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American Infrastructure Sell-Off

W

Weekday Warrior

Free Member
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2008/09/let-the-great-a/


You know the economy’s in great shape when our elected leaders start handing over our highways, airports, bridges and tunnels over to the highest bidder.
That might be a bit simplistic, but on some level it’s accurate. States and cities, struggling with gargantuan budget deficits, are increasingly selling or leasing vital transportation infrastructure to private companies. Yes, it helps fill state coffers, but it’s a scary development nonetheless.
One of the biggest proposed deals is a plan to lease the 537-mile Pennsylvania Turnpike, the nation’s oldest major toll road, to a private investment group that includes Citigroup and the Spanish firm Abertis. The legislature votes on the deal next month; if it goes through, Abertis will pay $12.8 billion to run the turnpike for 75 years. That’s a big chunk of change.
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anyone else disturbed by this? Putting a major peice of road in the hands of foriegn private business? This is the tip of the iceberg, I could invision a trend where most of our biggest highways are all privatized, to foreign industry.
 
I believe there is a piece of I-90 in Indiana that is owned by the dutch?

Edit, spanish and australian.. From wiki.. on Indian Toll Road
It is owned by the Indiana Finance Authority and operated by the Indiana Toll Road Concession Company, a joint-venture between Spanish Cintra Concesiones de Infraestructuras de Transporte and Australian Macquarie Infrastructure Group.
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The parking meters in Chicago were sold out..

IMO, once you sell these things, you will never get them back.

Though, honestly, this scares you?

Isn't this the opposite of socialism? You know, companies owning everything?
 
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ruffryder said:
and hello to you on this fine monday..

We live in a global economy, with global infrastructure..
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Are you freaking kidding me! A GLOBAL ECONOMY! Your part of whats wrong with this country. Go ahead borrow some more money from the chineese. I don't have any kids so yours will have to pay it back!
 
777 said:
Are you freaking kidding me! A GLOBAL ECONOMY! Your part of whats wrong with this country. Go ahead borrow some more money from the chineese. I don't have any kids so yours will have to pay it back!
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Ruffy's not talking about borrowing money.
We are in a global economy.
Private sector can do pretty much everything better than the feds.
Why not let private sector run the roads and take care of the bridges.
The states and feds haven't done such a good job.

I would rather see the states cutting the social programs.
 
Ollie said:
Ruffy's not talking about borrowing money.
We are in a global economy.
Private sector can do pretty much everything better than the feds.
Why not let private sector run the roads and take care of the bridges.
The states and feds haven't done such a good job.

I would rather see the states cutting the social programs.
Click to expand...


Thanks for stating the obvious. I'll type real s l o w, so you can keep up. Companies in OTHER countries buy AMERICAN infrastructure so they can make money on it. I.E. Tollways and Toll Bridges. They do not buy it to fix it up because they think we are COOL. So, your kids and his kids can pay for my bridges with the interest that will be acrued over many years.
 
777 said:
Companies in OTHER countries buy AMERICAN infrastructure so they can make money on it. I.E. Tollways and Toll Bridges. They do not buy it to fix it up because they think we are COOL.
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So, fixing it up because they think we are cool is why AMERICAN companies do it? Not to make money also? You know, I don't want to state the obvious, but if that was the case, then why does it make sense to lease it out?

Infrastructure costs are increasing pretty high and a lack in infrastructure investment in the last decade or so isn't helping either. Though honestly, I don't like ANY company owning civil stuff. Public should stay public, IMO.

Case in point, I believe the Indiana toll contract had non-compete clauses. That means efforts to
improve the traffic system to reduce the load or demand on the interstate is not allowed. If that is true, then that is a little messed up.

It seems smaller cities are looking for ways to stay a float. Look at that Hardin debacle. If the small ones go down, then the larger ones will go down also.
 
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777 said:
Thanks for stating the obvious. I'll type real s l o w, so you can keep up. Companies in OTHER countries buy AMERICAN infrastructure so they can make money on it. I.E. Tollways and Toll Bridges. They do not buy it to fix it up because they think we are COOL. So, your kids and his kids can pay for my bridges with the interest that will be acrued over many years.
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ok, for the small bus riders.
First off, no one is SELLING anything. The companies bid on the right to RUN IT.
Try to keep up.

When you write contracts (those are papers stating what the job is and how it will be done, ya know, lots of words) you simply put minimum standards and maximum costs allowed.

If U.S. companies are going to bid on the contracts they will compete on the same playing field as any company from around the world.

Here's where world politics and global economy come into play so I'll go slow for ya.

If a country won't allow U.S. companies to bid in their country, then they will be barred from bidding in this country. You see, we have companies running things in their country also, that's called a global economy when countries from all over the world get to compete against each other.

Sort of like when your high school football team goes to another town to play. They get to compete even though they arn't from that town. They play by the same rules as the local school.

It has nothing to do with borrowing money and what moron thinks even a liberal politician would block U.S. companies from bidding (the unions will demand and the libs will obey).

Clear enough or do I need to break out the crayons?
 
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Ollie said:
ok, for the small bus riders.
First off, no one is SELLING anything. The companies bid on the right to RUN IT.
Try to keep up.

When you write contracts (those are papers stating what the job is and how it will be done, ya know, lots of words) you simply put minimum standards and maximum costs allowed.

If U.S. companies are going to bid on the contracts they will compete on the same playing field as any company from around the world.

Here's where world politics and global economy come into play so I'll go slow for ya.

If a country won't allow U.S. companies to bid in their country, then they will be barred from bidding in this country. You see, we have companies running things in their country also, that's called a global economy when countries from all over the world get to compete against each other.

Sort of like when your high school football team goes to another town to play. They get to compete even though they arn't from that town. They play by the same rules as the local school.

It has nothing to do with borrowing money and what moron thinks even a liberal politician would block U.S. companies from bidding (the unions will demand and the libs will obey).

Clear enough or do I need to break out the crayons?
Click to expand...


get your crayons out, and draw me a vision of the future with private companys running all of our infrastructure, eventually it will boil down to a handful of giagantic companys running it all.

how much leverage then do those giagantic companys have to charge money and infulance politics?

Do we come to a point where private industry IS our government?? eeeerr wait maybe we are there already :eek:



Some civil things need to be off limits to privitazation
law enforcement is one thing, can you think of others? Energy?
 
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O.K. Ollie since you just can't seem to get the hang of this. We will try to school you one more time, although I doubt even little words will reach you.
When you let FORIEGN companies bid (in any way) for contracts on American infrasturcture that money LEAVES this country. Keep in mind I'm trying to make this simple so you can keep up. Our infrastructure does not have to become part of YOUR global economy. But I can tell you voted Obama so I'm sure you would welcome that. The only reason there is any global to our economy is you and your liberal buddies taxing corperations out of this country.
I know you will have to read that last part a couple of times ( I used of big words) there kiddo. Don't worry this post is here for you to read and reread. Don't be afraid to ask a friend to help you sound out the hard words.
 
That's what you get when you allow a political thread in a forum.


Oh and P.S.
The only infrastructure we run in other countries is humanitarian efforts in third worlds. NOT TOLLWAYS AND OR BRIDGES.
 
Ollie isn't a liberal, and doesn't need attacked

he contributes good discussion to this 4m, I happen to agree with him 95% of the time and welcome open debate the other 5%


ruffy I disagree with 95% of the time, but I don't feel the need to attack him :D
 
Yeah, like I'm the only one in this debate. And he sure comes off as a liberal. Whats your point?
 
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