Hey, remember when Joe was talking about Unity and bipartisanship? Well, yes, 70 million of us knew that was a bunch of mule fritters
With an eye on history, Biden moves on big, bold and progressive infrastructure package
Every day he works from the Oval Office, President Joe Biden stares across from his desk at the portrait of Franklin Delano Roosevelt he selected to hang above his fireplace. (snip)
As he travels to Pittsburgh on Wednesday to unveil the next chapter of his massive effort to transform the country though long-sought progressive priorities, Biden is deeply conscious that it is now his moment to step up. He is looking to the bold actions favored by Democrats decades earlier to inform the opening days of his presidency, determined that small steps cannot match the current moment.
Why is it necessary to “transform the county”? Remember the days when we had presidents who loved the country?
The plan he will unveil in Pittsburgh on Wednesday includes $2.25 trillion in direct spending, with an additional $400 billion in clean energy tax credits, a person with knowledge of the matter said. The $2.25 trillion would include $650 billion for physical infrastructure, $300 billion for housing infrastructure, $300 billion for manufacturing, $300 billion for the electric grid and $400 billion for home caretakers and care for the elderly and disabled.
Part two of the proposal — which is likely to include child care, early education and health care funding — will be announced in April and is still being drafted, though sources said it could come in at roughly the same price tag.
Instead of mimicking the last Democratic administration, in which he served as vice president, Biden hopes to model the more transformational change offered by his acronym’d 20th-century predecessors, FDR and LBJ.
He believes his party has more fully embraced progressive causes since he was last in the White House, according to officials, and thinks the dual health and economic crises caused by Covid-19 have lent an urgency to passing major pieces of legislation. And he has not been shy to point out areas he believes President Barack Obama fell short and where he will strive to be more ambitious.
So, it’s all about pushing a hardcore leftist agenda. So much of this has nothing to do with infrastructure. And what happened to all that infrastructure money from the big Obama stimulus, for which Obama put “Sheriff Joe” in charge of? How much was pissed away along with using it to repay Obama donors? I remember a big sign on I440 here in Raleigh extolling the silly recovery act as they repaved the road which didn’t need repaving and messed up traffic near Capital Blvd. I remember Obama laughing about how all that money was pissed away on jobs and projects that weren’t shovel ready.
For Biden, that now means a sweeping plan on infrastructure that moves well beyond simply repairing roads, making airports nicer or preventing bridges from falling apart — though he wants to do that, too.
Instead, Biden views the package as an opportunity to drive the fight against climate change, to strengthen the federal safety net and to make the United States more competitive against China.
So, not so much about actual infrastructure.
The first prong of the White House proposal, which will include more than $2 trillion in spending, will be financed in large part through business tax increases, including raising the corporate rate to 28% from its current level of 21%, and increases in the global minimum tax, the ending of federal subsidies for fossil fuel firms and a requirement that multinational corporations pay the US tax rate.
Internal debates on how much of the proposal to pay for have been ongoing for several weeks, with White House officials keenly aware of potential inflationary risks, officials said. Psaki told reporters the proposal laid out on Wednesday would include mechanisms to finance the entirety of the package over time.
Raise the taxes and they get passed on to the consumers. Seriously, this stuff never works. And, it’s great how the “potential inflationary risks” is buried deep in the article, eh? This whole thing will once again be a party line vote, because it’s way too broad. If the focus was specifically on infrastructure, with specific spending priorities, it could very well be done in a bipartisan fashion. Won’t happen. Seriously, only $650 billion funds roads and bridges. It’s all about more Government.
I got some infrastructure for these fascist anti American pigs: Finish the fuking border wall!
I want to know what happens to all the federal and state gas taxes, road/turnpike and bridge tolls, parking meter money and such that were or are at one point or another at least partly to be used for said infrastructure? When I pay $5 for the Betsy Ross bridge where does that money go? Is there some numbered account in Hunter Xiden’s name in Tonga where the money appears?
