Thursday morning links

"Glance at these two pictures and see if you can figure out where they are. " Looks remarkably similar to Paris lately if you view some of their pictures. What an absolute disaster in both cities and others too I'm sure.

#2 JC on 2017-12-28 08:47 (Reply)

"America needs a massive infrastructure bill."

Isn't that what the Obama administration used the trillions in bailouts for? What happened to all that money?

The problem with our nations infrastructure is our politicians. For decades they have looted the funding for these projects to use one their pet projects that benefited their cronies and voters. Fix that problem first before putting any more funds into this black hole.

#3 GoneWithTheWind on 2017-12-28 09:38 (Reply)

QUOTE:

America needs a massive infrastructure bill. But we won't get one.

Actually, the best time for an infrastructure bill was during the recovery from the Great Recession. It would have boosted the economy when it was a low point. Now, the economy is working near capacity, so large government projects will compete with the private sector for capital and for production.

QUOTE:

Isn't that what the Obama administration used the trillions in bailouts for? What happened to all that money?

The bipartisan stimulus package during the Obama Administration was about $0.8 trillion:

$0.3 trillion, cutting taxes
$0.2 trillion, extended benefits
$0.3 trillion, federal contract spending

The spending was spread out over several years. Overall the stimulus was insufficient to jump-start the economy. It did however, stave off the worst effects of the financial collapse, leading to a long period of growth which is still going on today.

Obama proposed an infrastructure bill, but was always stymied by Republicans in Congress. Political dysfunction has led to large tax cuts and possible infrastructure spending at the wrong point in the market cycle.

#3.1 Zachriel on 2017-12-28 12:13 (Reply)

Shovel ready jobz, kiddiez.

Dems owned the House and Senate the first two years of Obama.

Another Barack Mugabe fail blamed on others.

#3.1.1 drowningpuppies on 2017-12-28 12:46 (Reply)

Z, you do know that money basically all disappeared, don't you?

It never did anything, it went into the hands of Dem politicians and supporters.

At least the one I worked on. Supposed highway rebuilding and expansion. Our client, the neighboring landowner, had to run around because they were going to do a "friendly" condemnation for the widening so the client also had to bring in its own engineer and planner and lawyer to work on it. Supposedly piles of money for the acquisition and building. Client never saw a dime, it all disappeared into government "planning" and "consulting" and the road sits as desolate and wornout as ever. In any event, client did not survive the Obama Depression either, went bankrupt in 2011. I never got paid most of my fees either. The planned resort that was going to be built in another portion of the property (unrelated to the road project) still sits abandoned, and has been occupied by squatters and the homeless. An Obamaville now occupies it. The property has been in litigation now as to whether the government has the power to remove the squatters' camp, or whether the right for the "homeless" to illegally occupy private property is constitutionally protected in our state.

In the end, a cruel joke by a totally corrupt governmental system.

#3.1.2 Jim on 2017-12-28 13:18 (Reply)

Jim: Supposedly piles of money for the acquisition and building.... In the end, a cruel joke by a totally corrupt governmental system.

Sounds more like poor planning on the part of the developer.

#3.1.2.1 Zachriel on 2017-12-28 14:15 (Reply)

Next the kiddiez will tell us the Affordable Care Act would have been affordable if only those Republicans would have agreed to spend more taxpayer money on it.

Or was it poor planning by the developer, Jonathan Gruber?

Thankz kiddiez.

#3.1.2.1.1 drowningpuppies on 2017-12-28 16:17 (Reply)

zach forgot that obamacare was promised to save $3000 per family on heath care, and that "if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor". Poor planning? No, planned evil lies. Never trust anything obama says.

#3.1.2.1.1.1 jaybird on 2017-12-28 21:27 (Reply)

jaybird: forgot that obamacare was promised to save $3000 per family on heath care,

The statement should have been "when compared to what costs would have been otherwise". That turned out not to be the case, in part due to changes that were made to the bill during implementation (such as during Medicaid expansion).

jaybird: and that "if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor".

In fact, most people did keep their doctors. However, plans and doctors are always in flux regardless of ObamaCare.

#3.1.2.1.1.1.1 Zachriel on 2017-12-29 09:55 (Reply)

zach, youse guys are absolutely shameless in your BS. You realize, of course, that you have earned a reputation here as entertaining BS trolls assigned to protect obama, hillary and the global warming scam?

#3.1.2.1.1.1.1.1 jaybird on 2017-12-29 14:33 (Reply)

jaybird: You realize, of course,

We realize that we present arguments and facts, unlike your previous comment. You could argue that disruption in the market due to the implementation of ObamaCare increased the churn in doctors in plans. It wouldn't change the fact that the vast majority of people kept their doctors, but at least it would address the point.

It's important to keep in mind that outside the right-wing echochamber, there is a whole world of evidence.

#3.1.2.1.1.1.1.1.1 Zachriel on 2017-12-30 09:46 (Reply)

Keep tap dancing, kiddiez.

