the form of tax cuts and repeals of Dodd-Frank and Obamacare. These are tough nuts to crack and senate Republicans have a big decision about what to do with the filibuster. Following on the Harry Reid precedence will probably eliminate it forever as a protection of minority rights in the Senate on things that count.
And who really speaks for the Democratic party and who is the rank and file? Is it the disaffected middle class who went for Trump in search of jobs and security whom the party wants to recapture or the street gaggle in funny hats who carry provocative signs and break windows?
Traditionally, Democrats and Republicans have traveled parallel paths, separated by different problem solving philosophies, but converging with compromise to address critical issues. As alternatives to mainstream media communication came into use, fringe philosophies gained electoral viability and purged both parties of moderate voices. Winning replaced compromise as the only acceptable outcome to any substantive debate.
Racism, misogynistic and worse became the lingua franca of legislative debate resulting in stalemated positions that lead to presidential executive orders as the only way to move off the dime. This leads to instability and unpredictability since those orders are only valid for the life of a presidential term. Voters view the results as a ‘do-nothing’ congress and a chief executive with alarmingly increasing power.
The Republicans have their leader for the next four to eight years, but who will emerge on the Democratic side with the communication skills and leadership ability to set the tone going forward. Will it be Chuck Schumer, as a voice of legislative reason or a shrill, let’em all burn in hell, Elizabeth Warren or Cory Booker, a wannabe Obama redux? Or somebody else?
The result will determine how far and how fast the U.S. economy can regain its strength after 16 years of post-millennium falderal.
Let’s call a shovel a spade
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Ya know, just too many pundits with too many opinions out here thinking they are significant for some reason. I would offer a Steve Bannonism here…Shut Up!
For all those who think their interpretation of events is spot on, Shut Up!
Get all your asses out locally to any meeting that make decisions on your life and use your pie hole to make things right at that level. We are frogs in the pot and they are turning up the heat at PTA meetings, city and county council meetings, land and water usage meetings and Agenda 21 meetings.
Donald never promised us the bozo crap of “shovel ready jobs” or shovel ready anything. He is a realist instead of an apologist.
I agree. Good point.
How many real jobs has Mr. Obama had?
NONE……all were just pretend make busy or make anarchy jobs….or wanna be jobs.
What? You mean to tell me that a community organizer is not a real job?
Not a real job where you have to do anything but show up….
I can’t imagine how many jobs were approved, but put on hold. I don’t by it.
It time to “tool-up” yourselves. Learn a skill. You’ll need at least two years anyway.
Be ready. We can’t get enough skilled workers, where I work.
The DNC (or puppets in GOP), led by those maggot Israeli-Firsters like Chuck Crocodile Schumer, Feinstein, Barbara Box, etc… is trying all they can to impede President Trump’s progress to revise and to rebuild America. These DNC Israel-Firsters are afraid that President Trump’s success will forever change the American political landscape in which Americans and America are politicians’ first priority. American First is not allowed in Washington DC where 534 US congressmen/women and senators who have been supposed to be working and serving America. But, for the past 5 decades, especially since the Bush Sr. administration, Israel’s interests have been US Puppets’ first priority.
These Washington maggots, big (like Schumer) or small ones (puppets) like Cory Booker, Menendez, McCain, Graham must be drained off the swamp entirely and completely. These maggots are freely carrying their treasonous acts with impunity. Their treason must be stopped.
Three Nuns were talking, and one was complaining about the rough and crude workers digging up the road and the language they were using.
To this, the second Nun said, “But Sister, you must remember these are honest, hard working men who call a spade a spade.”
The third one then piped up, saying, “That’s not what I heard them calling it!”
Nothing will change significantly for the better until we get rid of the Fed and private central fractional reserve banking. It should be outlawed by a global consensus and all the top bankers in all the world’s private central banks should finish their lives in prison. This type of banking has war as its stock in trade and must be eliminated!!!!
Nothing will change for the better until we rid ourselves of the Fed and private central fractional reserve banking. It should be outlawed worldwide by a global consensus and the top bankers at all the world’s private central banks should finish their lives in prison. War is the stock in trade of private central banks and their evil cannot be overstated.