. SouthAmerica: The thread that I started âUS Economy Paradigm Shiftâ became a very popular thread with over 36 postings and 1,200 views in less than 24 hours. Why that thread has been removed from this message board? There are some guidelines that I am not aware of or there is âCensorshipâ that applies to certain subjects such as questioning US defense spending? Does this message board allows âFree Speechâ to the participants of this message board or they also have âCensorshipâ applied to this board as it is the case in the message board of âThe Charlie Rose Showâ? I learned from my own experience that they actually apply on a regular basis âCensorshipâ to that message board, and if you say something that the managers of that message board doesnât agree with; your message is edited or it is entirely gone. It is ironic that one of the subjects that they did not allow to be discussed in that message board was the subject of âCensorshipâ and âFree Speech.â Experiences such as mine with âThe Charlie Rose Showâ message board makes me wonder how much âFree Speechâ we still have in the US. I hope that the above mentioned thread has been removed from this message board by mistake, and not because of âCensorship.â PS: Since that censorship event I stopped posting in that message board, and I also stopped watching "The Charlie Rose Show" on television. .
I deleted it. Extremely unlikely conspiracy theories with doomsday and TEOTWAWKI scenarios just around the corner are not appropriate for the Econ forum. EliteTrader's Economic Forum is not the web's version of The National Enquirer. You may believe it is true, as well as others. Some folks think Aliens from Outer Space kidnapped Elvis. That does not make it a reasonable topic of discussion though. I will not debate the whys and whens or what specifically makes any thread in general or this thread in particular out of bounds of the Econ forum.
"Free Speech" as you say does not apply to private forums or even private establishments.....EX: you come into my tavern and after being served, you create a scene and scream out repeatedly.."My drink and food SUCKS"...You will promptly be thrown out the front door by your shirt tails......Free Speech my ass... if you don't like my drink or food....Just leave and don't ever come back....actually, you would be 86'd so you wouldn't ever be allowed back anyway.....Got to Love America!
. SouthAmerica: The US wasted over $ 2.1 trillion dollars in defense spending during the 5-year period 2001 â 2005 when most of the other major economies around the world were investing their scarce resources wisely and they were building their economies. Here is were the US government should be investing the US taxpayers money instead: The latest ASCE report published in March 2005 estimates that the US government will need to invest at least $ 1.6 trillion dollars in the next five years in order to bring the current US infrastructure to an âacceptableâ level. Here are their findings and recommendations: ASCE â 2005 Report Card for Americaâs Infrastructure American Society for Civil Engineers â March 9, 2005 Key Infrastructure Facts · Our nation's highways, transit systems, railroads, airports, ports and inland waterways drive our economy, enabling all industries to achieve the growth and productivity that has made America so strong and prosperous. · A USDOT study concludes that for each $1 billion of federal spending on highway construction nationwide, 47,500 jobs are generated annually. If we invested in our infrastructure at the level of $1.6 trillion over five years, as many as five million jobs would be created. Aviation · The FAA projects passenger growth at 4.3% a year through 2015, a 52% increase over 2005 demand. · The number of aircraft handled by air traffic control is expected to increase from 45.1 million in 2004 to 58.4 million in 2015. · Between $9-15 billion is needed annually to enable airports to meet the expected demand. Airport and Aviation Facts: · There are 510 U.S. airports with commercial service, accounting for 99.88% of passenger enplanements. · The number of runway incursions has decreased from a peak of 407 in 2001 to 324 in 2003. · In 2004, the FAA designated 3,344 airports as part of the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS), including commercial service airports, reliever airports and selected general aviation airports. · The FAA sets a performance goal of ensuring that 93% of NPIAS airport runways are maintained in good or fair condition--in 2003, the FAA rated 75% as good, 21% as fair, and 4% as poor. At commercial service airports, the runways faired better, with 80% good, 18% fair, and 2% poor. · Accessibility--66% of Americans live within 20 miles of a commercial service airport. There is general consensus that maintaining the integrity of the national airport system requires continual updates and a steady and predictable flow of capital. The FAA has estimated that planned capital development of $9 billion annually is necessary to meet expanding demand. The Airport Council International (ACI) puts that number at $15 billion. Neither the FAA nor ACI estimates include terminal modifications needed to accommodate new explosives-detection systems required for baggage screening. Bridges · 27% of America's bridges--more than one in four--are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. · A slab of concrete falling from the deteriorated Steinway Street bridge in Astoria, NY, in July 2004 critically injured a motorist on the parkway