Dishonest much?

#3.1.2.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 drowningpuppies on 2017-12-30 13:07 (Reply)

Jim: you do know that money basically all disappeared, don't you?

As most of the money was for tax cuts and benefit extensions, that certainly is not the case. As for the contract spending, that was only a relatively small amount. The financial meltdown left a $10 trillion disruption in the U.S. economy.

Once the depth of the disruption was better understood, the Obama Administration proposed a significant infrastructure program, but it never got anywhere in Congress.

Presumably, though, you are against the Trump infrastructure plan.

#3.1.2.2 Zachriel on 2017-12-28 14:25 (Reply)

Shove ready jobs, summer of recovery
Dishonest much, kiddiez?

#3.1.2.2.1 drowningpuppies on 2017-12-28 15:50 (Reply)

zachs will say anything in an effort to disrupt criticism of his several assignments. It is interesting that their efforts erase any expectation of credibility merely at the first sight of "zachriel", and highlight the vacuousness of the zach obama/clinton protectorate.

#3.1.2.2.1.1 jaybird on 2017-12-28 21:51 (Reply)

jaybird: will say anything in an effort to disrupt criticism of his several assignments.

No. In this case, we stated demonstrable facts, which you ignored: Most of the stimulus was for tax cuts and benefit extensions. And Obama did propose infrastructure spending, but was blocked in Congress.

#3.1.2.2.1.1.1 Zachriel on 2017-12-29 09:57 (Reply)

Zzzzz: No. In this case, we stated demonstrable facts,...

Then the kiddiez rephrased, requalified, ignored, and outright misstated their demonstrable facts .

Nice try kiddiez, you stepped in it and tried to tap dance your way out of it.
Becoming a bit of a joke really.

#3.1.2.2.1.1.1.1 drowningpuppies on 2017-12-29 12:31 (Reply)

the zach troll is trying to convince us that the dems passed massive tax cuts (not an obamacare tax on people who refused obmacaree), that tax cuts are an "expenditure", and that "tax cuts" are "shovel rady jobs" . Pretty tough sell....

#3.1.2.2.1.1.1.1.1 jaybird on 2017-12-29 14:39 (Reply)

jaybird: convince us that the dems passed massive tax cuts

In fact, the ARRA included $288 billion in tax cuts, including refundable tax credits, a temporary increase in the EITC, an acceleration of the recovery of the costs of capital expenditures, and a fix to the AMT.

#3.1.2.2.1.1.1.1.1.1 Zachriel on 2017-12-30 09:54 (Reply)

one of zach's favorite "shovel ready" boondoggles is the california "high speed rail" project. The initial $7 billion or so for studies?
At a cost for civil and structural engineers of, say $100 per hour, that buys SEVENTY MILLION HOURS of competent engineering time. Or, maybe 50 corrupt payoffs to obama/dem hustlers. zach doesn't get paid that much to troll for obama, hillary, climate warming, so its not zach's fault. The cost overruns are now exploding, as shovel-ready money gets shoveled into crooks' and the "connecteds'" pockets.

#3.1.2.3 jaybird on 2017-12-28 21:44 (Reply)

Another zach favorite was obama-backed SPANISH “green energy” company Abengoa, which went bankrupt after getting billions from us taxpayers. The corruption (except for payoffs?) didn’t even go to crooked US citizens.

And massive obama $ losses to the foreign firm Fisker is another zach favorite. I'm patriotic enough to think US crooks should get free taxpayer political money over foreign moneygrabbers. And the Solyndra scandal of obama's bankrupted, shovel-ready taxpayer money, must also be an undeniable zach favorite.

#3.1.2.3.1 jaybird on 2017-12-28 23:02 (Reply)

jaybird: "shovel ready" boondoggles is the california "high speed rail" project

California's high-speed rail was never advertised as shovel-ready. Construction started in 2015, and the entire project will be built in stages with the first leg ready in 2025.

jaybird: SPANISH “green energy” company Abengoa

If your point is that money is wasted, well, with good management only half the money is wasted. That's the human condition. And developing new technology always involves some failure. By the way, the courts have approved Abengoa U.S.'s to exit from bankruptcy.

Meanwhile, green energy jobs are growing 12x faster than the rest of the economy.

#3.1.2.3.2 Zachriel on 2017-12-29 10:19 (Reply)

Z wrote that "California's high-speed rail was never advertised as shovel-ready."

Per the LA Times May 18 2016 article on the high speed bullet train "The project was supposed to be “shovel ready” when it received the grant in 2010"

Politico also wrote that "High-Speed Rail Gets a Four-Year Delay: The California Bullet Train Megaproject Was Even Less Shovel-Ready Than Advertised "

#3.1.2.3.2.1 Hank_M on 2017-12-29 13:14 (Reply)

Hank, thanks for tracking down more zach phonus balonus BS.
the zach troll would have us believe that the Solyndra, Fisker, Abengoa type funding was merely "wasted". By ""wasted", zach means "were shovelled into the pockets of connected cronies".

