I completely agree with Threadkiller. You can’t legislate morality OR behavior. ‘Buying American’ is a behavioral choice. We need to be reconditioned to have faith in and support our own products. We need to stop badmouthing what we produce here and start making honest attempts to seek out US made products and support those of high quality. I have faith that Americans can and will rise to the challenge and once again produce the high quality goods we were once famous for.
About the stimulus spending.. Our infrastructure is shameful. I recall reading a quote from a poster (possibly on another forum) who compared trying to work while commuting on a local US metro to his experience in Japan on a highspeed rail with WIFI. On the metro, he spent the entire trip dealing with dropped cell phone calls, overcrowding, awkward, uncomfortable seating, etc. In Tokyo, he had seamless WIFI connection – business style seats with tray tables and was able to remain connected to the internet the entire duration of the trip. Some may call modernization ‘pork bareel’ spending, but I see it as necessary to increase productivity and compete with other nations.
I was recently in DC. YES, the Mall needs updating. The grounds are falling into disrepair. portions are chained off because of safety concerns. The grass/gravel looked like the field of an abandoned elementary school. I realize it is expensive to have nice things – but have we really turned into a nation of Walmart-minded consumers – where everything has to be cheap and easy? Is it really outrageous to want our nation’s capital to be that “shining city on a hill” ??
Updating and modernizing isn’t pork barrel unless it is unnecessary. I look at the city around me and think – unless something is done, in 20 more years, we’re going to look like a 3rd world country. We need to bring our cities into the modern era and we need to put Americans to work to get it done.
I hate to push spending, but how on earth do you get this sort of thing done without spending money? We’re never going to be able to afford it – why not get it over with and hasten the recovery?
