Lets talk about the Stimulus Plan.... 4

[shaunsnoll]

Hi everyone,

please excuse me if this is discussed somewhere else, but i thought this part of the forum would be appropriate

i'm just looking at this ~90B$ in US infra spending over the next 2-3 years from the Obama plan and wondering what you guys take is on how it will impact the US E&C Industry? I have found the members here to be of high quality and intelligence so will be interesting to get your feedback and thoughts.

thanks!

 

[RossABQ]

Ther ewas an excellent, fairly comprehensive article in The Atlantic Monthly (of all places) about the impact of the current troubles on primarily the US. It said it is unlikely any place will displace NYC as the financial center of the world, simply because a financial center is more than brokers, or banks, it's a whole system including tax lawyers, accounting houses, IPO houses, etc. Very good article, here's a link.

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200903/meltdown-geography

 

[ctopher]

How it all started...
"The way it is"

Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 3.1
AutoCAD 08; CATIA V5
ctopher's home (updated Aug 5, 2008)
ctopher's blog
SolidWorks Legion

 

[msquared48]

I read that subsection 83.1.2.45.8 of the new stimulus plan specifically requires all males over the age of 55 to be stimulated with 7 doses of Viagra a week. Let's see... the author was ...Larry Flint?

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

 

[cranky108]

How can a country like China become a super power when they can't even feed there own people?

We dug this hole, we let it happen.

Outsource because it's cheeper. Why not improve our own internal processes.

Reduce costs by reducing quality. Gee consumers don't like our product as much.

OK safety isen't so bad, but it sure cost us.

 

[ctopher]

cranky108,
I agree.

Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 3.1
AutoCAD 08; CATIA V5
ctopher's home (updated Aug 5, 2008)
ctopher's blog
SolidWorks Legion

 

[csd72]

As a few people have mentioned above, people really should consider voting for a third party if they are not happy with the main two.

The reason why most people don't vote for a third party is because they don't believe they will ever get in power, but they don't have to. Australia had a situation last cycle where independents held the balance of power and the major parties had to pamper to them in order to get their bills passed. That is all you need to keep them honest.

I think the world is now far too complex for the old two party system.

 

[rapt]

csd72,

I will disagree with you on the usefullness of minority groups in government having the balance of power (in most cases). They are normally one-issue individuals/groups and insist on getting their interest satisfied to allow anything to get passed in voting eg Green groups, Gun Lobby, legalise cannabis, etc. So they are normally not improving the actual legislation or keeping them honest, simply getting their little bit added to satisfy their self interests. This may actually make the legislation worse but it does not matter to them. If you want a good example, look at the governments where there are a lot of parties (eg Italy).

They already have 5,000,000++ lobbyists in Washington doing this. They do not need extra independents having the balance of power as well.

We are stuck with what we have until elections stop being a popularity contest and are able to actually find the most suited person for the job. Would you buy shares in a company in which the CEO was elected to run it based on his TV adds, financial backing, sincerity of his smile and the propaganda (read lies and BS) he produces?

Unfortunately I do not have a solution either.

 

[jmw]

That is also one of the problems with Proportional Representation; it as often leads to extremist government as to moderate, precisely because when the minority holds the balance of power more extreme legislation is passed as its price for keeping one or another parties in power.

Of course, such governments can be pretty ineffectual and the Italian is one such where they recognise the weakness and have been attempting to limit the extent of PR in the hopes of achieving stable government.

Blair, obliged create the Welsh and Scottish National Assemblies as his price for inheriting the John Smith mantle of leadership, took care to ensure they were elected via PR thus poisoning any real effectiveness. Maybe.

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[cranky108]

Consiter that a large number of people don't vote, or want to vote. They probally feel there isen't anything worth voteing for. Well as long as they don't vote, no one will be offering them they want to vote for.

If we enact a special tax on people who don't vote, then they maybe more likely to vote. Which will bring, hopefuly, new ideas, issues, and candates into the process.

A third party is possible and may fracture the news reporters more into reporting, and not trashing candates.

What's this got to do with Stimulus Plan? Well I'm just unhappy enough about it that I would vote agenst any incumbent in anything other than a city election.

 

[KENAT]

"If we enact a special tax on people who don't vote", so a reverse poll tax, is that constitutional?

KENAT,

Have you reminded yourself of faq731-376 recently, or taken a look at posting policies:

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484

 

[SnTMan]

csd72, the Democrat and Republican wings of the Incumbency Party have managed to arrange things in my state so that serious independent candidates can no longer get on the ballot for any office higher than dog catcher. For the last couple of elections voters here have been denied the choice to vote for, say, the Liberterian candidate. In the 2008 election, for first time in my life, I did not vote the Presidential ballot, because I could not support either candidate. The Incumbency Party now has a stranglehold on the process, it works to insure the election of the present officeholders.

I often voice the opinion we would be much better off to just pay these people to STAY HOME.

Regards,

Mike

 

[TheTick]

Bob Barr (Libertarian) was on the ballot in every state but Connecticut. Is that where you are, SnTMan? CT supreme court eventually ruled it was wrong to exclude Barr from the ballot, then ruled is was just too late to change the ballots.

 

[ewh]

There is always that space to write in the candidate of your choice.

"Good to know you got shoes to wear when you find the floor." - [small]Robert Hunter[/small]

 

[KENAT]

Yeah, but Disney has Mickey under exclusive contract.

KENAT,

Have you reminded yourself of faq731-376 recently, or taken a look at posting policies:

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484

 

[cranky108]

While writing in Micky, I often wonder what happens if he wins.

In some South American countries they effectly have a reverse pole tax. How else do you think they have 98% voteing records.

The problem with write in's is in some places they require you to spell the names correctly, or they count the vote to the wrongly spelled name. This makes it difficult for a write in canadate to get elected.

 

[SnTMan]

TheTick, CT was not the only state, as I am in OK, whose Supreme Court sees nothing wrong with keeping "fringe" parties off the ballot.

And ewh, we don't get a write-in.

I think we should have a "None of the Above" choice on the ballot and if this choice gets the majority of the votes, the office goes unfilled until the next election. We could then begin to see which of these offices are really necessary

Regards,

Mike

 

[TheTick]

You're right. I remember seeing Barr on TV discussing the CT verdict. I thought he said they were on in 49 states at that time. Must have heard wrong.

 

[ewh]

Bummer... your Texas neighbors do.

"Good to know you got shoes to wear when you find the floor." - [small]Robert Hunter[/small]

 

[SnTMan]

ewh, yeah thats just one MORE thing that makes living here SO special.

Regards,

Mike