Because the developers have learned how to play politics for more money?
The US has forgotten how to do infrastructure
121–130 of 564 posts
Re: The US has forgotten how to do infrastructure
#122I thought about this when I visited the Hoover Dam. The audacity of the thing and sheer impossibility of doing anything remotely like it in today's America makes it seem like a relic from an ancient civilization. It felt like visiting the pyramids in Egypt.
Hypothesis: nicotine is a nootropic [0] good for say, 6 IQ points on average (Danish study I saw referenced, not linking unless I can find the original paper). The Hoover Dam and many other great infrastructure projects were created in the earlier 20th century when smoking was pervasive. Perhaps we were somewhat smarter in aggregate back then and that's why we can't engineer infrastructure at the same level anymore.…
There aren't 6 point differences between France, China, Japan, and the USA. It's more like 2 points. And if 2, or 6 points could double construction costs, then in the poorest countries like Africa everything would have to cost something like 100x more, which is definitely not the case.
Re: The US has forgotten how to do infrastructure
#123It costs extra because CORRUPTION. They're skimming off the top at every level, and that's why they can't let anyone investigate.
I would like to read more about corruption in American infrastructure. Can you provide a link?
Death by a thousand cuts. Because we are talking infrastructure, most of the corruption is happening at the city and county level where the permitting process happens. Nothing really ever so big enough as to garner national news (and maybe this is why it has gone unchecked for so long); lots and lots of misuse of local taxpayer monies, misappropriations, etc.
I was reading recently about corruption in Jared Kushner's businesses; these detail some of the ways and means it happens: City approves large fancy tower complex, but construction company hires expensive out-of-state workers, fails to pay taxes that benefit local schools, etc.
- http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-... - http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/5/29/1665349/-Meet-Jared-...
Re: The US has forgotten how to do infrastructure
#124I thought about this when I visited the Hoover Dam. The audacity of the thing and sheer impossibility of doing anything remotely like it in today's America makes it seem like a relic from an ancient civilization. It felt like visiting the pyramids in Egypt.
#1 reason we wouldn't do things like that today: 112-154 people died during construction (number depends on if you believe that carbon monoxide poisioning during construction was purposely mis-diagnosed in order for the company to skip on paying death benefits).
This is a huge reason the Apollo program succeeded as well. Everyone accepted the fact that the astronauts might not be coming back.
Re: The US has forgotten how to do infrastructure
#125I don't know the answers, but as someone who works in the industry (on the design side). I think a big unmentioned factor is probably liability and the prospect of litigation. If you look at old blueprints for projects in the past, they are a LOT less detailed. They had to be, because it was physically more difficult to produce them since they had to be drawn by hand. A lot was left to the contractor to figure out in…
>This means every time there's a question, it has to be submitted through a formal process, tracked, answered, documented. I don't know why you think proper change control is a bad thing. In both software and systems engineering you submit change requests that are tracked, reviewed, assessed for risk, approved and documented. You do this to create an audit trail to identify "how we got here". Any concerns? It's docum…
I think you're misreading his comment.
It's not bad, it's just more expensive than not doing it. Thus, infrastructure built today costs more.
Re: The US has forgotten how to do infrastructure
#126I don't know the answers, but as someone who works in the industry (on the design side). I think a big unmentioned factor is probably liability and the prospect of litigation. If you look at old blueprints for projects in the past, they are a LOT less detailed. They had to be, because it was physically more difficult to produce them since they had to be drawn by hand. A lot was left to the contractor to figure out in…
Anecdotally, having moved to Western Europe, I get the sense that this is the major factor as well.
If I walk down the street and there is a group of workers excavating a road, there's a lot more of a relaxed attitude about fencing, walking underneath construction equipment, etc.
After all - use your common sense - don't fall into the hole. If you do, isn't it kind of your own fault? Nobody's going to sue anybody.
Additionally, it's not a big deal to close or severely impact a road due to construction - just shift around the fantastic public transit infrastructure, and everyone carries along. A bus only needs one lane in both directions. Another thing that would never fly in North America.
Both of these problems are deeply cultural. Lawsuits have become a form of welfare. Sure, you might not have government healthcare if you get hurt or sick, but maybe you can sue somebody and get paid for your suffering?
And America's love affair with the automobile is a well-known abusive relationship that America will never have the courage to leave.
Re: The US has forgotten how to do infrastructure
#127I don't know the answers, but as someone who works in the industry (on the design side). I think a big unmentioned factor is probably liability and the prospect of litigation. If you look at old blueprints for projects in the past, they are a LOT less detailed. They had to be, because it was physically more difficult to produce them since they had to be drawn by hand. A lot was left to the contractor to figure out in…
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Re: The US has forgotten how to do infrastructure
#128Earlier quoted context omitted.
>For simplification, let's say if one wants to run for president, they can only use whatever is in the FEC public coffers. What in particular would they not be allowed to use private money to do? Would individuals that aren't running be allowed to use private money to do those things?
I never really fleshed out the idea too much in my head. It may indeed be impossible to completely get rid of private money. With shit like super-PACs and all the different shell entities that exist solely to funnel money through, all those should be struck from the books. Private donations of $3500 or whatever the limit is? Sure, keep those.
>With shit like super-PACs and all the different shell entities that exist solely to funnel money through, all those should be struck from the books.
In regard to promoting political candidates, what in particular should individuals unaffiliated with the candidate not be allowed to spend their private money on?
For example, should I be allowed to spend my own money to buy a computer which I then use to post comments on message boards which argue in favor of some candidate?
Should I be allowed to spend my own money on a computer which hosts a website which argues in favor of some candidate?
Should I be allowed to buy a newspaper and then selectively hire journalists who I believe are biased in favor of the candidates that I prefer?
Re: The US has forgotten how to do infrastructure
#129Earlier quoted context omitted.
Let's be honest, there are not that many examples to choose from. What I like about China is, it illustrates how effective a mostly benevolent dictatorship is. It is the optimal political system imho, provided it remains benevolent of course, which is no small feat. Provided they don't trip and fall, if China is not the absolute supreme leader of the planet in 25 - 50 years I will be shocked.
> Let's be honest, there are not that many examples to choose from. Yes, I think that's the point. There are decent numbers of places where government has neither the ability or desire to regulate heavily. None of those places seem to have blossomed into oases of free enterprise and infrastructure construction.
This point is likely subject to the "correlation is causation" debate. All the countries doing well with big governments are also likely resource-rich and home to ancient empires and culture.
What countries have small states that you are referring to anyway? Zimbabwe? Burma? Equador? Places in the jungle? There are lots of other reasons these places might not be economic powerhouses. It takes a lot more time to trade coconuts through a deep jungle.
Just because it seems difficult now under a heavy antiquated state-controlled system, doesn't mean, say, something like a crypto-currency-backed decentralized world isn't possible. We very well could one day be paying taxes just to local governments, and many local governments compete for our citizenship through things like low taxes. Cut the 25% u pay in taxes that goes to military related expenses (because, say, china now becomes the world's "supreme leader" as someone else said), and now we are well on our way to a small-state government.
I hope we can fix these problems. Things are so inefficient. I'm excited to see how far decentralization can take us.
Re: The US has forgotten how to do infrastructure
#130By U.S. I think they mean the Federal Government. It's possible to build very large projects, presumably to code and under proper safety standards, in America if one desires. Here are two examples which come immediately to my mind. I'm sure they are many more examples.
https://www.tesla.com/gigafactory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Park
I think the Federal Government looks at infrastructure as jobs programs and this is why they are drawn out. The job is the end not the thing they're actually building.