I love stories like this in that THIS was what the US USED TO DO.
We'd just do it.
Hoover Dam.
Horseshoe Dam.
The Interstate system.
You name it.
We wanted to build it, and BAAMM!!! There it was!
But now, good luck trying to even get windmills up with all the environmental regulations, not to mention protests by groups like Greenpeace or the Sierra Club. Heck, Minnesota is just trying to get a much needed bridge across the St. Croix. A whopping 1/2 mile long and the Sierra Club has held it up for the past 10 years forcing everybody in the eastern metro to wait cumulatively decades worth of human time in traffic. We can't even get a 1/2 mile bridge up, while the Chinese in a paleo-American way "just do it" with a bridge 60 times as long!
Ah, and you wonder why economic growth is decreasing over time.
4 comments:
I wonder if any of greenies have done a "study" on the Carbon Footprint Sierra Club has created by not allowing the Stillwater bridge. Traffic backs up for miles and cars sit idling to cross on the old bridge... I am sure that is far more damaging than a couple pilings going into the river to allow the new bridge...
@anon:
That carbon footprint does not count for the same reason that the Goracle's massive waste of fuel in his private jet does not count. It is the unfortunate side effect of "raising awareness."
Anonymous, the greenies never bother to do ANY kind of genuine environmental analysis which is why we ended up with hydroelectric dams, recycled paper, MTBE, windmills, and all the other boondoggles that hurt the environment worse than they help.
The US is the world's largest economy and growth rates diminish with size. China's growth rate has averaged 9% over the past 30 years, but they started from nothing. Even though they are the world's third largest economy, they are smaller than California plus Texas. So they have a very long way to go to catch us. They are severely resource constrained which is why they are doing deals with Latin America and Africa. They are completely destroying their environment. The air and water literally kill people. They are running out of fresh water fast.
I'm not saying we should pay much heed to the greenies, but we're better off than we were 30 years ago with air and water quality.
I definitely think the US can sustain 3-4% growth indefinitely through technology alone. Reducing taxes, regulation, and other government burdens will help.
China is an ecological, social, and political powderkeg. You'll watch it explode within the next 15 years. Whether we explode or not depends on politics and denial. I have faith that in two election cycles the Medicare and Social Security gorillas in the room will be too obvious to ignore.
Cat food and refrigerator boxes for all seniors who haven't saved! Health care will involve a cyanide capsule.
This is a perfect example of the current world situation. China is building factories, roads, bridges, dams, sure there are some growth problems, but who cares.
Compare that to California. In California they worry about gay marriage and want to ban big screen TVs.
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