Building Back

Congratulations Arnold ! It requires a lot of courage to make bold and independent decisions. What you are trying to do, makes perfect sense. Consumerism leads to money going to China; whereas infrastruture spending leads to money being circulated among Americans (a little part might ultimatelybe used to buy Chinese goods). For govt. spending, think of some applicaion fee/ recertification fee for the non-status (illegal) immigrants. If they can rent an apartment, admit their kids in schools, get driving licenses, there could be a way to timpose an annual fee on this category while they remain on the list of wait-ins. Consider a $1000 a year a family. This could results in billions a year;for govt spendindg.

An almost conservative answer to the nations bailout.

There is no doubt that the messiah is going to find
a way to spend billions in the name of Infrastructure.

It is possible to make lemonade out of this lemon.

The obstacles to fast infrastructure progress are
environment and immenent domain issues. These
can be avoided as follows.

The entire Interstate Highway System needs to be
repaired or replaced during the next ten years.

As any work is done on the system, they should be
required to install two things under this right of way.
An Electrical Transmission Grid and Natural Gas
Transmission Lines, and between close cities, they
could build high speed monorail (ie St. Louis to Chicago)

This Interstate of the 21st Century would attack at
least five problems.

Interstate Upgrade - Gas Transmission - Electric Grid-
Traffic relief- Imported Oil. All are sorely needed.

It would also allow industry to decide the best ways
to adapt to new ways of powering transportation.

As private industry sees the opportunities to profit
by creating electricity along the grid (ie Solar, Wind,
Water power, Clean coal), millions of jobs in private
enterprise would be created. The government could
pitch in by guarantee of 50% of required bonds.

The monorail transportation could be U.S./Private
enterprise. Interstates could be private toll roads.

These projects would unleash the entrepreneurial
lions, and take back industry from the government.

How about nuclear power plants???

I believe the Governor is moving in the right direction. It is important that tangible assets be produced when money is thrown at a problem. If contract clauses can be inserted to limit bidders to US companies/suppliers and manufacturers and local employees only then I believe all parties will benefit from these arrangements. (U.S. Government contracts routinely include "Buy American" clauses in their bid requirements and require the use of local citizen labor. This forces investment in local workforces and channels tax monies generated by the projects back to the governments, state and national, that fund the projects.) I have worked in the U.S. government contracting arena for 25 years, most of the time outside the USA in support of our foreign missions and have seen these types of programs generate economies. With the sorry state of our national and statewide infrastructure millions of jobs could be created nationally, our transport system modernized and a more efficient, robust economy would result.

We need a nation wide rail system. Get out of our cars. Stop our trucks. You should be able to get on a train anywhere in the USA and go anywhere. The building of this green way of moving people and things would employee many people and start a new industry. Electric trains are proven technology. Monorails in our cities. Death to the automobile industry. We had this system in place once but tore it up for the wars. Lets put it back.

Let's make sure we put some of this proposed money and energy into public transportation and improved rail lines to carry freight, and passengers. not just more and more roads to carry individual carbon belching semi trucks and cars.

Thus is the first time of my posting comment. Good and healthy lives will be opened to Gov. Arnold continously alway ever after. Thanks very much!

Arnold Governor and giving economic lectures don't mis like a nerd playing chess in a 24 hour fitness center. I wish his brain was as big as his biceps. He can't pump up the California economy due to nepotism (Kennedy), cronismn (scarcity) and I.Q.; he probabably thinks it is a Pilates add on, what a country, Instant Rome re-invented.

At the same time Gov Scharznegger talks about pumping up the econom y of California, he demands that the Calilfornia legislature terminate 10 percent of the state employee work force. The employees serve a necessary function to the State's infrastructure. Also, sending 10 percent of them to the unemployement office, or into a premature retirement will have a devastating effect on property values, and housing starts.
Speaking of retirement, I wonder how the Republican crony he appointed to oversee the state employee retirement fund is faring these days. It wouldn't surprise me if the state retirement fund has been completely devastated.

