thereisnospoon
Gold Member
I have never thought of nation building as good foreign policy. It is none of our business how other countries choose to govern or rule.
we tried the "winning of hearts and minds" approach in Vietnam and it was an utter failure. Why we repeat this over and over is a mystery. If it is to avoid criticism from the world community, forget it. No matter which way we turn, there is always going to be hatred toward us. So that boils it down to the aspect of wining conflicts, militarily or with diplomacy. Either way we must cast aside of the notion that the entire world will be friendly toward the US.
Free trade was based on the assumption that we could use trade to lift other nations. The theory is fine. However in practice free trade puts US interests, employees and employers who cannot pull up stakes and move opps to foreign lands at a distinct disadvantage. The answer to this is Fair Trade.
- I agree with #3..The blind loyalty to so called allies allows them to take advantage of our largess with no strings attached. This must end. All of our so called allies need to be put on notice that our defenses, financial assistance, etc come at a price. That price is the help we give comes on OUR terms.
George Washington said it best when he warned against "entangling alliances with foreign nations"....
Our infrastructure spending is not really the issue. The implementation of that spending is the root of the problem.
Instead of having states fund projects on what are termed as "federal properties( Interstate and US numbered routes, interstate rail systems, etc) the federal government should be funding these things in a uniform and proportionate( by existing and future mileage of facilities) formula. In other words, no more examples of what Sen Robert Byrd( D-WV) was allowed to get away with by steering far more federal highway spending to his state while other states were left with crumbs. No more of this. Federal spending on infrastructure should be equitable. One other thing. Unions should be cut out of the equation. Whereas some states have prevailing wage laws, NJ is one of the most notorious, and others simply fund projects and the contractors bid on them and pay their own employees an industry appropriate wage. This makes some states' labor costs significantly higher than other states. The end result is far more of the budget is spent covering labor costs and less on the projects themselves. Also, union rules often slow projects to a crawl. This also drivers up the cost of construction.
On #4..No not every person collecting public assistance is lazy. However, the root of the problems are many. First, enforcement of regulations. Its nil. And therefore a high percentage of the recipients are gaming the system in plain sight. This has to stop, Current policy has made poverty too comfortable.....On the issue of job training. No we do not need some taxpayer funded new federal jobs training program. What is needed is to start vocational education at the onset of entry into public schools. Our system now is 100% geared toward preparing every student for college. That is an incorrect approach. Our public schools should be offering vocational, skilled trades, family financial and other life experience training.
Our tqax dollars are already used "HERE"......In school districts where property taxes are the main funding mechanism, the typical property tax levy has some 75% to 80% earmarked to public education. It isn't how much is collected. It is what is done with the revenue once it is collected.
Lastly. There is no such thing as "free"....The money HAS to come from somewhere. And since we already pay plenty in taxes to fund education, asking the taxpayers to pay for something they already pay for is going to be a nearly impossible endeavor