below. In Chicago, concrete 'rained down' from the 33rd Street Bridge, blowing out the tires on at least four vehicles passing below. Just two weeks earlier, concrete from another bridge crashed into the windshield of a car on Chicago's Interstate 57, injuring its occupants. · "Ever tried to take a 12-ton fire engine over a three ton bridge?" - A civil engineer from Modoc, CA · There are 590,750 bridges in the United States. · 31.2% of the nation's urban bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. FHWA estimates that it will take $9.4 billion a year for 20 years to eliminate all bridge deficiencies. In 2003 of the nation's 590,750 bridges 27.1% rated structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. However, it will cost $9.4 billion a year for 20 years to eliminate all bridge deficiencies. Long-term underinvestment is compounded by the lack of a Federal transportation program. Conditions As of 2003, 27.1% of the nation's bridges (160,570) were structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, an improvement from 28.5% in 2000. In fact, over the past 12 years, the number of bridge deficiencies has steadily declined from 34.6% in 1992 to 27.1% in 2003. The Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA's) strategic plan states that by 2008, less than 25% of the nation's bridges should be classified as deficient. If that goal were met, 1 in 4 bridges in the nation would still be deficient. There were 590,750 bridges in the United States in 2000; however, one in three urban bridges (31.2% or 43,189) was classified as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, much higher than the national average. In contrast, 25.6% (118,381) of rural bridges were classified as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. A structurally deficient bridge is closed or restricted to light vehicles because of its deteriorated structural components. While not necessarily unsafe, these bridges must have limits for speed and weight. A functionally obsolete bridge has older design features and, while it is not unsafe for all vehicles, it cannot safely accommodate current traffic volumes, and vehicle sizes and weights. These restrictions not only contribute to traffic congestion, they pose such major inconveniences as school busses or emergency vehicles taking lengthy detours. It is estimated that it will cost $9.4 billion per year for 20 years to eliminate all bridge deficiencies. The annual investment required to prevent the bridge investment backlog from increasing is estimated at $7.3 billion. Present funding trends of state departments of transportation call into question future progress on addressing bridge deficiencies. Dams · Since 1998 the number of unsafe dams has risen by more than 33% to 3,500. · There were 29 dam failures in the past two years in the United States. · The Big Bay Lake Dam in Mississippi failed in March 2004, destroying 100 homes. The Silver Lake Dam in Michigan failed in 2003, causing $100 million in property damage and economic losses of $1 million per day. · Since 1998 the number of high-hazard potential dams has increased from 9,281 to 10,213. High-hazard potential dams are those dams whose failure would cause loss of human life or significant loss of property. · $10.1 billion is needed over the next 12 years to address all critical non-federal dams. Since 1998, the number of unsafe dams has risen by 33% to more than 3,500. While federally owned dams are in good condition, and there have been modest gains in repair, the number of dams identified as unsafe is increasing at a faster rate than those being repaired. $10.1 billion is needed over the next 12 years to address all critical non-federal dams--dams which pose a direct risk to human life should they fail. Conditions Like all man-made structures, dams deteriorate. Deferred maintenance accelerates deterioration and causes dams to be more susceptible to failure. As with other critical infrastructure, a significant investment is essential to maintain the benefits and assure the safety that society demands. In the past two years, more than 67 dam incidents, including 29 dam failures, were reported to the National Performance of Dams program, which collects and archives information on dam performance as reported by state and federal regulatory agencies and dam owners. Dam incidents are such events as large floods, earthquakes or inspections that alert dam safety engineers to deficiencies that threaten the safety of a dam. Due to limited state staff, many incidents are not reported; therefore, the actual number of incidents is likely to be much greater. The number of high-hazard potential dams (dams whose failure would cause loss of human life) is increasing dramatically. Since 1998, the number of high-hazard-potential dams has increased from 9,281 to 10,213, with 1,046 in North Carolina alone. As downstream land development increases, so will the number of high-hazard potential dams. As these dams often require major repair to accommodate more stringent inspection, maintenance and design standards, financial support for state dam safety programs must keep pace. Even more alarming, states presently report more than 3,500 "unsafe" dams, which have deficiencies that leave them more susceptible to failure. Many states have large numbers of unsafe dams, including Pennsylvania (725), New Jersey (583), and New Hampshire (357). Many state agencies do not report statistics on unsafe dams; therefore the actual number is potentially much higher. .
