Usa Thread

[Steve]

Hey Flash, the thing is changing industries isn't necessarily a bad thing. Over a 130 years ago, railroads were king. The biggest stock on the NYSE were rail stocks. I think about 1 in 10 jobs at least, if not more were directly or indirectly tied to rail in some way. That figure may be higher and probably is. I can't recall but I heard something iike 10 or 20 percent I think maybe even higher.

 

Anyway, we transformed from a rail industry till after WW2 we went to a highway and air society. The national highway system were built and expanded nationally, air travel became affordable to the average person. TWA and Pan Am grew by leaps and bounds. Travel by rail decreased dramatically. Some cities and industries never went away. Pittsburgh continued to make steel no matter what. West Virginia continued to mine for coal. Economic Darwinism determined what industries maintained. Jobs weren't lost, only transfered. There were thousands of people who made and bought buggy whips 150 years ago. There were thousands of blacksmiths. There were thousands of rail workers. Were those jobs lost? No, they were transfered. Thousands of men delivered milk to your home, sold encyclopeias, sold Fuller Brushes. What happened to them?

 

A move to other energy sources will create new jobs. Innovation will increase that exponentially. What will happen to Houston, oil city? Well, if they were smart they would look for other industries to exploit. Chicago was a stock yard city. Lived on it. They found new ways to make money.

[unit731]

Sandy

Unintened Consequences

 

Long lines for gasoline.

 

Fist, there are people in long lines with petrol cans to fill up at gas station to take home for their portable generator.

Too many purchase these small generators that require petrol and then they have one container of petrol.

What are the thought processes of these folks if the electricity goes out in a wide area? Wouldn't it be wise to have 3 or 4 filled containers at home?

But that can in itself become a fire hazard.

 

Automobiles.

Gasoline filling stations will also lose electricity.

Wouldn't one think that folks would fill up the family truckster with petrol before the storm comes?

Is it time for the major oil companies to mandate a back up generator?

Should Homeland Security provide portable back up generators to these petrol stations?

 

The filling stations. Couldn't someone in the oil business figure out what stations have electricity and direct the tanker trucks to those so that the ones that are open have enough petrol and don't run out as long lines of vehicles still waitiing. In one scene on the tele the police had to advise people who had waited for hours that the gas station was out of petrol.

[Bangkoktraveler]

Republicans are bitching that FEMA is not

doing things fast enough........

 

 

So why are they bitching?

 

Willard plans to get rid of FEMA!

[Bangkoktraveler]

 

Those undies have no magical writings.

I suspect Willard's undies have all kinds of magical writings.

 

I got it from a good source

that Willard wants to discontinue body armor for the troops

in favor of the more reliable magical underwear

that will protect believers from any and all harm.

 

[Bangkoktraveler]

Willard

who is a High Priest

of the Order of Melchizedek

surely mst have a lot of magical stuff

written all over his undies.

 

Do other World leaders wear magical undies?

[Bangkoktraveler]

If Romney believes in magic so much

then why do we need a military?

 

Can't Willard brew up a spell

that will disarm the World?

[kamui]

The filling stations. Couldn't someone in the oil business figure out what stations have electricity and direct the tanker trucks to those so that the ones that are open have enough petrol and don't run out as long lines of vehicles still waitiing. In one scene on the tele the police had to advise people who had waited for hours that the gas station was out of petrol.

 

That's a minor problem actually.

 

 

Scientist did sound alarm for years that a catastrophe like Sandy would hit NY due to climate changes and rising sea levels.

 

Making NY (and other costal cities) flood proof would cost billions and the city hasn't even begun to think about proper flood protection.

Why? Because the majority of the USA Americans doesn't believe in climate change and Big Oil and other groups are aggressively lobbying against any changes in US politics in regard to climate change.

 

We all know that the US infrastructure (highways, bridges, waterworks, e.g.) is crumbling. The climate change will make it even worse.

[BelgianBoy]

That's a minor problem actually.

 

 

Scientist did sound alarm for years that a catastrophe like Sandy would hit NY due to climate changes and rising sea levels.

 

Making NY (and other costal cities) flood proof would cost billions and the city hasn't even begun to think about proper flood protection.

Why? Because the majority of the USA Americans doesn't believe in climate change and Big Oil and other groups are aggressively lobbying against any changes in US politics in regard to climate change.

 

We all know that the US infrastructure (highways, bridges, waterworks, e.g.) is crumbling. The climate change will make it even worse.

all the above plus a bankrupt federal, state and city.....

[Steve]

The storm is a tragedy but some 'good' can come out of it. Maybe...just maybe...its enough to finally do some things and opposition to it will seem crass and un-American.

First of all, its a great opportunity to work on our infrastructure. Seawalls and other storm, hurricane and tornado defense projects provide thousands of blue collar jobs. The cost will pay for itself in taxes paid by the workers coming back to us.

Well over a hundred years NYC had all its cables and such over ground on poles. A storm knocked down the entire city's network and they built vast tunnels and moved it underground. Its still in effect today and the jobs supported the masses of immigrants that were teeming into the city and provided them jobs and kept the city moving forward.

The government MUST cut parts of it but we still have to spend. The spending should be on infrastructure so that the money is recycled. It just seems a no brainer. I guarantee you Romney will do some spending on it if he is electe. The Republican congress, or at least the Tea Party alligned ones, have made a conscious effort not to work with Obama on it. Obama has some blame to shoulder himself as he has let the acrimony get to him and stopped trying to work with them.

 

As for the election this is interesting...http://news.yahoo.com/errant-gingrich-email-obama-going-win-174518235.html

 

An email message mistakenly sent to Newt Gingrich's list serve this morning told subscribers that President Obama would no doubt win in 2012 and that they should be more worried about Obama's winning in 2016.

 

That's right, despite the 22nd Amendment, which limits any one person to two presidential terms, the email that went out to Gingrich's supporters suggests President Obama would be running again in 2016, and possibly serve through 2020.

[Flashermac]

Not to worry, Joe Biden has already said he is running next time. Genius Joe for President!