In his puff-piece, Arnold Schwarzenegger fails to point out that he just vetoed a budget proposal that included many of the jump-start projects that he advocated. To be sure, these public works projects require taxes, but unless you want to live in a tax-free paradise, like Haiti or Somalia, you need to pay taxes. (Even Adam Smith pointed this out.) Furthermore, the bills for Arnold's much vaunted 2006 bond issue are now coming due. Because California does not have the money to pay off these bills, California's bond rating has plummeted to zero and about 2,000 current public works projects have been cancelled, making California vulnerable to lawsuits filed by the same private contractors whose interests Gov. Arnold wants to promote.
Furthermore, Arnold's pet dreams of privatizing road maintenance will not be cheaper. His billionaire buddies will bilk the state, just like Halliburton and other defense contractors have robbed the federal government blind. Furthermore, private contractors will not hire Americans with union wages and working conditions. Instead, they will import foreign workers from the third world, who will get slave-labor wages and working conditions. I might also add that imported cheap labor brings concomitant vices such as drugs, alcoholism, prostitution, and crime. Where is Rick Warren when you need him?
The last time Arnold got a puff piece in Newsweek, he was championing the environment. Now he wants the legislature to eliminate environmental safeguards. He also wants to destroy public transportation - at a time when our national salvation revolves on how many people we can get out of their private cars and on to subways, buses, and light rail system. As a result, California will get more sick children, higher health insurance rates less actual health care, and more global warming. In turn, global warming helps create the drought that California has been suffering from - devastating California's agricultural industry.
Finally, Arnold's budget proposals are declaration of war against the poor,the weak, the sick, the elderly, - and the young. Arnold wants to slash funds for health care and public education and make a college education a dream that only the wealthy can afford. Furthermore, Arnold cannot make the connection between childhood poverty, child abuse, and violence. As result of Gov. Arnold the next generation will be poorer, sicker, less educated, and more violent. They certainly will not be able to afford the white elephant McMansions that are currently clogging the housing and lending market and causing our entire economy to collapse.
Way to go, Arnold. You're really showing California what a fearless leader you are. Just like George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Co, future generations of Californians will curse your name.

There can be absolutely no comparison of USA to the Roman Empire,which had mass poverty & slave labour...

The classical "education " is meaningless & belongs to the trashcan of history..

I hope that if not Arnold himself ,then one of his aides reads the comments & understands that the ideas in his article got a skeptical approval

Great! truly great! I agree with the idea and most commentators. I have a question: what exactly is he doing? "Concretely" speaking: how long and wide are the roads, railways and bridges; how fast and comfortable are the new trains, streetcars, buses and planes; how adequate and functional are the new and renovated schools, hospitals, universities, parks, and playgrounds?

Congratulations Arnold ! It requires a lot of courage to make bold and independent decisions. What you are trying to do, makes perfect sense. Consumerism leads to money going to China; whereas infrastruture spending leads to money being circulated among Americans (a little part might ultimatelybe used to buy Chinese goods). For govt. spending, think of some applicaion fee/ recertification fee for the non-status (illegal) immigrants. If they can rent an apartment, admit their kids in schools, get driving licenses, there could be a way to timpose an annual fee on this category while they remain on the list of wait-ins. Consider a $1000 a year a family. This could results in billions a year;for govt spendindg.

Science and technology can provide the solution but we need it ver urgently. More than the research what we need is an attitudinal shift, to believe in ourselves. Actually we do have a solution for immediate implementation based on Gravitational Force- surprisingly the latest development but truly simple in technology for implementation and has little chance of failure because it is explainable by simple Newton's equations, and nothing beyond that level! ( www.atrilab.com )

The implications are gravitational force can provide:
1. 360 kmph rail based intercity transportation saving 87% of electrical energy
2. urban metros, even existing ones can save 97% of electrical energy
3. cargo can be moved from any point to any point in USA with gravity power, saving 97% of energy from fossil fuels
4. USA can stop importing 8m barrels of oil daily, and stop 3.5b tons of carbon emissions per annum
The projects for USA would need investment of $450 b, but no subsidy from the government, because they generate 30 to 40% cash surpluses.They generate also close to one million jobs. Eternal free gravity force , can kick start projects in all the states for transportation infrastructure to be futuristic totally powered by gravitational force. Within four years we can complete the commercial implementation and get benefits, without any need for waiting for research to be completed.

The Roman empire fell because it became decadent. Decadence mainly means loosing track of what's important for you and your people. Like: growth, progress, discipline. Indicators are: corruption, golden parachute orgies, arrogance, ignorance. That's why Bush stands, before all, for decadence and paving the way for an American downfall. I pray that Barack and Arnold turn it around. Infrastructure is a start. Cutting back on insane defense spendings and going after corrupted freaks in Washington and Wall Street is necessary, too. And proving to the world that American values are still valid and can make this country the shining beacon on the hill again. It's that easy.

The Roman Empire fell because of over taxing people and its lack of border control get a clue.

This is what the US government should have done, instead of spending money on never-ending wars and spending on war contractors who waste them all for nothing. What have Bush achieved from Iraq and Afghanistan so far? Beside some transient euphoria on mission accomplished, lies, torture, destrution, murders, scandals etc, thers is NOTHING. Fortunately there are still some sensible leaders in the US.