. ASCE Report Part - 2 Drinking Water · In 2002, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated that the country must invest $161 billion over the next 20 years to upgrade America's drinking water treatment plants. · Federal aid has not kept pace with the demand, with the proposed funding level of $850 million in FY 2006 equaling less than 10 percent of the annual need. · Annual federal appropriations for drinking water need to be at least $1 billion. · Each day, six billion gallons of clean, treated drinking water disappears, mostly due to old, leaky pipes and mains. That's enough water to serve the population of a state the size of California. · Surgeons in Franklin, NH, had to use bottled water to scrub for surgery after contaminants in the water triggered a boil water alert. · A break in a 40-year-old water main left the community of Northbrook, Illinois, without water for 15 hours. America faces a shortfall of $11 billion annually to replace aging facilities and comply with safe drinking water regulations. Federal funding for drinking water in 2005 remained level at $850 million, less than 10% of the total national requirement. The Bush administration has proposed the same level of funding for FY06. Conditions The nation's 54,000 drinking water systems face staggering public investment needs over the next 20 years. Although America spends billions on infrastructure each year, drinking water faces an annual shortfall of at least $11 billion to replace aging facilities that are near the end of their useful life and to comply with existing and future federal water regulations. The shortfall does not account for any growth in the demand for drinking water over the next 20 years. In 2001, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a national survey of drinking water infrastructure needs. The survey results concluded that approximately $151 billion would be needed over 20 years to repair, replace, and upgrade the nation's 55,000 community drinking water systems to protect public health. U.S. Electric Power Grid · The industry needs to invest $10 billion a year over the next five years to ensure the reliability of the national power grid. · Annual spending on infrastructure improvements to the national grid has totaled about $5 billion in recent years. U.S. ELECTRIC POWER GRID The U.S. power transmission system is in urgent need of modernization. Growth in electricity demand and investment in new power plants has not been matched by investment in new transmission facilities. Maintenance expenditures have decreased 1% per year since 1992. Existing transmission facilities were not designed for the current level of demand, resulting in an increased number of "bottlenecks," which increase costs to consumers and elevate the risk of blackouts. In 2002, the U.S. Department of Energy was equally blunt: "There is growing evidence that the U.S. transmission system is in urgent need of modernization. The system has become congested because growth in electricity demand and investment in new generation facilities have not been matched by investment in new transmission facilities. Transmission problems have been compounded by the incomplete transition to fair and efficient competitive wholesale electricity markets. Because the existing transmission system was not designed to meet present demand, daily transmission constraints or `bottlenecks' increase electricity costs to consumers and increase the risk of blackouts." Hazardous Waste · As many as 350,000 chemically contaminated waste sites may need to be cleaned up over the next 30 years, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. · The national bill for this cleanup could reach $250 billion. · Federal spending on the cleanup of Superfund sites has declined steadily in recent years, with the FY 2005 total reaching $1.257 billion, the lowest level in nearly a decade. Navigable Waterways · Traffic on the nation's 12,000 miles of inland waterways is increasing, but the facilities are aging. Nearly 50% of the system's 257 locks are more than 60 years old, with some built in the early 19th century. · Money to maintain the waterways comes from the Inland Waterway Trust Fund. · The surplus in the Trust Fund has been increasing as the repair backlog of more than $600 million has been growing. Congress has not appropriated the full amount of money available for waterway repairs. · Emergency repair of a navigation lock on the Ohio River at Louisville, Kentucky, halted transport of more than two million tons of cargo for a period of two weeks · The 90-year-old St. Mary Canal system in Montana supplies irrigation to 110,000 acres of farmland and drinking water to 14,000 households. With crumbling concrete and buckled metal, the system needs $100 million in repairs. · Tow boat captain Steve Lumpkins says the metal jutting from the 100-year-old locks on the Monongahela River could rip the