I assume since the wall around DC is so effective chairman Xiden and the illegal Junta will use the money to wall in the entire city from all those adoring 81 million people The Elwood swears voted for him (haha. wink, wink).
The Republic has been stolen people. The Elwood’s are now in charge and they’re coming for us.
I see how the border facilities are 1700% over packed. What would happen if that was Trump’s doing? The gov’t keeps the beaten, raped, sodomized and murdered at the facilities secret. We’re supposed to believe that illegals including MS-13 who are professional criminals and killers are on their best behavior because they are in a Xiden facility? No violence from normally very violent people? If you believe that then you can believe senile joe got 81 million votes.
Kameltoe Hoe visits the “unfortunates” at the border. AOL conspicuously missing:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1376066300741517312
Our roads and bridges ate in terrible shape
Fixing them costs money
I say if you want them paid for tax the wealthy
Trump gave the super wealthy massive tax cuts I say raise their taxes on Trump himself and the rest of those elites
Trump gave the wealthy the appropriate same percentage tax cuts as other income groups, John. But I see you’re still up on current events as usual…
If we all use the roads and other infrastructure shouldn’t we ALL contribute to their building and maintenance? Are “the rich” supposed to support everything the rest want? Why do you hate successful people, Hairy? Why do you communist/fascists believe in taxing merit, success and competence while rewarding sloth, envy and hate? You guys need to look in the mirror once in a while.
John,
What is your purpose in increasing taxes on anyone? If you increase taxes on what you call the wealthy, they will move their money and business elsewhere. If you are taxing to increase tax revenue, then it is well known that increasing taxes hits a level of diminishing returns and decreased business activity. That means that as you increase taxes, at some point the amount of money flowing into the government becomes less. But we all know that liberals are not very smart and you and Jeff certainly prove that truth.
So what has happened to all the money from local, state and federal gas taxes that were supposed to pay for maintenance and up keep of the roads?
Agreed.
So why does the bill include things like:
– $174 billion investment in the electric vehicle market
– $400 billion to bolster caregiving for aging and disabled Americans
– $300 billion toward boosting manufacturing
– $213 billion toward building, renovating and retrofitting more than two million homes and housing units
– $180 billion to advance US leadership in critical technologies
– $100 billion to build new public schools and upgrade existing buildings
– $100 billion in order to give every American access to affordable, reliable and high-speed broadband
– $18 billion to modernize the Veterans Affairs’ hospitals
– $80 billion would go to address Amtrak’s repair backlog and modernize the Northeast Corridor line between Boston and Washington DC
Amtrack has always been a pet project of Biden and the US has poured billions into it to make it self sustaining, but it isn’t. Instead of starting over, we dump more money into Amtrack.
We also have history on infrastructure projects that go so over budget that it is ridiculous but yet seldom are people held accountable. (Boston’s Big Dig and California High Speed Rail come quickly to mind.)
Like the COVID relief bill, this proposal deals with more than infrastructure, expands the Federal government and will be paid for on the backs of all Americans.
While we all want better roads, where was Biden when he was in Congress and would not deal with fuel tax allocations for road and infrastructure? Was Biden asleep and suddenly become awake to this?
It is always easy to spend other people’s money which shows a hatred of the people. As Kye notes above, Hairy hates those who are successful and wants to tax people’s climb up the economic ladder.
Then again, all the left has is hate.
I have a friend that builds most of the roads in Louisiana. I asked why the roads were always in such bad condition. Response, the Fed. engineers come in and dictate how the road is to be built. He will tell them that the ground is swamp and should be built in a different manner. He is told to shut-up and build as they desire. And sure enough, five years later the road is nothing but cracks and holes.
There is plenty of money already generated by the gasoline taxes to pay for road maintenance and even expansion. All they have to do is stop stealing it to pay for Metro systems and bike lanes.