Zach ignores the 70 million engineering hours that could be bought with 7 billion initial funding for the shovel-ready california money train, instead of greasing the pockets of a few cronies. The money train will be way over budget, over 100 billion, even with socalled cuts in service. 100 billion pays off a lot of cronies.

#3.1.2.3.2.1.1 jaybird on 2017-12-29 14:48 (Reply)

Hand_M: Per the LA Times May 18 2016 article on the high speed bullet train "The project was supposed to be “shovel ready” when it received the grant in 2010"

And here's NBC in 2009 saying the project is "far from shovel ready".

#3.1.2.3.2.1.2 Zachriel on 2017-12-30 10:05 (Reply)

But the Zzzz said it was NEVER ADVERTISED as shovel ready.
Evidence was presented that your statement was false.
Why must you be so dishonest?

#3.1.2.3.2.1.2.1 drowningpuppies on 2017-12-30 12:53 (Reply)

"The bipartisan stimulus package during the Obama Administration was about $0.8 trillion:"

I just love how you characterize ZERO Republican votes in the House and three, sniveling RINO votes in the Senate (Collins, Snowe and Specter) as 'bipartisan'.

Why must you be so dishonest?

#3.1.3 jimg on 2017-12-28 14:46 (Reply)

jimg: I just love how you characterize ZERO Republican votes in the House and three, sniveling RINO votes in the Senate (Collins, Snowe and Specter) as 'bipartisan'.

Turns out that "RINO votes" really are Republican votes, and were required to invoke cloture in the Senate. But we'd be happy to rephrase that as "the stimulus package, which overcame strong Republican opposition, was about $0.8 trillion, not trillions as suggested by GoneWithTheWind, with most of the money allocated for tax cuts and benefit extensions.

#3.1.3.1 Zachriel on 2017-12-28 16:02 (Reply)

Maybe the kidz should rephrase again.

True Cost of Stimulus: $3.27 Trillion

http://dailysignal.com/2009/02/12/true-cost-of-stimulus-327-trillion/

#3.1.3.1.1 drowningpuppies on 2017-12-28 16:30 (Reply)

If time "just is", and is not some type of continuum, as these physicists suggest...

How does one measure velocity?

#4 Steve on 2017-12-28 09:41 (Reply)

My SWAG would be that since all measurements are relative to the observer, the time component of velocity is as well.

#4.1 Christopher B on 2017-12-28 11:23 (Reply)

Now you're getting into relativity!

#4.1.1 mudbug on 2017-12-28 12:26 (Reply)

relative to a frame of reference, and transform them across a 4-d space-time according to the principles of special and general relativity.

There is no standard clock for the universe any more than there is a definable central point of the space of the universe.

What the equations basically say is that the statement that tomorrow doesn't exist yet is more or less equivalent to the statement that London doesn't exist to me because I haven't observed it yet. The train stations don't come into being because our train arrives at them, they have an existence in time and space prior to our arrival.

The fact that we can experience time only on an instant by instant basis probably relates more to entropy than to the defining space-time dimensions themselves. Or to put it in the vernacular of Doctor Who, it all gets wibbley-wobbley, timey-wimey when you try to look at it too closely.

#4.2 another guy named Dan on 2017-12-28 12:37 (Reply)

Can't remember the song about 'time in a bottle'. Also, can't remember the TV show starring Dean Jagger and someone (think it was a Disney science show) discussing when to 'set the clock running' (Maybe it was St. Peter asking the Lord (Jagger))and Jagger says - 'anytime you want.'

#4.3 Bob in Stafford on 2017-12-28 14:54 (Reply)

Re: Israelis Don't Care How the UN Votes

Why should anyone care how the UN votes? Given that, why should anyone belong to it?

#5 mudbug on 2017-12-28 10:24 (Reply)

Add Comment

Name
Email	(Your e-mail will not show in your comment)
Homepage
In reply to
Comment	By commenting on this site you agree to the site rules listed here. Email addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for email notifications. Quick reference guide: [i] italics [/i], [b] bold [/b], [u] underline [/u], [url] (web address) [/url]. More tips here. Enclosing asterisks marks text as bold (word), underscore are made via _word_. E-Mail addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for E-Mail notifications. To prevent automated Bots from commentspamming, please enter the string you see in the image below in the appropriate input box. Your comment will only be submitted if the strings match. Please ensure that your browser supports and accepts cookies, or your comment cannot be verified correctly. Enter the string from the spam-prevention image above: BBCode format allowed
	Remember Information? Subscribe to this entry

Maggie's Farm

Our Recent Essays Behind the Front Page

Categories

Quicksearch

Links

Blog Administration

RSS Readers

Thursday, December 28. 2017

Thursday morning links