whole side of a barge open. You can poke a finger through the concrete flume that empties water from the lock. Before the crumbling lock can be removed, a nearby 70-year-old lock will need to be replaced with larger, modern locks. The small, outmoded locks add $10 million a year to shipping costs. A single barge traveling the nation's waterways can move the same amount of cargo as 58 semi-trucks at one-tenth the cost--reducing highway congestion and saving money. Of the 257 locks on the more than 12,000 miles of inland waterways operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, nearly 50% are functionally obsolete. By 2020, that number will increase to 80%. The cost to replace the present system of locks is more than $125 billion. Conditions Forty-one states, 16 state capitals and all states east of the Mississippi River are served by commercially navigable waterways. Domestic companies operating vessels on U. S. waterways increased 19.6% from 2002 to 2003. Waterway usage is increasing, but the facilities are aging; many Corps-owned or -operated locks are well past their planned design life of 50 years. Of the 257 locks still in use in the United States, 30 were built in the 19th Century, another 92 locks are more than 60 years old. In other words, nearly 50% of all Corps-maintained locks were functionally obsolete by the beginning of 2005. Assuming that no new locks are built in the next 20 years, by 2020, another 93 existing locks will be obsolete--rendering more than 8 of every 10 locks now in service archaic. As the system ages, the infrastructure cannot support the growing traffic loads, resulting in frequent delays for repairs. At the same time, the repairs become more expensive due to long-deferred maintenance. The Corps estimates that it would cost more than $125 billion to replace the present inland waterway system. Public Parks & Recreation · The U.S. National Park System entertained more than 266 million recreational visits in 2003 and maintains thousands of structures and roads to support its operations. · More than 90% of Corps of Engineers-maintained lake projects were constructed before 1980, and 40% of those same projects were constructed prior to 1960. · Investment in recreational boating infrastructure has not kept up with demand, as annual boat registrations have more than doubled in the past three decades. · Coastal areas generate almost 31% of the U.S. gross national product and receive about 85% of the country's tourist-related revenues, largely because of the popularity of beaches. · Dozens of California beaches, stretching from Imperial Beach to Malibu, were closed in January when heavy rains caused overflows of millions of gallons of raw sewage into the watershed. The National Park Service estimates a maintenance backlog of $6.1 billion for its facilities. Additionally, there is great need for maintenance, replacement and construction of new infrastructure in our nation's state and municipal park systems. Rail · Class I railroads currently invest about $2 billion annually for improvements above and beyond repair and maintenance. At this level of investment, rail will lose freight market share over the next 20 years, as the industry will not be able to keep up with growing demand. · Shifting all freight currently carried by rail to trucks would cost shippers an additional $69 billion annually. This will result in higher prices for U.S. consumers and increased truck traffic on the nation's highways, requiring an additional $54 billion in highway funds over the next 20 years to maintain the roads. · To maintain current share of freight carried, and accommodate the anticipated increase in total freight carried, railroads would require $175 billion to $195 billion in investments over the next 20 years. · Three railroad bridges used by Amtrak in the Northeast Corridor will be closed within two years if not repaired, shutting down passenger travel on the busy New York to Boston route. For the first time since World War II, limited rail capacity has created significant chokepoints and delays. This problem will increase, as freight rail tonnage is expected to increase at least 50% by 2020. In addition, the use of rail trackage for intercity passenger and commuter rail service is increasingly being recognized as a worthwhile transportation investment. Congestion relief, improved safety, environmental and economic development benefits result from both freight and passenger market shifts to rail creating a rational for public sector investment. The freight railroad industry needs to spend $175-$195 billion over the next 20 years to maintain existing infrastructure and expand for freight growth. Expansion of the railroad network to develop intercity corridor passenger rail service is estimated to cost approximately $60 billion over 20 years. All told, investment needs are $12-13 billion per year. END OF PART 2 of 3 .